Gambling Insider Interview with David Mann

1) Swintt has expanded heavily across Europe in 2024. Can you tell us about some key trends in these markets?

I think one of the most obvious takeaways we’ve had as we’ve expanded through Europe is that each market is very, very different. As a provider, we always pride ourselves on supplying a range of games that’s diverse enough to cater to all tastes and preferences, but we’ve definitely had to tailor our approach in the different countries accordingly. In Germany and the Netherlands, for example, players tend to gravitate towards classic slots with recognisable features, so we’ve really pushed our SwinttPremium games there. In the UK and Ontario – where we recently received certification for our games – meanwhile, players tend to want something a bit more cutting-edge, so this was a major part of the reasoning behind our acquisition of Elysium Studios.

2) Could you talk to us about trending modern slots, especially in the light of Swintt’s acquisition of Elysium Studios?

These days, the younger generation of player wants more than just a game – they want a fully immersive experience. With their exciting themes, engaging visuals and innovative bonus features, I believe titles from Elysium Studios provide exactly what this demographic is looking for – and you only have to look at recent releases like Law of Gilgamesh to see how well they know their audience. Boasting cluster pays, cascading reels and five explosive bonus features, we’re very excited to see how the game performs over the coming weeks. The fact that it’s built with mobile players in mind is also a huge plus – especially in markets like the UK and Ontario where internet penetration is high and mobile casino play accounts for such a big share of the revenue.

3) What role does AI play in game development at Swintt?

Swintt is a very people-oriented company, so I think we mainly see the use of AI as a helpful add-on to the great work our team is already doing. While the technology can bring myriad benefits to any business, you still need to have subject matter experts feeding relevant data into the system to get the results you’re after, so the goal should never be to try and replace human input entirely. I’ve met many people at conferences who see AI as a way to reduce costs and fully automate the creative process – and while that might sound ideal to some, it’s just not really the way we do business. Instead, we see AI technology as a means to further empower our team; one that will allow them to gain deeper insights into data and optimise the development process accordingly.

4) How did the idea for your board game Swinttopia come about?

Swinttopia was originally conceived as a unique way to celebrate Swintt’s fifth anniversary with our valued clients. Originally, the idea was to create a kind of hybrid of Monopoly and Cards Against Humanity, but as our marketing team got more engaged with the project, we soon had a bespoke boardgame of our very own. Combining dice, trivia questions and booster cards that grant players additional game-changing powers, it’s a fun engagement tool for partners to play while also learning more about the company, our games and the iGaming industry in general. We loved the way the project brought multiple teams together and we’re very proud of how it turned out, so we’ll definitely have more of these creative sessions to mark special occasions in future.

5) Could you tell us about Swintt’s activities during Mental Health Awareness Month in May?

Swintt’s parent company, Glitnor Group, is very focused on the wellbeing and work-life balance of its employees – and this is a value that we’ve really tried to incorporate into our business as well. We do everything we can to ensure that our team members are getting the support they need, so Mental Health Awareness Month was a very important occasion for all of us. We created a sort of gratitude/mindfulness board where people could share the things that they’re thankful for and we also teamed up with a mental health charity that vowed to donate money for every employee who wore an item of green clothing to work on May 15th. Of course, we want to broaden this focus on mental health so it’s all year round and we’ll definitely plan more activities in future.

6) What does Swintt hope to achieve in the second half of this year?

I think in light of our Ontario certification, the first priority will be to continue adding new releases from Elysium Studios to our line-up so that we can engage with new players in the province. After that, Greece will be the next market on our hit list and we’ll do everything we can to ensure that we hit the ground running there when we launch as well. We’ll be upgrading the Swintt platform and migrating everybody over later in the year to create a more streamlined experience for our clients and we also plan to further develop our SwinttStudios programme – both in terms of releasing further titles from Samurai Studios and finding more new partners who fit our strategy.