Nolimit City co-founder backs controversial slot game

Jonas Tegman, the co-founder of popular slots provider Nolimit City, has issued a statement responding to controversy around the company’s recently released Gulag slot game, insisting that it is “pretty obvious” that it is an anti war slot game.

Gulag features a largely-monochrome screen layout with barbed wire surrounding the six reel game grid, laid out in a 3-3-4-4-5-5 formation.

The game, themed on Soviet-era labour camps, had sparked criticism for its morbid setting, with some, such as slot reviewer GMBLRS describing the basing of a video slot on the atrocities as showing “either a complete lack of historical knowledge or wilful ignorance.”

GMBLRS refused to review the slot, describing how its team had numerous close family deported to Gulags, with the majority never returning.

The organisation claims it reached out to Nolimit City to have a respectful discussion, and that the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) and the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), also didn’t reply to complaints.

However, in his statement, Mr Tegman insists that he is a strong believer in talking about the horrible events of the past, arguing that “many youngsters” were inspired to research the Gulag due to the controversy.

Furthermore, Mr Tegman points to some perceived hypocrisy, whereby only video games and movies are allowed to feature whatever themes they want, while those in the iGaming industry, which is limited to adults over 18 years old anyway.

He adds that “what the haters and snowflakes” don’t understand is that generating a “buzz” is part of Nolimit City’s strategy to get its message and brand out there, so it is grateful of the publicity.

Indeed, the strategy seems to be paying off, and according to leading slot news and reviewing site Bigwinboard – its review of the game was the most visited one on its site last week.

“We design our games with the intention that players should feel something more than nothing; this is good even if the feeling is bitter for certain individuals,” he says.

“I know it’s hard to digest for some, but we are on a path where we want to change the slot industry; and we are not bound to historical “rules” on what cannot be done in a slot.”

The company also says it is putting its money where its mouth is, by donating all profit made from the slot in its first month of release to the National Bank of Ukraine.