Exclusive: Slingo to launch real-money by end of 2012

One of the world’s most popular social casino games will launch a real-money version by the end of this year, its chief executive has exclusively told eGaming Review.

Slingo Advance, the real-money version of cross media game Slingo, one of Facebook’s fastest-growing games by daily active users (DAUs) and reaching more than 50 million monthly active users (MAUs) within six months of launch is close to agreeing and signing licensing deals with two of the industry’s leading suppliers, Roberts said.

Introducing what Roberts claims as the “first for-wager social game” at the European iGaming Congress (EiG) which opens tomorrow, he described the venture as “yet another milestone” for the company.

The business originally introduced Slingo on AOL in 1996 as the first social game on the internet, while in 2001 it became the first social game to transfer to the land-based slot environment as a standalone game. The Slingo brand of games now includes casual and social games, casino slot machines and table games, state lottery tickets and “pull-tabs”, a low stakes alternative to a scratch card in North America.

In February this year, Slingo partnered with Zynga to launch Zynga Slingo. The Slingo brand claims to reach more than 55 million people through casino slots, online, retail, mobile and other platforms, and its website has more than 4 million registered users. People can play free games, as well as join its social networking community and enter sweepstakes for a chance to win cash prizes on its own site.

Roberts told eGR he is in Barcelona to meet with the two suppliers he is in discussions with to launch Slingo Advance, via their gaming platforms, to operators that would, in turn, offer the game to players in regulated markets only.

The game is a crossover of bingo and slots integrated with advance social dynamics and is scheduled to launch later in the year. No specific launch date has yet been set, Roberts confirmed.

“With its successful emergence in the social mobile market and real-money wagering, Slingo has quietly become an international brand powerhouse which, unlike any other social game, has successfully introduced new offerings across a variety of revenue-generating formats,” said Roberts. “The pending launch of Slingo Advance to regulated markets continues the impeccable pedigree and precedent set by Slingo on other platforms,” he added.

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Slingo Stats

· Founded in 1996 launching on AOL as the first social game on the internet.

· In 2001 became the first social game to transfer to the land-based slot environment as a standalone game.

· Slingo games are played by more than 150 million people worldwide across a variety of gaming platforms, including online, retail, mobile, casino slots, state lottery and others.

· More than 600,000 games are played every day on Slingo.com.

· Slingo.com has more than 4 million registered users ““ 80% of which are women who spend an average of 80+ minutes per day.

· More than 20% of Slingo.com players seek out Slingo slot machines in more than 400 casinos.

· There have been more than one billion Slingo slot machine pulls.

· Zynga Slingo Facebook game amassed more than 50 million MAUs within six months of launch.

· More than two-thirds of the game’s Facebook players are generated from outside the US.

· Currently the number one casino app on iTunes.

· More than 50m Slingo games have been downloaded across the internet and more than 3bn games of Slingo have been played overall.