Gambling operator Entain has announced plans to increase investment into its in-house game development studios to provide its customers with new and exclusive content.
According to European Gaming, Entain will double its headcount to around 300 people within the next year in all three of its in-house studios in the UK, India, and Italy to provide customers with exclusive new products and experiences in all regulated markets, including the United States.
Entain’s UK game studio CR Games, which is based in Oldham, Manchester, will create an additional eight roles, increasing its total headcount to around 50. The new content CR Games and Entain’s other studios will develop will include free-to-play slot tournaments to provide customers with free games and the ability to win cash prizes.
In addition to the above, Entain is developing new experiences for customers using immersive technologies, and the operator will release its first-ever VR product later this year. Customers registered at PartyCasino and PartyPoker will also have access to Formula 1-themed content, which will launch later this year following Entain’s Party brands partnership with McLaren.
Jette Nygaard-Andersen, the Chief Executive of Entain, said in a statement: “We love giving our customers great experiences and exciting entertainment as that is the bedrock of what we do. Increasing our investment across all three of our in-house games studios will provide more of that for our customers across all our global brands.
“By widening our offer with new and exclusive games, such as free-to-play tournaments, we give existing and new customers more reasons to use our products. This not only helps to grow our business but brings fresh insight, so we can further improve the offer for our customers.”
Colin Cole-Johnson, the Gaming Director at Entain, added: “Our priority is always to create exciting, engaging products that give our customers choice. Not only does this enhance the experience for the millions of people who enjoy our products, but is an important driver of Entain’s growth.
“These exclusive, innovative, and tailored games are really valued by our customers. Developing more of our own games means we have complete control over what goes into them, not just in giving our customers a great experience, but also keeping them safe.”
Also this week, developer Pragmatic Play has expanded its Azure range of casino games by adding ten new Blackjack titles.
According to a news article by Pragmatic Play, five of the ten new Blackjack games have launched, with the final five games set to launch at the end of July. The Azure range of games offer feature-rich, high-quality gameplay with numerous betting options and an elegant atmosphere.
Yossi Barzely, the Chief Business Development Officer at Pragmatic Play, said in a statement: “The popularity of our range of Azure titles has seen it swiftly establish itself as a key revenue channel in our live casino offering.
“With a classy, serene setting artfully created to provide the player [with] a feeling of grandeur, Blackjack Azure offers an unforgettable live dealer experience and we’re very pleased to expand this further.”
The news comes after Pragmatic Play launched its casino games with BetPlay in Colombia, released its live casino content with Betsson, launched its bingo content with BetVictor, and rolled out its virtual sports content with BPlay in Argentina and Paraguay.
Meanwhile, Pragmatic Play has continued to release new casino games, including Empty The Bank, 5 Lions MegaWays, Lucky Lightning, Dragon Hot Hold And Spin, Heart Of Rio, Panda’s Fortune 2, The Magic Cauldron Enchanted Brew, and so much more.
Finally, Microgaming has this week announced all of the new casino games it will be releasing throughout the month of July.
Microgaming is set to release a total of 16 casino games in July, seven of which have already launched, including Real Dealer Studios’ Real Roulette With Dave and Real Roulette With George, Just For The Win’s Elven Gold, Towering Pays Rome by Games Inc., BB Games’ Code Breaker Clusters, Microgaming’s Hold’em Poker 2, and Gold Coin Studios’ Treasure Tracks.
On July 13th, Microgaming will release Coin Bash by Snowborn Games, a slot based around piggy banks that comes with numerous special features. They include the randomly triggered Coin Spin feature where scatters are added to the reels and the Lucky Star Bonus where players can win up to 5,000x their bet.
On July 14th, Microgaming will launch Pirate Armanda by 1×2 Gaming, followed by Jurassic Park Remastered on July 15th, a revamped version of Microgaming’s hit 2014 video slot. The remaster will be developed with HTML5 and will support several new performance and feature upgrades, including autoplay, enhanced animations, improved audio, free spins, and more.
Legacy Of Oz, Triple Edge Studios’ latest Wizard Of Oz-based game, will release on July 20. The game includes the Hyperspins feature and a free spins mode of up to 20 free spins with a chance to trigger more during the mode.
Inspired Gaming is releasing its Super Hot Fruit MegaWays slot on July 22nd, following by Burlesque By Dita, a slot developed by Aurum Signature Studios in partnership with Eurostar Studios. The game is based on superstar Dita Von Teese and includes four free spins modes that are each based on one of Dita’s acts.
Towards the end of July, Microgaming will release Salvame Naranja Limon on July 26, a slot developed by MGA that offers a unique take on the classic three-slot gameplay. This will be followed by Gong Gaming Technologies’ Royal League Neptune’s Harem on July 26th, SpinPlay Games’ 9 Blazing Diamonds WowPot on July 29th, and, finally, Stormcraft Studios’ Thunderstruck Wild Lightning on July 27th.
