Pulse
SBC SUMMIT BARCELONA FIRA BARCELONA MONTJUIC - SEPTEMBER 21-24
SBC Summit Barcelona:
Can slots be to gaming what videos are to Netflix?
Ahead of SBC Summit Barcelona at Fira
Barcelona Montjuïc on September 21-24, Dan Phillips, CEO at NEL Advisory, offers G3 his thoughts on topical subjects set to be debated
Dan previews the panel he will be moderating -Innovation in
Gaming - focusing on the interface between products and users, as well as the digital transformation driven by Covid-19, getting US-ready, and catering to a ‘snacking’ generation of player.
How do you feel about the return of live events?
Prior to Covid-19, I would get to several events a year so when the digital events came in, I found it quite refreshing to jump in and out of sessions without disrupting my day job - going to live events can take a week out of your diary.
Some event organisers have utilised the digital format better than others, and SBC have done especially well in offering the ability to interact with panels and attendees.
However, after 18 months of digital events, it is fair to say most of the industry is a little tired of digital conferences, particularly when it got to the point of there being one a week. One factor I find less fulfilling with the digital format is meeting new people. At a trade show, I would walk across the floor to buy a beer or coffee for someone I wanted to meet. From an advisory and consultancy perspective, a chat room isn’t the best place to build your business.
Looking forward to SBC Summit Barcelona, I imagine it will be well attended and I look forward to getting back, seeing old faces, and meeting new ones.
On Wednesday’s ‘Innovation in Gaming’ track, you will be moderating a panel entitled ‘Finding gaming’s Netflix: is customer-centricity the tipping point into entertainment?’. What are your initial thoughts on how you will approach the topic?
P108 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
Dan Phillips, CEO, NEL Advisory
My background over a 25-year period has established me as a senior figure in the regulated betting and gaming industry for several public and leading companies across the online, retail, and social spaces in both the B2B and B2C worlds. I have held VP, Director and ‘C’ level roles with the likes of Playtech and what is now Entain. I have also worked for, with, advised and market mapped all the major players in the B2B and B2C space. Geo-wise, this has been across the UK, regulated Europe, USA, Canada, LATAM, Africa & Asia.
Currently, I advise global tier one and SME organisations across a range of betting and gaming disciplines including new market entry, operations, technology, regulations, RG, competitor and market analysis, vendor selection, M&A, products, strategy and, more recently, on eSport and Fintech engagements. I also co-host the Big Betting Balagan podcast which covers all the news, hot topics and interviews with the leading lights in the sector.
I’ll be taking a slightly more holistic, helicopter view examining the changing trends in how players are interacting. Netflix has shown the swelling appetite for on-demand activity, and this means the gaming industry must follow suit. From a sports betting perspective, this can be quite difficult as there are limited times when live events are taking place. Whilst a UK operator can show horse racing in Australia, punters aren’t as familiar or interested with the offering as domestic racing.
From a slot’s perspective, play needs to be quick, easy, and engaging. Te cross-over with social elements utilised in mobile gaming has been tried in real money play, but no-one has quite cracked it yet. Te additional community- type activity of chat functionality, sharing games and wins is what the audience of tomorrow will demand.
If the next generation of players are not playing a game, they are watching someone else play on Twitch or similar platforms. Te industry needs to move towards what players want to play and how they play it, rather than dictating terms. Slots studios have some fantastically creative people, but I think they can be a little blinkered in their development.
How can operators shift away from ‘dictating’?
By making sure the UI and UX gets people where they want to be as quickly as possible with a minimal number of clicks. Trough AI, data science and machine learning, operators should understand a consumer the same way Amazon does. After one or two visits, operators should know patterns of deposit, withdrawal, and play, and be ready with more of the same when players return so a fully customised 1-1 experience.
Operators can try and sell a new product, but they shouldn’t make players go hunting for what they want to do because they’ll get bored very quickly. If a mobile puzzle game doesn’t capture the attention in seconds, it is often deleted. Tis mindset needs to come through across the interface and UX right through to game development.
Tere is space for multifaceted slots and
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