The Gaming Machine Association of New Zealand (GMANZ) has appealed to the government to contribute to funding for facial recognition software in gambling venues to prevent gambling addicts from playing.

Preventative Members

The association has explained that this technology is designed to aid self-identified gambling addicts in their recovery, by barring them from using the machines as the facial recognition cameras would alert the owner of the venue to their presence.

Peter Dengate Thrush, the chairman of GMANZ shared that the cameras were “mostly funded” and already installed in many establishments.

Thrush urged the Ministry of Health to assist operators in paying for the software licensing with some of the funds it collects from the problem gambling levy on pokies. He added that the Ministry of Health’s unwillingness to make this contribution is “disrupting the self-determination efforts of problem gamblers”.

“There are 148 facial recognition systems already installed in venues across New Zealand. The class 4 industry – the societies – spent $3.5m themselves because they don’t want problem gamblers in their venues. What they’re looking for is for the Ministry of Health to use their unspent $1.5m technology fund for software licensing, which should be bought for the whole country at once so that every region gets a fair deal,” he added.

Government Response

A Ministry spokesperson advised that it has worked alongside the association on facial recognition software.

“As part of this service we fund a database that has the capability to securely store photos to support facial recognition systems, making it easier for venues to incorporate these into their systems,” they said.

The spokesperson also advised that the Ministry and the Department of Internal Affairs believed that it “would not be appropriate for the Ministry of Health to fund software licenses for gambling venues”.

“Venues receive a commission payment of up to 16 per cent of gaming machine profits to meet the operational costs of hosting gambling. This includes the costs associated with meeting harm minimisation requirements,” the spokesperson continued.

The Problem Gambling Foundation supported the Ministry’s position that pokie operators should cover the cost of licencing the software.

The foundation’s communications director, Andree Froude, characterised the current exclusion system as “cumbersome”.

“The system at the moment often involves the person who is gambling providing a photo and then the venue making sure they are not entering the venue, so it is quite cumbersome,” she said, before warning that the technology was being framed as a “magic bullet for preventing gambling harm”.

Froude explained those venues and the trusts that own the machines bear a “host responsibility” to players and that the cost of licensing the machines is their responsibility.

Evolution is making its mark in the freshly-regulated Dutch gambling market by allying with Janshen-Hahnraths Group and its Fair Play Casino brand. Evolution will supply the platform with its catalogue of premium games and products from its brands, NetEnt and Red Tiger.

The developer’s entire suite of products, including its live offering comprising games like Roulette, Blackjack, Baccarat Crazy Time, and Monopoly Live have set it apart from the competition in the iGaming sphere and will be included on its new partner’s online platform.

Under the partnership, Evolution’s pokies by NetEnt and Red Tiger like Starburst, Narcos, Gonzo’s Quest, and Gonzo’s Quest Megaways, among others, will also be available to Fair Play Casino players.

Mutual Benefit

Evolution’s commercial director, Gavin Hamilton commented on the new deal, explaining that Evolution has been waiting for the chance to enter the Dutch market and that working alongside Fair Play Casino and Janshen-Hahnraths Group is a great strategy to meet this end

Hamilton added that it was an ideal partnership, saying,

“Our extensive online offering is a great fit for further developing their exciting games portfolio, and we look forward to achieving great new things together.”

Janshen-Hahnraths Group was similarly thrilled at the new partnership, as exemplified by the statements of the organisation’s chief digital officer, Björn Fuchs, who said that the company has eagerly anticipated the opportunity to offer an online product in the Netherlands.

Fuchs stated that Fair Play is excited to offer Dutch players an extensive selection of “world-class online games.”

“We are sure players will agree that the sheer quality and variety of the online games now available to our players on desktop and mobile at the Fair Play website has been well worth the wait,” he added.

The Janshen-Hahnraths Group is a household name in the land-based Dutch gambling market and currently operates over 38 retail casinos as part of the Fair play Casinos brand. The venues showcase pokie and automatic roulette experiences.

Globally recognised iGaming provider Microgaming has partnered with yet another innovative studio to grow the selection of content available on its aggregation platform.

The new addition to the Microgaming fold is the fledgling studio, Spinstars which will now have access to the provider’s extensive distribution channel and will be able to extend its reach across multiple markets, like Belgium, Germany, and all Malta jurisdictions. The developer will also be pleased that it will soon be able to get its foot in the door when the Dutch regulated market opens up.

Spinstars was founded in 2018 in Gibraltar. The company is run by a team of industry experts who share a wealth of combined experience in the iGaming sphere. The studio’s content is designed with mass appeal in mind and Spinstars has also launched a platform that offers operators a handy toolkit to assist with the implementation of its games.

The developer’s current slot portfolio includes ten exciting titles such as Wild Joker, Steampunk500, and the Netherlands-inspired The Voice of Holland. All of the studio’s content is licensed and regulated by the Malta Gaming Authority.

Potential-Packed Partnership

Microgaming Director of Aggregation, Graeme Powrie, said that the company is ecstatic to welcome its new partner as it offers a “wealth of unique and exciting gameplay experiences with a classic slot machine feel.”

Powrie added that the new partnership coincides with other exciting developments as the provider readies for its entry into the Netherlands’ newly regulated iGaming market on October 1.

Spinstars CEO, Joeri Dikkeboom, stated that the operators are eager to get their hands on the company’s content as they are looking for unique titles that “strike the right note” in markets where traditional slots still dominate over video slots, with the Dutch market being one such example.

Dikkeboom also said that Microgaming is the ideal partner to help it meet this demand and that the firm has been very helpful in Spinstars’ goal to inject ‘new technology’ into ‘classic games.’

Microgaming’s library of content keeps growing at an exponential rate with intriguing and engrossing new titles. One recent notable release was Jurassic World: Raptor Riches, a Fortune Factory Studios production.

The EGR Italy Awards are a celebration of excellence in the local iGaming industry where the efforts of front-running brands are recognised and rewarded. The ceremony focuses on the best of the best in betting and gaming software, mobile, payments, recruitment, IT, infrastructure, and many more.

NetEnt is in a jovial mood after finding itself nominated for the illustrious Casino Content Supplier award for the 2021 edition of this event, thanks to the developer’s brilliant pokie releases. The awards will take place on 27 October 2021

With measures to combat the global pandemic beginning to take effect, the event organisers have opted for a 100%  in-person format this year, in contrast to the 2021 EGR B2B awards which were a hybrid between virtual and in-person.

Stiff Competition

NetEnt will be facing down other global iGaming giants as it competes for the accolade. Names like Betsoft, Microgaming, Scientific Games and Playtech appear on the shortlist, guaranteeing that the judges will have a hard time making their final decision among these titans of the sector.

The developer, however, has good reason to get its hopes up, after recently snagging the hotly-contested Mobile Gaming Software Supplier and Innovation in Slot Provision trophies at the 2021 EGR B2B awards.

Over the past year, the supplier has released a flurry of excellent pokies including Gonzo’s Treasure Hunt and Divine Fortune Megaways, making it a top contender to take home even more silverware before the year is done.

A Flourishing Brand

NetEnt is a leading supplier of iGaming content and is part of Evolution Gaming Group AB. Its pokies enjoy high levels of international popularity, drawing particular interest from markets in Europe and the US.

The company recently gained further ground in the actively regulating US market via a content supply deal with social casino specialist, High 5 games.

Relax Gaming has announced a thrilling development that sees it team-up with premium online casino operator, LeoVegas. The two have come together to release an exciting new slot mechanic with game-changing capabilities.

The innovation is named BLAST! And it has been designed by the developers at Relax Gaming to boost player engagement.

BLAST! answers a need that was likely on the tip of many players’ tongues. The mechanic allows slot enthusiasts to skip animations and normal spins of the reels while simultaneously running multiple games on auto-play. So all you need to do is choose your bet level, hit BLAST! and watch the system take care of the rest.

Gaining access to the new engine only requires you to open a game and select the BLAST! icon situated at the top of the screen. A lobby will open that contains all available games with the feature integrated.

Once the game has been chosen, you will choose your number of auto spins and decide on your bet. The BLAST! progress bar will show how the game is doing as it runs in the background and notifications pop up whenever a bonus round is triggered.

At the moment, you will only be able to experience this feature is in selected Relax Gaming titles at LeoVegas Casino.

Explosive innovation

Simon Hammon, CPO at Relax Gaming followed up the announcement with his own comments, saying,

“BLAST! is a fantastically innovative feature, and it really is an exciting step forward in iGaming, we’re delighted to be working alongside such an innovative partner.”

“We’re always looking to offer the best and most pioneering ways possible for players to consume our content, and working with a top-tier operator and respected name like LeoVegas has provided us with that opportunity,” he added.

Sam Leggott, Head of Strategy and Business Development at LeoVegas, conveyed the operator’s excitement at the release of the new feature and the new partnership. He emphasised that the casino endeavours to provide its players with “the greatest gaming experience there is, and to do so, we continue to innovate.”

“By adding our BLAST! feature to Relax top-performing titles, we will offer LeoVegas players a thrilling new way to enjoy their favourite games. We’re delighted to have worked with Relax on this project,” Leggott said.

Leading iGaming supplier Stakelogic has entered the live casino arena, armed with a premium selection of titles like blackjack, roulette, and a variety of game shows.

Stakelogic Live will be streamed from a newly-built ultra-modern studio in Birkirkara, Malta.

In an official statement, Stakelogic explained that the live studio has been kitted out with the latest technology including HD cameras and innovative broadcast and streaming facilities. The company stated that the resources and effort it has invested are geared at allowing it to provide a high-quality experience in a fiercely contested sector.

The company also stated that it enjoys support from its software factories in Belgrade and Kyiv, enabling it to “push the boundaries of live casino as it will come up with a range of new live dealer features and innovations.”

Stakelogic Live currently includes a selection of over seven live casino game types, including blackjack, roulette, auto roulette and some money wheel game show-style titles. The provider emphasised that its live dealer product catalogue would be receiving an influx of fresh content soon.

Opportune times

The new studio boasts 22 live tables, all of which are placed against a backdrop dripping with opulence. Pro dealers use their skills to host the games while maintaining rapport with players to make the experience all the more real

The CEO of Stakelogic, Stephan van den Oetelaar said that it makes perfect sense for the company to leap into the live casino sector.  He also stated that several of Stakelogic’s top-tier operator partners have been asking for live casino products to make their offerings more alluring and added that Stakelogic would “hit the ground running, as many of our clients have already committed to go with Stakelogic Live.”

Anthony Sammut, the Head of Live Casino at Stakelogic Live, stated that the firm has “built an incredible reputation for designing and developing some of the most popular slot games” and that now they plan to repeat that success in the live casino sector.”

He also said that that the brand’s pioneering philosophy around games development shines through in its live casino offering, providing players with experiences across all its titles that bear the same high quality.

The news of this new development comes soon after Stakelogic recently embarked on a re-branding campaign revealing its transition from a B2B slot studio to a casino content provider for operators and players too. The company also recently acquired Belgrade-based developer Smart&Applied and the relatively new Hurricane Games.