New Slot Sites 2019
- Who is behind all these new slot sites?
- Why play at a new slot site?
- New slot sites – a look into the future
Who is behind all these new slot sites?
Several new slot sites and casinos launch in the UK every single month and these can be:
- Completely new operators – these will usually go for a “skin” site where the casino software, management and licensing is supplied by a white label provider such as Nektan or Progress Play.
- Operators who already run other types of gambling sites (such as bingo or sports) and want to expand into the slots / casino business (which can be easier to run as there’s no need for chat hosts, for instance). Such an operator will already have experience of looking after VIPs etc.
- Existing slots/casino operators launching additional sites. These operators already know how to make things run smoothly and if they have lots of skins they will probably also have lots of staff to look after players.
- Overseas slots/casino operators expanding into the UK market after obtaining a UK GC licence. Again, these operators already have lots of experience of running slots/casino sites – and as they must recently have passed the rigorous vetting procedures for a UK licence, players can feel confident that all is as it should be.
Why play at a new slot site?
Many players move on to new sites because they want to claim a fresh welcome bonus offer but there are other reasons why you might want to try out somewhere new.
Ongoing/regular bonus offers – it’s not all about the welcome offers. Regular/ongoing deposit offers of slot bonus or spins give players the opportunity to try out different slots.
Free Spins – many players clearly prefer free spins to a slot bonus and plenty of new slot sites are all about the free spins, sometimes with no deposit required.
Wagering requirements, caps on winnings etc – Players may seek to move on if they consider wagering requirements to be too onerous or if there are too many restrictions on what can be won from bonus play, especially as there are now quite a few new slot sites with no wagering requirements
Exclusive & network promotions – Promotions such as tournaments, raffles and sharepots make play more interesting and a new site that offers these may be very attractive to players (especially if they are not available anywhere else).
Better VIP / player reward scheme – It’s not only the size of the rewards, but the nature of the rewards. Some players prefer loyalty bonuses, some prefer cashback and some prefer daily free spins – and with such a wide variety of player reward schemes out there, there’s something for everyone.
Playability on different devices – A player with a new phone or tablet may be looking for a site that works better on the latest devices.
Selection of slots – Players may move on in search of a particular slot they want to play. Perhaps the site they currently play at doesn’t offer any slots from that provider, or they may be slow to add new releases.
Availability of progressive jackpots – Not all slot/casino sites offer these. For example, it is quite common for IGT slots to be on offer but without the Megajackpots collection. Other sought after progressive jackpots include the Jackpot King games, the Red Tiger Daily Jackpot slots, Playtech’s Age of the Gods, Microgaming’s Mega Moolah and Netent’s Mega Fortune games.
New slot sites – a look into the future
The last couple of years have been interesting times for slot site operators due to recent action by the UK Gambling Commission over concerns that some slot games appeal particularly to children – for example, those with a fairytale, cartoon or superhero theme. Although not all operators have yet reacted to this it seems very likely that in the future, images promoting such slots will all have to be age gated – so only visible to players who have already signed up and undergone age verification.
This has already resulted in changes to player promotions such as free spins offers. We expect slots with a more adult theme to increase in popularity in 2019.
From May 2019, new players have to undergo age and ID verification before they can deposit or play at a site and this also applies to no deposit offers and demo versions. You might think this would result in fewer no deposit offers as the degree of player commitment required to claim a no deposit offer is now so much higher – and indeed, many no deposit offers have gone. Some operators, however, are moving in the opposite direction and bringing in a no deposit offer when they previously had none – the reasoning being that a player who is willing to undergo the verification process first may be more likely to go on to make a deposit than a player who isn’t.
What we do wonder is whether these new requirements are annoying enough for players to put them off the whole idea of finding a new slot site to play at. Time will tell!
