Boundary-pushing casino entertainment: Play’n GO’s approach to marketing for the US
Chief Marketing Officer and co-founder Ebba Arnred discusses Play’n GO’s strategy for expanding its success from Europe into North America, emphasising innovation and quality-driven partnerships.
Interview.- Play’n GO has been one of the leading games suppliers in Europe for more than a decade with its latest strategy now on replicating that success in North America.
Chief Marketing Officer and co-founder Ebba Arnred believes that the quality of Play’n GO’s portfolio paired with strong, collaborative marketing that brings in audiences from outside of igaming is the winning formula.
A loaded trophy cabinet
Play’n GO collects awards faster than the reels spin on its slots. Last year, the innovative Swedish developer scored a hat-trick of awards, picking up Slot Provider of the Year, Mobile Supplier of the Year and Game of the Year. Though Play’n GO has experienced almost two decades of success, the last two years have been particularly exciting for the brand, as they mark Play’n GO’s expansion into the US igaming market.
“While every market is different, I wouldn’t say our North American strategy significantly deviates from our European one, in the sense that we’re still all about putting the best possible online casino entertainment into the hands of players to enjoy in a sustainable way,” says chief marketing officer and co-founder Ebba Arnred.
Going big in North America
Play’n GO is currently live in five US states (MI, NJ, WV, PA and CT) and Ontario and Quebec in Canada. Partnering with operators such as BetRivers, PlayStar and, most recently, DraftKings, Play’n GO is continuing to disperse its 300-strong slot portfolio across North America.
Discussing with iGB Play’n GO’s entry into the US igaming market, Arnred reflects how the company’s well-established brand identity meant they could take their time forging partnerships that reflected Play’n GO’s ethos of a quality-driven, player-centric experience.
“It’s been a couple of years now since we entered the US, and I think our growth in the market has absolutely vindicated our approach. Certainly, from the provider’s perspective, we never bought into the idea this was a race. We’ve taken our time to understand the market on a state-by-state basis, and that’s paying dividends. We are now live in five states, and monitoring opportunities closely as others move towards legislation.
“The goal was always to find the right partners in the right markets to deliver our portfolio of premium titles,” she continues. “We have complete confidence in the quality of our content, so it has afforded us the luxury of focusing on building those deep and valuable relationships with operators that are needed to succeed in the US. We’re picking the right partners and adding new ones by the month.”
Play’n GO x MoneyGram Haas F1
Play’n GO is on a mission to transform the igaming industry by expanding into the wider world of entertainment. One of the ways in which the developer achieves this is by leveraging popular events in the markets in which it wants to infiltrate, using the resulting media coverage to generate brand awareness among a wider audience.
One such example is Play’n GO’s partnership with the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team. Announced in November 2023, the collaboration “took a lot of the industry by surprise,” says Arnred. “People aren’t used to seeing a game studio make such a high-profile, consumer-facing branding play.”
The deal, according to Arnred, makes sense for a multitude of reasons. “Primarily, it’s about recognising what the Play’n GO brand means to players. We’re not just another content studio; casino fans around the world trust us to push boundaries and create blockbuster games. Players pay attention when they are scrolling casino lobbies and see the Play’n GO logo because it immediately brings to mind so many classics.”
The partnership blurs the lines between the igaming and entertainment industries in more ways than one. Not only does it show Play’n GO emerging into the global realm of sports marketing, but it also introduces the Team’s drivers, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, to the igaming industry. Together with team principal Ayao Komatsu, the pair attended igaming events, discussing their experiences as motorsport athletes at the Play’n GO-sponsored panel.
Though gambling and motorsports may seem like two conflicting areas of entertainment, Arnred insists that they are actually two sides of the same coin. She deems the partnership a “perfect match”, marrying together Play’n GO’s core values of safer gambling and high-value entertainment.
“Like the markets we’re active in, MoneyGram Haas F1 Team belong in a high-regulated industry where entertainment must be balanced with an absolute focus on safety and sustainability. We’re technology-obsessed, and both of our industries are incredibly fast-paced. The parallels are clear to see and are actually quite interesting to observe.”
She adds: “The global reach of the sport and the surging popularity it is currently enjoying in some of our key markets, particularly the US, meant that the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team partnership was too good an opportunity to miss.”
Play’n GO x DraftKings
Each new regulated market provides new opportunities for growth, and a new player pool to attract. The rise of social media marketing has shown that your strategy doesn’t necessarily need to showcase your product. “Even as a B2B business, we’ve become a strong B2C brand,” Arnred acknowledges and explains how simply putting your brand in front of more people can be enough to spark interest in a new demographic.
This idea is something Play’n GO has been using to expand in major igaming jurisdictions, resulting in the MoneyGram Haas F1 collaboration. It is also something that DraftKings, one of Play’n GO’s most recent partnerships, does well. Adept at using humour to attract a loyal social media following, DraftKings is one of North America’s most popular and recognisable igaming brands.
“Of course, DraftKings needs no introduction,” says Arnred. “They are a must-have if you want to reach a large share of the US market, and they’ve been a pleasure to work with because we already closely align in terms of how we understand the audience and how we want to build for it in the future.
“We launched with them in Connecticut earlier this year and have since added New Jersey as well. They are focused on giving their customers the very best experience possible, and we believe our content will play a really important part in that going forward.”
Think outside the slot: Play’n GO Music
Launched in December 2023, Play’n GO Music is the operator’s new in-house music division. In the same way, the F1 partnership pushes Play’n GO’s brand in front of the sports crowd, Play’n GO Music aims to increase brand awareness by transforming the slot soundtrack – which, up until now, has functioned merely as an add-on to the gameplay – into a consumable product.
“Music, and audio more generally, was for a long time an overlooked component of casino entertainment. Most people treated it as an afterthought rather than an integral aspect of the experience as a whole,” says Arnred.
“We were always different in that sense. From the very beginning, we have always invested in the musical aspect of our games, believing it to be of crucial importance to the playing experience. We knew from the very beginning that there’s a certain alchemy when building great slots. When it works well, each element combines into something greater than the sum of the parts. And music is actually central to creating those memorable experiences.”
When Play’n GO Music launched last December, the supplier was already going the extra mile to make its slot soundtracks stand out. “Hugo Legacy is probably the best example of that, where we worked with the 62-piece, Grammy-winning Czech Symphony Orchestra in Prague to write and record 13 original tracks for the game,” Arnred muses.
However, the creation of an industry-first music division has taken the operator’s audio compositions to dizzying new heights. “We found ourselves working with so many incredible artists on a very eclectic range of music, we wanted to do more with it than simply feature it in the titles. That was the origin of Play’n GO Music,” explains Arnred.
Creative juices keep flowing on the reels
The platform is an innovative marketing strategy that helps Play’n GO to promote both new and existing games, such as the Gargantoonz series. “Gargantoonz was actually our very first Play’n GO Music release,” Arnred reveals. “The game is one of our most successful in recent years, and fans love the soundtrack.
“We teamed up with LA-based dream pop artist KEANA to record a special version of Supernova from the game. It was a great way to introduce new audiences to the title, while also giving existing fans a chance to experience it in an entirely new way.” Play’n GO Music also features remixes of the Reel Monsters soundtrack, compilation albums of iconic slot audios, and additional artistic collaborations.
Besides releasing original compositions, Play’n GO has been using its Spotify platform to curate MoneyGram Haas F1 Team playlists throughout the racing season. “We’ve been collaborating directly with the team over there, everyone from Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, to the backroom staff members, to create playlists of their favourite tunes for getting pumped up on race weekends. They are all available for fans directly from the Play’n GO Music Spotify page.
“On top of that,” Arnred continues, “we’ve also launched an exclusive single, Quantum Rush, in a first-of-its-kind partnership with EDM artist Humansion and the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team. The track is already proving really popular among fans and staff of the team ahead of their races.”
Play’n GO’s next steps in Casino Entertainment
When asked about what players can expect next from Play’n GO, Arnred makes it clear that the best is still yet to come.
“Quite simply, more sustainable, boundary-pushing, world-class online casino entertainment. We’re now active in more than 30 regulated markets worldwide, and we’re continuing to raise the bar on what it truly means to be a casino entertainment provider and what is possible in this space. Just look out our most recent hit release, Tome of Insanity, and the huge global success that has enjoyed over the last few months.
2024 is already shaping up to be the most successful in our history, and our plan for 2025 is to go even bigger.”
