Pulse
ONLINE: GERMANY GREENTUBE & STARGAMES
present. With the help of this software we also fulfil the strict regulations imposed by the Interstate Treaty on Gambling. Last, but not least, we have prepared and developed our connection to the German central exclusion database, OASIS, in order to protect vulnerable customers in the best possible way.
The new regulations include a “reality check” functionality, five-seconds spin intervals, cooling-off periods, a monthly deposit limit, stake and time limits as well as a ban on autoplay and progressive jackpots. What impact do these regulations have on the player experience?
Te new regulations are challenging as a whole for players and operators alike. While I fully agree with previously proven responsible gambling measures, such as the regular reality- check functionality, cooling-off periods, or the offering of different limits to control spending, the taxation on stakes, or the ban on autoplay clearly present players with a different experience than the one to which they had become accustomed. We will continue our discussions with authorities and industry participants to create awareness for adaptations to the rules to improve this for players. A taxation scheme that does not penalise the player would be an important first step. Moreover, it would be much better to have state- of-the-art player protection concept and tools, while ensuring high-quality entertainment comes with a built-in safety net, instead of blanket limits across all customers.
Is there a typical German player? What types of games are preferred in the country?
Having a customer relationship management background myself, I don’t like narrow generalisations of the market. Instead I think the market can be segmented into many different groups. For instance, there are those who started gambling in an era where they could only play in pre-Internet, land-based casinos. Surely, this generation has a preference to classic slot machines and nostalgic content. Younger generations, who tried their first games online, might have completely different preferences, such as video slots with higher quality graphics and sounds, as well as more interactive bonus features, lock and spins or the Alternative Ways mechanics.
And then we should not forget that table games, such as blackjack, roulette or baccarat, both in their live and traditional versions, have a huge fan base in Germany. Bearing this in mind, it is a missed opportunity that the Interstate Treaty did not regulate these games on a nationwide level, choosing to leave it in the hands of the federal states. Tis creates segregation and presents a threat whereby fans of table games will play on unregulated sites, putting the channelisation goals set out by the treaty at risk.
P96 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
StarGames was the first brand to offer the original Book of Ra title to online players in the German market. How important will be Book of Ra for the future of StarGames?
Book of Ra is the absolute crown jewel amongst our games. German players associate it with StarGames and vice versa. It is THE title if you want to operate in Germany – no wonder there have been so many copies of it over the years. We feel privileged that StarGames could be the brand which provided the stage for such a blockbuster to return to the fully-regulated German market and I am certain that it will be our most important content piece for many years to come.
StarGames has penned deals with ORYX Gaming and Pragmatic Play, amongst others, to bolster their German market presence. What makes the German market so attractive for online casino suppliers?
Tere are several factors that make Germany so valuable for suppliers, in spite of the new regulations. First of all, their games and content are highly popular among online players as they have been live for a number of years. Players know the big titles very well and seek these on every website they use. Additionally, the sheer size of the country’s 83 million population, as well as its advancement in mobile and Internet technology and the public interest in gambling, makes it a top three market in Europe. Studies have shown that the regulations, despite their challenges, will allow the market to further increase in size over the next five years.
What types of content are you looking for to complement your NOVOLINE and Greentube slot games?
Our preferences here are first and foremost based on the preferences of our players. We survey both our new as well as our returning customer base to understand which games they would like to play on StarGames. On top of this, we always monitor our offering and see which provider’s content fits both the market in terms of regulation and localisation, as well as our expectations when it comes to performance and technical reliability. Our goal at StarGames is not to flood the website with content just for the sake of having a huge library, but rather to carefully select who we partner with, based on the above mentioned criteria.
It is a missed opportunity that the Interstate Treaty did not regulate table games on a nationwide level, choosing to leave it in the hands of the federal states. This creates
segregation and presents a threat whereby fans of table games will play on unregulated sites, putting the channelisation goals set out by the treaty at risk.
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