One of the leading iGaming software developers reached an agreement with the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) to supply their iGaming titles to the regulated Canadian market for the first time. Previously, NetEnt secured an agreement with a prominent iGaming operator to supply video slots to the BCLC’s player base. It is a significant milestone for the company to launch its full portfolio of iGaming titles to players across British Columbia.
Therese Hillman, CFO of NetEnt, insists that it is a critical part of the company’s strategy for “expansion in North America.” NetEnt’s ability to cement its position in regulated iGaming markets is further proof that it is proving to be an excellent year for the Swedish iGaming software pioneers. The news of NetEnt’s official arrival in British Columbia comes hot off the heels of the studio’s agreement to launch its award-winning games within Lithuania’s regulated iGaming market. The deal allows Lithuania’s top regulated betting operator to start offering NetEnt slot titles to its players.
At the time of writing, NetEnt is one of the best-established software developers in the regulated iGaming industry, serving more than 200 of the most prominent iGaming platforms worldwide. Although founded in 1996 on the cusp of the dot-com boom, the company’s founders were rooted in Sweden’s land-based casino sector, known as Cherryföretagen. The young entrepreneur, Pontus Lindwall, son of Bill Lindwall who had significant involvement in the expansion of Cherryföretagen, launched NetEnt, with its first online casino debuting the turn of the millennium.
One of the first big steps on the iGaming ladder for NetEnt was to obtain a license with the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA). Malta’s iGaming jurisdiction remains one of the most sought-after on the planet and helps to cement NetEnt as a reputable and innovative iGaming software provider. As self-titled “pioneers” of the iGaming industry, NetEnt’s biggest success came in 2010 when the hugely successful Gonzo’s Quest video slot received critical acclaim, adding to the gaming roster of many well-established iGaming operators. Recently, many iGaming experts remarked that even though Gonzo’s Quest was available for five years or more, it still did not look out of place alongside its more recent counterparts. Even further, earlier this year, NetEnt confirmed the development of a virtual reality (VR) version of Gonzo’s Quest, helping to turn iGamers’ heads — quite literally —with the concept of VR slots.
NetEnt was also one of the first iGaming software developers to build an online slot to operate entirely in HTML5, ensuring responsive iGaming experiences for the desktop and mobile users from 2014 onward. Since 2015, NetEnt is attempting to expand its iGaming market presence in the U.S. In the latter part of 2015, NetEnt secured a license to supply New Jersey’s regulated iGaming market with its full range of state-of-the-art video slots and table games, and there is an appetite from within to expand their stateside offering. Recently, the Managing Director of NetEnt Americas, Erik Nyman, confirmed that the company submitted an application for an iGaming license in Pennsylvania.
For some time, NetEnt has worked heavily on designing and building branded game titles for the U.S. market, with the likes of Guns N’ Roses and Motorhead video slots proving particularly popular among American iGamers that enjoy the sights and sounds of their favorite bands while playing for real money. Elsewhere, NetEnt is innovating the latest change in the iGaming market with high-definition live-streaming technology, laying the groundwork for NetEnt Live: a mobile-first live-streamed casino experience, with table games operated by professionally trained dealers and croupiers. Live dealer casinos are up there with virtual sports for the most popular emerging game types in iGaming, so the company’s decision to offer customized branding in 25+ languages has made it easy for NetEnt Live software to adopt in iGaming markets throughout Europe and beyond.
NetEnt’s focus on mobile iGaming titles, accommodating the appetite for smartphone and tablet-based casino gaming, helped to drive almost two-fifths (39 percent) of the company’s revenue in 2016, and it’s likely that figure will rise as it enters more regulated markets. With agreements already signed in the Czech Republic, Mexico and Serbia in 2017, and going by Erik Nyman’s recent comments, Sweden’s iGaming pioneers will look for market domination in the U.S. before the decade is out.