Pulse

SoftWeave: Harnessing the casino gaming floor online

By Lewis - 11 May 2021

Playing online is changing. Not only do online platforms offer a wider array of gambling options, but they do so in new and innovative ways.

The lines that distinguish land-based and online gambling continue to blur, but in many aspects online is seeking not to emulate, but differentiate itself from its land-based counterpart.

One of the most highly innovative changes to player environments in years is a solution developed by SoftWeave Ltd, based in Israel. Via its proprietary software, players can press a button upon a real slot machine in a real casino while playing online.

Currently, SoftWeave is in the process of implementing its product into two different properties in the Asian market and will soon be entering the Canadian market via one of the state lotteries, where it will offer slot games.

SoftWeave Chief Executive Officer, Roy Greenbaum, emphasises the importance of the inclusion of the social aspects of gaming and how online gambling can now harness the biggest asset of the casino, namely the gaming floor itself.

How is SoftWeave merging the online and physical space?

SoftWeave started as a software development company over 11 years ago. We developed multiple systems, most of them related to gaming, social gaming, real money gaming and sports betting apps.

Around six years ago we decided we wanted to create something unique and utilise our expertise in technology and innovate in the gaming sphere. The result was the concept of live slots, which took us suddenly from a purely software development company to a hardware and software development company.

Today we manufacture two types of hardware devices that give solutions for streaming: our proprietary solution for streaming and our proprietary solution for the remote control of slot machines and the software that encompasses them. Plus, we develop everything in-house from start to finish.

So how does it work?

Anyone with an online account with Hard Rock in Atlantic City can log onto the website and click the live slots icon. The player is routed to our lobby where we have a real-live view of the available machines.

We provide information regarding the machine; when it was last played, what was the biggest win and so forth, and from there the player simply clicks to select their machine of choice. We switch from the lobby to a live video feed of their precise machine in real-time, whereby the player can push the actual buttons (and we also support a touchscreen).

Music and sound-effects are also transmitted in real-time, with the online player able to see everything the land-based location player can see. In New Jersey we have less than one second delay on our screen and that’s actually playing from Malaysia, so half way around the world.

So it’s basically like you are standing in front a physical machine?

Yes, that’s the concept exactly. We are constantly asked if we can allow multiple players on the same machine, but we always say the same thing: we are a very, very elaborate remote control.

We allow the player to engage with the physical machine, but we are not a part of the game. We are totally gaming machine agnostic. Our solution acts are a bridge. It’s the first time that the land-based experience has been immediately connected to the online sphere.

Is it designed to appeal to people who don’t trust online gambling?

No not really. Trust is an issue, but when we look at players’ responses in New Jersey, for example, we already had 1.7 million gaming routes played with 17,000 unique players. When we ask our customers what is the driving force, one of the big factors is trust. However, the second biggest response is that it’s ‘just like the real thing.’

The user interface we offer is completely different to online gameplay. You don’t have out-sized buttons, for example. It’s all about mimicking the exact same experience. During the peak hour, if you log into a machine in the lobby, the first thing you’ll hear are the other machines running.

It’s exactly like you’re in the casino. We’re not artificially generating any of that atmosphere, it’s all driven by play. So the concept is not just around trust, but also giving a new user experience that’s targeting a different segment of players.

We are not trying to take online players and simply move them around from one supplier to another. We’re creating an experience that enables players that are currently not part of the online environment to transfer themselves into that space.

So a big part of it is being like you are actually in a real casino?

Overall, the dynamics and the pace of the game is different. Our pace is much slower and it appeals to those who already have the ability or desire to play on land-based slots, but simply can’t take that experience back home.