What challenges face European suppliers entering the US market?
The US is a fragmented market with a complex state-by-state regulatory framework. Ensuring compliance with local authorities and obtaining necessary licenses can be time consuming and costly. Understanding the US player profile poses a challenge for European-based suppliers who may not be privy to the gambling culture and preferences. Suppliers must adapt their games, create new content, collaborate with local entities/casinos to effectively resonate, and build partnerships with respected aggregators and operators. The US is a relatively young online market, and European suppliers can leverage their years of experience and dictate trends.
How can European suppliers overcome those challenges?
Careful planning, local knowledge and deep understanding of the dynamic US gaming landscape. By investing in legal support, strategic partnerships and extensive market research, European suppliers can develop an informed market-entry plan to consider the requirements and player preferences of each state. For operators, this makes a supplier more attractive. Another proven way to achieve success in the US is to offer games with popular themes and modern features. Our Hot Slot series was developed with American players in mind, with a Las Vegas style. Years of research and observation of player preferences enabled us to create features such as Cash Infinity, Collect to Infinity and Volatility Levels, as well as games such as the entire 9 Coins series.
How does the Canadian market compare to the US?
While there are similarities, Canada has its own legislation and regulatory considerations. Thanks to our compliance team, we can now boast a strong presence in Ontario. The average Canadian player profile is different to that found in the US. The US has a land-based heritage, reflected in the taste of players. In Canada, this is less prominent; players are more reflective of what you may expect in the European market.
What partnerships will allow you more North American growth?
Wazdan holds licenses in New Jersey, Michigan and West Virginia – as well as Ontario – and we’ll soon be entering Pennsylvania. Through a partnership with Light & Wonder, our games are available via its aggregation platform to a host of operators in New Jersey, including DraftKings and Tipico. Our strategy is to continue expansion in these markets and pen exciting new deals that will help elevate Wazdan in US and Canadian iGaming.
Does game popularity differ between regional markets?
The frontier theme found in Sizzling Kingdom: Bison has proved popular among US players. Unlike Europe, where free-spin games dominate, jackpots are key to success with US audiences. Magic Spins is a top performer with its enchanted theme and the chance of jackpot rewards of up to 2,500x players’ initial bet. We also have games that perform well in both the US and Canada like Power of Gods: Hades. 9 Coins and 16 Coins have also been a hit in both markets.
What do you think 2024's main iGaming trends will be?
As more regions legalize iGaming, new markets will become key focuses. With further US states inching closer to regulated iGaming, it provides boundless possibilities. The shift towards mobile devices will also continue dominating iGaming. Wazdan’s mobile-first approach has been pivotal in the execution of our content roadmap. We tailor our games with features like energy-saving mode for gameplay on the go. Consumer demands for ethical gaming platforms also drive sustainability and environmental responsibility practices. At Wazdan, we have already taken steps in this direction by releasing an Extremely Light slots series offering smoother gameplay and decreased energy consumption rates.
