In our latest interview, we chat to Mark Podd, he’s a director at Royal Panda Mobile casino and tells us about how he sees the mobile casino landscape developing, what makes a great promotion as well as some exciting new developments at Royal Panda HQ including the chance to win a trip to Dubai.

We want to know a bit more about Royal Panda – our players only get to see what happens from the casino perspective – what’s the culture like behind the scenes and what’s the vision for Royal Panda?

“We’re a hard-working team but we like to have a good time in the process, as we feel this helps the creative process required to make Royal Panda what it is. So as you can imagine, there’s a lot of talk about things like which promotions we should run next, what games are coming up, and so forth.”

What are your thoughts on the current mobile casino landscape?

“Things do look positive right now, especially if you’re a player. With increasingly powerful handsets and better mobile internet connections, we’re really seeing the games blossom. These days it’s practically unheard of for a major new game not to launch simultaneously on mobile and desktop. Likewise, you can now enjoy high-quality live casino games on your mobile or tablet, using nothing more than your mobile browser.

“Compared to where things were even a few years ago, it’s a hugely different – and I feel, better – landscape nowadays. And I think as devices become even more powerful, and connection speeds improve, it’s a sector that’ll continue to grow.”

Where do Royal Panda fit in to the mobile casino landscape?

“I think it goes without saying that most online casinos offer a mobile version in one form or another these days, so the challenge for a casino like us is to stand out as much as possible, which (much like our desktop version) we do by offering not only a great selection of top-quality games, but also first-rate customer service, regular rewards for our loyal players, and eye-catching promotions. So although we might not be one of the big boys, I think we’re a brand where those who love online casino can truly appreciate.”

How big a part of your current plans does your mobile casino play – are you starting to see a shift towards mobile gaming by players?

“Mobile is definitely important to us, and that importance is growing all the time. Although it is tricky to identify specific trends right now – we’ve only been operational for a little over a year, and the scale and nature of mobile usage varies from market to market – we do know that usage is increasing, and significant number of Royal Panda players are enjoying our casino on their phones and tablets.

“For instance, over the last few months we’ve actually had a couple of very big winners who were playing on mobile. One of our Czech players won over €28,000 on Tornado: Farm Escape Touch, and last week we had a Dutch player win over €31,000 on Twin Spin Touch.”

What are your ambitions for Royal Panda in the short and long term? What can new and current players expect to see?

Royal Panda is still quite a new brand, so I think for now we’re aiming to keep going as we are, targeting strong growth by offering our players a combination of great games, great support, appealing rewards and, of course, fantastic promotions you can’t get anywhere else.

How do you aim on keeping Royal Panda at the forefront of mobile gaming?

Asides from the steps mentioned in my previous answer, we’re always looking to improve our casino (whether that’s desktop or mobile). If you take our mobile site for instance, when we launched, our initial mobile casino wasn’t all that slick. So we set about redesigning it to make it more accessible and functional, and m.royalpanda.com is vastly improved as a result.

“And that refinement process is never over. You have to continually listen to the feedback, look at what your players are doing, look at changes in that sector and always ask yourself “can we improve this in anyway?”

Predict the future, where will mobile casino gaming be in 5 years?

“When I look at the majority of new mobile casino games, a lot of them are still very much focused on bringing the desktop experience to mobile platforms. Which of course is fine – many of them are decent games in themselves – but I think as the sector grows, the devices become more powerful, and their internet connections continue to improve, we’ll start seeing games emerge that aim to take advantage of a mobile’s features that you don’t get on a laptop or PC.

“Almost all mobile devices have highly responsive touchscreens which are designed to scroll quickly. And they all have built-in cameras and microphones, too. And I think as they continue to evolve, we’ll see games and services emerge that take advantage of those.”

Innovation is a huge buzzword in the industry at the moment; how do Royal Panda look to set themselves apart from their casino and mobile casino competitors?

“I think that our promotions help greatly in this regard. Some of our more spectacular promos are a great example, such as the Space Trip promotion we launched with, where you could win an actual trip into space by playing Starburst. You just don’t see other casinos doing that, which helps us stand out in the eyes of the player.

“But it’s also important, once you’ve grabbed the player’s attention, to offer standard bonuses and promotions that all players can benefit from, such as our 100% welcome bonus, or the free spins we reward our loyal players with – stuff anyone can enjoy.”

What innovations or creations would you like to see within the casino and mobile casino industry? And are there any innovations from a device perspective that would lend itself well to mobile gaming?

“One thing that we’re actually starting to see emerging now is the growth of mobile-centric payment methods. It’s a bit early to say at this stage whether they’ll catch on, or how well they’ll work in the online gambling sector specifically, but there are some novel concepts floating about these days which could be worth keeping an eye on.”

In sports betting, much like other entertainment markets, personalisation is becoming a major retention tool for operators. Can you envisage that this will become more prevalent in the casino industry too? Personalised player offers and promotions based on player data for example?

“These things have been commonplace in the VIP player sector for a while, and it’s something we’re looking to extend to our standard players as well. For instance, we frequently offer our regular players free spins for new or popular slots, based on their playing and depositing habits. So if we know someone likes a particular type of game to the point where they’re playing with us regularly, it makes perfect sense to indulge that passion a bit, to show they’re appreciated as a player.”

Are there any games that you’re excited about seeing come to mobile or is there a game that you particularly enjoy?

“At the moment, I think Ariana is looking pretty decent. It’s got some nice features, and of course if you play it with us, you could win a week-long luxury holiday in Dubai. And looking slightly further ahead, the new Guns N’ Roses slot should be worth a look if you’re a fan of the band.”

In three words, sum it up for us, why should mobile casino players choose Royal Panda?

“Royal good time” – because that’s what you’ll have if you play at Royal Panda!

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