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Swintt gets back on the horse in El Andaluz
Sought-after slot provider invites players to saddle up for a new Spanish-themed adventure that features Free Spins and sticky wilds
Having already treated players to a festive flurry of releases this winter, popular software provider Swintt is back in action again this month with another new title set in slightly warmer climes of southern Spain – El Andaluz.
The latest slot to come galloping out of the Swintt studio, El Andaluz is a five-reel, 10-payline game with a cowboy theme. Right from the off, players will be immersed in the culture of the region as they spin to the sound of flamenco guitars and set their sights on a maximum jackpot of 1,200x their stake.
Unique symbols to feature in the game include roses, hand fans and castanets, but the real money-maker is the handsome vaquero, who acts as a substitute wild. Filling in for any regular base game icon, this special character can help increase the slot’s payout frequency by completing winning lines.
Also of great importance is the black stallion scatter symbol, which is used to trigger El Andaluz’s main bonus feature. Activated whenever three or more scatters appear anywhere in view during a single round, players will be treated to 12 Free Spins which take place on an even more lucrative set of reels.
When the feature is active, the importance of the vaquero symbol becomes even more significant, as it will now act as a sticky wild and lock in place for the remainder of the Free Spins. Given the frequency with which these symbols hit, it is therefore possible for players to have multiple sections of the game’s 5×3 reel matrix wild for the duration of the feature, making it far easier to land bigger prizes.
As an additional incentive, any regular payline wins that are collected during the base game can also be increased via the slot’s gamble feature. Should players decide to risk their winnings using this optional extra, they’ll have the chance to double or quadruple their prize by guessing the colour or suit of a hidden playing card; and subsequent gambles can be made until the maximum payout is hit.
With its sunny Spanish setting, simple gameplay and rewarding Free Spins feature, El Andaluz looks set to provide the perfect winter warmer for players this Christmas – and the team at Swintt is confident that it will prove a hugely popular alternative to the studio’s range of holiday-themed slots.
David Mann, Chief Commercial Officer at Swintt, said: “Having recently re-released Golden Reindeer and debuted our new Santa vs Aliens slot, we thought it was important to offer players a change of scene this Christmas in El Andaluz.
“Boasting big wins and popular features like Free Spins and sticky wilds, we’re sure players will welcome the opportunity to banish their winter blues by galloping through the hills of southern Spain in the latest slot adventure to come from our hit studio.”
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The German Games Industry Association Congratulates Winners of the German Computer Game Awards 2025
Outstanding games from Germany and a great show with many well-known personalities: the year’s best games made in Germany were honoured at the German Computer Game Awards 2025 (DCP) in Berlin. In the Palais am Funkturm, guests from the areas of culture, society, media, politics and the game industry celebrated the creative teams behind the high-quality games. The hosts Katrin Bauerfeind and Uke Bosse led the audience through the entertaining evening, which numerous viewers also followed via live stream.
The winner in the highest-profile category, “Best German Game,” was “Enshrouded” from the studio Keen Games. The coveted award was presented by Federal Minister for Research, Technology and Aerospace Dorothee Bär, who is responsible for computer and video games in the new Federal Government. The survival RPG game also won in the category “Best Innovation and Technology”. The award for “Studio of the Year” went to Megagon Industries from Berlin, the studio behind the successful “Lonely Mountains” games. The games community and DCP jury chose the streamer Stephan Bliemel, known as Steinwallen, “Player of the Year”. For over a decade, Steinwallen has impressively demonstrated in his video streams how history can be successfully imparted through games. Prize money totalling 800,000 euros was awarded in the framework of the DCP 2025.
The German Computer Game Awards were hosted by the German Federal Government and game – The German Games Industry Association.
“We congratulate all the award winners. Impressive variety, captivating stories and first-rate technologies: once again, on the grand stage of the German Computer Game Awards 2025, the enormous strength of German games studios was clear to see. Germany produces exciting games with world-market potential. These successes send a strong signal and show what Germany has to offer as a game production location. Together with the new Federal Government, we want to enable this creative and technological excellence to shine even more brightly on the international stage in the future,” said Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – The German Games Industry Association.
Overview of all the winners of the German Computer Game Awards 2025:
Best International Game (not endowed)
• Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
Best German Game (endowed with 100,000 euros)
• Enshrouded (Keen Games)
The other nominees each receive 30,000:
• Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders (Megagon Industries)
• Thronefall (Grizzly Games)
Best Family Game (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• PRIM (Common Colors / Application Systems Heidelberg)
Newcomer Award – Best Debut (endowed with 60,000 euros)
• Nordhold (Stunforge / Stunforge & HypeTrain Digital)
The other nominees each receive 25,000 euros:
• Footgun: Underground (Turtle Knight Games / CobraTekku Games)
• Mindlock – The Apartment (Roof Cut Media / United Soft Media)
Newcomer Award – Best Prototype (endowed with 50,000 euros)
• Blob the Klex (Melena Dressel, Alejandro Rebolledo, Laura Octavianus / Hochschule Darmstadt)
The other nominees each receive 25,000 euros:
• MapMap – A game about Maps (HAW Hamburg / Pipapo Games)
• Stuntboost (Julian Höltge, Tobias Kozel)
• Echoes of Mora (HTW Berlin / Meike Strippel et al.)
• Exhibit A (MDH München / Olivia Falke et al.)
Best Innovation and Technology (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• Enshrouded (Keen Games)
Best Audio Design (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• ODDADA (Sven Ahlgrimm et al.)
Best Game Design (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• Thronefall (Grizzly Games)
Best Graphic Design (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• Harold Halibut (Slow Bros.)
Best Mobile Game (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (Happy Broccoli Games)
Best Story (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• Vampire Therapist (Little Bat Games)
Best Serious Game (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• Deine Stimme (Sebastian Grünwald & Reality Twist / Bavarian State Centre for Political Education)
Studio of the Year (endowed with 50,000 euros)
• Megagon Industries (Berlin)
Player of the Year (not endowed)
• Steinwallen
Special Jury Award (endowed with a total of 10,000 euros; the two winners each receive 5000 euros)
• Flipper und Arcade Museum Seeligenstadt
• GAME:IN
The post The German Games Industry Association Congratulates Winners of the German Computer Game Awards 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Slotozilla is an industry-leading online casino and slot review platform. Since its inception, the company has published refreshed analyses covering iGaming operators and software – with the intent to provide accurate, informative data for all users.
Throughout 2024, Slotozilla collected relevant data pertaining to player usage of the platform. These insights unveiled clear illustrations of player preferences, gender distribution, age-related data and other appropriate gaming behaviour. The report outlines significant findings laid bare by Slotozilla’s year-long study.
Explosive Global Favourites: The Demo Slots That Dominated 2024
Clear regional preferences were brought to light during Slotozilla’s 2024 analysis, as Book of Ra dominated the European industry. Where’s the Gold represented Australia’s favourite slot, while Plinko, Wolf Run and Sizzling Hot garnered significant attention from a worldwide player base.
Sizzling Hot Deluxe earned plaudits within the French gaming arena – attaining nearly one-quarter of the nation’s demo playtime. Industry developers and operators should expect these slots to influence the iGaming scene in 2025 and beyond.
Beyond the Numbers: Surprising Engagement and Demographic Shifts Revealed
The previous year detailed a clear shift towards all-encompassing domination by particular titles and demographics. For example, Columbus proved a major hit among USA bettors – racking up an average playtime of 194.8 minutes. That figure sits far ahead of the next game in line, King of Atlantis, which garnered 72.5 minutes per average session from French users.
Similar lob-sided statistics exist when comparing gender-based play, as male German players form 73.91% of the nation’s users—potentially guiding marketing efforts.
Modern Industry Impact
Data collected by SlotoZilla evidences various marked industry shifts spanning several key demographics. The report’s holistic view of the modern iGaming industry highlights the increasing necessity for targeted marketing campaigns, relevant themes and boundary-pushing features.
Users located in Australia, Poland and Canada are notable in this regard – as players from all three vital nations tend to access online slots from the age of 25 onward. Strategies around this data are central to maintaining a robust industry.
The post Slotozilla Data Report: Unveiling 2024’s Gaming Statistics appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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BGC Raises Concerns About Potential Negative Impact of Further Tax Hike on the Gambling Industry
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has warned against further new tax rises on members, as it was confirmed Levy payments to the Horseracing Betting Levy Board are expected to increase for the fourth year in a row.
BGC members are expected to contribute a record £108m in Levy payments to the HBLB for last year, new figures reveal.
The figure, provided by the independent HBLB, is an increase of £3m on the previous year.
It is the fourth year in a row that Levy contributions have increased, from £97m in 2021/22, to £100m in 2022/2023, £105m in 2023/2024 and £108m in 2024/2025.
This increased contribution came despite a concerning fall in betting turnover, and amid threats of a further new tax hike on online sports betting.
The independent HBLB said average turnover per race was down by about 8% on 2023/24, representing a 15% fall on 2022/23 and 19% drop on 2021/22.
Meanwhile, earlier this month the Treasury announced a new tax consultation, proposing replacing the three current online betting and gaming tax rates, with a single new one, sparking fears for sports like racing.
Betting and Gaming Council CEO Grainne Hurst said: “For the fourth year running Levy contributions have increased to record levels, demonstrating the growing, long-term investment regulated betting provides British horseracing.
“But it is concerning to see once more that despite record Levy contributions, racing continues to struggle, both as a sport and as a betting product, with betting turnover down again year on year.
“BGC members remain committed fans of racing and recognise better than most the huge economic impact it makes in communities across the country.
“It’s now more important than ever this vital contribution is not undermined by further new tax rises through the creation of a single tax for online betting, which risks driving punters away from the sport, or into the arms of the growing, unsafe gambling black market.
“These parasite operators don’t pay tax, don’t care about safer gambling, and do not contribute a penny to the Levy. The BGC wants sustainable growth, for our members and for racing, but any new taxes would halt investment, hurt punters and harm racing.”
This fourth annual increase is a new record since the Levy collection reforms of 2017/18.
The post BGC Raises Concerns About Potential Negative Impact of Further Tax Hike on the Gambling Industry appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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