ARISTOCRAT INTERVIEW
ARISTOCRAT – LATAM & EMEA
Aristocrat’s Chris Rowe talks to Casino International’s Ricki Chavez-Munoz about the brand’s global unity and reach.
C Chris Rowe
hris Rowe, Aristocrat’s Managing Director of LATAM & EMEA, took over the European Middle East and LATAM markets at the start of the pandemic back in 2020. Ricki Chavez-Munoz, International editor of
Casino International, met Chris Rowe during ICE 2023 in London to find out about the new challenges in his career.
RCM: Hi Chris. I expect ICE London gives you the perfect opportunity to hit the road running in the vast EMEA regions. Do you have a special new strategy to tackle these markets? Chris Rowe: We act globally and think locally, and in each market we listen to our customers and tailor our delivery according to their needs. For example, we launched a selection of For Sale Links targeted at EMEA regions at ICE to address segments growing in popularity there. Operators were thrilled by the innovative content on display, reassured by more of the Premium Licensed concepts and player-favourite core standalone games. As the first public EMEA-wide event in three years, we also took the opportunity to unveil the new identity for Aristocrat Gaming, demonstrating the global unity of the brand.
RCM: Advance Aristocrat information showed special products for the South African Bingo market and the Spanish Arcade market. Are these the most important markets in your EMEA brief? Chris Rowe: Aristocrat Gaming has a strong following in key casino markets across EMEA, with a loyal player base established. Bingo halls in South Africa and gaming salons in Spain are relatively new markets for Aristocrat. We’re enjoying the introduction of some of our greatest games to players in these markets. That’s not to say it’s a simple copy and paste exercise. Every market we engage has its needs listened to and adjustments made to ensure a best fit for the player profile and environment. We consider every market in which we operate as important.
RCM: Aristocrat has brought to London a great collection of industry-leading licensed products and cabinets for ICE 2023, including amongst others, Wild Wild Buffalo™, which won Slot of the Year 2022 at Global Gaming Awards in G2E Las Vegas, and Tarzan® Link™. Considering that there is a good drive on linked games, which of these products has had better response from visitors at the London Show?
Chris Rowe: Our entire ICE collection has been met with a very favourable response. Aristocrat Gaming has earned a valued reputation for the quality, durability and variety of our Premium Licensed game concepts. The nuanced nature of markets across LatAm and EMEA makes it impossible to single out any individual game. Of course, operators watch closely how our latest titles perform in their first market and can feel confident in how their success can translate into other markets. But its our job to listen to customers’ needs and select the best of the best from a wide portfolio to fit each and every one of their venues. Linked games provide a very good opportunity to continue building player loyalty and this is a key segment we will continue to home in on to deliver best results for operators and players.
RCM: ICE London is a favourite show for Latin- American operators to visit. Have any of them shown interest in your brand-new products? Chris Rowe: The beauty of ICE is that it gives us the opportunity to engage with customers who operate outside of EMEA; it’s truly a global show. While our
44 APRIL 2023
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
