NetEnt - William Hill content deal fulfilled

Last year NetEnt AB signed an agreement with William Hill plc to supply casino games to its licensed betting shops in the UK (see previous reports).

Following a successful integration process, the first game – a slot titled Starburst – is now available to players in William Hill’s retail network.

The integration is a milestone for NetEnt, a company presser announced Tuesday, because for the first time its games are now available in retail shops in the UK.

“In close collaboration with William Hill, NetEnt’s award winning games have been redesigned to apply to the demands of the retail customer,” the statement reveals. “Entering land-based casino entertainment is in line with the company’s multi-channel strategy, providing operators with casino solutions for different channels, as demanded by their players.”

Per Eriksson, president and CEO of NetEnt, said, “William Hill is the largest betting and gaming operator in the UK and this partnership will allow us to maximize distribution in their major channels such as retail, desktop and mobile.

“Although the online casino market has shown steady double-digit growth in the past five years, online penetration is still very low. Today, only five percent of the global casino market is online, the rest comes from traditional, land-based gaming.

“Over time, we see interesting growth opportunities in the retail channel and our multichannel strategy will drive increased convergence between online and offline gaming.”

Digitalisation and convergence are important trends in retail betting globally, with a growing number of land-based B2C retailers offering e-commerce.

Online consumption is growing at a fast pace and the trend is set to continue, NetEnt opines.

Increased broadband penetration and more sophisticated mobile devices with internet access support this development.

The gaming industry shows a similar pattern with increasing convergence between land-based gaming and online gaming.