Review ICE TOTALLY GAMING 2015
obviously a heavily regulated industry and licensing is fundamental to our ability to do business.
What are the brand’s goals and expectations for 2015? How is the firm planning to achieve them?
Aristocrat has spent the last 18 - 24 months assembling and strengthening the best design and development teams in the global industry, refining our games portfolios and focusing on our pledge to create the world’s greatest gaming experience, every day. We believe that 2015 is when customers will fully realise the delivery of that promise as we roll out the most exciting, daring and innovative collection of gaming concepts seen to date.
phenomenon. Gaming operations represents another area of growth for Aristocrat as we look to re-establish a big heritage of linked progressive games and exciting licensed content with big games in the Wonder Wheels family including Batman Classic TV Series, Superman The Movie and Ted.
What makes your new Helix cabinets unique?
Putting to one side a long list of technological, aesthetic and ergonomic advantages, they are simply a step change from anything that’s gone before, designed purely with the player in mind, for delivery of the best interactive gaming experience possible. Looking around the ICE show floor, there really wasn’t anything else that even came close, an opinion that I heard time and time again from the many customers and industry observers that visited our stand.
What do you expect the development next year? Does your company have any ongoing projects in developing new product? What is the trend of this sector?
Fresh and exciting new developments lie at the heart of Aristocrat’s game changing strategy. This is one of the reasons why we opted to demonstrate at ICE some of the new hardware and software concepts in the European pipeline. Our Dual Arc cabinets, hosting Game of Thrones and Britney Spears games, and the gargantuan Behemoth playing Big Bang Theory may not be due to hit these shores until late 2015 or 2016, but their sheer exuberance and play appeal gave customers confidence that Aristocrat is continuing to invest in big projects, so any investment being made today will have great follow up support further down the line.
What is your target market? What do you think about the African market?
Aristocrat already has a strong market presence in Africa and, as any good business will do, we aim to protect and support these installations, supplemented by further penetration across growing and nascent jurisdictions.
At present, which region in the world is the most profitable?
One of the great things about Aristocrat is its global footprint and the fact that it continues to grow at a Group level despite all the challenges and change we face. Profitability varies over time, but we have very strong businesses in the US Class II and Class III (outright sale and gaming operations) segments, US systems, Australian Class III, Asia Pacific Class III and of course a business here in EMEA that is small but important. As the newly-installed MD in EMEA, it’s now my role to oversee a resurgence in Aristocrat’s presence in the very fragmented European market – a challenge I very much look forward to accomplishing!
In terms of law and regulation, do you know of any changes in the above markets you mentioned? Do these changes affect your business?
Aristocrat is licensed in over 200 jurisdictions worldwide and all business operations are underpinned by strict adherence to local and multinational legal frameworks. We’re constantly engaging with regulators and ensuring we stay across any changes as they emerge, as we are
From an EMEA perspective, we aim to reconnect with all customers in every viable market. The strategy is simple: if good business is mutual for both parties and we can provide high quality gaming entertainment for their clientele, then Aristocrat will strive to support any legitimate gaming activity with expediency and professionalism.
What do you plan for the rest of the year? Will you launch any product or participate at any show?
The roll-out plan for the EMEA region is firmly established for the remainder our financial year ending in September; our cards are all now firmly on the table. Future game development is an ongoing cycle and our colleagues in Australia and the USA will almost certainly have more ground breaking product developments to unveil at their respective trade shows in Sydney in August and in Las Vegas at the end of September.
How do you see the gaming industry today? What changes would you implement to make this industry more efficient?
In the short term, machine sales are of course paramount for every exponent in the supply side of the industry. What operators are looking for is a partnership approach, whereby we understand their changing needs, both today and tomorrow, and create a sustainable approach to game refreshment, so that players continue to be entertained and are never left side-lined by outdated offerings.
This year's show counted with the participation of several companies that have recently merged, most of them technology companies, changing the world map of the gaming industry with alliances and millionaire acquisitions. How do you see this phenomenon?
Consolidation and change is a fact of life in any industry. From an Aristocrat perspective, we’re proud that our acquisitions have been complementary, strongly accretive and not built on the expectation of a single dollar of cost synergies. This means we can continue focusing on the design, development and delivery of optimal player experiences and supporting our customers – not on internal issues such as integration and cost-cutting.
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