In this interview with Casino Guru News, Martin St?lros reflects on the evolution of Relax Gaming’s Dream Drop Jackpot, a product that has reimagined the jackpot landscape. St?lros shares insights into the challenges of managing jackpot ecosystems, the shift to more frequent millionaire payouts, and how Dream Drop contributes to both player excitement as well as operator growth. As the product enters a new phase, St?lros discusses the future of jackpots and what excites him most about what’s ahead.

Q: You’ve been around since the very beginning of the Dream Drop Jackpot. How satisfying is it to see the product grow into the behemoth it is today?

We’ve always been confident that Dream Drop had the potential to become one of, if not the, most engaging gambling experiences in the world. The level of excitement when the Major or Mega jackpots are approaching their must-drop levels is second to none.

That said, even if the theory is solid, it ultimately falls to the players to understand and embrace the product, which is not always guaranteed. Watching players engage with Dream Drop as they have and truly enjoy it has been incredibly satisfying. Particularly when considering the 20 or so Mega winners we’ve had so far, that’s been a specific highlight.

Q: Do you think jackpot products need to consistently evolve to keep pace with the industry?

Absolutely. Jackpot products are far more operationally intensive than regular slots. When you launch a standard slot, you typically release it and then move on. While you may gather data and insights for future development, you rarely revisit the game itself.

In contrast, managing a jackpot product involves a different approach. You must actively manage liquidity, carefully time new game releases, strategically enhance the prize pools, and make regular product adaptations to support long-term goals. In short, it’s hard work; you’re not just launching a product, you’re managing a constantly evolving ecosystem.

Q: What key lessons have you learned from launching the Dream Drop Jackpot? And is there anything you’d do differently if you were starting again?

Our original goal was to eventually increase the Mega Jackpot to €10 million. However, over time, we’ve learned that bigger does not always mean better. In fact, we have reduced the Mega Jackpot from €3 million to €2 million, and this change has shown us that €2 million is already a life-changing amount.

We prefer to create millionaires every few weeks rather than making someone extremely wealthy just once a year. While it has been a shift in mindset, it has proven to be beneficial for both our players and the overall appeal of the product.

Q: Where do you see the future of jackpot products heading?

The future of jackpot products lies in delivering consistent value across the entire iGaming ecosystem. While player excitement is essential, and Dream Drop certainly delivers on that front, what really sets jackpot products apart is how effectively they can support operators’ wider business goals.

We’ve seen strong reactivation patterns when jackpots reach higher levels, even without direct incentives. Operators running CRM campaigns during these moments often see a notable uplift in engagement, even in markets where promotional tools like bonuses aren’t permitted.

For a regular jackpot, you can send out a CRM campaign when the jackpots are high, but it lacks that sense of urgency and clear call to action. With Dream Drop, we are adding fantastic value to the operators as the call to action is incredible when we can more or less say, "the jackpot is guaranteed to fall anytime soon."

That’s what makes jackpot products so valuable. They create organic momentum and give operators a reliable lever to drive retention and re-engagement. Looking ahead, it’s crucial that jackpot solutions are designed with both the player experience and operator performance in mind.

Q: What excites you most about the new-look Dream Drop?

For us, it’s all about amplifying what already works, delivering that high-adrenaline jackpot moment to players more frequently. There’s a real sense of anticipation when the jackpots grow, and the refreshed Dream Drop product is designed to give players more of those moments, more often.

From an operator perspective, that means increased engagement and more consistent traffic driven by that must-drop excitement. We’re already recognised as the most frequent millionaire maker in the industry, and Dream Drop takes that core strength and pushes it even further. That’s what makes this next chapter so exciting.

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