The one-day Festival on Thursday 4 February will see a host of leading developers showcase their latest games and as yet unreleased titles to an audience of operators, affiliates and content aggregators. The slots will all be available in free-play mode in a dedicated online environment, giving attendees involved in product selection the opportunity to play and compare the new games.

Ahead of the interactive product showcase, organisers quizzed a group of online casino operators about the type of games that work for them now and what their customers want from new slots.

Asked what features their players would look for in the next generation of slots, 90% of the operators said jackpots would be either ‘extremely important’ or ‘very important’.

The findings also suggested that new features (80%), interactivity (80%) and multiplayer / community games (70%) will be in demand. There was less agreement about the importance of original themes (50%), skill-based games (40%), storyline / narrative (30%) and soundtracks (20%).

The operators were also asked what features they would like to see games developers work on. The most common responses centred on social and community features (with friendly competitions and improved leaderboards among the suggestions), while there was also interest in original game mechanics, the exploration of new themes, and improved skill-based games.

While the respondents showed some interest in exploring new games themes, the majority also saw the value in familiarity, as 70% said they found slots sequels to be useful for player acquisition and retention.

A scenario question in the survey asked the operators to consider what features could help to maintain player engagement in the event of stake limits being imposed for online slots. The suggestions included side games, rewarding losers, more skill-based games, better optimised hit frequency, and double-up games that allow players to stake winnings for the chance of a bigger prize.

The online casino operators also shared information about player preferences among existing games portfolios.

High-volatility slots emerged as the players’ favourite game type, with 80% of operators describing them as ‘extremely popular’ or ‘very popular’, ahead of five-reel slots (70%) and Megaways (60%).

Bonus rounds and progressive jackpots were found to be the key game features for players, as 100% of operators described both as being ‘extremely important’ or ‘very important’ to their customers. Multipliers (90%), free spins (90%), and wilds (80%) were also identified as crucial features for slots. 

The traditional fruit machine was named as the most popular game theme among players, ahead of fairy tales, card games, ancient Egypt, and films / TV shows.

Anyone attending this week’s CasinoBeats Slots Festival will have plenty of opportunities to pick up further valuable industry insights during the day’s content programme, which runs alongside the interactive games showcases of developers such as Scientific Games, Microgaming, Netgaming, Kalamba Games, and Habanero.

Sessions include a keynote from Cristina Niculae (CEO, Interactive Gaming Group), a fireside chat with Simon Hammon (Chief Product Officer, Relax Gaming), and a How to Make Money From Online Slots workshop hosted by Levan Kavtaradze (Director of Gaming, PokerMatch.com). Attendees can also look forward to an interview in which Nik Robinson (CEO, Big Time Gaming) and Enrico Drago (SVP, IGT PlayDigital) lift the lid on the development of the Wheel of Fortune Megaways title.

Members of operators’ casino teams, slots and casino affiliates, content aggregators, and igaming industry media can register for CasinoBeats Slots Festival on 4 February 2021 by clicking here.