Time magazine says 2020 was the worst year ever. We don’t deny it was challenging, but we believe that every year brings opportunities as well as obstacles, and this one was no exception.
We decided to look back on the year and reflect on what we managed to achieve. On a closer look, it turns out that despite the adversity, this year had a few high points as well.
The business
The world changed so much this year that every single industry felt an impact in one way or another. Like many other companies, we had to adapt and do a lot of work from home.
Our partners in the land-based sector faced difficulties due to restrictions and closures, and we had to take steps to support them. Online gambling, in turn, picked up a lot of slack, as safe and remote means of entertainment became more necessary. Online casinos and betting platforms gave players a chance to bet from the comfort of their own homes when land-based facilities were inaccessible.
Thanks to this rise in demand, many investors saw their businesses grow rapidly. As a company mostly focused on the online sector, Slotegrator grew almost twofold — our HR department even hired 88% more talent than they did last year. Next year, we are planning to capitalize on this growth, setting a pace to keep getting bigger and better.
New partners and new opportunities
Our portfolio of game developers and providers greatly expanded in 2020 — we added 24 partners.
We were happy to welcome brands like Evoplay, Thunderkick, Belatra, Skywind,Revolver, Booming Games, and CT Gaming. The great content that they provide is favored by players worldwide and their beautiful games can be played in many online casinos.
We love that different developers work in a variety of different styles, and we are always trying to diversify our portfolio. Apart from slots, we have also integrated live dealer games from Real Dealer Studios, Lotto Instant Win, and Super Spade Games.
We were also happy to partner with such innovative game providers as True Lab and One Touch. Their outstanding solutions are designed to attract a new type of player. Our network was also joined by some promising developers, including Betsolutions, Gamshy, KA Gaming, and many more.
The events — physical and remote
While almost none of the events and conferences we planned to attend this year took place, we still tried to connect with our industry partners and peers whenever health and safety measures allowed. ICE London — one of the industry’s biggest events, with more than 36,000 attendees — happened in the beginning of the year, before widespread lockdowns and travel bans were in effect. As always, we were glad to catch up with everyone, discuss the upcoming changes, and introduce our new products.
Another event we visited was the Prague Gaming Summit, which was held in the beginning of March (and was the last bit of the old normal). Slotegrator tried to anticipate the new importance of digital channels, talking about social media and online technologies in gambling and casino games.
To avoid losing touch with our partners and clients, we decided to stay active in online events, launching a series of webinars about hot topics in the industry. Our webinar, “Mapping India: How to open an online casino on the Eastern Frontier of iGaming,” hosted by Jashwant Patel, attracted a lot of viewers — and even after it was over, many more requested a recording of the presentation.
As the last event of the year, we hosted a webinar about the gambling industry in Ukraine. Gambling was recently legalized in the country, and we covered the new changes in legislation, theoretical costs, and expected ROI of land-based and online businesses.
We plenty of plans for next year: more webinars and, hopefully, more physical events as well.
New Products
Despite the crisis, this year was very productive for Slotegrator, and we launched more new products than we did last year. This year’s product launches included Sportegrator, Casino Kit, and Telegram Casino.
Casino Kit
With the online sector’s accelerated growth, we have seen an increased demand for platform solutions. To augment our offering, which before consisted of Turnkey and White Label casino solutions, we developed Casino Kit — a solution based on WordPress that allows operators to control the frontend of the project.
Casino Kit allows a single platform to operate any number of websites, and every aspect of the casino is completely controlled by the operator and can be customized on the fly. The solution’s multisite capability means that these sites can be completely separate, representing totally different brands or targeting different regions. From the basic layout to images and colors and what payment systems or menu items are available, everything and anything can be changed using WordPress administration tools — no extensive coding skills required.
With Casino Kit, the operator is not dependent on developers or external help to implement frontend changes, and can also delegate certain tasks to partners and affiliates, giving them a different level of access. Administrators also have access to data that can help plan marketing strategies or evaluate the performance of different elements of the casino.
Backend stability and performance is guaranteed by Slotegrator platforms, and our APIs allow the easy integration of thousands of games and payment systems to suit the tastes and needs of any audience. Casino Kit also comes with a list of approved plugins which can be installed if extra features or localisation is needed.
Telegram Casino
In our industry, innovation is key. Telegram Casino is one the latest additions to our portfolio. Simply put, the product is an online casino accessed through Telegram Messenger.
Instead of a traditional frontend, players interact with your online platform with the help of a Telegram bot. The solution supports all of an online casino’s necessary functions: a multitude of games (including video slots), bonus modules, support of different currencies, etc.
Players interact with the bot, make bets, choose games, and do everything they expect from an online casino. The experience is designed to be as simple and interactive as possible.
The bot can either be synchronized with an existing online casino platform or function as a stand-alone product. Telegram casino is designed to be very convenient — it’s available to the players 24/7, interactions with the bot are completely private, and it doesn’t require any extra authentication. Promotion of the project is also completely unrestricted.
Online gambling using a messenger is nothing new, but unlike slot-like games using images and emojis, Telegram casino gives players the full online casino experience — and after all, players are used to a certain quality of graphics and sound.
We developed Telegram casino in response to the times — if people are using their mobile devices to gamble, online casinos should strive to make this experience as convenient as possible.
Sports betting platform — Sportegrator
In many countries like Kenya, sports betting is a prominent part of the gambling sector, and in some other countries it’s one of the few legal ways to wager and win money. As the spread of internet connectivity — and the global shift away from brick-and-mortar betting shops to online ones — will in all likelihood only continue, we have launched Sportegrator — a complete online sportsbook solution with integrated data feeds, support for many payment systems, and a customizable frontend.
Sportsbook operators need their platform to be intuitive and responsive, and so we strove to make Sportegrator as customizable as possible. The platform can be tailor-made depending on the specific target audience and other needs of the business. The solution also includes tools for user retention, loyalty program management, and bonus strategies.
Industry Awards
This year, Slotegrator won in three nominations of the Login Casino Awards 2020. We took first place in the Employer of the Year category, our marketing team had the second place in the Marketing Guru category, and our webinar "Mapping India: How to open an online casino on the eastern frontier of iGaming" took second place in the Best Webinar of 2020 category!
What’s next?
Difficult or not, this year was undoubtedly interesting. We learned a lot as a team, and we feel prepared for the future. Keep an eye out for updates on our website — we have a lot in store for the coming months, and we hope to continue helping casino operators succeed and prosper, no matter what.