Entain’s reach and grip on the iGaming industry seemingly just keeps getting stronger in what appears to also be a superbly lucrative deal for its partner Octoplay.
The software provider was signed by Entain initially to roll out across its UK operations and then pan-European; Belgium, Croatia, Denmark and Georgia, while also securing the Ontario (Canada) market as well.
One of Entain’s brands, Crystalbet is already primed for the launch, with its CEO, Jaba Peikrishvili stating: “Octoplay is one of the fastest-growing studios in the industry, and their content has performed strongly across the Entain group’s markets.
“Bringing their portfolio to Crystalbet is a natural extension of that relationship and adds proven titles to our casino lineup in Georgia.”
Meanwhile, CEO of Octoplay, Ralitsa Georgieva was optimistic, revealing: “Crystalbet represents the continued evolution of our partnership with Entain, which has been one of the strongest commercial relationships behind our growth over the past year.
“Entering Georgia is an important step in our European roadmap, and doing so with a leading operator like Crystalbet sets the right foundation for our presence in the market.”
Though, its recent deal means that through Entain’s US joint-venture with Bet MGM, the partnership will now expand into major US markets, including Michigan and New Jersey.
Having already delivered four bespoke projects for Entain brands, including an exclusive title for Coral and the Elvis Presley branded game for Bet MGM in the US, this latest agreement is far more than just a basic licensing deal.
Indeed, they have co-developed custom products that include Jackpot Blitz which is a customised version of Octoplay’s proprietary jackpot offering, tailored to the brands that Entain has.
What This Development Could Mean
Basically, this is a strong signal of intent as Octoplay essentially moves from vendor to incubator, with Entain acting early; partnering with small, talented teams (software providers), to secure proprietary and titles early on an exclusive basis for its brands.
In doing so and teaming up with partners it believes in, Entain could well be gaining a significant competitive edge in a space that can very quickly become crowded. This in turn, acts as a considerable marketing lever to attract and retain new players, especially in a very competitive US environment.
One major advantage is its capability to roll out Jackpot Blitz across all of its major brands, therefore allowing Entain to create larger and cross-brand progressive jackpots, designed to attract increased player engagement.
Considerable Potential For Further Growth
Such is Entain’s reach into multiple and emerging markets, reveals further possible deals to be done. Indeed, the next phase of the rollout is likely to include major regulated markets such as Spain, Greece, Italy and Brazil.
In the short term though, it seems the deal is specifically targeting Alberta, Canada with preparations in place to launch the minute its newly regulated online gambling market opens.
It is likely that we could also see Entain’s brands benefitting from further exclusive titles as part of this arrangement and it will be interesting to see how certain ones perform across different markets.