USING SOCIAL GAMING TO CONNECT WITH FEMALE GAMERS. LET ELLEN SHOW YOU HOW.
IGT launched The Ellen DeGeneres Show “Have a Little Fun Today” slots on the company’s DoubleDown Casino social gaming app last week.
It marks the first time a current US television talk show host has extended her brand into the growing social casino world. The Ellen DeGeneres Show Have a Little Fun Today Slots was developed by IGT and Ellen Digital Ventures, a business initiative created by Ellen DeGeneres and the Warner Bros. Television Group.
The 75-payline, free-to-play social game is based on a physical slot machine also starring Ellen (not available in Australia), and features original voiceovers and clips from the TV show as well as high-end graphics full of iconic Ellen-related imagery.
It also has bonus events based on popular segments from the show, like “What’s in the Box”, “Ellen’s Wheel of Riches” and “Dunk Tank”.
The game launched Friday, May 13 with Ellen introducing it in her Emmy Award winning, daytime show. (Ellen screens in Australian every weekday on the Nine Network).
The Ellen DeGeneres Show “Have a Little Fun Today” slots is available on Facebook as well as iOS and Android mobile devices via the DoubleDown Casino app.
SOCIAL GAMING IN AUSTRALIA
So why is this important to the Australian club/pub/casino market? Because it is more than likely at least half your gamers, and particularly your female gamers, are also social gamers.
The social casino market is worth over US$3 billion annually. Social casino games, like the Ellen DeGeneres one, are games that look, sound and play like gambling games, but they do not pay out real money and encourage players to connect with their online networks via social media . Worldwide, over 300 million people were estimated to play these games each month, and the number is growing at 24% per year.
In Australia, research shows that 68% of all Australians are social gamers with nearly 50 percent of those being females. And over 50’s make up 49% of that market – they are the fastest growing segment of all. Research also shows there is an overlap between social casino gamers and gamblers and focus group research carried out by The Drop, supports that as well.
Smart operators will recognise that there are a multitude of opportunities to use social gaming to engage and interact with their current gamers and to attract new gamers to their venues. This is especially so with the female market who view gaming as fun, and social casino apps like the Ellen DeGeneres one, hit all the right buttons.
After all, the biggest changes to the industry are not going to come from F&B or diversification or building design…they are going to come from technology.
To learn more about social gaming in Australia, download the PDF report below called “Digital Australia 2016” from Bond University, commissioned by Interactive Gaming and Entertainment Association.
Digital-Australia-2016-DA16-Final.compressed
To learn more about social casino gaming in Australia, download the discussion paper called “Is it gambling or a game? Simulated gambling games: Their use and regulations.” from the Australian Gambling Research Centre, April 2016.
