Having a partnership with legendary rock stars as brand ambassadors “has no real value” but relevance and value is the “connection to the actual games”, expressed House of Spades’ co-founder, Pelle Wiman.
On the back of the company’s launch of its rock themed online casino brand, which was released with two rock legends, Alice Cooper and Twisted Sister’s lead singer Dee Snider, as brand ambassadors, the gaming platform comprises games from more than 90 suppliers that deliver over 4,000 slots and casino titles.
When asked about the process of establishing an online casino brand with such a distinct theme, Wiman noted that in a landscape of “an endless number of generic operators” the importance of brand differentiation and niche “should be a reason of existence” for all new brands.
He noted: “The igaming industry doesn’t need another ‘bet this’ or ‘Vegas that’, the quote is already filled to the max.”
On the importance of brand ambassadors roles in these distinct themes, the HoS co-founder, expressed that the games themselves are the true value and not the rock stars.
“Both Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) and Alice Cooper have released their official games and therefore, they have a product to promote on House of Spades at the same time connect with the players,” he added. “We are the only casino that genuinely cares about this category of slots.”
In addition, HoS also includes a game segment titled ‘The Rock’ n’ Roll Hall of Games,’ which includes 15 Play’n Go produced rock-themed titles that includes Alice Cooper, ZZ Top, Kiss, and Twisted Sister slots.
Regarding the Hall of Games, Wiman expressed this feature was “very crucial” stating that “the relevance of being a niche player in the igaming arena” is to be able to match the theme with the actual game inventory.
However, how can players expect this to develop? Wiman, though not revealing too much, claimed that the rock-themed segment is “growing with bigger names every year now”.
He continued: “It’s almost like a movement that started up with smaller bands, and now the big names are coming along. Last year, names like ZZ Top, Alice Cooper, and KISS all released their official slots.
“Next up is Def Leppard and Finnish Eurovision Award Winner Lordi, along with some big releases later on this year which I can’t reveal yet.”
The platform includes a 36-level achievement program that takes players on a house tour room by room in search for hidden artefacts and keys, as well as feature coins and cash prize rewards for each completed space.
Addressing this program and how it will appeal to ensure player loyalty and retention, Wiman expressed his non-believe in brand loyalty as a single factor, stating that suppliers provide a “great product experience”.
“The entire House of Spades metaphor revolves around a rock ‘n’ roll hotel where the players check in and get treated like rockstars,” the HoS co-founder stated. “The achievement program is set up as a ‘House Tour’ for the players to collect artefacts as they move up the levels. You will also be able to unlock rock star avatars to your player profile.
“I believe all gaming needs a bit of storytelling to make it more interesting. Especially when you’re a casino operator who basically provides the same gaming inventory as everybody else.
“Everything that makes the gaming experience more personal and entertaining is of value when it comes to retention, which by the way is the industry’s biggest challenge.”
Looking forward to where we can see House of Spades appear in the feature, Wiman revealed that, whilst operating on a Curacao licence, it will not go for regulated markets… for the time being.
He concluded: “Going forward, we want to try our luck in both Asia and LatAm. Both have that same great combo of rock music and casino preference as above. That’s all I’m able to reveal for now.”