Exclusive: Slingo to launch real-money games in UK
Company in talks with GTECH and Playtech over summer launch.
Social gaming developer Slingo is to launch its first real-money online games in the UK this summer, the company’s chief executive has told eGaming Review.
Rich Roberts, speaking to eGR at the GiGse conference in San Francisco yesterday, said that the company is currently in talks with European partners including GTECH and Playtech to offer its popular slot games on consumer-facing platforms.
“Our slot games are popular in US casinos already,” said Roberts whose business has been developing games since 1985, adding that any partnerships will be non-exclusive. “We will choose the best games to translate into online games, which will be for real money wagering in the UK by July or August and for fun play in the US. Our games will have social components which do not detract from the gameplay, and we want to offer the games on mobile devices in the future too.”
In February 2012, Slingo teamed up with Zynga to launch Zynga Slingo on Facebook, taking the bingo/slot hybrid into the social realm for the first time. The game is played by more than 55m people online and on mobile and is one of the most downloaded casino application on iPads and iPhones with 17.2m monthly active users, according to AppData.
Roberts said real-money versions of its slot games would differ from versions currently available on Facebook, adding that he remains unsure of exactly what the long-term revenue model for running games on the social network would be.
“The opportunity in real-money gaming lies elsewhere in the long-term, unless Facebook itself gets regulated,” he said. “Brand is extremely important, especially when it comes to real-money wagering, so it’s good to establish our iconic brand elsewhere.”