Industry News
EGT Multiplayer debut new portfolio at ICE as part of expansion into Asia and beyond
With brand new Live Baccarat and roulette tables set to make their debut alongside a host of exclusive products and solutions at this year’s ICE London, EGT Multiplayer is playing to win with its global growth strategy. As the company establishes itself further in Europe and looks to entirely new markets including Asia and the United States, the company’s Director of Sales & Marketing, Borislav Marinov, unveils their newest additions and explores what lies ahead for the changing table games market…
ICE London will host its largest edition yet in 2020, what’s new for EGT-Multiplayer this year?
ICE London is well known as the most significant international exhibition in the gaming industry, and it sets the industry standard for quality, innovation, and novelty. There is no place more suitable for manufacturers to show their newest products and solutions. EGT Multiplayer will use this chance to debut many new products and new generations of current series. New hardware and software will make their debut on our stand S4-350 at the ICE event. As well as five exclusive new roulette models and the brand-new R-line terminals, visitors will also be able to see the brand-new Live Baccarat and roulette tables and multi-games. Our most successful S-line series featuring our well-established HD terminals and UHD slot cabinets is also something that must be seen. We are very excited and looking forward to presenting them to our visitors!
What will be the key messages you want to drive home in 2020?
We started this new decade fulfilled with optimism and big ambitions. For this very first exhibition of the year, we prepared a wide range of new attractive additions to our portfolio. Comparing to the previous years, while we were trying to react to world trends, this year, we decided to take a different approach. We realise how important it is for us to have a wider variety of solutions that we can offer to the operators. With the new decade, we set a new trend for our self. It is all about highly effective hybrid casino solutions and excellent customer experience. We want to send a message to our customers that we are here to hear what they look for and to create it, especially for them. In other words, this year, we will offer a full portfolio of excellent products that completely can equip every casino with everything needed.
You mentioned EGT-MP will have a focus on key markets like Asia and Europe at ICE, how will you be targeting new business in these regions in the coming year?
For us, Europe is the most essential and primary target market. After all, there is where the EGT family was established, and we’ve grown to become one of the leading players on the continent!
In some of the markets, we already have a stable presence, and now we are focused on entering into others. Our strategy is to go further beyond and to raise our presence in the biggest and most important continent, which for us is Asia. There we are working with the partnership of a reliable local distributor. The focus for us so far and for the future is to create the most effective and attractive solutions that can satisfy the local expectations. We listen to the local players’ feedback and use it to upgrade our current products as well. We aim to create something new and to set a new trend there. So far, this is a winning strategy!
How will you start to focus your intentions in these markets?
We aim to grow as a company having now reached a point where we are recognised as a strong provider in the industry. Following the strategy of our group, we are participating in all of the major exhibitions like ICE London, G2E Macao and Vegas. Also, smaller but also important events and, of course, in the one held in our homeland BEGExpo. In our opinion, the markets that take the most wins in gaming are some of the countries in Central Asia. That is why we are focused on precisely those geographical areas.
What do you consider to be the big issues facing your sector in 2020?
I don’t think that there are specific issues for our sector in of itself. However, in terms of general issues, there is the lack of finding qualified personnel. Nowadays, when advanced technologies are well used in many industries, our sector is struggling to find enough experts. Most of the specialists are aiming to work for IoT companies or as self-employed freelancers, and every technology company is in a contest of hiring such professionals.
Despite this, I don’t think even this will affect our sector that much. I firmly believe that 2020 at the start of a new decade will be very successful and promising for all of us in the gaming industry.
How are you working to ensure your corporate strategy in the coming years weathers change and continues to build your brand?
So far, we have many successful tools to use to go though the difficulties that we meet and to deliver our corporate strategy. When it comes to issues like lack of experts, we have a different policy for people management. We strongly believe that everyone’s opinion is essential, and they have the full right to express it. The top management is always working along with all the employees, and we discuss and solve all the situations together.
For us everyone in our company is important which is why we are working tightly like a family, and we rely on each other. This is how we have built our brand so far, by involving all of us.
What will make 2020 a landmark year for EGT-MP itself?
We were originally a department of Euro Games Technology Ltd. and became an official subsidiary company in 2017 but our very first roulette made by the Multiplayer department was born a decade ago. So, this year we will celebrate the foundation of this project and the considerable success that we’ve achieved throughout these ten years of experience!
How would you describe the corporate DNA at EGT Multiplayer?
Well, for all these years, it has been a part of us. We are all more than just employees in this company. We are all involved more than usual, on a deeper level. I can tell this because I see how everyone is dedicated to their tasks, how they always think about how to improve their work or their product even during off-hours. That feeling. That passion. This is how I feel our DNA.
Can you discuss the EGT-MP expansion strategy a bit more, both internally and externally?
In terms of expansion, we plan to continue in the same spirit and double up our efforts. Our team is growing rapidly every single year. EGT Multiplayer is seeking and recruiting specialists to all of our departments as we speak and we are always on the lookout for a fresh perspective.
In terms of the portfolio – we are continually upgrading our existing products to fit customer needs even better while simultaneously creating new gen, advanced products. It’s a laborious process, but in the end, it is very fruitful, and it works perfectly for us. Our end goal is to have a 360-degree solution for our customers.
Looking forward to this new decade, what opportunities do you envisage for the multiplayer games sector?
Our opportunities are closely tied to players’ desires. The feedback that we receive from the casino operators is that multiplayers are becoming steadily more attractive to their customers, at places even substituting the established slot cabinets. We are prepared to leverage that situation with new advanced products both in terms of hardware and inspiring new software titles and features. With the rise of the new generation of players, new and more exciting products are on the rise as well, and we are more than ready to follow that trend.
A new generation of players is rising, and they demand modern products from all manufacturers. It the era of the fastest digital evolution it is our duty not to stay behind. In our work, we are not only working on new innovative features. We’re mixing modern with standard technologies, and we are producing a new type of hybrid solutions that we believe will be the real step into the future for us. Our aim is to integrate the standard table games mixed with slots so we can get the most impressive products.
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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