GameCo Brings Esports Gambling To Online Casinos

GameCo has spent several years trying to usher in a new era of casino gaming. Unfortunately, land-based operators have had a tepid response to these efforts. Now the company is setting its sights on the legal US online casino market, a market that may be far better suited to its video game gambling products.

GameCo announced the launch of iGameCo in a Thursday press release, which states the goal of iGameCo is to bring video game gambling and esports betting to igaming markets around the globe.

“iGameCo is the culmination of years of research and development in combining video games and esports for regulated casinos and we’re proud to bring our leadership in land-based Video Game Gambling™ to digital casinos and sportsbooks,” said Blaine Graboyes, Co-Founder and CEO of GameCo. “We invented the first-ever skill-based games for retail casinos and now we’re expanding the category to bring this experience to regulated gaming markets worldwide, providing casinos with the products to attract and monetize the next generations of customers.”

Per the press release:

“iGameCo launches with three powerful, synergistic offerings: skill-based iGaming, esports betting, and Freeplay Gambling™. As a market pioneer holding gaming licenses in almost thirty global gaming jurisdictions and with industry-leading expertise in integrating video games and esports in the land-based casino market, iGameCo is pioneering the future of digital wagering products and experiences today.”

The Online Environment Better Suits GameCo

One of the biggest hurdles GameCo needed to overcome in the land-based casino market was a fight for floor space. Every inch of a casino is considered valuable real estate, and that space is constantly optimized.

That makes it difficult for innovative products to gain a foothold for two reasons:

1. Casinos don’t have unused space, so new products need to displace existing ones – and the only products they might replace are poor-performing ones already relegated to far-flung corners of the property.
2. New products don’t receive the necessary time to catch on. A casino cannot wait and see, so new products need to have an immediate impact, or they’re rejected.

Both of these were problems for GameCo machines.

The customers who might be interested in video game gambling tend to avoid the back corners of the slot floor.

And, GameCo machines take minutes to play a single round. That made it hard for them to compete with traditional slot machines in terms of coin-in, even though “time on machine” is equal to or higher for GameCo machines.

The good news is these hurdles don’t exist online, where there is plenty of virtual space and a younger demographic that, based on the popularity of freemium apps, finds skill-based games appealing and worth a monetary investment.

“iGameCo is planning to release skill-based iGaming products across many player-favorite categories, spanning Match 3, spot the difference, and sports,” according to the press release. “The company has already established distribution agreements with industry leaders, such as ReelPlay and G.games, for broad release of iGameCo games. A steady slate of new games will be offered by iGameCo through the remainder of 2020 and beyond.”

Esports Betting

In addition to online video game gambling, iGameCo will oversee the company’s “full-service esports betting solution specifically built for the North American sports betting market.” The release notes that iGameCo has already entered into several partnerships and programs to bring this esports betting platform to jurisdictions where esports betting is legal.

That esports solution stems from a partnership between GameCo and GRID. “iGameCo provides all the necessary tools for sportsbooks and casinos to capitalize on the growth of esports wagering, which is estimated to generate $17 billion in handle in 2020,” the press release says.

 Look for iGameCo in These Jurisdictions

GameCo is licensed in multiple US and international jurisdictions, including New Jersey, where it was recently awarded a Casino Service Industry Enterprise License (CSIE) from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. That license allows GameCo to “bring its diverse portfolio of esports betting, skill-based iGaming, and Video Game Gambling™ products to New Jersey casinos and sportsbooks.”