Nadia Adelstein, Chief Branding Officer of Ganapati PLC.

At Ganapati, we’ve come to be known in the iGaming space for a series of creative partnerships, all of which were selected strategically for reflecting and encompassing our brand and company ideals. This year, not only have we followed on in this vein, it’s safe to say we’ve reached new heights in the sports sponsorship sphere.

Ganapati is an established, multinational company with a reputation for compelling and immersive content uniquely borne out of both Europe and Asia. We have come to recognise that the effective implementation of strategic sport sponsorship and brand opportunities not only brings us one step closer towards our goal of being a B2B brand with a B2C mentality, but helps us to generate engaging themes and storylines to centre our games around.

Our latest game is no exception. Hitting the ground running in 2020, Ganapati has recently teamed up with none other than the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt. Following the success of last year’s knockout Manny Pacquaio slot, the team has now joined forces with the champion sprinter to create a high-speed, high-adrenaline game, Usain Bolt.

In this flashy slot named after the man himself, players race their way to gold with the lightning-fast sprinter, taking on exhilarating challenges along the way.

This summer, the spotlight will be on Tokyo when the next Olympic games comes to Japan. Occurring once every four years, the Olympics is an event much anticipated around the globe, showcasing some of the greatest demonstrations of strength and endurance in sports. For many young athletes, it gives them an opportunity to be put in the world spotlight – in front of lovers and non-lovers of sport alike. This was the case for Usain Bolt. At his Beijing Olympic appearance in 2008, he won the 100m and 200m gold medals, both in world record times and gained fans from all corners of the earth. Another four years later, he won three gold medals at London 2012, and at Rio in 2016, he again left the track in his yellow vest with yet another three golds around his neck. From his first race to his last race at the Olympics, he never once went home without a gold prize.

An eight-time Olympic gold medallist and eleven-time World Champion, Usain Bolt’s contribution to sprinting reshaped the sport entirely across a decade.

US news network, ABC, hit the nail on the head when they hailed him “impossibly cool” and “wickedly fast”. Between 2013 and 2017, Bolt had a 45-race winning streak.

At the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, he managed to successfully beat his own previous 100-metre record, knocking off 0.11 seconds and bringing it down to the now infamous world record of just 9.58 seconds. He improved the 200m world record to 19.19 seconds. He also holds the 4x100m relay record clocking 36.84 seconds as part of the Jamaica team at the Olympic Games in London in 2012.

With these incredible world records still standing firmly in place over ten years on, Bolt has proven to be one of the most influential athletes of the decade and one who has effortlessly slipped into the realm of the all-time greats.

As a child, track and field was not Bolt’s first choice of sport. Growing up in the small country village of Sherwood Content in Jamaica, he spent his youth playing cricket or football out in the streets.

Once he had started school, however, his true talents begun to reveal themselves as he took part in various competitive events, including sprinting. At a mere 12 years old, Bolt became the fastest runner in his entire school.

Come high school, Bolt made the decision to focus solely on the sport and put all of his efforts into sprinting. His first major victory was at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Kingston in 2002 when, aged only 15 and competing against athletes up to 20 years old, he won the 200m in front of his home crowd. He also helped Jamaica to silver medals in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays.

Fast forward to 2004 and Bolt sets a new World Junior 200m Record of 19.93 seconds but his progression to the professional circuit was slowed by a series of injuries. He was forced to miss the 2004 World Junior Championships and limped out of the 2004 Olympic Games in the first round.

After switching to coach Glen Mills in 2005, Bolt’s career continued to go up and up. He took silver at the 2007 World Championships and improved further to set a new World 100m Record in New York in June 2008. His successful streak culminated in his qualification for the 2008 Olympics, where he set his initial world records in both the 100 and 200-metre races.

Obvious talent aside, it’s the fun-loving star’s personality which makes him so readily adored by all. And it’s this stand-out character that will undoubtedly make iGamers want a piece of the action.

Usain Bolt will be launched this summer and will be a tribute to the star’s talent, career and persona. The game is one which is sure to shake up the slots market. Even without the inevitable appeal of the sporting legend himself, the game itself is one not to miss. It incorporates immersive elements which we at Ganapati pride ourselves on and make sure to include in all of our carefully crafted, entertainment-focused games. The interactive nature of the the game, in combination with the eye-catching visuals and prizes on offer, altogether makes for a unique gaming experience. And of course, what sets the game apart above all else is our loveable star, Mr Bolt himself.

Bolt himself is a keen gamer and, in particular, a fan of sport-themed games, so for his first, very own official slot game, we knew we had to create a game which would garner his own genuine enthusiasm, as well as that of his fans, regular slot players and even those who are new to both. The Ganapati team have been working with Bolt for some time now developing the game – he has been involved in its creation right from the start and is as excited to show the finished product as we are.

The chance to step into the shoes of a true champion does not come around very often, so try your luck and bolt towards the gold in this lightning slot game.