Bede Gaming are an ambitious and highly competitive British software house. As a leading supplier of casino and social gaming software, the company is immersed in all aspects of the burgeoning online gambling industry, its products responsible for processing tens of millions of transactions every month.
The gambling platform that Bede supplies its clients is designed to be flexible and scalable. It’s also compatible with third party software, allowing operators to integrate Bede’s platform with their existing software.
Based in Newcastle, in the north of England, Bede is a global operation with offices in London and Sofia. With 156 employees, 120 of whom are developers, Bede’s offices are a hive of activity. In recent years, the company has secured contracts that have brought its games to clients in Europe and North America. The company is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission.
Chairman and founder Joe Saumarez Smith has worked in the gambling industry since the late 90s and has an impressive pedigree, having partnered with several of the trade’s leading lights. He’s ably supported by managing director and founder Dan Smyth, who helped launch the company in 2012. CTO Alex Butcher was also there from the start, and was instrumental in developing Bede’s bingo platform. Delivery Director Kirsten Edmondson is also in the thick of it, helping to ensure that Bede’s projects are delivered on time and to the client’s specifications, both domestically and internationally.
The bulk of Bede’s staff – around 100 – work out of the firm’s Newcastle office, situated in Bevan House on Sir Bobby Robson Way. While proud of the city and its heritage, the Newcastle gaming company has long since traversed the city limits; staff are constantly in contact with Bede’s London and Sofia offices via Slack and video linkup.
Read More
Read Less
While many of Bede’s products are destined for the web, they work just as well in land-based casinos. The company’s devs release their games in HTML5 to ensure that they work in-browser and on mobile devices. In addition to supplying complete casino platforms, Bede release standalone slots, keno, bingo and table games.
A casual glance at the list of companies Bede has partnered with tells you all you need to know about the company’s significance, particularly within the UK. Grosvenor Casinos and bingo experts Mecca are household names, while BetUK aren’t far behind. The list of British companies Bede has supplied its bingo software to is staggering and includes Slotto, Scottish broadcaster STV and Pink Casino.
HUB is the hub that powers Bede’s gambling platform. It’s designed to be extremely flexible, with operators able to integrate any third party software of their choosing and to customise it as they see fit. It’s equally suited to land-based systems. BedeHUB, as it’s known, operates as a powerful cloud-based platform that incorporates a raft of features.
Operators can utilise BedeHUB’s CMS, bonus features, player management facility, payment integration, notifications system, VIP management, loyalty scheme and analytics. In other words, BedeHUB provides everything a modern casino needs to operate.
BedeHUB is an impressive piece of kit, but players will be more enamoured with the games themselves, games that are downright beautiful. Bede is rightfully proud of its award-winning bingo slots and table games. The company has released a dozen slots to date, each developed using HTML5, plus a complete suite of table games. All of Bede’s games are designed to look as good on tablet and mobile as they do on desktop.
With the ability to integrate third party content, however, Bede’s platform opens the door to unlimited games from the world’s leading developers.
Respected suppliers such as Playtech, Microgaming, Blueprint and IGT can integrate seamlessly with Bede’s own games with the aid of BedePLAY, the company’s software that makes this all feasible. Throw in bingo, poker, sportsbook and live casino integration, and it’s possible for operators who partner with Bede to provide a complete gaming solution. While the ability to link with dozens of third party developers is a bonus, what’s going on in the backend is equally important. BedePLAY’s back office tools include a bonus engine, loyalty scheme and detailed reporting and analytics.
Bede doesn’t always foist its products upon its clients: it’s just as happy to step back and let them take the reins. Rocket is the name given to Bede’s white label solution that includes a full turnkey package.
For operators who would like to launch their own fully branded casino but lack the means or know-how, Rocket is ideal. Not only can Bede supply the software, but they can also supply the wisdom. The company can advise UK firms on the steps required to obtain a British gaming licence and on how to maximise their prospects of success in what is a highly competitive market.
Bede has grown to become much more than just a software development company. In the short time it’s been trading, the Geordie-based firm has accrued a wealth of experience pertaining to the industry – experience bolstered of course by its founders’ long careers within the gambling trade.
Today, Bede’s services include development for clients, marketing, analytics, operations and consultancy. In other words, all of the elements that go into running a successful company within the gambling industry.
A client may approach Bede with an idea for a branded game or product, seeking the company’s skills to bring it to life. It could be looking to offer its players exclusive gaming content, or it may be a company with no experience of the gaming sector seeking to make its first foray into the market to release a spin-off, be it to promote a movie or comic book for instance. Bede is equally adept when it comes to marketing; the company can offer itself as a full marketing services agency, helping companies expand into new territories or to make the transition from land-based to web-based casino.
Analytics is another area where Bede’s expertise shines through. Crunching numbers and making sense of vast reams of data are what they do best. It’s no surprise they’ve decided to offer these analytic skills to interested parties. The firm’s data scientists have access to a powerful suite of business intelligence tools that can be harnessed by interested parties. It doesn’t have to be in-depth technical knowhow that Bede imparts to its clients: in its guise as a consultancy firm, Bede imparts general advice on what it takes to succeed in the gambling industry. From new markets to new regulations, if it affects your business, Bede will supply suggestions to surmount obstacles and seize opportunities for profit.
Bede are one of the most professional gaming companies in the UK. The amount they’ve achieved in just four years puts other companies to shame. Admittedly, they’ve been helped by having some extremely experienced heads to lead their operations from the get-go. Some software companies dedicate themselves to slots and have yet to produce a single game of the same calibre as Bede’s best efforts;.
Bede on the other hand appear to have released a dozen video slots almost as an afterthought and yet each one is sublime. Throw in a complete suite of casino games plus bespoke platforms, white label solutions and much more, and it’s easy to see why Bede are right up there with the best of British.