Pala Casino launches iOS app in New Jersey

Even Pala Interactive CEO Jim Ryan was surprised by how quickly players adopted it. "We haven't marketed it in any meaningful way up until today, and our business is up 25%," said Ryan.

That approach is changing as of today, however. Pala Interactive is launching an ad campaign with New Jersey Transit and will advertise on public transportation throughout the state.

The Pala Casino app will offer 84 games by the end of September. "The idea is, as you're sitting there taking a train across New Jersey, you'll get an invitation to go enjoy our product through your mobile device," said Ryan, who says that the ads with New Jersey Transit are just the beginning.

Pala is one of the last online casinos in New Jersey to launch an iOS app. According to PlayNJ.com, Pala is the 10th operator in the state to do so.

While New Jersey's regulated online gambling industry launched nearly two years ago, Ryan believes there are still many potential players who have stayed away from the sites because they aren't sure whether they're safe. Having a product right in the Apple app store adds a legitimacy that will assure players that Pala's offering is trustworthy.

"It's in the app store, it's got an instant stamp of credibility associated with it," said Ryan, formerly the CEO of PartyGaming and co-CEO of bwin.party.

Pala has offered Android users the ability to play on their devices and recently rolled out a second version of the software, cutting the size of the app from more than 150 MB to about 30 MB.

The Pala Casino app will include popular slots, as well as table games like roulette. "There are offerings that are smaller, but what we wanted to have was something that was rich," said Ryan. "We didn't give up any of the user experience . . . I'm obviously biased, but in taking a look at our (user) experience versus that of the competition, I think we can go toe-to-toe with anyone out there in terms of having a compelling experience."

The Pala app will offer 84 games by the end of the month, including popular slots like Cleopatra and Battleship, video poker, and table games like blackjack and roulette. The desktop client currently offers 160 games, though Ryan says he expects that to change as the industry catches up with consumer demand for mobile products.

"You're going to see this transition over the course of the next year, and I would predict over the course of the next 12 months that we'll have at least 50-60% of our revenue coming from the smartphone environment," he remarked.

To celebrate the launch of the app, Pala Casino is offering players a $20 bonus just for signing up, as well as a free daily spin for a chance to win $1 million and a 100% match on their first deposit up to $100.