GiGse has announced the addition of Start-Up Launchpad at the i-gaming conference to be held in San Francisco, US, from April 24-26.
The event aims to spotlight innovative and disruptive start-ups that blend the best from gambling and social gaming. The 12th Global iGaming Summit and Expo (GiGse) will also explore how the gambling industry can better prepare itself for the emergence of the regulated i-gaming developments in North America.
GiGse will offer a platform for social, free-to-play, fantasy gaming developers to showcase their businesses and find potential partners. The Start-Up Launchpad will present up to five new companies that offer a disruptive approach to gaming. The businesses will be selected from a group of applicants and will be quizzed by a panel of industry experts and the audience will vote for their favourite. The prize is the opportunity to exhibit at GiGse 2013.
"The Start-Up LaunchPad is one of the most attended sessions at EiG and we believe that GiGse would be a perfect place to replicate this session format, in particular as GiGse is taking place in San Francisco, home to disruptive technologies and social gaming," commented Ewa Bakun, Clarion Gaming's head of content and event director for GiGse.
While social gaming companies such as DoubleDown, Zynga and GSN have been cashing in on a non-wagering, play-for-fun virtual currency business model that uses social networks as a platform, the gambling industry is now trying to catch up with the social gaming phenomenon as a means to tap into new and younger player demographics.
Companies such as Ryzing Bingo, Crowdpark, Fanduel and others have been successfully using the virtual currency and fantasy betting model to monetise social gamblers, offering a legal alternative to markets where wagering is not allowed. Following the social gambling trend, there are an increasing number of game developers and start-up companies that are working to capitalise on this potential, both on and off Facebook and other social networks.
