Social Slots? Livespin Looks to Disrupt the Industry’s Traditionally Solo Gamer Reputation

Since the slot game was invented, it has been the choice of the independent gamer. Indeed, it is usually the selection of the gambler who would rather be left alone with just their luck to keep them company than engage with a massive crowd of people at the roulette table.

Yet, this may soon be a thing of the past, as developers are looking at various ideas to try and make slots a more sociable gaming enterprise with a multiplayer aspect.

One of those at the forefront of this project is Livespins. This new casino-streaming platform sees the sector as far overdue for a reworking to introduce a social and collective element to the solitary gaming choice.

In generalized terms, the platform sees slots as a game that can either be played and bet on or watched and bet on. This idea comes from the trend of consumers enjoying others playing games and being involved in a social network centred on a piece of content or experience.

According to the CCO of Livespins Michael Pedersen, the platform wants to create an experience that brings people together rather than separates them. In an interview with iGaming Business Online, Pedersen said that their concept is based on the ‘bet behind’ idea first established in mechanical slot machines.

He says: “You know when you go to a land-based casino, and you don’t have to sit at the table, and instead you can place bets behind the person sitting at the table? We’re taking that mechanic and smashing that together with casino streaming. Instead of passively looking at a casino streamer, you can join the ride and bet behind the streamer yourself and with other players simultaneously”.

“There’s that community aspect to it that maybe 50 players are betting behind the streamer, and if he wins, you win, so you can all celebrate together. To our knowledge, we are the first company in the market to be able to do that. It’s built on a proprietary platform, so we’re not relying on Twitch or YouTube or any other streaming platform”.

So, in layman’s terms, instead of playing the game yourself, you can watch someone else play the game and bet on their successes with a group of other players, just as you might do watching horse racing or any other sport.

But why the need to make slots more sociable? Aren’t slots OK the way they are? In response to why Livespins are trying to make this gambling option more sociable, Pedersen said:

“Something that we see when we look at statistics and data around the world, and the consumption habits of consumers, is they lean more towards streaming. In Asia, about one-third of all online shopping now takes place through streamers. The normal Amazon shopping experience is now outdated, especially in Asia. We’re seeing that trend emerging in the West too”.

“The consumers out there, especially Gen-Z, are looking for more engagement. Apple is doing SharePlay, where you can watch a movie or listen to music together. Disney+ is coming out with a new feature called GroupWatch, where you can stream a movie into 20 different living rooms but watch it at the same time. Outside the industry, we’re seeing these social tendencies kicking in”.

“We’ve been speaking about it for a long time in iGaming, but I think that 2022 will be the year where it will become mainstream, and it will no longer be a niche adoption”.

So, if other platforms in the shopping and viewing markets have been able to do social engagement consumption well, why hasn’t the iGaming industry managed it yet?

Replying to why Livespins is going to be different in making a multiplayer experience Pedersen said:

“Livespins is positioned in a much less niche area of the iGaming industry and will be able to and much more appealing to the mass consumer and player”.

Talking about the ultimate goal for the Livespins platform, Pedersen said:

“The ‘bet behind’ product that we’re launching through Livespins is definitely not the last from our side in terms of product. It’s very much the beginning. We see Livespins as a brand new category”.

“When you go on an operator’s website, you see your live casinos and table games. Livespins will effectively become a separate and new category for these kinds of live experiences. We will build the product portfolio over time. It’s like we are laying the foundation right now for the new way of playing casino games. There will be many different variations coming up in the near future”.

Talking about if the sector needs more disruption in terms of the actual gameplay of slots, Pedersen said:

“Absolutely. I think there is plenty of room for innovation. I think the trick is to find innovation that makes sense. I’ve seen a lot of incremental development in slots, with tournaments and races. There are many things that utilise the core gaming experience”.

“Livespins is coming up with something that is a new core product. It’s not something like it – it’s literally a way of consuming slots content as a group. I hope to see much more of that coming up because it definitely needs innovation. But it also needs to be sensible innovation, where there is actually a consumer need for it. Don’t innovate for innovation’s sake”.

Finally, in discussing the sources of innovation for the slots and other iGmaing sectors, Pedersen said that:

“We’re definitely pushing from within the industry, but there’s also a massive push coming from the US. We jokingly speak about what will happen if Amazon enters online gambling.

We’re already seeing it. Netflix is moving into gaming, not gambling. That trend will only continue. What is unclear right now is whether they’ll draw the line at social gaming or fun-to-play, or whether they’ll enter the real-to-play space. Who knows?

The main thing we’re trying to get across is that it’s not just another type of game. It is literally a new category. It is a new way of playing slots that has not been seen before”.

Only time will tell if Livespins new category of iGaming will take the world by storm.