Licences bring the “showbiz” factor to casino slot machines and can be anything from silver screen idols through to recording artists, TV shows and sporting events. For some manufacturers, licensing is an essential part of the R&D for a new game but others don’t think it is necessary to use third party brands at all. Steph Norbury investigates.

Licensing

ACCORDING to the licensing bible, License! Global, the top 150 global licensors accounted for $262.9bn in retail sales of licensed products worldwide in 2015 as compared to $259.9bn in 2014, while The Walt Disney Company, which is the perennial number one global licensor, added a whopping $7.2bn in retail sales in 2015 alone. So, the appetite for branded products continues to grow.

It is not surprising, therefore, that gambling and licensing enjoy a mutually profitable relationship, with slot machines designed around brands providing a focal point for players within the casino and a starting point for game designers to inspire the theme and features within their games.

Read the full article in the August issue of InterGaming