GameAccount to launch slots in Italy with Eurobet
Quirk in country's egaming legislation means non-spinning reels are permitted " more tumbling reel slots set for market before December.
Software provider GameAccount Network has become one of the first companies to launch slot games for the Italian market in a deal with Eurobet Italia.
Initially launched on an instant play, non-download basis only, the Crown Jewels slot is part of a full suite of casino games along with blackjack and roulette on the operator’s website.
It is the first land-based slot to be translated into an online game in the dot.it market, and marks the first of three Barcrest products to be integrated on GameAccount’s network as part of a deal signed in May.
The slot will be rolled out with a number of the Game Account’s other partners before the end of the year. The company’s CEO Dermot Smurfit (pictured) told eGaming Review that more tumbling reel slots, from “a major US manufacturer” would also soon be released.
While slots are yet to fully be launched in the dot.it market, a quirk in the country’s legislation means non-spinning slots are already permitted, with GameAccount and Net Entertainment among the first to take advantage of the law and go live in the jurisdiction.
Smurfit explained that these specific types of game are not categorised as slots under Italian regulations, saying: “Tumbling reel slots are deemed as ‘other games’, not slots as defined by the decree, and we have been looking at getting something ready to launch since our Italian partners confirmed that was the case.
“There are not that many tumbling reel slots out there – they probably make up less than 1% of all slots, but the door has been nudged open, before it gets kicked wide open in December, and we are the canary in the coalmine,” he added.
Italy’s regulatory body AAMS opened up the licensing process for online slots in June this year, with the launch to take place in two specific windows in December, and on the basis of the performance so far the CEO anticipates that the casino slots market could be worth up to 300m per annum before tax.
“It’s performing above expectations and we’re expecting it to have three times the yield of casino games – people’s propensity to play slots is much higher [than other casino games],” said Smurfit.
He added that the company has been “busy assembling and certifying an armada of slots for our Italian customers to bring to market in 2012,” with a portfolio of 50+ titles prepared for the December opening.
GameAccount is already active in Italy through its agreement with Paddy Power, renewed this year, and Smurfit said the Eurobet deal “represents a huge milestone as we bring our first non-reels-based casino slot games to Italy.”
This year also saw the company extend its commercial partnership with Italian operator Snai, with Smurfit citing the potential for tumbling reels, among other products, at the time.