game, multi-play product that allows players to easily toggle between traditional table and video poker games and can offer more than 500 games per hour. Te StarBar is easy to install into any existing or new bar counter, and can be customised to meet the unique requirements of any gaming establishment.
Interblock’s John Connelly, Tomaž Žvipelj, and Joc Pečečnik pictured at ICE 2016
Interblock Illuminates the ICE Show with International Product Roadmap for 2016
Multi-player machines or ETGs are the ever-lasting lightbulbs of the gaming industry. While there are exceptions, if you buy an ETG from a reputable supplier such as Interblock, you’re guaranteed a trouble-free existence with a product that will last forever. And while that’s brilliant for the operator, it presents something of a headache for the supplier looking to keep selling those ‘lightbulbs’ into the future
Having spent a year at the reins of Slovenia’s ETG specialist, Interblock, International CEO, John Connelly, was back at ICE with his dream team assembled, his international infrastructures in place and the processes and tools ready to manage the business into the future. With all these boxes ticked, Mr. Connelly spoke to G3 about the next step.
“Our focus from this point forward is squarely on growth,” underlines Mr. Connelly at ICE 2016. “Our new product initiatives, some that have been incubated for the past 12 months, will expand both the content and product mix in the international ETG sector.
“Having spent a year in the job, the big takeaway for me is a clear understanding of the ETG market in relation to slots, tables, players and especially millennials,” continues Mr. Connelly. “Players learn how to play live table games at ETGs.Tey remove the intimidation factor for inexperienced players, they attract tables players frustrated with the speed of play at live tables and they appeal to slots players comfortable with the electronic format.”
It’s become something of a trope to discuss casino products in relation to millennial players, but the facts as Mr. Connelly outlines are stark; players under 40 years old are playing online as opposed to on-site and have primarily been exposed to gaming via iPads and smart-phones. He is convinced that the way to attract that next-generation of player is concentrate not on slots or tables, but ETGs. Specifically, Interblock ETGs.
“In 2015 we injected new capital into the business to open new offices and infrastructures around the world,” states Mr. Connelly. “We focused during this time on existing core products, but in parallel we have
been establishing a product roadmap, heavily concentrating on differentiating factors to compel existing ETG operators to upgrade or add new units. We have seen tremendous success with the current G5 generation of product offering trade-in policies and incentives to upgrade from legacy G3 and G4 products.”
On display at ICE, MiniStar String is comprised of three play stations that can be placed in a remote location, and allows operators to easily add and connect additional play stations to existing MiniStar Roulette products on their casino floor. One of the incremental products described by Mr. Connelly, Ministar was joined at ICE by StarBar, the highly anticipated multi-
Reflex reflects on an ICE that delivered on all gaming fronts
Reflex Gaming has praised the ICE exhibition, for its success in delivering an audience comprising many of digital gaming’s most important influencers and decision makers
Te Reflex brand, which has earned a market leading position in the supply of gaming machines to streetmarket locations in the UK, was at ICE to demonstrate how it is successfully deploying popular gaming content onto mobile platforms.
Reflecting on the ICE experience, Managing Director Quentin Stott said: “Over the last two
“We now have the ability, as a luxury gaming product provider, to offer products at different price points to appeal to different demographics and spend,” continues Mr. Connelly. “We are currently expanding our sales team to focus on product penetration internationally by increasing the level of customer touches in 2016. Our message to customers is that ETGs bring incremental revenue to your operations, they encourage the player to stay longer and play more from a higher per capita demographic. ETGs attract new revenue to the casino.”
Due to the nature of the product, ETGs are compared with slot machines in relation to revenue per square metre of floor space. Te traditional hold of an ETG is roughly half that of slot machines, but Mr. Connelly believes this is outmoded thinking. “We have to close the delta on the slot versus ETG debate,” says Mr. Connelly. “Casinos are realising that the operational costs of traditional pits can be offset by replacing pits with ETGs and that by exchanging their $5-10 dollar slots for ETGs, they increase their handle, save money and attract a younger demographic.
“At G2E this year we will be able to present case-studies from both the US and international markets that demonstrate exactly how ETGs positively affect an uplift on the casino floor,” continued Mr. Connelly. “We are making clear the cost benefits and revenue benefits to make the decision-making process much, much easier for the operator, which we believe will have a dramatic effect on the penetration of ETGs in the market.”
While Interlock may not have re-invented the ever-lasting lightbulb, it is finding ways to incentivise operators to re-consider, re-invest and re-new their ETG strategy.
years we have sharpened our focus on creating digital games which have both complemented our historic business model and helped us to grow into new areas. We went to what is the world’s biggest and most influential gaming exhibition, in order to demonstrate how we are successfully harnessing a skill set developed in traditional bricks and mortar gaming and applying it to higher stake and prize sectors in the digital space. I am delighted to confirm that ICE enabled us to engage with exactly the right audience of decision makers and influencers as we plan the next exciting stage in the Reflex journey which began with the launch of the business 12 years ago.”
As part of the company’s ICE strategy, Reflex conducted what is believed to be the biggest body of research undertaken amongst social gamers in the UK. Te ‘Reflex Census’ which surveyed the attitudes, motivations and behaviours of 6,130 social gamers was published by Reflex at ICE 2016.
NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE /
247.COM P57
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