PROFILE
Who’s who: Daniel Long This month: Habanero’s Head of Sales and Asian Operations
How did you first get involved with the gaming industry? I Joined Microgaming in January 2011. They were looking for an experienced tech sector salesman with a good understanding of how to handle governments and government-linked organisations and their RFP/tendering processes. I’d done a lot of this in the telecoms industry, so I guess I fitted the bill. Moving from there to Habanero was a simple step for me as they have great games and a very reliable platform.
Favourite…
Movie: Back To The Future I, II & III Music: Green Day Book: The Bear and the Dragon Pastime: Gym and cinema Item of clothing: Faded blue jeans Pizza topping: Extra cheese! Always.
What attracted you to this sector? I was interested in both the online gaming and what you might call “software as a service” industries. Working for an RNG game provider is a hybrid of both. I see great potential growth for this sector, particularly as commerce worldwide moves from bricks and mortar to online. In Asia in particular we are just scratching the surface of what might be possible. Habanero, with their expertise in mobile as well as land-based terminals are very well-positioned.
What were you doing prior to the gaming industry? Prior to joining the gaming industry, I spent nine years in the telecoms in Singapore. I had various sales and management roles and my duties included account servicing, partner management, and business development. I closed a lot of deals in different countries and saw the process through from start to finish. That has put me in a great position to help Habanero as they look to partner with operators in different territories.
What are you responsible for in your current position? As Head of Sales, I’m responsible for adding value, signing up new operators and aggregators, and looking after the revenue and global business growth for Habanero. We currently work with operators on three different continents and have offices in Johannesburg, Manila, Sofia, and Kiev to support them. But the popularity of our slots and table games across different companies would suggest there’s definitely room for more.
What have been the biggest industry changes you’ve seen in your time? The move from desktop to mobile over the last five years is an obvious one, but no less dramatic. We’ve
refocused the design and technology of our games to be mobile-centric, converting existing games into HTML 5. All our new games are in this format too and work beautifully in portrait and landscape modes on all of the leading devices and operating systems.
What are the biggest positive factors for your sector right now? Online gaming’s image and reputation has really improved in the past few years. It is now no longer a taboo but a legitimate pastime widely accepted by the public. Our games are fun and appeal to a wide spectrum of people for their entertainment as much as an opportunity to win money.
And what are the obstacles to growth? Increasing regulation is very important for suppliers, operators, and players. But the fragmentation of that regulation and differences between different countries is a real challenge. Governments also need to be careful not to kill the golden goose. If taxation on gaming operators is too high, the sector will be slowly strangled and growth will stagnate.
Looking at your entire career, what do you think was your smartest move? It was a very big step for me leaving telecoms nearly four years ago, which I had nearly a decade of experience in. But I’m very glad I did so as gaming is a great place to be right now, particularly at a dynamic company like Habanero, who offer something different to that of existing suppliers.
And dumbest one? I’ll like to quote Brian Huston, Senior Pastor of Hillsong Church: “We don’t lose. We either win or we learn.” I don’t think we can consider any career move dumb one if we choose to learn from it.
APRIL 2016 61
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