The virtual world could be about to meet the real world in a unique live casino deal penned by leading developers Evolution and Scientific Games.
Evolution are famed for their live casino games, and the Lightning Roulette title is a particular favourite with online gamers around the game.
Now, in conjunction with Scientific Games, they plan to make Lightning Roulette available in land-based casinos in a move that has not been seen before.
This will be the first of Evolution’s live casino games to be used in the physical environment, and reports suggest that the title’s famed lightning reel set-up will be streamed live and direct to players sat in their local high street casino from the firm’s purpose-built studios around Europe.
The chief product officer at Evolution, Todd Haushalter, said that he was ‘thrilled’ that one of his brand’s games would be used in a land-based casino environment for the first time.
“Lightning Roulette has been the biggest table game in online casino for years, and we are thrilled to have Scientific Games bring it to land-based casinos,” he said. “This gets us one step closer to letting players find Lightning Roulette everywhere they want to play.
“When we created Lightning Roulette, this was the first-time random computer outcomes had been mixed with physical real-world outcomes in Live Casino, and it was an instant success with players.
“We have millions of players who enjoy the game, so there should be an instant fan base who are ready to play at their local casino when given the chance.”
A Lightning Bolt for the Industry?
Lightning Roulette is arguably the flagship game in Evolution’s live casino arsenal, and since its inception in 2018 it has won a catalogue of high-profile industry awards – including the Game of the Year gong at the EGR Awards.
Featuring classic roulette gameplay, the Lightning version is filmed like a TV gameshow – replicating the successes of Dream Catcher, Crazy Time and Monopoly and other interactive releases.
The ‘Lightning’ element of the game comes in the Lucky Number wins that appear on the wheel with each spin – lightning bolts are used as the visual element, and these can lead to some sizable payouts for those fortunate enough to have picked a winning digit.
While in essence competitors, Evolution and Scientific Games have worked together in the past on a range of projects. Evolution’s live casino games have been integrated into Scientific’s proprietary platform that is used at gaming sites around the globe, and they even created live versions of Scientific’s flagship Three Card Poker and Ultimate Texas Hold’em variants.
And Scientific’s senior vice president, Rob Bone, has confirmed he cannot wait for the release of Lightning Roulette, which is scheduled for 2022.
“We have watched Lightning Roulette’s phenomenal success in a live-dealer, online format and cannot wait to make it available on the gaming floors of land-based casinos across North America and around the world,” he said.
“With its trademark lightning strikes and big-win multipliers, Lightning Roulette is sure to be one of the most visually engaging and entertaining live table games ever offered.”