Casino.org Interview With Renata Banyar, Betsoft Gaming’s CMO
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Casino.org and Renata Banyar, Betsoft Gaming’s CMO discuss how the previous successes of 2022 are the building blocks for 2023 and just what Betsoft fans can expect this year from the award-winning developer.
The first answer is that we love what we do. We are a team of committed and imaginative professionals across all departments.
Betsoft’s ethos is for an open forum for discussion. This creates a sense of mutual trust between management and the team to keep communications clear and ideas free flowing.
The iGaming market and industry has also changed immensely since we began designing slots. The dynamism and constant innovation make it one of the most exciting industries to work in.
As a renowned brand, we are constantly engaged both in growing new and emerging markets and reinforcing our position in existing ones. That is an exciting challenge for us and one we relish across the business.
However, you are only as successful as your last release and so our focus is always on content. Quality not quantity is our driving force.
Based on a mixture of research, feedback, skill and imagination, our releases continue to create significant engagement with players and generate brand loyalty across the portfolio.
As award-winners for innovation and RNG in slots over the years, we were delighted to be recognised as Starlet RNG Casino Supplier of the Year 2022 and Wilds of Fortune™ as 2022 Starlet Game of the Year.
In addition, Alkemor’s Elements™ was voted Most Popular Slot 2022, plus Book of Helios™ – nominated for Most Electric Slot and Gemini Joker™ – nominated for ‘Wow’ Slot of the Year with each success built on the previous one; so 2023 has a lot to live up to but we are confident we will keep delivering.
What can we expect from your Roadmap in 2023?
We are well in to our Q1 Roadmap of fantastic new releases with highly innovative features and mechanics; plus Q2 is also now available to our clients.
January release Bounding Luck™ brought Multiplicative Multipliers for both big and frequent wins alongside a beautiful theme and mellow soundtrack.
We re-designed our jackpot mechanic for smoother play – as shown in the Halloween themed Rags to Witches™ and Christmas special Sleighin’ It™ – and February’s release Hearts Desire™ offered a progressive linked jackpot for some spectacular win potential from just one spin.
Although the Hearts Desire™ theme is hearts and champagne, this is a slot that gives year-round appeal in a visually beautiful take on a classic fruit slot.
Through linking themes to globally recognized dates and events, we add to our clients’ delivery of memorable campaigns.
However, the range of quality features and win potential ensure that the releases have longevity with players.
Other new feature designs include the Hold & Win Bonus, as shown in Golden Dragon Inferno™, which gives a fantastically generous opportunity for unlimited winning combinations and will be used in future releases across 2023.
Another February release is Expansion™ – a truly mind-bending slot with a revolutionary Directional Wilds mechanic.
March will see Mr. Vegas 2 – Big Money Tower™, a feature-rich sequel to 2012’s Mr. Vegas™, which will take the Vegas Strip to a new level before our Q2 Roadmap slots are released. So a lot to look forward to!
You launched two player engagement tools last year: what does this mean for both Betsoft and for players?
‘Continuously giving a new experience’ was the working title we gave to engagement tool development for Take the Prize™ and Tournament™ as that was exactly what we wanted to achieve.
Differentiation in a crowded market enables both the slot and the slot provider to stand out.
Through building these network promotions and bespoke retention tools – with more in development – we have delivered tournaments, leaderboards and prize wheels.
Rewarding players both financially and emotionally creates extra connections to the game and the brands. This helps to solidify player trust.
From extended play sessions to increased wagers for bigger payouts, both players and operators benefit from these tools. Promotions can be designed and personalized for players to create the most experiential gaming available.
We are also working on a new engagement tool. We anticipate a positive response to this latest product as it will further reinforce the gamification of our slots, leading to even more immersive experiences for players.
Betsoft launched two network promotions in 2022. What’s planned for this year?
The network promotions across 2022 saw bets up by 25%+ and player participation by 30%+ for the first promotion.
The second followed with an even larger prize pool and wider choice of Betsoft titles creating a staggering 50%+ and 60%+ uplift in the numbers for participation and bets wagered.
This success was reinforced through Take the Prize™ which offers a random cash drop on a fortune wheel, thus bringing in-game experiences with real-time notifications, instant rewards, and a highly inventive UI to players, alongside a constantly growing choice of game.
Subsequently we launched Tournament which enables participants to track their own and other players’ progress throughout the promotion via a real-time updated Leaderboard.
Our new ‘Cash Race’ Network Promotion will showcase both tools in a combined application.
Scheduled for February 23 – March 6, 2023, ‘Cash Race’ will give all players a chance to win a share of over €80,000 in cash prizes throughout a 12-day network promotion with a real-time updated leader board and Take the Prize™️ daily cash prizes across 45+ games.
One lucky spin could be all it takes!
The ‘Cash Race’ details:
- Promo dates: Daily between 10.00am February 23 and 10.00am March 6, 2023
- Bigger prize pool: €80,000.00+ cash giveaway
- Better prizes:
- Tournament: €50,000 cash across 200 prizes
- Take the Prize™: over €30,000 across 1,100 prizes
- In game tools: Take the Prize™ and Tournament run in parallel on the same games
What are you most excited about delivering next for your customers?
After the promotion, the key focus is on continued and continuous innovation.
All our slots and products come from that mindset of how to build better every time.
Our features support and enhance our narratives and, with quality as the key driver, we know that our players will be as excited as we are.
We are delighted that our current releases showcase these new innovations and offer more personalization within the games to create a bespoke feel.
As we work six months ahead, we know just what treats our players can expect over Q2. And there are some great themes and mechanics with big win potential coming up.
Our Mini Games are well under way and we believe our clients will be delighted by their impact on player sign up and retention.
Social tournaments are also part of the Betsoft calendar for 2023, so a lot of very good things coming.
What markets are you currently targeting and why?
Our focus is on regulated markets. Belgium, Holland, Italy, and Spain, in addition to Sweden and Romania are all very important to us.
A number of new operators as well as the extension of existing relationships opening in many European countries has seen significant reinforcement of the Betsoft brand over the last eighteen months.
Belgium and Holland’s tighter regulations have improved the gaming experience for players, and we were one of the first providers to be licensed by both official regulators.
We are equally well known in the Italian and Spanish markets. These are still growth areas and we have seen very satisfactory development across each country in which we are licensed, certified and accredited.
Working with new and existing operators, we will continue to grow our brand. We have long term partners in Sweden and newer clients in Romania, but each separate jurisdiction is equally important to us.
Certified releases are regularly delivered to all our clients. The latest high impact titles enjoying global success will shortly be available to players – translated and localized for maximum connectivity – beginning with Alkemor’s Elements™ and followed by Captain’s Quest Treasure Island™, the Hold & Win Bonus Golden Dragon Inferno™ and Woodlanders™.
What are you anticipating as the next trend in the industry?
Greater innovation in features and mechanics are always in demand, but more personalization and customization in slot design will be the big driver for 2023.
Our most detailed feedback came from two releases. The award-winning 2022 release Wilds of Fortune™ puts the player literally center action.
The reception of this game from release was astounding – and we have 17 years of slots to benchmark our releases!
Plus Golden Dragon Inferno™. This was our first release to showcase the Hold & Win Bonus feature which created stratospheric levels of engagement.
Players want an experience that involves them directly; one that speaks to them. We aim always to fulfil that desire.
We have built the Betsoft brand on quality.
