Relax Gaming: Licensing differences in Latin America and more
Gaming America spoke to Relax Gaming’s new CPO, Shelley Hannah, about entering the US market, her perspective on licensing and the supplier’s popular games.
You’ve recently been appointed as CPO. How has your strategy and approach been implemented so far?
I have watched Relax grow from its early stages and look forward to supporting that growth. It’s definitely a challenge with so many new and changing market landscapes. In terms of my strategy and approach, I am focused on keeping Relax on its upward trajectory by constantly improving and innovating with products that truly drive differentiation. Global expansion is high up on our priority list and I’m excited to delve into the various markets and meet players’ needs within them, to help my teams better satisfy their audiences.
In order to achieve this sustained success, it is essential to support and provide the tools needed for our talented minds to keep achieving excellence – especially when it comes to our games portfolio that seeks to engage audiences worldwide. To achieve this, it’s imperative that we maintain our trademark content. We have set a high bar and we fully intend to keep it that way. Regarding future plans as part of our wider strategy, Relax Gaming will look to enter new markets across Europe and the Americas to bring our games and services to even more players and partners than ever before. Of course, to do that, I’ll be working hard to guide our teams to ensure that our ambitions are met and even exceeded, in typical Relax Gaming fashion.
Relax will be expanding into its first US market with New Jersey. Talk us through the timeline and aims of this launch.
We’ve made no secret that the US market has been hot on our radar for some time. As it stands, we are scheduled to go live in New Jersey within the next few months. Ontario has been a fantastic market for us in North America and has given us the perfect opportunity to find our feet in the region and understand player preferences better. We have big plans for the US and we are extremely excited to bring our games to a country that is arguably the true birthplace of slot games!
As to our plans, we will be operating as a direct point of supply for licensed land-based operators and their online partners in the states, offering them new and exciting games designed specifically for their players – and we’ve got some really exciting content prepared. The work we’ve put into making this happen means that months, if not years, of research have gone into preparing us for this launch. We are hoping the players will love the games, but are looking forward to listening to the market feedback and continually improving what is on offer for this market. We are fully expecting to succeed.
After New Jersey, what states are on your potential horizon for launches?
Once Relax has made its long-awaited debut in New Jersey, we’ll be looking towards Pennsylvania and Michigan in 2024. Both markets have matured over the last few years and offer excellent opportunities for the company’s growth in the US, given they’re two of only a handful of states that have regulated online casino so far.
As a result, both jurisdictions have shown themselves to be strong with monthly gaming revenue growing steadily. Pennsylvania saw a 39% increase in iGaming slot revenue year-on-year in August, while sports betting and iGaming revenue increased by 13% year-on-year in Michigan. The positive signs are all there and we’re confident we can make a landmark debut across both states.
Have you already encountered big differences between licensing in North America and Latin America?
I think it’s fair to say that the application processes in the US are much heavier when it comes to due diligence of the organization as a whole; this includes scrutiny of its owners and senior management. Of course, we welcome this at Relax and we have a whole host of proprietary technology to ensure we have advanced compliance and regulatory processes. The US is an incredibly unique jurisdiction, in that you’re effectively looking at 50+ countries within a country – with a different licensing process in each to go through. Compare that to Colombia, for example, or indeed Argentina, which does have a few provinces that require separate regulation – but nothing on the scale that is required in North America.
How has Dream Drop performed since the product launch? And is it your most popular product now?
It would be an understatement to say we are absolutely thrilled with how the Dream Drop Jackpot has performed so far! First launched in May 2022, it’s gone from strength to strength ever since. So far it has seen 11 Mega Jackpot winners, which have made 11 players millionaires, as well as paying out more than $100m in prizes in total, which is truly phenomenal.
Ultimately, we saw that the jackpot market had stagnated over the last decade and players weren’t really getting anything new, so we set about to change that. We wanted to create a jackpot product that was exciting in its own right and fun to play, even if the jackpot isn’t hit. I think we’ve managed to do so, while also providing a more transparent and genuine experience for the player.
The mechanic continues to enjoy high engagement rates with each new release that comes out and we’re currently releasing brand-new Dream Drop content each and every month, ensuring we’re keeping the jackpot fresh.
This September, Relax Gaming also released Money Train 4, Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop and Joker Split. What has been the reception?
The reception for all three of these games has been fantastic, with each game geared towards a different type of player. Money Train 4 has a cult following and has seen unprecedented levels of success with a huge number of players seeking out big wins. Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop is the perfect game for jackpot hunters and those who love unique game mechanics – while Joker’s Split has a strong appeal to recreational players who enjoy a lighter, more jovial experience. We couldn’t be happier with where we’re at right now, our diverse portfolio of games is delivering an experience for players in jurisdictions around the world and we are more motivated than ever to keep pushing further.
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