ICE round-up: Day one

NetEnt reveals virtual reality ambitions  

NetEnt has unveiled it is developing its first virtual reality online casino game as it looks to take advantage of the growing market.

The supplier said it has ambitions to add a VR version of its Gonzo’s Quest slot game to its current multi-channel offering and to distribute it through the existing NetEnt Casino Module.

NetEnt added it believes that WebVR technology will be mature enough to offer basic support for VR game-play in 2017/2018.

“We firmly believe that VR has a given place in the future of online gaming, based on our research and the trends that we monitor,” Per Eriksson, CEO of NetEnt, said. “We remain focused on delivering the ultimate entertainment experience by taking this first step towards developing our first real-money VR slot. This is a milestone for NetEnt and the gaming industry.”

Playtech strikes exclusive Warner Bros deal

Playtech has signed a multi-year games content deal with Warner Bros. Consumer products which will see the supplier create exclusive DC-branded film and television titles.

Films such as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Suicide Squad and the Studio’s upcoming action adventure Justice League, will be developed into a series of omni-channel DC-branded slot, bingo and roulette games, available across multiple channels and devices.

This partnership also brings the previously announced Playtech-DC-branded games content to retail terminals in the UK, Italy, Finland, Norway and the newly regulated Romanian market.

“This is a hugely significant deal for Playtech and we’re delighted to have a wider-reaching exclusive DC film- and TV-branded content licensing agreement with Warner Bros,” Mor Weizer, CEO, Playtech, said.  “We’ve had phenomenal feedback from our licensees based on the high-quality and calibre of the DC-branded games we rolled out in 2016.”

Evolution launches Dream Catcher Lucky Wheel

Evolution Gaming has launched Dream Catcher Lucky Wheel Live, a new product designed to expand the live casino space and cross-sell into other player verticals.

Dream Catcher, a super-sized vertical wheel with silver and gold 2x and 7x multiplier segments, is the first title in a brand-new game category for Evolution — Live Lucky Wheel.

The live dealer spins the wheel and interacts with players throughout each game. Players simply bet on the number they think the wheel will stop at, with payout odds corresponding to the winning numbers that appear in numerous segments of the wheel.

“This is a momentous launch for us because Dream Catcher will expose live casino to players who don’t play table games and therefore don’t play live casino,” Todd Haushalter, chief product officer at Evolution, said. “There are millions of slot, bingo, and other players who we are reaching out to with this product.”

EveryMatrix unveils sportsbook improvements

EveryMatrix has unveiled the latest generation of its sportsbook OddsMatrix, with the introduction of new components designed to give operators more control of its platform.

The new OddsMatrix front-end is fully responsive and allows sports operators to deliver a customised experience to players. The new OddsMatrix caters to operators which want to have more control and manage the website changes by themselves.

“The new OddsMatrix sportsbook considerably cuts down the development time for adding new sports and markets,” Roee Weinberg, OddsMatrix CEO said. “Furthermore, our settlement component received equal attention.

“Bet settlement operations now take place in close to real-time in the new OddsMatrix, resulting into faster paying players and faster possibility to reinvest winnings.”

Zitro transformation sparks website revamp

Zitro has launched a new corporate website in an attempt to reflect the new dimension taken on by the company as a result of the transformation process currently being carried out within the company.

The brand-new website is structured around the company’s four business pillars: Video Bingo, Video Slots, Electronic Bingo its Interactive division, which includes the social business and the licensing of content.

In addition, the recently unveiled website reflects the new services launched by Zitro in recent months, including the Zitro Partnership Program, a package of products and services which covers the supply of the Big Time promotional systems, to Zitro University, an educational programme designed to provide specialist and generalist training to the Casino operators.

“This is one more step towards our vision of making Zitro a global leader in the gaming industry through innovation, differentiation and excellence,” Sebastián Salat, Zitro CEO, said.