Greentube, the NOVOMATIC Interactive division, is now licensed in four states and live with several leading US operators. Markus Antl, Greentube’s Director Global Sales & Key Account Management, surveys the state of play within the country’s online casino market.
SBC: With six states now live, how would you describe the progress of iGaming in the US?
Markus Antl: Over the last few years, the US online gaming market has evolved to contain massive potential for both operators and suppliers. With 30% nationwide growth, year-on-year, the US is one of the fastest – if not the fastest – growing markets in the industry.
Looking at those states where online casino is not yet live, and especially those where sports betting is regulated, helps to identify which may be next in line to regulate in the near future. Following this premise helps to speed up the time to market.
At Greentube, we are currently live in New Jersey and Michigan, and will soon go live in Pennsylvania and Connecticut. In general, the process of going live in the US has been a great success for us and despite challenges in certification, data center setup and games provision via aggregation, we were able to grow and position ourselves strongly in the market over the past two years.
Going forward, we plan to launch further localized content and will be working closely together with our business partners to strengthen the online games offering in the US.
SBC: What’s the importance of working with the tier-one operators?
MA: Operators’ market share in the US is very much consolidated between a few big players. Therefore, it is of utmost importance for suppliers to be present on tier-one operators’ brands to ensure a comprehensive product reach.
However, simply getting games live is only one part of the process. We believe in forging a strong collaboration with operators in the US, so that we can get feedback from players, participate in positive trends and create synergies.
We are happy that we have signed nationwide deals with several operators already and we are going to add several more to the portfolio soon.
SBC: Which games – and game types – are proving particularly successful for Greentube?
MA: The first two years of operations show us that US iGaming is benefiting from strong land-based content, which has been made available for online play. High rollers in particular show a tendency to play on slots that they are familiar with from their favorite casino, or which include a stepper-style mechanic or design.
For Greentube, being new to the US meant that this fact presented challenges in preparation for market entry. We did our homework and managed to provide a successful mix of games, including game mechanics and themes that have proven themselves in the US already, as well as new innovative content, which fits in with US player preferences.
Top games in the US at the moment include our Thunder Cash and Diamond Link game series, Charming Lady’s Boom and Lone Star Jackpots, among others.
In the years to come we are very much looking forward to adding more innovative content and localized games to our portfolio, working further on content strategies together with our business partners.
SBC: How important are jackpot-style games to American audiences?
MA: Jackpot-style games, as well as jackpots in general, play a crucial part in the top games and preferred features in the US. These games have a strong attraction and operators use jackpots as a common promotional method to attract players, building marketing campaigns around them.
We have various jackpot games and jackpot game families within our US game portfolio already and have plans in place for further investment into this area. This includes utilizing jackpot mechanics in our content, as well as creating new jackpot families.
SBC: Which states do you hope and expect to see embrace iGaming in the coming months and years?
MA: Given current developments and the tendency of states with existing sports betting regulation in place to further move towards regulating online gaming, I expect New York, Nevada and Florida to open up online gaming in the next two years.
In fact, Florida might even be up next, by legislating online sports betting and online casino at the same time. All of these possibilities are interesting as they could become the next big states in online casino gaming.
