Pragmatic Play explores how game shows can bring old world entertainment to the gaming industry, attracting new players and bringing fresh betting opportunities

There is significant attention on any tools or products which can assist with acquiring new players, especially in those mature markets where regulations continue to tighten, with bonusing restrictions and more in place. With products such as game show Live Casino titles entering the mix, operators can appeal to a wider demographic than ever before.

Pragmatic Play has gone from slot supplier to leading multi-product provider for the iGaming industry in just a few short years. With a portfolio spanning Slots, Bingo, Live Casino, and soon Virtual Sports, it has been a continual march forward for the provider.

With the rise in innovative Live Casino products which differ significantly from the norm, Pragmatic Play is once again at the forefront of unique content. Below the company discusses the role that game shows have played, acting as an inspiration for what’s to come from the award-winning provider.

Live Casino offers a unique opportunity for players to enjoy classic casino games which, rather than depending on RNG casino software, are solely focused on the result of a roulette spin, the roll of a dice or the deal of a card. By taking traditional, thrilling casino products, such as Baccarat, Blackjack and Roulette and bringing them in a pure form to online customers, the vertical can reach a completely new demographic. This is before one even considers Sic Bo or similar games that players all over the globe have come to know and love. As a product range, Live Casino titles can revert an online gaming session into an exhilarating alternative to the pure, land-based casino forms of gambling. By giving players recognisable products available from the comfort of their own home, or on the go, the Live Casino vertical has been able to fill a unique position at the confluence of land-based casino and iGaming. However, while Live Casino holds sway over a unique position in the gambling landscape, there has been significant investment and expansion of the early forms of live dealer titles that have allowed it to grow its importance in any iGaming product mix.

Expansion as a vertical

Live Casino, more than any other iGaming vertical, has been able to take modern technology and refine its product into a truly cutting edge offering without compromising the elements that players enjoy so much. Through improvements in both audio and visual technology, players are able to enjoy more immersive experiences than ever. Through 4K cameras players can utilise more camera angles than ever before to truly get that at-the-table feel to their play session, while the audio improvements have allowed players to enjoy an engaging casino experience from the comfort of their chosen surroundings. That’s before the improvements in delivery have even been discussed. With mobile data speeds the highest they’ve ever been, while Wi-Fi coverage continues to expand at a comprehensive rate, players can now rely on trusty internet connection across the globe to access their favourite titles. With live dealer products now designed not just to work on mobile devices, but with them predominantly in mind, which has led to a better UX than ever before. While many aspects of iGaming have been beneficiaries of technological advancements, none have been able to go as far as Live Casino, which can now replicate a tangible, land-based experience from any device. As countries around the world continue to struggle with casino reopenings due to the Covid pandemic, or with patrons of brick-and-mortar gaming houses preferring to stay at home, Live Casino offers an alternative without taking away any of the thrill of the gaming experience. This attention to detail in product development has seen the vertical hit new heights in recent times and suppliers continue to add daring new angles to their product portfolio. There have been clear elements of success through unique products as we see suppliers searching beyond traditional iGaming horizons for inspiration.

The role of game shows

Game shows have been a staple of television almost since the first television aerial was fitted. All over the world game shows have been a regular watch for families across the generations, with shows like Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy having an incredible longevity to them. These game shows can offer players the chance to win huge sums, combining luck and knowledge and skill in one thoroughly entertaining package. Sound familiar? The leap from game shows to gambling tools was never a huge one for anybody with imagination, and through the impressive approach to innovation in the iGaming industry, these game show style products are now available for bettors. By combining the sheer thrill of the random nature of a game with the nostalgia of a game show throwback has allowed the genre of live dealer games to thrive. Similar to how virtual sports and esports can attract bettors through the familiarity of the betting markets, players can draw on past experiences to understand how game show style Live Casino products work. This sense of recognition can also be key in building excitement, especially with the rapid nature of each round reaching its climax, in a way only game shows seem to know how to build. With the aforementioned impressive technological progress, studios can now deliver game show style products to players all over the globe with ease. Differing camera angles, immersive audio and professionally trained dealers all add to the excitement of a game show, cleverly building the tension for players to truly replicate that winning moment when the spins come up trumps.

Cross-sell value

With game show products now being prevalent in operators’ Live Casino arsenals, we see the true value of them as a cross-sell tool. In a similar vein to how esports and virtual sports acted as a cross-sell for sports bettors during the sporting shutdown, or branded titles can attract fans of a global brand to slot games, game shows can take fans of similar shows, or indeed just the entertaining television genre itself, and convert them into online casino players through these engaging products. For some who love the thrill of a game show and wonder how it may feel to be the recipient of a winning spin or drop, to those looking for an immersive product to replace an entertaining spectacle of the past, game shows can utilise the best of both the iGaming world and the showbiz landscape to attract players and give current customers completely new betting opportunities. There is significant attention on any tools or products which can assist with acquiring new players, especially in those mature markets where regulations continue to tighten, with bonusing restrictions and more in place. With products such as game show Live Casino titles entering the mix, operators can appeal to a wider demographic than ever before. Increasingly, we are seeing the growing popularity of the product range as it enters the mainstream focus of online casino operators.

Mega Wheel

As a leading multi-product provider to the iGaming industry, Pragmatic Play is no stranger to developing content that appeals to varied demographics, nor is it afraid to use cutting edge technology to enter a path less travelled if we believe it will be a success. Recent years have seen the launch of our Live Casino products, a market-leading bingo network and, shortly, our virtual sports products will join our portfolio. However, in recent months, the Live Casino space has been the focus of some of our most exciting innovations, and the launch of Mega Wheel highlights this. Taking inspiration from the ever-popular Big 6 or Money Wheel style titles, Mega Wheel takes gaming back to its simplest form. With 54 multi-colour segments, each with a differing number representing a corresponding payout on the super-sized wheel, players have a clear visual idea of what their winnings could look like as the wheel slowly spins round to the winning slot. Hosted by specially trained presenters, Mega Wheel’s aim, like all good games shows, is for players to guess where the wheel is going to stop. If this is correctly guessed, players will win. This is then given an extra entertaining flourish through the randomly selected Mega Lucky Number, which gives players the chance to win up to 500x their bet, rather than the regular payout. With the random nature of the Mega Lucky Number, any spin could be a big win. Drawing on the classic game show style, all Game Hosts will engage with players and chat as the game progresses, bringing them ever closer to the action, keeping them immersed and engaged like all traditional game shows. And, like all Pragmatic Play live content, Mega Wheel is broadcast from a state-of-the-art studio specifically designed to fit the game requirements, with a user friendly interface and HTML5 technology both ensuring the product is optimised for both desktop and mobile devices. With 24/7 availability of the product and a variety of bet types available for players at any time, Mega Wheel offers players a completely unique iGaming opportunity, drawing inspiration from the timeless game show genre and propelling it into a cutting edge gaming product.