Skill-based mobile casino games âat least a year awayâ, says LeoVegas
 Operatorâs head of casino Karolina Pelc expects genre to take off once big providers catch on
Mobile casino games with elements of skill will provide a huge boost for mobile operators, but they wonât hit the mainstream for a couple of years yet, according to LeoVegasâ head of casino, Karolina Pelc.
Speaking exclusively to EGR Mobile Intelligence, Pelc said the genre was a personal fascination thanks to its ability to boost user engagement and extend the anticipation part of the game, right before the reward.
âMobile slots are just asking for the incorporation of touch features and interactive technologies and the industry as a whole could just do so much more with skills games on mobile,â Pelc said.
âThe potential is obvious with the success of apps like Temple Runner, Candy Crush and Angry Birds and if you could combine strong slot machine maths with a skill aspect that takes advantage of the touch element of your mobile phone, itâs going to be an amazing product that is very engaging,â she added.
However Pelc added that while LeoVegas was always looking for new games and innovations in this area, no providers had yet come up with an ideal fit. She said most current offerings centeried around the skills aspect with a slot game tacked on, rather than vice-versa as Pelc suggests.
âI think we’re still at least a year away,â she said. âMost providers are currently focusing on adapting their portfolio to the needs introduced by mobile taking off on a large scale, so leaping yet another step into the somewhat uncertain future, isnât a priority.
“Itâs only the niche companies trying to come up with skill-based concepts at the minute. I would say it will be a year and a half until one of the big providers puts this type of concept into play and I have high hopes it will take off from there.â
Skill-based games are becoming more popular with land-based casino operators as a way to entice the younger demographic. Pelc agreed the concept would appeal to younger customers but added that it was more of a retention tool than an acquisition tool since customer crossover between pure skill games and slots was ârelatively smallâ.
LeoVegas, which describes itself as the âking of mobile casinoâ, is scheduled to float on Stockholmâs Nasdaq First North Premier market on 17 March, with initial estimates valuing the company at more than â¬300m.