In todays gambling landscape, staying ahead isnt just about luck. Its about understanding how games are shaped by technology, innovation, and player behaviour. With the market more competitive than ever, companies are fighting to stand out, not just with flashy games but by leveraging data, partnerships, and user experience like never before.
At the forefront of this shift is Christine Parkhill, Chief Commercial Officer at Just Slots, whos redefining how a modern slot studio operates. With an engineering background and a passion for analytics, Christine shares her insights, in an exclusive conversation with SiGMA News, on what it takes to succeed in such a crowded space, the role of emerging technologies, and her vision for future growth.
Innovation and collaboration
Christine Parkhill (main featured image) emphasises that success isnt just about creating the best game; its about aligning cutting-edge technology, speed, and partnerships to stand out in a crowded field.
SiGMA News: How are slots evolving in what is, I’m sure you would agree, a very competitive landscape?
Christine Parkhill: I think it’s becoming even more competitive in just a year since we have been in the game. I can feel the change. If you compare it to six years ago, it’s a completely different place. You do need to find ways to stand out, which is hard. You need to keep innovating all the time, there are so many games. I think it does come down to the technology of how you build the games.
That’s where you can set yourself apart from other companies. Relationships with operators are key, partnerships and everything else around it is really important, from the promotion of the games to exclusive content and more. That’s where you have to stand out. The product has to be good, so with better technology to build games faster and more efficiently, and then good partnerships from the commercial side, that’s where the focus needs to be. We’re sticking with slots. At the moment, it’s what we know really well. That’s the plan for now as it’s still very early in our journey. We only have four games out, so especially for the first year, we will stick with what we know, fine tune our processes and what we’re doing and then open up from there.
바카라ing the social game: How mobile and connectivity are changing slots
Nowadays, social interaction is increasingly mediated through personal devices, and, likewise, the way players engage with slot games is shifting. The younger generation, in particular, expects gaming experiences that are not only entertaining but also shareable and socially connected. According to Christine, companies that can seamlessly integrate social features, like quick sharing of wins or multiplayer options, are positioning themselves for growth. She highlights the importance of user experience, emphasising that todays players demand simplicity and excellence. Perhaps those who master the art of social integration will shape the future of slots, keeping players engaged and connected longer.
SiGMA News: What about the social aspect in the way games are played?
Christine Parkhill: I think people love to share experiences when they’re having fun. When I play slots in a group of people it’s much more fun than playing on my own. How to do it? I guess there’s some great companies that you can partner with. To share experiences we already have built-in features, like players can replay game rounds and share links to their wins very easily. And I think it’s just going to grow bigger. Multiplayer games and more social experiences are the way to go. I think there’s a lot of growth in that area and it’s the younger generation that is driving this trend.
SiGMA News: That’s what I was thinking about as you were saying it, because I can see from how the younger generation interacts online. So much social interaction happens with, I wouldn’t call it intrusion, but the phone or a tablet or the laptop is becoming the third person in the group.
Christine Parkhill: There’s a lot of sharing through your personal technology, and it’s so easy as well. To stand out, potentially from other companies, you build this into the game, just one click to share your play, your experience. The interface and user experience is very important. We have a UI/UX specialist and that was one of the aspects we spent a lot of time on in designing our games. People are so used to apps that do it really well, and if it is not good enough, people go somewhere else. It has to be one click away. You have to consider the reach of your thumb. And those are really important for us, for player retention. It has to be nothing less than excellent, otherwise it’s not acceptable. It’s a tough business to be in. We’re not just competing with slots, we’re competing with Twitter, Facebook and all the other apps.
Harnessing data and AI
It is clear that data has become the secret weapon for game developers aiming to deliver personalized, engaging experiences. Christine Parkhills perspective underscores that, with the right approach, every click and interaction can reveal valuable insights about players preferences and behaviours. She highlights how strategic partnerships and sophisticated data analysis help her team tailor their offerings, optimise game features, and better target different markets. Meanwhile, emerging AI tools are beginning to streamline design processes, promising faster development cycles and richer player experiences.
SiGMA News: Can you elaborate on your unique take on data driven game development?
Christine Parkhill: I am an engineer, that’s where I started. I love statistics and I think data is so important. This industry produces ample data and we have every data point about every click, every player makes. There’s all this data and we should use it to build better games, sell more, understand the players and understand what they want. Just Slots has partnered up with a company that specialises in analysing data for gaming, to optimise our games from the start. Data about player journeys, whether a player comes back often, how many spins, which games the player engages with, and much more is considered. This is all useful data, every data point is analysed. The product team uses the data to focus, for instance, on which features players are enjoying. Then we can experiment, like if we make the features slightly more volatile, do players prefer them? From a commercial perspective, it helps us to work with operators to really be able to promote the right games to the right players.
We look at data from different markets, some games work better in some markets. Even the time of day patterns and when people play, some players play longer sessions. Coming back to that partnership with operators, that’s where we can work together with them and have a strategy based on data as to what to offer to players, types of games, maybe more spins at a lower value or less spins at a higher value, et cetera.
SiGMA News: Does AI help in the way you generate and also analyse the data?
Christine Parkhill: Yes, both actually. We’re at the beginning of the AI journey, at the moment we’re using it more for design to generate characters, videos and art. You can get some really good results. It’s amazing how quickly and relatively cheaply it works out. I just think we need to use it with caution and get someone who really knows what they’re doing!
SiGMA News: How does this help you to improve the gaming experience for the players?
Christine Parkhill:
If you use data to understand the players, its not too dissimilar to listening to them. I take the feedback of what they’re playing, how long they’re playing, take that in, analyze it, and then give the players more of what they like. The game cycle is actually relatively short compared to other industries, so we learn a lot from a game very quickly. We get that data in and we feed it into the next game. We’re constantly working on six or seven games at one go. So, we can always give players new and improved games and experiences.
SIGMA News: Can you tell me a bit about your upcoming launch and what’s next on the roadmap for your studio?
Christine Parkhill: Very exciting times ahead. We have an exclusive launch coming up, and our next release I feel is our best game yet. I am very proud of the development from one game to the next. By the end of the year, we should be up to 10 games, which gives operators a wider portfolio.
SiGMA News: You are an engineer by profession, what attracted you to the industry?
Christine Parkhill: I was doing engineering and sustainability. I love making things work, statistics and analysing numbers. I love that side of it. I had a friend and they were just starting up and I joined them on the journey.
SiGMA News:
Where do you think the industry is heading?
Christine Parkhill:
I think the social side of games will grow. The future is in small devices. Our own design is focused on mobile-first. I think 70% to 80% of the gameplay we get is on mobile. Games will become more and more of a shared experience. I think there’s new emerging markets for games, like the UAE. This means keeping up with regulation and watching how regulation and markets evolve. It will also be interesting to watch the crypto sector in terms of its growth.
Be part of the action at SiGMA Asia, 01C04 June 2025! Manila becomes the heart of gaming as 20,000 delegates, 350+ speakers, and 3,800 operators gather under one roof. With high-value traffic, game-changing insights, and unforgettable networking, this is where Asias iGaming future takes shape.
