Entain, one of the leading US sports betting and gaming entertainment operators, is doubling investment in its in-house games studios to accelerate and expand its ability to provide customers with new and exclusive products and experiences.
Headcount will double to around 300 people across the firm’s three in-house studios in the UK, Italy, and India within a year, to deliver new products and experiences across all its markets, including the US.
CR Games, Entain’s UK games studio based near Manchester, will initially create eight new roles taking its headcount close to 50.
Announcing the news, the company noted that more than 70% of BetMGM customers in the US enjoy using exclusive content from Entain, helping to make BetMGM a US market leader in igaming.
Among the most popular exclusive titles are MGM Grand Millions, Borgata Cash Spinner, Premium Blackjack Pro and Bison’s Fury slot game.
Win Studios based in Hyderabad, India, is developing 30 new products specifically for customers of BetMGM this year, adding to new games like BetMGM Blackjack Pro, BetMGM Roulette Pro, Book of Myths, The Win Genie, Eye of Hathor, and Platinum Blackjack Pro.
New content includes free to play slots tournaments, believed to be the first of their kind, giving customers a choice of free games to play and win cash prizes.
Following the recent sponsorship between its PartyCasino and PartyPoker brands and McLaren, customers will get exclusive access to Formula 1 themed casino content and games later this year.
Entain is also developing new experiences for customers using immersive technologies, and plans to upweight this capability at its in-house studios. The Group’s first VR product for customers – a multi-activity sports club – is due later in the year.
CEO Jette Nygaard-Andersen said: “We love giving our customers great experiences and exciting entertainment as that is the bedrock of what we do. Increasing our investment across all three of our in-house games studios will provide more of that for our customers across all our global brands.”
She added: “By widening our offer with new and exclusive games, such as free-to-play tournaments, we give existing and new customers more reasons to use our products. This not only helps to grow our business but brings fresh insight, so we can further improve the offer for our customers.”
Colin Cole-Johnson, Entain Gaming Director, said: “Our priority is always to create exciting, engaging products that give our customers choice. Not only does this enhance the experience for the millions of people who enjoy our products, but is an important driver of Entain’s growth.
“These exclusive, innovative, and tailored games are really valued by our customers. Developing more of our own games means we have complete control over what goes into them, not just in giving our customers a great experience, but also keeping them safe.”
