AGS Interactive (AGSi) is using digital channels to extend proven AGS products to new players, new experiences, and even new verticals, Zoe Ebling says.
The strategy is reflected in the online expansion of land-based table games, along with the company’s approach to bringing land-based-tested slot titles online, and its entry into iLottery.
“For example, the addition of Bonus Spin Xtreme to our table products has actually changed the demographic of who’s playing our table games,” said Ebling, vice president of the interactive division for AGS, a global supplier of casino games and equipment. “We see this as broadening how players encounter our games and how operators can offer them.”
AGS operates real-money and free-to-play slot and table games throughout North America, as well as in South America, and Europe. The company has developed more than 100 real-money online gaming themes, with more than 50 online games also available in land-based casinos. This year, AGSi’s Single Deck Blackjack received the Eilers & Krejcik Gaming award for top-performing new online table game.
The company’s Bonus Spin Xtreme, the first concentric wheel progressive for table games, recently became available online in four states and two Canadian provinces through what is now an exclusive partnership with Rush Street Interactive. The progressive system will roll out to additional partners in 2027. Since Bonus Spin Xtreme was introduced in land-based casinos in 2020, more than 1,000 units have been installed.
Ebling said the online placements have shown “a lot of success,” even with iGaming table minimums often less than $1.
“We see a really high hold on table products, and Bonus Spin Xtreme is one of the side-bet options that really helps with the economics of table games,” Ebling said. “It also gives players a chance to win a life-changing progressive. People are opting in to play the side bet.”
AGS plans more additions to its online table game and slots lineup in the coming months.
“One of the competitive edges about our online division is that we’ve partnered with some of the greatest minds in the table space, especially our internal team, to bring really innovative products,” Ebling said. “We’re expanding the online version to give players more of what they want when they experience a game.”
One addition for both online and land-based operators is 3 Dice Football, a craps-alternative game based on American football. “It will be the first of its kind in the online space,” Ebling said.
Even casual gridiron fans can quickly understand the play of 3 Dice Football. Starting a drive at the opponent’s 20-yard line, the shooter rolls three dice, two green and one red, to determine the outcome of a play. Green dice are positive yardage, and red is negative.
Participants can bet on the outcome of the entire drive and of each play. In the online version, operators choose the default team colors and stadium look, and players have the ability to change them to match their own favorites.
On the slots side, AGSi and its partners launch more than 300 games a month, Ebling said.
“Titles that can stand the challenge of the land-based arena are games that we want to bring online,” she continued. “For online, you need multiple versions of a game that utilize the character in a meaningful way. We’re (focused on) understanding the data behind why players are playing certain games, … which makes us more competitive in in the digital space.”
In August, the interactive division entered the iLottery market, when the Virginia Lottery launched “Desperado’s Delight.” The game involves players “shooting” a slingshot and earning prizes by hitting the right bottles or cans lined up on a fence rail.
“It’s a really complementary business segment for our online division,” Ebling said. “There’s a small number of providers in the iLottery space, so we’re really thrilled with our ability to enter the market and in Virginia’s trust with our product line.”
Ebling said the gaming industry as a whole has improved its understanding of how land-based and online operations complement each other, but more research is needed to take full advantage of the omnichannel approach.
“There’s still so much beneath the surface as to the psychology behind how we create these experiences for players,” she said. “That focus is what will uncover the right loyalty schemes for players, create more engaged players, and have better retention.”
