Industry News
EGT Interactive set off on digital development Quest in Europe
With the online launch of one of the most successful games in Euro Games Technology’s land-based portfolio, Egypt Quest, the company’s interactive branch embarks on a strategic expansion into core new territories in the North, South, East and West of Europe.
EGT Interactive has confirmed the release of one of the EGT Group’s leading games, Egypt Quest, to its range of online video slots in a new approach to both playability of the company’s most successful titles and their ongoing growth into new markets. Commenting on why the bonus game has been chosen to spark this initiative, Irina Rusimova, Business Development Manager at EGT Interactive, said: “Egypt Quest has been one of the most successful games in the land-based operations, which makes it known to our fan base. We believe that it will have overall high success ratio with all our operators and we already have the necessary data backing up this statement, as during the first month of its release, it has already aligned in the top 20 of EGT’s best performing titles.”
The company has recently expanded into Sweden, Hungary, Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina following core data from both its land-based and digital brands. Rusimova believes the key to ongoing expansion is understanding specific requirements in terms of translation and localisation of games and their interfaces in tandem with meticulous selection of partners when entering a new territory. “Strategic expansion is part of our policy for growth and development,” she explained. “We are constantly looking for new opportunities and following the current trends of the regulative framework in the newly opened markets, we are streaming to certify our products according to the lawful requirements in every new territory. This of course takes out some of our current partnerships to a more global level, leads to further expanding of our operator network and gives access to a great content to more and more players.”
In terms of the opportunities inherent in translating Egypt Quest’s success to multiple new markets, EGT Interactive honed in on a new approach to six of its most successful titles, mainly in providing players with higher retention rate and the possibility of numerous winnings. Commenting on what made them land on these specific titles, Rusimova said: “We wanted to present to our customers a brand – new product in terms of concept, visuals, bonus system and overall experience. At the same time, it still references to some of the top titles from the portfolio but gives the player a chance for double winnings and many special features such as free spins and bonuses. Rise of Ra, Burning Hot, 20 Super Hot, Halloween, Circus Brilliant and Egypt Sky are already familiar to the audience, but are now placed in a separate portal with a new bonus game comprising of 4 Mystery Jackpot Levels.”
EGT Interactive’s games are currently available in English, German, Italian, French, Spanish, Hungarian and Romanian in order to correspond directly to the players but as the company prepares to move into new territories like Denmark, the focus is on using data to increase the brand’s footprint in these new territories. “Part of these markets, such as Hungary and Spain, are natural continuation of our land-based operations in place,” explained Rusimova. “This gives us high certainty that the portfolio will be highly successful among the players, as it has already been in the market. The possibility to offer the same games to both – the offline and online operations, is one of our greatest competitive advantages which, for sure, influences the decision when prioritising the entrance of the new markets. Nevertheless, we believe that the EGT portfolio, along with its traditional and classical touch, appeal to wider selection of players, thus making it successful choice for operators in most of Europe.
Currently Egypt Quest is available through the brand’s operator network to the players in Bulgaria, Armenia and Georgia, and is currently aiming for certification in Romania, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Portugal. “Our aim is to be able to provide this great new game to all territories where EGT portfolio is available, she concluded. “We are already seeing great results from Bosnia and Herzegovina and our expectations are for successful launch in Northern Europe – Sweden and Denmark, as well.”
Industry News
SKS365 keeps investing in people: GROW People Management Program took the next level
11 experienced people managers from the SKS365 group’s 4 locations gathered last week in Belgrade for the new GROW People Management Program. From 15 th to 19 th of April, through trainings, discussions, and social connections, people had the opportunity to further grow individually and as a team, while enjoying Belgrade’s city center and rivers.
Created in 2023 with the purpose of building foundation people management skills across the organization, GROW initiative evolved this year by including a new, advanced program for experienced people managers to further consolidate their skills and prepare for future opportunities.
Building and fostering connections, sharing experiences, and enjoying team building experiences – all these activities have been part of the GROWpmp agenda for the 11 people managers coming from Commercial, Product and Development, Finance, and Sportsbook departments of the group’s 4 locations – Malta, Italy, Austria, Serbia.
GROWpmp included a variety of topics that people managers in SKS365 recognized as the key areas for management development. Topics such as influence through communication, team effectiveness, DEI, through to presentation skills and business topics like understanding finance and management reporting, were delivered with the support of external professionals and internal experts, while designed and organized by the SKS365 People & Culture team.
Industry News
Kindred’s Share of Revenue from High-risk Players Shows Slight Increase
Kindred Group plc’s (Kindred) share of revenue from high-risk players showed a slight increase to 3.2% (Q4 2023 3.1%) in the first quarter of 2024. Compared to the first quarter of 2023, the high-risk revenue share decreased marginally. The percentage of detected customers who exhibited improved behaviour after interventions came in at 87.1% (compared to 87.4% in Q4 2023 and 83.0% in Q1 2023). This sustained trajectory in the improvement effect after interventions, observed over an extended period, serves as a testament to the strong dedication and collective efforts throughout the company. It reflects Kindred’s ongoing commitment to fostering positive change within the industry.
“We continue to see our share of revenue from high-risk players fluctuate quarter to quarter, and we are working closely with all teams across the company to support customers towards a more sustainable gambling experience. However, it is encouraging to see that our Journey towards Zero data has steadily decreased since 2020. A similar trend can be seen across the healthier gambling behaviour effect after interventions. This tells us two things: our work is paying off, but we need to continue to push ourselves to propel a sustainable progression,” Alexander Westrell, Director of Communications at Kindred Group, said.
“It was very encouraging to witness the open and transparent discussions at the Sustainable Gambling Conference in London on 20 March, where those with lived experience shared their important stories. Also, it is evident that technology is moving forward, and will provide greater opportunities to detect and intervene in the future. We hope to see more regulators engage with the industry and with experts to secure a more sustainable industry for everyone,” Alexander Westrell added.
Industry News
PENN Entertainment Names Aaron LaBerge as Chief Technology Officer
PENN Entertainment announced that Aaron LaBerge has been named Chief Technology Officer (CTO) effective July 1, 2024, subject to customary regulatory approvals. Mr. LaBerge will report directly to PENN CEO & President Jay Snowden.
In his new role, Mr. LaBerge will be responsible for driving the technology strategy and execution for PENN, while leading the multinational team of technologists and serving as the key business leader for the company’s Interactive division.
Mr. LaBerge spent more than 20 years at The Walt Disney Company, in two stints separated by five and a half years as a technology entrepreneur. He was most recently President & Chief Technology Officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN where he was responsible for driving all technology and product development in support of The Walt Disney Company’s two media divisions. In that role, he helped set the vision and strategic leadership for how Disney uses technology to enable storytelling and innovation, drive its business, and create unparalleled consumer experiences with entertainment and sports content.
“We are thrilled to have someone of Aaron’s caliber join our PENN executive team. Having overseen a global organization of thousands of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists, and data scientists that created some of the largest scale and most successful media properties in the world, there is no better candidate to lead our Technology and Interactive division into its future. I know Aaron is looking forward to working with Todd George, our head of operations, and our entire Executive Team to continue growing our position as a leader in online gaming, sports betting, and digital sports media,” Mr. Snowden said.
“I’m excited to join another talented team at PENN Interactive and lead our technology strategy. PENN Entertainment is at the forefront of the fast-changing gaming and sports media industry. I plan to use my experience from Disney and ESPN to help make ESPN BET an essential piece of the sports fan experience. Together, we’ll push the limits and redefine how fans interact with sports and gaming,” Mr. LaBerge said.
Prior to his most recent role at the Walt Disney Company, Mr. LaBerge was Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at ESPN from 2015 to 2018. At ESPN he played an instrumental role in the growth of ESPN’s consumer-facing digital media products and services – leading many of ESPN’s most ambitious and challenging projects and helping establish ESPN’s position as the leader in digital sports and innovative sports technology development. He was a key architect in the design, development, and engineering of ESPN’s state-of-the-art facilities in Bristol, CT; Los Angeles, CA; Charlotte, NC; and Austin, TX, as well as data centers and infrastructure that connect those facilities around the world, as well as the technology design and development to support the launch of the multi-platform SEC Network.
Between 2007 and 2012, LaBerge was co-founder and CEO of Fanzter, Inc. – a venture-funded consumer software and digital product development company. At Fanzter, he directed all day-to-day operations and led the development and launch of a variety of consumer-focused internet and mobile products, ground-breaking social and commerce technologies and more.
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