Supplier Massive Gaming, headquartered in Australia, has officially entered the European gambling market after being awarded a B2B licence by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA).
The company manages three separate gaming studios: Slot Mart, which focuses on traditional slot games, such as Dragon Tiger, Cats Love Yummy and Genie’s Mansion; Blitzcrown, which creates arcade and crash-style titles, such as Dragon & Wizard, an interactive, narrative-driven reinterpretation of the Crash genre; and finally Whale House, a studio with teams working on video slots, table games and client-oriented solutions.
George Cho, Massive Gaming Director, said: “Securing the MGA B2B licence represents an important milestone for Massive Gaming as we continue to expand our presence in regulated markets.
"This achievement strengthens our ability to collaborate with operators and partners worldwide, and we look forward to building new partnerships as we grow our global distribution network.”
While the provider's library boasts a diverse genre of iGaming titles, Massive Gaming has been turning heads internationally for a slightly different reason in recent years.
What innovations have developed in retail gambling?
Massive Gaming is no stranger to the land-based gambling market.
Through its parent company Neowiz, which is South Korea's leading social casino games provider, Massive Gaming has been a 'massive' asset to Kangwon Land, as the casino operator continues to renovate its property in the Gangwon Province, South Korea.
Massive Gaming has been responsible for adapting its online IP content into certified slot machine software for casino floors, with Shen Shou Wan Fu celebrated as one of the first iGaming titles commercialised as a full-cabinet slot at Kangwon Land.
Beyond the South Korean casino, Massive Gaming has also installed tablets on cruise liners to facilitate larger slot portfolios without compromising on limited floor space.
When Cho spoke with Global Gaming Insider last year, he explained how the company approaches the changing gambling landscape.
He explained: "Younger, digital-native players expect fast, intuitive, seamless experiences across all environments. For casinos to remain relevant to this generation, they must bridge the gap between online familiarity and offline engagement.
"This is exactly where the on-premises mobile model provides a meaningful connection. Major integrated resorts across Asia, such as Genting, have adopted similar approaches for the same reason."
If casinos could adopt Massive Gaming's approach of installing tablets on the gaming floor, this would drastically improve the number of games available, while also marketing to a digitally-confident demographic and inviting them into the venue
Why is this important to the European gambling scene?
Unlike the vast expanse of North America, operators in Europe have to navigate one pressing issue: there is much less buildable space and land available for casino resorts across both continents.
Rather than sprawling integrated casinos being readily available every hundred miles or so, most casinos in Europe are located in city centres, often inside historical buildings with strict planning permission limitations.
Besides the physical space being smaller than across the pond, many European gambling regulators also have limitations on how many table games and slot machines can be crammed into one area.
If casinos could adopt Massive Gaming’s approach of installing tablets on the gaming floor, this would drastically improve the number of games available, while also marketing to a digitally-confident demographic and inviting them into the venue.
In London, for example, only 80 physical slots are allowed – which has only recently gone up from 20...
The Massive gamble: Is omnichannel the way forward?
Massive Gaming may have made its name as an omnichannel innovator in Korea, but it has some stiff competition if it wants to stand out in Europe.
Earlier today, Aristocrat entered into a collaboration with Novomatic via its Awager platform.
This will give Awager access to Novomatic’s portfolio of land-based titles as it continues to push live-streamed land-based slot content across Europe. Awager streams slot machines from dedicated casino studios as a new arm of live casino content.
Interestingly, this approach is intended to replicate the feeling of the casino floor for online users; while Massive Gaming brings the accessibility of online play to casino floor customers.
Overall, it is always positive to see studios gain certification for new jurisdictions, especially as iGaming continues to become more globalised.
But, with Massive Gaming, it is more interesting to how it can bring some of its more innovative technology to Europe.
According to Massive Gaming, around 70% of online casino users are under the age of 40, whereas land-based casinos tend to attract players in their 50s and 60s
