Smaller retailers have told us that they feel that PlaySpot is applicable to their multi-venue business, as it allows connectivity and recognition of their players, whichever venue they visit - utilsing the continuity of the payment wallet
to play slots and table games for real money and place sports bets via the branded mobile App. Te technology integrates with a casino’s back office and management systems and features comprehensive reporting tools. IGT is already working with regulators in a number of countries around the world to approve PlaySpot for those markets. Te roll-out is tricky, as the on-premise solution is bespoke to each customer, meaning that approval is needed via the customer, as opposed to blanket approval of the standalone product.
“We are currently working with a number of operators in various jurisdictions in both EMEA and Asia/Pacific markets and we hope to enter Latin America this year,” says Mr. Bugno. “We have contracts locked away with customer waiting for regulator approvals, but a lot of work needs to be conducted behind the scenes with regulators when you’re dealing with new technology. At a show like ICE, there’s lots of amazing new technology, but how much is operational from day one?”
international markets, especially in Asia and Australia. EMEA continues to be stable, but there is now a large volume of new product hitting the casino sector with competition at an all-time high. Te result is an uptick in the purchase of gaming machines across the EMEA where operators prefer to own their machines as opposed to favouring a participation model. Latin America has seen a consolidation of operators, but we are excited by the changes taking place in Argentina, which sees the renewal of seven licences, which must refresh their properties as per their licensing conditions,” states Mr. Bugno.
MOVING THE GOALPOSTS As a successful operator in Italy, and with rivals
moving into the territory, it was obvious at an ICE show filled with sports-betting providers to ask Mr. Bugno if IGT had designs on returning to this segment. Having been a major player in the B2B sports-betting sector in the past, Mr. Bugno again referenced his theme of change in his answer. “As a supplier, we are focused on
remaining in the sports-betting space, but we are taking a deep breath in determining our course of action, since this is another market that has undergone significant change” describes Mr. Bugno.
“As a former platform provider to the major operators, those same operators now have their own platforms, and so our point of entry is now completely different. Te requirement to focus on mobile is very important and we have a solution through our PlaySpot product that perfectly addresses the potential we see going forward,” states Mr. Bugno. “So the short answer is yes, sports-betting remains an important segment of the market, one in which, when the right opportunity arises, we won’t shy away from. However, we are taking the time to consider the best approach, as the traditional way is not the right route in today’s market.”
One technology that IGT is backing for both now and in the future is PlaySpot, whereby visitors to land-based casinos can use their mobile device
PlaySpot is definitely a part of IGT’s future. Originally, the mobile solution was conceived as a solution for large casino operators, but IGT has since revised its view as SME retailers have expressed their interest in PlaySpot. “Smaller retailers have told us that they feel that PlaySpot is applicable to their multi-venue business, as it allows connectivity and recognition of their players, whichever venue they visit,” explains Mr. Bugno.
“Utilsing the continuity of the payment wallet, customers can all pay and play in whichever venue they choose and as we add to the functionality of PlaySpot, to include more and more types of games, customer demand is growing rapidly.”
IGT first deployed PlaySpot with its sports betting offering, but the technology can accommodate many other forms of play including baccarat, black jack, roulette and slots, with fully featured marketing and loyalty solutions, plus a wallet and Cardless Connect. With PlaySpot, the customer interfaces with just a single app on their mobile device. It’s a solution that brings together all the changing elements in the gaming space that Mr. Bugno has described and neatly packages them into an intuitive App for players and operators to control the gaming experience. PlaySpot could just be the answer to all these tricky questions.
NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / MARKET DATA P71
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