GOODBYE 2017…
AleŠ Gornjec General Manager, Comtrade
What were the biggest occurrences for Comtrade in 2017? One factor that remained consistent throughout this year’s business ventures is that the global market developed along our strengths. Comtrade Gaming passed the year by signing several new partnerships, including projects with Tatts Group, Bet Arena, Synergy Blue and national governments whose business goals and gaming priorities were met through our online and land-based products. 2017 proved to be another year in which
we exceeded forecasts and outperformed expectations. Our new licences with our iCore – The Enterprise Gaming Platform validated that the operator can have it all (CRM, business value and multi-channel campaigns), our gaming systems repeatedly proved to be a go-to solution for regulators and operators and our game framework is now, as always, the foundation of engaging game play. The industry continued to emphasise unifying land-based and online channels, player and operator customisation capabilities and the power of regulation to drive gaming forward. Numerous new licenses and contract wins proved to be synonymous with our expertise in land- based systems and online platforms. This year, we provided new market entrants with the technology to improve their national gaming infrastructure.
What do you think was the most important occurrence for the industry in 2017? It was interesting to see Poland establish a new gambling industry and create a government-based monopoly. The liberalisation of online games now includes all bingo, casino and poker and the initial limit of 60,000 slot machines was lifted. While there are incredibly strict measures against unlicensed operators, the country’s goal is to protect players against excessive gaming and prevent illegal operations. In December, the American Supreme
Court heard arguments to assess the legality of sports betting in New Jersey. While 60% of Americans support the repeal of PAPSA, some states recently approved the expansion of gambling as a financial source to tackling the state budget’s deficit. Despite immediate roll-out is diffiicult, every state would need to pass legislation specifically permitting it. A market tenth of this size would make the
our growth plans and is backed by 25+ years in IT-based experience, knowledge transfer and know-how. As one of the few providers of G2S and
US one of the largest regulated betting markets in the world and it will be interesting to see in what direction the court votes.
What are you most excited about for the industry in 2018? Our focus will always follow legislative activity and the opportunities that arise from regulated markets. As we negotiate on new global entry points, Comtrade Gaming continues to anticipate regulator, operator and vendor needs and we adjust our participation along their priorities. As competition between operators continues
to increase, the capability of their CRM systems will be the differentiating factor on how individual casinos and multi-channel environments influence player lifetime value. Managing meaningful customer acquisition and retention campaigns is simplified with CRM systems since they integrate all customer spending and behavioural data across multiple touchpoints and channels. Industry-leading systems are designed to track events as they happen (ex. hotel room reservation, casino activity) and store new information for customer profiling and awarding opportunities. In order to cater to millennial preferences, an integrated offer has to be at the heart of a casino industry. Omni-channel CRM welcomes any data and events from existing systems and stores them in a central database and built-in data warehouse to be then customized into player-specific loyalty and bonusing campaigns. This enables the operator to determine the true customer life-time value and maximize campaign returns.
What are you most excited about for your own company in 2018? First and foremost, we are looking forward to announcing new business ventures and product developments for both online and land-based gaming markets. Our company structure allows us to be incredibly agile in
S2S technology, Comtrade Gaming is seeing great strides with the standardized communication protocol. With more than 70 countries deploying GSA G2S standards, Comtrade Gaming will work to create benefits for gaming manufacturers, operators and regulators. Countries such as Canada, Poland and Greece have also placed precedence on G2S as a way to shape their national gaming structure. Our G2S system was chosen by Tatts Group, a company with faultless operation under many government and regulatory environments, to serve as a technical addition their monitoring platform in New South Wales, Australia. As major domestic and international vendors continue to support G2S, it provides operators with a greater choice of machines for their venues and full oversight over EGM activity to decrease operational costs and increase venue efficiency. Operators are attracted to G2S for its
ability to enable standardized communication between casino management systems and slot machines. With enhanced and robust data collection features, the G2S solution offers a complete suite of management modules optimised for land-based environments. Vendors with an open and standardised approach will have the advantage over proprietary and closed solutions and operators have placed their preferences on unified communication systems and reduced their dependence on vendors who do not shape product development towards interoperability.
Anything else you’d like to say about the passing of 2017 and 2018’s arrival? Comtrade Gaming anticipates 2018 to be highly focused on managing customer prospects, refining our products and continued investments into strengthening our brand. We expect operators to optimise their digital experience and gain deeper understanding in the ways in which players drive business value. Comtrade Gaming is looking to work intensely with regulators and operators in regards to national priority points and with vendors to curate the modern gaming experience.
98 JANUARY 2018
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