Skill-based real-money games developer Gamblit Gaming has expanded its geographical presence in the US by deploying its products at a tribal casino in Oklahoma.
On Thursday, Gamblit announced that it had installed its Model G interactive game tables – featuring its Gamblit Poker and Cannonbeard’s Treasure games – at the Downstream Casino Resort in Quapaw, Oklahoma. Downstream is owned and operated by the Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma.
The deployment is the result of a deal between Gamblit and Integrity Gaming Inc, a subsidiary of Podyras Gaming Finance Corp. Integrity, a middle-market supplier for tribal gaming operators, has an exclusive right to distribute Gamblit products to tribal casinos in Oklahoma and Texas.
Gamblit already has a foothold in casinos in Nevada and Southern California, and CEO Eric Meyerhofer is right chuffed to be launching in Oklahoma, “which, as the third largest gaming market in the United States presents a particularly attractive opportunity” for boosting awareness of Gamblit’s products.
GAMECO INKS SOULCALIBUR II DEAL
Meanwhile, Gamblit rival GameCo has inked a deal with games publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment to jointly develop casino games based on the 3D fighting game Soulcalibur II. GameCo says it expects to have its Soulcalibur real-money video game gambling machine (VGM) in casinos later this year.
While GameCo has released a first-person shooter game (Danger Arena), the Bandai Namco deal represents the first time a AAA fighting game will be reimagined for a casino environment. GameCo’s challenge will be to reduce the normal Soulcalibur playing session down to around 45-60 seconds, while retaining the look, feel and core gameplay elements of the franchise.
GameCo CEO Blaine Graboyes said his group was excited to collaborate with Bandai Namco to further expand the scope of what constitutes real-money casino gambling. GameCo is currently developing a VGM based on the lucrative Star Trek franchise and has inked licensing deals for movie titles including Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Mission Impossible.
In March, Graboyes gave a presentation (viewable below) at the Casual Connect Europe 2017, during which he opined that casino operators “aren’t really great at marketing to new audiences.” Graboyes said his company was keen to work with casino operators to help inform gamers that there are gambling options at casinos beyond the traditional (read: boring) slots and tables, as well as educating casinos on how to retain these gamers once they’re on the premises by providing what Graboyes calls “the VIP experience.”
GameCo VGMs made their US debut last November at three Caesars Entertainment properties in Atlantic City but the 21 machines were pulled from the casino floor six months later because they weren’t generating sufficient revenue. GameCo VGMs are still in action across town at the Tropicana.
