Big Fish places big bet with launch of Big Fish Casino

SEATTLE, Washington -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Today Big Fish, the most trusted global leader in casual games, has announced the immediate availability of Big Fish Casino, the launch of a rebranded and improved version of its #1 hit mobile-social casino game, Card Ace: Casino. This casino app is the flagship product of Self Aware Studios, a leading free-to-play game studio recently acquired by Big Fish. The roughly 1 million monthly active players of Card Ace: Casino can transition seamlessly to Big Fish Casino, where they will still be able to share chips across games, chat with other players, give gifts and socialize in real time with each other while playing a variety of traditional and nontraditional casino games. Big Fish Casino also offers new games, even more social features and more fun.

Further, Big Fish Casino players in the United Kingdom can also participate in real-money gambling within the U.K. version of the app, coming within the next few weeks. These real-money games will be powered by Betable, a U.K.-licensed, real-money online gaming company. Big Fish Casino is the first high-profile mobile casino to add real-money gambling to a popular social gaming platform. At launch of the U.K. app, this real-money feature will be available via slots with blackjack, roulette and video poker rolling out in the coming months.

“We have a strong conviction that mobile apps that combine social and real-money gambling are a powerful way to engage more users and increase overall monetization,” said Paul Thelen, Founder and CEO of Big Fish. “With its real-time social interaction features and the thrill of real-money gambling, Big Fish Casino is the closest mobile users can get to the buzz and excitement of playing these games in a real-world casino.”

“We believe that the first social gaming companies to offer real-money play will enjoy a substantial competitive advantage over those who wait, and we couldn’t be happier that Big Fish is getting a head start with Big Fish Casino,” said Christopher Griffin, CEO and Founder of Betable. “We have long admired Big Fish’s success and high-quality products, and look forward to a long and healthy partnership.”

Along with bringing casino favorites – slots, blackjack, Texas Hold 'em poker, video poker, roulette - to a real-time social setting, Big Fish Casino adds nontraditional game mechanics such as a unique social slots mini-game called "Slot Races," where individual slot players race each other in high-speed tournaments. “The Self Aware team has done an incredible job finetuning Card Ace: Casino for the past 18 months and has been successful in establishing it as the #1 mobile-social casino game. With the update and rebranding to Big Fish Casino, they leveraged their social platform to develop innovative and exciting new gameplay,” said Carey DiJulio, General Manager at Big Fish. “The combination of this best-in-class gaming experience combined with the marketing strength and trusted brand of Big Fish expands our leadership in this exciting market.”