Malta-based Hacksaw Gaming has received temporary approval to operate from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE), making the state the second US market for the online casino game supplier. In August, Hacksaw took an unusual approach and made its debut in the US in West Virginia via a partnership with BetRivers Casino. It subsequently struck a second partnership with DraftKings Casino, which will also be its partner in New Jersey.
The DGE approved the companies’ application on Nov. 15, subject to product submissions to DGE’s Technical Service Bureau. The provisional authorization is for a period of six months. As in West Virginia, Hacksaw will supply its games through Light & Wonder’s distribution network.
Once ready to launch, DraftKings will most likely add Hacksaw’s flagship slot, Wanted Dead or a Wild. Other titles could include:
- Joker Bombs
- King Carrot
- Stack ’em
- The Bowery Boys
- Toshi Video Club
Hacksaw Gamings’s content could prove popular with New Jersey players. Despite being relatively new, Hacksaw has been gaining momentum in Europe. The studio won a “Slot Supplier Rising Star” award at the EGR B2B Awards in London earlier this year.
What Can Hacksaw Offer to DraftKings’ NJ Players?
One recurring theme in Hacksaw titles is multipliers. Most of the company’s slots have them, but depending on the game, there are different ways to activate them. During bonus rounds, the multipliers often reach 100x or more.
Not surprisingly, this means that most Hacksaw slots feature high volatility. There’s no tradeoff on the RTP front, though: many Hacksaw titles have an average return of over 96%.
Some of Hacksaw’s most popular slots, including Wanted Dead or a Wild, use a unique mechanic it calls the DuelReel. With this mechanic, whenever the player lands a VS symbol, two multipliers symbols appear and “battle” each other. The player is awarded the winning one, which also becomes an extended wild.
Hacksaw Gaming also aims to cater to mobile players with its Pocketz series. The slots in the series use minimalist graphics designed for small mobile displays. Though simple in looks, these slots still offer numerous bonus features like multipliers and stacked or expanding wilds. The Pocketz series also differs from other Hacksaw games in their volatility, falling more towards the middle of the spectrum.
Content is Key to DraftKings’ Success
In its latest quarterly report, DraftKings claimed to have overtaken BetMGM as the iGaming market leader. BetMGM disputed that, saying it depends on what metric one looks at. Either way, the two are in tight contention.
New Jersey is the most mature iGaming market in the US. For most of its history, Golden Nugget has been the leader with a substantial lead at times. But that has changed, especially in the past year.
The state became a three-horse race between Golden Nugget (including FanDuel Casino), Resorts (including DraftKings Casino), and Borgata (including BetMGM Casino.) New Jersey releases revenue numbers per retail license and does not provide details on each online operator they’ve partnered with.
This year, each of the three held the leadership spot at one point. Golden Nugget retook the number one spot for October with almost $50 million in revenue. Before that, Resorts led the state, while Borgata was at the top for most of the spring and early summer. In many months, the difference between the three was only a few million dollars.
With the battle this close, content could be a key. All of the top operators offer hundreds, even thousands of games. But one could get ahead by offering unique titles with features not found on other operators’ sites like Hacksaw’s DuelReels.
DraftKings could capitalize on becoming the first operator in New Jersey to offer Hacksaw Gaming’s slots. It may not be the only one—the game studio partners with BetRivers Casino in West Virginia and Ontario, Canada. In addition, BetMGM Casino also offers Hacksaw slots in Ontario so that we could see their titles there, too.
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