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How Age of the Gods unintentionally became the biggest slot franchise of all time

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If you know anything about online slots then you’ll be aware of the Age of the Gods, a legendary collection of fantasy-themed games created by veteran Estonian slot studio Playtech.

Despite having only existed for five years, the Age of the Gods slot series is widely considered to be the most successful and recognizable slot franchise of all time, with over 20 games available to play at online casinos around the world.

Each individual Age of the Gods slot has totally different bonus features and mechanics and is themed around famous mythical Gods, demigods, and heroes from a variety of time periods and cultures such as Roman, ancient Greece, and Norse mythology.

How Disney’s acquisition of Marvel Entertainment led to the creation of Age of the Gods

Interestingly, the Age of the Gods series was never intended to become as big as it did, in fact, it’s debatable as to whether the Age of the Gods series would even exist at all, if not for Disney’s acquisition of Marvel Entertainment in 2009.

Why does Disney’s acquisition of Marvel have any bearing on an unrelated Playtech slot series developed seven years later? Well, before Age of the Gods existed Playtech’s most popular series of games was actually Marvel slots, these featured some of the brand’s most iconic superheroes and villains.

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Throughout the mid-2010s Playtech’s game selection featured a who’s-who of Marvel Entertainment, offering the following slots: Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, Spider-Man: Attack of the Green Goblin, The Incredible Hulk, Thor: The Mighty Avenger, Blade, Captain America: The First Avenger, Daredevil, Elektra, Fantastic Four, Wolverine, X-Men and Ghost Rider.

In 2013, when Disney gained full control of all of Marvel Entertainment and their subsidiaries, they announced that they were cleaning up the brand image of Marvel, ultimately, this marked the end of Marvel slots upon the expiration of their licensing agreement with Playtech in 2017.

Years and years of hard work from dedicated teams of online slot developers had gone into creating this huge collection of Marvel slots, so it seemed almost unimaginable that these games would be released into the ether, never to be seen again.

In addition to the wasted time and effort, there was also an issue regarding players. The Marvel slots were much-loved progressive jackpot games, if their favorite slots were deleted would they go and play another provider’s games instead?

Thankfully, someone at Playtech had the grand idea of rebranding all of the Marvel slots, so rather than get rid of them entirely, they developed a new brand (Age of the Gods) and created new artwork, essentially placing it on top of the old slots in a like for like swap. 

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Players would still be able to play their favorite Marvel slots with the same bonus features, mechanics, jackpots, and mathematical models, just with different branding.

What makes the Age of the Gods series so popular?

Just like their predecessors, the Age of the Gods slots proved immensely popular mostly down to the fact that there were so many games for players to sink their teeth into, each Age of the Gods slot offering unique mechanics and bonus features.

In addition to this, the Age of the Gods slots series played host to the Age of the Gods Progressive Jackpot, a truly legendary four-tiered jackpot made up of the Power Jackpot, Extra Power Jackpot, Super Power Jackpot, and the Ultimate Power Jackpot.

These jackpots could drop at any time and can see players win in excess of £1,000,000, the most lucrative of these four jackpots payout every 40 days (on average) whilst the other three payouts on a daily and hourly basis, so it’s not hard to see why players were drawn to them. 

What’s more, fans of the original Marvel slots immediately recognized these progressive jackpots, as they’re exactly the same jackpots that existed prior to the Age of the Gods release.

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How has Playtech kept the Age of the Gods series fresh?

With so many Age of the Gods games out there the series was bound to go stale after some time, however, in a bid to freshen things up Playtech has enlisted the help of smaller studios that fall under their management to create several brand new games. 

Playtech Vikings, Playtech Origins, and Ash Gaming have all stepped up to the plate in recent years to create their own titles. This has also led to an entirely new Age of the Gods series known as Age of the Gods Norse.

This brand new series of Age of the God slots features a clean new design that looks significantly more attractive than the original slots, however, despite being a lot of fun, it’s fair to suggest that they don’t really have the same charm as the original games.

What does the future of the Age of the Gods series look like?

Despite it only being a few months since their last release, it feels like a long time since we’ve heard anything about a new Age of the Gods game.

There’s nothing on Playtech’s roadmap to suggest we’ll be getting a new mythical-themed slot any time soon, which is quite disappointing. That being said, with so many fingers in so many pies, it’s hard to tell what Playtech is doing at any given moment.

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There was some debate as to whether Age of the Gods was on the way out following the landmark release of Kingdoms Rise. The groundbreaking Playtech slot series features many similarities to Age of the Gods, and many thought it was a like-for-like replacement.

However, like Age of the Gods, the Kingdoms Rise series seems to have gone on the back burner in recent months. We’re genuinely not sure what to expect from the series going forward, perhaps Playtech will pass the franchise onto some of their smaller studios to work on? 

However, if Playtech is to continue their trend of releasing exciting new live casino game shows then we might well see the Age of the Gods characters appear in more of these games in the future, rather than online slots, but who knows? Only time will tell.

Gambling in the USA

Kambi Group plc extends Mohegan partnership with on-property sports betting agreement in Pennsylvania

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Kambi Group plc (“Kambi”), the world’s trusted sports betting partner, has agreed a long-term on-property sportsbook partnership with Mohegan to provide its award-winning sportsbook at two retail locations in the state of Pennsylvania.

The partnership will see Mohegan utilise Kambi’s cutting-edge retail sportsbook offering across more than 20 kiosks in sportsbook locations at Mohegan Pennsylvania and Mohegan Pennsylvania at Lehigh Valley Race and Sportsbook.

The deal further strengthens Kambi’s relationship with Mohegan, which already utilises Kambi’s suite of sports betting products at ilani in Washington, as well as online and on-property in the Canadian province of Ontario at Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara.

Kristian Nylén, Kambi CEO and Co-founder, said: “With several successful partnerships with Mohegan already in place, we are pleased to agree this new partnership as we continue to build on our strong relationship.

“This latest deal further reinforces Kambi’s position as the sportsbook provider of choice for tribes across North America, and we look forward to our ongoing collaboration with Mohegan.”

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Tony Carlucci, President & GM of Mohegan Pennsylvania, said: “Mohegan Pennsylvania is excited to continue utilising the same Kambi technology platform that existed under our Kindred partnership, which will help to create a seamless process as the Sportsbook at Mohegan Pennsylvania fully rebrands later this Spring.”

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Blockchain

JuicyBet Launches Its Innovative GambleFi Platform

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 JuicyBet, a Web3 startup, announced the launch of its GambleFi platform. This platform combines finance technology and gambling via blockchain to create unique opportunities and experiences for users. The company strives to revolutionize the principles of the online betting industry and the interaction between platforms and users in this market.

What is GambleFi?

GambleFi uses blockchain technology to ensure the fairness and transparency of games and betting outcomes and for players to get their share of the platform’s earnings and participate in its governance and day-to-day by holding its tokens.

How JuicyBet works

JuicyBet fully utilizes blockchain technology to establish a new ecosystem that has never been seen in the gambling industry. It is centered around user participation and transparency while providing gambling thrills and quality entertainment.

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All game records on the platform are kept in a public blockchain, while a set of smart contracts automates gaming outcomes and payouts and provides for the platform governance via the DAO model. This reduces fraud risks and operational costs, making JuicyBet a more efficient platform.

However, the platform’s main feature is the unprecedented level of user engagement via the platform’s native tokens.

  • First, the tokens provide access to betting.
  • Second, token holders get their share of the platform’s profit.
  • Third, token holders can vote on key decisions on the platform’s development in JuicyBet DAO.
  • And finally, DAO participants can also perform the role of oracles for bets and earn rewards.

In other words, JuicyBet doesn’t try to be just another gambling platform. It establishes a new ecosystem where users are in control of the platform and bets and are the beneficiaries of the platform.

In addition, JuicyBet offers additional earning opportunities, such as Double Farming and staking for token holders.

JuicyBet has already been noticed by users and investors – the platform’s 3-month turnover has exceeded $1,5 million, according to on-chain data available via Dune, and multiple centralized exchanges and launchpads have listed it.

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Rivalry Announces 2023 Annual Letter to Shareholders and Filing of 2023 Annual Financial Statements

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Rivalry Corp. (the “Company” or “Rivalry”) (TSXV: RVLY) (OTCQX: RVLCF) (FSE: 9VK), the leading sportsbook and iGaming operator for Gen Z, is pleased to announce its 2023 annual letter to shareholders and the filing of its financial results for the three (3) and 12-month period ended December 31, 2023. All dollar figures are quoted in Canadian dollars.

2023 Annual Letter to Shareholders

To our Shareholders,

This time last year I spoke about Rivalry’s evolution from a market leader in esports to a diversified Company setting the standard for Gen Z betting entertainment broadly.

Today, we have a business with revenue distribution across casino, sports, and esports betting, growing market share in new geographies, with increased velocity in core regions, and the strongest customer KPIs in Rivalry’s history.

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In 2023, Rivalry recorded $423.2 million in betting handle1, up 82% from the previous year. Similarly, gross gaming revenue2 and net revenue both saw 34% and 66% respective increases, while the introduction of higher margin products released in H2 such as Same Game Combos and Quick Combos are continuing to improve overall sportsbook hold and guide Rivalry closer to profitability.

Our deepened product suite now includes fantasy, additional sports coverage, and new proprietary casino games. All of which are uniquely driving growth among a targeted customer segment and widening our opportunity set in 2024 and beyond – from a 60% increase in traditional sports betting to a burgeoning B2B game vertical. The potential for how far our brand can go is just beginning to unfold.

The year ahead is rife with new, innovative product releases arriving in Q2 and continuing throughout 2024. We are doubling down on core growth opportunities in sports that resonate with our audience, such as basketball and soccer. Further, we are building on a successful casino segment which already represents 50% of our business, enhancing variety, depth, and accessibility, as well as developing new original games which blur the lines between betting and entertainment. We are in the process of additional geographic expansion, and pursuing new licenses to broaden our total addressable market, positioning Rivalry to own the Gen Z gambling opportunity globally.

While Rivalry’s operations have expanded into new high-growth verticals, our north star has remained the same: to define the future of online gambling for a generation born on the internet.

Online gambling in 2024 is radically different than it was just six years ago when Rivalry launched. In that time we’ve seen gaming and internet culture reshape how consumers engage with technology. That shift is broadening the definition of gambling, where product design is influenced by video games, or it exists fully embedded within social apps like Telegram, where content creators are the new affiliates, and much more.

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Over the same period, the rise of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology has introduced a new level of speed, access, and security to web-based consumer experiences. Industry estimates now put crypto wagers at up to one quarter of global betting handle3, with 30% year-over-year growth in 20244, and showing no signs of slowing down.

The development of this ecosystem has commercially unlocked online gambling unlike anything since its first transition from land to online many years ago. It has brought in a new global audience, and enriched the customer experience from end-to-end.

Alongside the growth of this technology has emerged new methods of gambling, taking wallet share from more traditional forms at an accelerated rate. The shift in consumer behavior and the signal from our users is clear – interactive, volatile, and crypto-infused product experiences will set the precedent for how the next generation gambles online.

Rivalry, with a brand steeped in internet culture and living at the intersection of this digital economic renaissance, is well-positioned to access this growth opportunity. There is high overlap between Gen Z, gamers, gamblers, and a fast-growing audience of over 420 million crypto users worldwide5 organically aligned with our audience and brand. And we believe that more than half of this audience globally is already wagering with crypto.

It will be Rivalry’s ability to understand, implement, and adapt to this shift more rapidly than our peers that we expect to create first-mover advantages for us. It is for that reason that our vision is now bolder than ever for what’s possible in the online gambling category.

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Soon, we will reveal plans for a crypto-enabled product set to enhance alignment between Rivalry and its users, increase network effects, and generally deliver a consumer experience that lives on the internet of 2024.

To that effect, the success of our first-party games and their ability to acquire and engage a captive audience of Gen Z bettors online has validated our original game development strategy amongst industry peers. This has unlocked a new commercial opportunity for Rivalry to license its IP, opening up another line of revenue for the business that has great potential for global scale.

The year ahead is poised to be one of our most ground-breaking, with a myriad of innovative product releases across all of Rivalry’s verticals, adding more dimension to our business, operations, and addressable audience, and building on our competitive moat as the market leader in Gen Z betting entertainment.

We look forward to sharing more details about these upcoming initiatives, the opportunities they will unlock for our Company, and delivering on our promise to create long-term shareholder value and reach profitability. Thank you all for your continued support.

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