Starburst and NetEnt’s Finest Slots To Hit Landbased Casinos in Vegas

Merkur’s acquisition of Gaming Arts LLC was finalized mid September, marking an important new chapter for Gaming Arts behind the scenes. It came around the same time as Evolution announcing it had formed a partnership with Gaming Arts LLC, with an eye on bringing NetEnt to landbased casinos in the US.  The hugely popular online slots provider, NetEnt, is owned by Evolution, and is arguably one of the best known studios in the world.

Anyone who knows their online slots will no doubt be familiar with NetEnt’s portfolio. Games like Gonzo’s Quest, Starburst and Divine Fortune have long captivated the public. The news regarding Merkur, which quietly proceeded in the background, is a sign that this is just the beginning. With the German giant’s huge game portfolio and resources, Gaming Arts has the scalable backing it needs – and that can only mean good things are to come for casino gamers.

Merkur Makes a US Comeback

Merkur Gaming US initially entered the US market in 1998, before it exited early in the 2000s. The German based company, Merkur Gaming, is primarily involved in German casinos and it runs several casinos on cruise ships. But in May of this year, Merkur announced it would be acquiring Gaming Arts LLC. This was a pivotal decision, as it saw the Nevada gaming regulator issue Merkur Group a manufacturing and distribution license. The acquisition was finalized in September, and with it, Merkur will also gain access to the 150+ jurisdictions that Gaming Arts works in.

Merkur, formerly Gauselmann Group, set up its US brand, Merkur Gaming US, and it brings something pretty powerful to the table. With the German company’s huge scale of resources and products, it looks set to take on America. It has all the ready-made slots cabinets, distinct gaming products, and new titles that could bring on a wave of new interest in US landbased casinos.

Evolution Deal with Gaming Arts LLC

Gaming Arts, around the same time, partnered with Evolution AB, an important partnership that ties the regulated US games provider with one of the world’s largest online game developer studios. Evolution AB is a Swedish B2B live casino software company, and was founded in 2006. Between 2018 and 2020, Evolution expanded significantly, acquiring Ezugi games, NetEnt, and Red Tiger. The company is one of the most prominent suppliers of live dealer games, and through its acquisitions, also a prominent player in online table games and slots.

The agreement was made specifically with the intention of bringing NetEnt to landbased casinos. This would be the first time ever we get to play legendary games such as Divine Fortune or Starburst inside a physical casino. The launch date for distribution is targeted around Q4 2025. And these will not simply be imitations or new skins mimicking the NetEnt game themes. Evolution Group cited new mechanics and functions, such as multiplayer modes, persistent bonus features, and hold & spin features.

In short, it looks set to bring some of the exciting design features of online slots to the landbased casinos. With the influence and resources backed by Merkur, these proceedings could potentially change the game for US landbased casinos.

Who Are NetEnt

Anyone who has experience playing online slots and casino games will recognize a few of the biggest game studios. NetEnt is easily among these, and any online casino operator that secures a deal to provide their games is already at an advantage. The studio was founded in 1996 in Sweden and currently holds licenses in Malta and the UK, with the UK Gambling Commission. The developer released its first online casino game in 2011, and in 2011 launched its first mobile optimized games.

The big turning point for NetEnt was between 2011 and 2013, when it released some of its biggest hits. A lot of these are still hot today, with online casinos showcasing them in their Popular or Hot games categories. You may have seen, or even tried a few of the following:

• Starburst: A timeless classic that features epic features such as Win Both Ways and expanding wilds. The game remains one of NetEnt’s most well known
• Gonzo’s Quest: Gonzo’s Quest came out just before Starburst (2011), and revolves around the adventures of Gonzo, a conquistador in Peru
• Twin Spin: The most tantalizing feature of Twin Spin is the Twin Reel Feature, which spins double reels that can expand into triplets, quadruplets or even quintuplets
• Dead or Alive: Highly volatile, with sticky wilds and accumulative bonus rounds, this is NetEnt’s most famous wild west themed game
• Blood Suckers: One of NetEnt’s highest RTP games, Blood Sucker has epic bonus games and is brought to life with a gothic vampire theme
• Divine Fortune: The Greek mythology slot is one of NetEnt’s most popular progressive jackpot games, with expanding wilds and free spins to keep the base game exciting

US Landbased Casino Market As It Stands

Right now, the main suppliers of landbased casinos are Aristocrat, IGT and Light & Wonder in the US. Aristocrat is well known for its branded games and linked series such as Dragon Link, Buffalo series and Lightning Link. IGT is a London-based company that is best known for its cutting edge video poker, as well as Wheel of Fortune slots and Megabucks. It has a formidable collection of jackpot games. Light & Wonder, formerly Scientific Games, has a versatile array of products, from slots like 88 Fortunes and Dancing Drums to table games, shufflers and lottery systems.

Gaming Arts is also a well known player in the industry, specializing in bingo based games, keno and innovative slots. Now, with the backing or Merkur Gaming and the partnership with Evolution/NetEnt, its slots collection looks set to grow significantly. This is also important because it creates a bridge between the online and landbased casino realms. With popular online slots now being adapted and reinvented for landbased slot cabinets, it could bring more online players to physical casinos.

Launch Details and Significance of the Move

The rollout is expected in late 2025, but realistically, 2026 looks like a more reasonable target to build, distribute and set up these landbased NetEnt games. Nevada is poised to be one of the early adopters of NetEnt landbased slots. This means, Merkur Gaming US can target the Las Vegas Strip casinos, as well as the gaming venues on Fremont Street, and Reno.

Las Vegas has, in recent years, fallen behind in growth to China’s Macau, which has taken to new heights in the Asian market. Singapore has also emerged as a contender, and Vegas is not short of competition when it comes to gambling tourism. Recent landbased casino approvals in downstate NYC also look set to impact Vegas’ domination of the US market.

MGM, Resorts World, and now Bally’s have tenders that will go to the next stage of negotiations, and if they get their licenses, the downstate New York area could suddenly see a massive influx of gambling tourism. So the NetEnt slots come at a perfect time to steer the focus back to Nevada, and we could see the big casino resorts in Las Vegas seize the momentum if they can hit the ground running with these online-turned-landbased classic slots hits.