G3 Interview GAUSELMANN INDUSTRY SUMMIT
Merkur Multi Mix that we know what the market wants and needs. The operator can influence the games pack- age even more with Merkur Multi Mix as the package can be individually put together.
You prove time and again with new innovations also with the games – such as ‘My Top Game’ and additional games that are enabled month by month. What role do the games / games packages play in the company strategy?
The role content plays is immeasurable. Those who can- not deliver good games should not be active in the mar- ket. The games are of utmost importance as this is what the player spends his or her money on. When the games are presented in a great cabinet, then the chances of success are even higher. Yet no cabinet can be success- ful without good games inside. Our product range is par- ticularly characterised by the quality and variety of games. 16 development teams around the world are continually working on game content so that we can offer the best games. And when the money management is under control, for example with the Elevator, Hopper Scale and Dispenser, then that is optimal.
Your sports betting solutions were shown at the Industry Summit. Why is the Merkur BetBook ‘the ideal sports betting terminals for betting offices’?
optimisations as well. The Industry Summit has shown that especially ladies are attracted by the linear design of the M-BOX. This is further proof for me that our latest cabinet innovations are so much different to what we have seen so far. The test results have proven this!
The cabinet is the German version of the Avantgarde SL and the Aurora that we are selling in the international / British markets. We chose the name M-BOX for the German market as Merkur is the most popular gaming brand here. That explains the letter ‘M’ in the name.
The Industry Summit placed its focus on nature and sustainability. Why?
Right from the start, the underlying idea and premise for the M-BOX development as well as that of the Avantgarde SLT and the Aurora was to create a sustain- able product. This innovative cabinet thus requires less than half electricity that comparable products in the market. Furthermore, the Gauselmann Group is one of the few companies that is certified with the internation- ally valid norm DIN EN ISO 14001:2004 in the fields of development, production and sales. Protecting the envi- ronment is an important part of our company philoso- phy. We are taking on a leading role in the industry by integrating environmental protection in our entrepre- neurial decisions. This guiding principle was therefore the focus for this year’s Industry Summit.
The M-BOX was presented in a very impressive way in a 3D show. How did this idea come about? How was it done?
The Virtual Reality glasses are a fascinating technology that is growing in trend in the gaming industry. The Industry Summit gave us the perfect opportunity pres- ent the many M-BOX features with the same fervour
and conviction as we developed it. Customer feedback confirms that Virtual Reality has enabled us to make the machine technology 1-1 tangible and understandable. We designed a detailed storyboard in advance and the creative implementation was principally carried out by the brand management team of adp Gauselmann GmbH.
Gauselmann is the ‘by far most popular brand’ with ‘Merkur Multi’ in the bar/restaurant segment. Could you explain why?
More and more suppliers are
successful in legal action against the regulations. I can predict that there will a limited number of licensed companies for sports
betting in the foreseeable future – but the number will not be 20.
That is due to the good machines and the fact that the gastronomy (bar/restaurant) sector has always played a major role for us. The industry consists of two segments – bar/restaurant and arcades. Even though the bar/restaurant segment ‘only’ makes a quarter of the complete market – this was the mother of gaming oper- ations. We have always placed a considerable part of our development efforts here as we continually want to play a major role in the bar/restaurant segment. We intuitively know what this segment is looking for. This focused strategy has proven itself successful and enabled us a high market share. We are continually working on new products for this market segment and showed once again at the Industry Summit with the
As sports betting originally stems from ‘bookmaking’, we made use of this and called our solution Merkur BetBook that optically resembles an open book. The two monitors next to each other enable betting sequences to be shown in logical sections. Many things used in daily life are done this way, such as instruments in the car industry or having two screens at one’s work desk. We have created an innovative and new product with the Merkur BetBook that has been automatically accepted by betting customers.
How do you view the further developments in the German sports betting market? How is the Gauselmann Group placed for this?
Given the numerous disappointments in the German sports betting market, I cannot foresee its development any more. More and more suppliers are successful in legal action against the regulations. I can predict that there will a limited number of licensed companies for sports betting in the foreseeable future – but the num- ber will not be 20. We can only show our true strengths when there is a legal platform for the German sports betting market. We cannot be the optimal player in this tolerated grey market that we currently have. We need firm working conditions and calculable competition. All has been in place for years now for this step but unfor- tunately we have been prevented so far.
The Industry Summit has now taken place for the sixth time. Is this event now firmly fixed in the Gauselmann diary for the coming years?
We actually make the decision year-on-year whether to continue or not. But I can reveal to you that the num- ber six is not a good number to stop. The Industry Summit is very popular with our customers as there is only a set number of invitations. If such a platform has been created, then it should be used. That is why we have already pre-booked for next year.
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