Octoplay announces partnership with Hard Rock Bet in New Jersey

Charlotte Capewell

24 September 2025 at 7:17am UTC-4

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Octoplay has expanded its US presence by partnering with Hard Rock Bet and launching its gaming content on the platform in New Jersey.

Under the deal, New Jersey players will now have access to a range of Octoplay-developed titles, including fan favorites, 777 Hot Reels, and Eggsponential.

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According to Octoplay, the partnership underscores its commitment to expansion in the North American-regulated sector and marks its third partnership with a US operator in just two months.

Octoplay Chief Executive Carl Ejlertsson said, “Hard Rock Bet’s rapid growth trajectory and strong brand presence make them the right partner for our next phase in New Jersey. We’re excited to build a long-term partnership together as we continue expanding our US operator network.”

Octoplay currently holds licenses in 12 jurisdictions, including New Jersey, Ontario, and several countries in Europe, as well as a provisional license in Michigan. In August, the group also partnered with Rush Street Interactive in New Jersey.

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Hard Rock Bet Vice President of Casino Rich Criado added, “At Hard Rock Bet Casino, we’re always focused on providing our players with the most engaging gaming experiences available, with more than 3,300 titles and growing. Adding Octoplay’s popular titles to our top-rated app underscores our commitment to quality and entertainment, and we’re excited for our players to enjoy these fresh, new offerings.”

Charlotte Capewell brings her passion for storytelling and expertise in writing, researching, and the gambling industry to every article she writes. Her specialties include the US gambling industry, regulator legislation, igaming, and more.

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The Backstory

From debut to deal flow

Octoplay’s latest move to integrate its slots with Hard Rock Bet in New Jersey marks the company’s third U.S. operator tie-up in two months and its clearest signal yet that it intends to be a fixture in regulated North American igaming. The company framed its pact with Hard Rock Bet as a strategic expansion that adds titles like 777 Hot Reels and Eggsponential to one of the state’s largest libraries. That follows earlier deals with Rush Street Interactive’s BetRivers and BetMGM that built the bridge into the market.

The arc began with Octoplay’s New Jersey debut with BetMGM, which the studio cast as a “defining moment” after collaborating in Ontario. It then expanded in New Jersey with a Rush Street Interactive deal that put 777 Hot Reels: Supercharged and Juicy Rolls: Feature Frenzy on BetRivers, extending a relationship that already spanned Ontario and Mexico. Now, the company has announced a partnership with Hard Rock Bet in New Jersey, slotting into a platform that has leaned on a growing mix of third-party and bespoke content to differentiate.

The cadence matters. In a crowded content market where distribution determines revenue, Octoplay’s sequence — BetMGM, Rush Street, then Hard Rock Bet — plugs the studio into three distinct customer funnels with broad reach and varied promotional engines. The company says it holds 12 active licenses across Europe and North America and secured a provisional license in Michigan, with a 2025 launch planned. That sets up a pipeline into another high-value state once approvals finalize, while New Jersey serves as the proving ground where performance data can unlock wider North American placements.

Why New Jersey is the test bed

New Jersey remains the epicenter of U.S. online casino, with deep operator benches and a mature audience that quickly arbitrages weak content out of the carousel. That makes it a high-bar filter for new suppliers — but also a data-rich market where hit rates and engagement curves appear fast. Octoplay is leaning into that dynamic by spreading across multiple operators, which diversifies exposure to different player segments and bonus strategies.

Hard Rock Bet in particular has treated content volume and variety as a competitive wedge. After going live in 2023 with 705 games, it reached 2,000 titles by August and 2,500 in early January, according to the company. It recently spotlighted player outcomes to underscore engagement, including a $518,438 jackpot on MegaJackpots Elephant King off a $1.50 spin, the largest win in the state this year. Those metrics amplify the platform’s pitch to studios: a large, active audience plus regular promotional lifts can accelerate a new title’s ramp.

That scale also lets Hard Rock Bet rotate in marquee third-party launches, like Aristocrat Interactive’s Mo’ Mummy Valley of Riches, and balance them with exclusives aimed at repeat play from core users. For a new entrant like Octoplay, landing on such a platform increases visibility without relying on a single operator’s marketing budget.

Hard Rock Bet’s content strategy and the stakes

Hard Rock Bet’s growth has been anchored in a dual-track strategy: build a large library that covers familiar mechanics and themes, and layer on proprietary releases that reinforce brand identity. The company’s 19th bespoke title, Liberty Fortune, developed with Bragg Gaming, showcases that approach with a 5x4 layout, 40 pay lines, and randomized base-game features such as win multipliers up to x10 and super stacked wilds. Exclusives like Liberty Fortune keep power users in the ecosystem while third-party hits capture broader taste profiles.

Adding Octoplay’s portfolio gives Hard Rock Bet more surface area across volatile, feature-forward slots that tend to perform in promotional windows and loyalty loops. The timing also aligns with Hard Rock’s steady cadence of content drops, including the Mo’ Mummy rollout, which keeps the app’s carousel fresh and reduces stagnation risk. For Octoplay, the upside is measurable: stronger distribution increases data feedback on game mechanics, helping refine future releases and boosting negotiating leverage with other operators.

The stakes are straightforward. Content breadth attracts first-time players and sustains session length, but the winners are titles that combine fast bonuses, sticky features, and thematic clarity. In a market where operators are pushing personalization and exclusive experiences, studios that can deliver durable hit rates across multiple platforms will command premium placement and expanded deal terms.

What to watch next

Octoplay’s New Jersey footprint now spans three major operators, giving it a triangulated read on player behavior across different marketing stacks. The next milestone will be whether its catalog secures sustained carousel presence on Hard Rock Bet beyond the initial launch window and whether new titles roll out with localized features tailored to New Jersey’s audience. On the operator side, watch how Hard Rock balances exclusives like Liberty Fortune against marquee third-party introductions and whether jackpot storytelling — punctuated by January’s $518,438 win — continues to drive acquisition.

If Octoplay’s New Jersey metrics track with its Ontario performance, the company is positioned to parlay that into faster go-lives in Michigan once its provisional license converts. The through line: New Jersey remains the proving ground where content suppliers either earn a permanent slot in operator rotations or get cycled out. Octoplay’s quick sequence of deals — first with BetMGM, then Rush Street, now Hard Rock Bet — suggests it intends to stay in the rotation.