because we understand both environments. Luxembourg gave us an opportunity to bring many parts of the group
together in one real market. We have lottery, sports betting, games, server-based technology, terminals, cash handling and even elements such as the physical fit-out coming from within the group. With registered play, a customer can use a wallet, scan a QR code, transfer funds to a machine, play and return the money to the wallet afterwards. For me, that's where omnichannel stops being a presentation slide and becomes something real.
What makes that different from the way omnichannel is often dis- cussed? Everybody talks about omnichannel, but where is the real application in a real market? Luxembourg is a compact market where we can develop these functionalities and understand how they work commercially and operationally. Our activities in the region are conducted under the Luxembourg lottery licence, under which we operate around 600 VLT and sports betting terminals. We have also developed the Lucky Bar concept, combining gaming and sports betting (under the lottery licence) with a social environment, which we operate as a retail concept. Te next stage is taking those learnings into a casino environment
and connecting that with an online casino we operate. Ten you have a full 360-degree B2C application. Ultimately, elements of that can become B2B products as well.
Tat project seems remarkably similar philosophically to your story about entering the UK decades earlier: the technology exists, but you have to find the environment where its advantages become meaningful. It is similar. With the UK product, people initially didn't believe in it because it was expensive and unfamiliar. I said: give it time. With server-based technology, we had similar experiences. We de-
veloped systems for years and sometimes deployed them in markets where there wasn't enough commercial advantage over the existing products. Te technology worked, but that didn't automatically mean the business model worked. Ten Luxembourg came along and suddenly there was a tender that required sports betting, games, lottery integration, online capability and terminals. Now all the pieces had a reason to exist together. Tat's the difference. Technology for the sake of technology isn't enough. You need the problem that makes the solution valuable.
Why has problem solving been such a focus of your career – and do you recognise that attribute? I think what I see are changes coming from outside the industry, inno- vations happening elsewhere or opportunities emerging in another market, and then I ask how they can be applied. You have to think outside the box and try things. But you also need somewhere to test them. Ideally, you have a friendly customer or your own operating
environment because you need that feedback. Otherwise you don't know what is still missing. Ten you need the short loop back into R&D so you can iterate until you have something that can actually be commercialised.
One example is the premium gaming chair that emerged from something you observed in Macau? Yes. I was visiting a casino in Macau and was shown a high-limit area and an ultra-VIP area. Tey had spent enormous amounts on the dec- oration and there was lots of space between machines, giving players privacy. But I looked at the actual gaming experience and the product was basically the same. Te player was still sitting at a conventional machine. I asked the person running the VIP area: if you had one wish for
manufacturers, what would you change? Te discussion eventually became: why can't this feel like sitting in a private jet? Te player
For a long time I have believed land-based and online are ultimately one ecosystem. The difficulty is that regulation doesn't necessarily see it that way. Land-based gaming has historically been extremely localised and heavily restricted, while online originally developed with far fewer restrictions. Now the two are converging.
should be as comfortable as possible. Tey should have their own settings. You don't necessarily need the traditional metal box; you need the screen and an interface to play the game. We developed the idea, tested it in our own operations and it became a very successful product. Tat's how these things often happen. You observe something, identify what is missing and ask whether there is another way to do it.
You are now applying that same thinking in the opposite direction by bringing online-native games into land-based environments. For a long time, convergence was viewed mainly as taking successful land-based games and putting them online. Tat obviously works.
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