OPENBOX GAMING
Openbox Gaming’s gateway to Asia
Gaming International Online: Is the Asia/Europe ‘bridge’ the main reason for founding Openbox Gaming? As a new supplier what do you think the benefits are to the industry for such a bridge - and why hasn’t it happened already? Richard Hogg: I think the bridge is our unique selling point. Lots of companies, be they an operator or a supplier, work in Asia. Lots do the same in Europe, but few have the contacts and presence in both. Every industry needs people that can open doors for others. There is now a real appetite for this type of aggregation, so maybe it is just about timing. That and having the right contacts.
Openbox Gaming CEO, Richard Hogg, discusses how the new igaming supplier aims to become the bridge between Asia and Europe by giving operators access to Asia’s most
successful casino games.
GIO: What are the company’s origins - who are the founders, and what is their background? RH: The people behind Openbox Gaming including me as I started my career in the industry in 1999 whilst based in Hong Kong, have been working with an established group that has a very successful business in Asia. They have access to thousands of operators as they have developed a strong reputation for producing highly playable and commercially successful games. Our technology and their experience is a perfect match as we look to take that content to Europe and start to add more European content to those Asian sites.
GIO: What are your plans for expansion internationally, is there a roadmap? RH: We do have a roadmap and are ambitious about the markets we can work in. We are in the process of applying for our Malta licence, where one our offices is based, along with the Isle of Man, but there are other jurisdictions that will follow next year, and in the years to come. Our CFO Archie Watt has a long track record of successfully gaining licences for a number of companies. We are also working on certification for a number of our Asian games, so we find ourselves in an exciting period of growth as a company.
GIO: With providing popular games from Asia to European players, are you looking mostly for Asian players in Europe? RH: I wouldn’t say mostly, but obviously there is a huge Asian diaspora across Europe. Whilst these people might be more familiar at first with some of the games we offer, we are confident that they are strong enough products with universal appeal to attract new players. We will adapt and develop of games for the markets we are moving into.
GIO: I’m assuming that most successful iGaming products in Asia have a higher volatility than you might find in Europe - will they be directly ported
8 DECEMBER 2021 GIO
or will the mathematics be changed for a broader/different appeal? RH: I wouldn’t assume anything. Games come in just as many shapes and sizes in Asia as they do in Europe, if not more, in fact, as many Asian countries have a long tradition of creating their own unique games, many of which are perfect for gambling. You should understand that, whilst players may be want or prefer higher volatility games, operators who control what is on their sites have the overall say. We will get a pretty clear picture pretty early on which ones are popular and which ones aren’t and we may tweak the product portfolio accordingly - but watch this space.
GIO: What are the star performers on Asian gambling sites? RH: Pokdeng is very popular in Thailand. It is a game that combines the characteristics of Blackjack and High Card. There’s also Killer 13 which is a card game that revolves around the three of Spades. It is highly variable and a big hit in Vietnam. Shia Dian Ban is another card game that some people might not have heard of but is highly successful. The player’s goal is to make the sum of the points of the hand as big as possible without exceeding ten and a half points. The game adds unique cards and a
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