INSIGHT BLOCKCHAIN - BITCOIN - LAND-BASED
with KYC and AML. CAI will conduct exactly the same level of player scrutiny with regards to player cryptocurrency funds.
Casinos Austria International has been on a roller-coaster ride in recent years, but now, with the company posting its best results in over a decade, G3 talks to CEO Christoph Zurucker-Burda, about the present and future developments for the land-based and online business
What is the outlook for CAI?
Casinos Austria International has achieved its best half year results for more than 10 years and we expect 2019, as a whole, to be our best year for more than a decade. Casinos Austria International has rebounded from the crisis period between 2011 and 2013.
We have done our homework, everything is back on track, with each of our operations growing and doing very well. Especially pleasing has been the increase in revenues driven by Germany, Liechtenstein, Belgium and Switzerland. This has been achieved through a combination of factors, not least the reduction of costs, but also the reshaping of our customer offer and updating of our slots provision, which has helped to drive an increase in revenues.
Externally, factors such as legislation driven slot hall closures in Germany over the last two years has driven growth, with revenues increasing by more than 30 per cent during this period. The closure of Casino Campione in 2019 also helped to drive revenues at our Lugano casino in Switzerland.
Is the Group in a position to expand its portfolio?
In 2011, we downsized and sold multiple operations, which helped to normalise our margins. This restructuring programme saw the group as a whole downsize in order to regain profitability, which has meant that we’ve enjoyed stable growth for the last three years and are now ready for new projects.
Sustainable growth is the strategy going forward, with the plan to increase our group by embracing new opportunities in 2020. Currently we have three projects planned over the next 12 months, each building upon established market positions.
In Denmark, we plan to open a second casino in Copenhagen; in Liechtenstein we will also open a second casino and in Switzerland we will launch an online casino operation. Each of these three projects are in the latter stages of development and will be launching in the near future.
Has Casinos Austria International turned a corner?
The root cause of the crisis within the company was that we had invested very significant sums in just a handful of major scale international projects that had an impact on the entire group . Our strategy has veered away from this course, with plans to increase our portfolio with multiple small- scale projects. At the same time, we are also
P74 NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / MARKET DATA
focusing our expansion upon markets in which we have already established a position of strength, expertise and understanding in the market. We appreciate the need to understand completely the legislative environment, the stance of the authorities, the preferences of the customers and the competitive market in which we operate. Examples of this strategy include changes in Germany, where we are seeking to relocate some casinos to capitalise on opportunities in the market. We are planning additional casinos in countries that are performing strongly, such as Copenhagen, a market in which we are market leaders; in Liechtenstein, where our casino is performing very strongly; and potentially expanding our offer in Germany, as the German market continues to strengthen.
Is it true that you are interested in Japan?
Another strategy we seek to follow into 2020 is the appraisal of interesting international projects. We’re not looking to reject projects off-hand, but in seeking to develop large-scale international casino resorts it has to be in cooperation with the right partner. In Japan, we are very confident that we’ve found such a local partner, joining a consortium of Japanese companies in the creation of a European style casino in Japan. This is something very different as a proposition; a European style casino created by Casinos Austria International and Japanese locals - for Japanese locals. It’s also a different approach for Casinos Austria International as we’d enter into this project not as an investor, but purely as an operator.
What is CAI’s near-term and long-term plans?
Our shareholders are very happy with the results and projections for the next five years with continued and new business opportunities for growth. With our existing operations, we need to continue to increase revenues and deliver positive results. I’m personally looking forward to the launch of the aforementioned three projects planned in 2020, with a pipeline for new projects into 2021. We have a very bright outlook ahead.
"I think you have to separate the functionality of bitcoin from the blockchain. While the initial focus will be squarely placed upon cryptocurrency, we are also exploring the use of blockchain in relation to infrastructure and slots," explained Mr. Staudacher.
"Blockchain and bitcoin have immutable properties, which have applications in anti-fraud controls to mitigate risk in many areas within the casino environment.”
Having been a successful developer of casino hardware in the past with the successful product “Shuffle-Star” by CARD, Mr. Zurucker-Burda confirmed that ALEAx nor Casinos Austria International are interested in developing slots or table devices.
However, he does see the group offering cutting edge technology for gaming operators worldwide, establishing B2B solutions that drive forward the land-based sector as a whole.
The goal is to create solutions not just to enhance the operations of Casinos Austria International, but to pioneer tailor-made solutions for the entire international gaming community.
Christoph Zurucker-Burda Chief Executive Officer, Casinos Austria International
The second example of such an innovation is the SMART TITO solution, which has the potential to replace current cashless systems. This product will also be presented on ALEAx booth at ICE London. To learn more - visit the ALEAx AG booth at ICE - stand No. N4-302.
"We conduct the same AML measures with cryptocurrency as we would with cash or credit cards," explained Mr. Zurucker-Burda. "The ALEAx solution is simply a means by which to make the transfer quicker and easier from a provider they know and trust."
The development of ALEAx's bitcoin payment solution is not the end of its blockchain ambitions. Cryptocurrency is the focus at launch, but thereafter the company will explore the use of blockchain across a range of gaming- related applications.
ALEAx has been created to offer the perfect blend of cutting edge- technology and gaming industry specific knowledge and experience. While the focus of ALEAx initial forays into the blockchain will concentrate upon cryptocurrency, Mr. Staudacher is clear that his remit regarding blockchain technology is much wider.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170
