Vinnie Jones Unites with Real Dealer Studios for Cinematic Game Releases

Celebrities are often happy to put their name to things. Although usually, this relates to items that can be bought in shops. There doesn’t seem to be a month that goes by without a celebrity launching their new perfume or sponsoring a clothing line of some sort. But in a first-of-its-kind scenario, actor and former footballer Vinnie Jones has signed a deal with gaming software brand Real Dealer Studios. Through this deal, a series of games are to be released featuring Vinnie himself, including both roulette and blackjack options.

It was reported that Jones had agreed to the partnership back in February of 2022, and that production on the first game was to start in the coming weeks after. And now, Real Dealer Studios is to release the first of those games in the form of Vinnie Jones Roulette. It has been available at the Betway casino as an exclusive release for a few weeks. But now it will be incorporated into all platforms that offer software from the brand.

What Is Vinnie Jones Roulette?

Vinnie Jones is a well-known actor who started out as a footballer for Wimbledon FC. After his retirement from the sport, he began appearing in films, securing roles in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Gone in 60 Seconds, to name but a few. He remains active within the acting world today but chose to enter into a deal with Real Dealer Studios for a series of games.

In the first release, Vinnie Jones Roulette, he serves as the croupier, bringing a VIP flair to it. Jones interacts with each different player in a one-on-one fashion, and clearly, he’s portraying the same character that he always has – an Eastend tough guy. In fact, he made a comment on the launch of the game, stating:

“Can you believe they put a geezer like me in charge of roulette? Trust me, you’re gonna love this game. It’s just like regular roulette but loads better, because of me.”

The roulette game itself plays out in the standard fashion, offering a version of European Roulette to anyone accessing it. Thus, bets can be placed on the table and then whenever you’re ready, you can hit the spin button. Jones will then “take control” of the roulette wheel, launching the ball into it and awaiting an outcome.

Throughout the game, he will offer various comments, including the acceptance of the bets placed and wishing gamers good luck during a spin. It certainly lends an extra bit of star power and charisma to the game, and of course, fans of Vinnie will likely enjoy betting on a few rounds.

While it may visually look like a live dealer casino game, it’s not something that falls into that category. It remains as an RNG game, but through the use of cinematic technology, Jones is integrated. This combines the random number generator technology with cinema-quality recorded videos to create something unique to Real Dealer Studios for the moment.

Speaking of the roulette release and other upcoming releases featuring Vinnie, the Chief Product Officer for Real Dealer Studios, Shane Cotter, said:

“We’re effectively blurring the lines between the worlds of iGaming and film, particularly now with these celebrity titles. Apart from yielding an all-around better experience for players, it opens up the door to some fantastic new game concepts.”

Vinnie Jones Blackjack is also due to be released towards the end of the year, adding to the selection featuring the actor.

Is It Legal to Use Celebrities in Games Like This?

It’s quite a questionable decision for Real Dealer Studios to make, considering that not too long ago, celebrities and sports stars were banned from promoting gambling. New rules introduced by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) state that footballers and other celebrities are not able to appear on gambling and betting advertisements.

This was done as a step towards protecting those under 18, as well as other vulnerable players. For the moment, those rules have yet to come into effect, with the official introduction date being October 1, 2022.

However, would they affect the Vinnie Jones Roulette and other games from Real Dealer Studios? After all, the company hasn’t launched advertisements to promote the games, and Jones isn’t promoting specific casinos, either. Instead, he appears in a cinematic role within the games themselves.

And while some people have suggested that it would be a lot better to introduce a blanket ban on gambling advertisements across the United Kingdom, the likelihood is that that wouldn’t affect such games being created, either. Additional Vinnie Jones games are due for release in early 2023, to add to the roulette and blackjack titles.

As things stand for the time being, there is no law that restricts celebrities and other famous people from appearing in casino games. While this is the first one to feature cinematic video footage of a celebrity combining with RNG technology, others have placed a focus on singers, film stars, television actors and so on. You don’t need to search that far for top-quality, entertaining slots that base their themes on such.

For the time being, it is perfectly legal for software companies to create games with famous people in them. That may change in the future, but what is included in a game as its theme doesn’t seem to be quite as big an issue as the advertising of such. Celebrities promoting gambling is a different scenario to a celebrity being included in a game release. And that is why Vinnie Jones has been able to appear in the Real Dealer Studios releases in the first place.