SCIENTIFIC GAMES STATESIDE
CI: What is the feedback you have received from casino operators and players in SA? WA: What the pandemic has shown us is that operators are looking for strong partnerships with suppliers that focus on growing their business and moving them forwards in challenging economic times. Now more than ever, operators want products that are reliable and robust, as their players won’t accept anything less. It is and will continue to be, our job to offer the support and product mix that strengthens revenues for our partners. Operators have been positive about the support offered
by SG throughout the pandemic. We have maintained strong engagement through the most difficult times for businesses and focused our efforts on driving recovery for our partners. As a company we made sure that our commercial terms were flexible, to allow operators to maximize profits, and enable them to set up for what will hopefully be a fully functioning market in 2022. We’ve also received positive feedback on our market- leading content which delivers both performance and profits for the operator. We have tried and tested products that players know and love and keep returning to, including the popular Duo Fu Duo Cai™ and Jin Ji Bao Xi™. By offering a reliable product set and strong brands, with games like Money Link, Jinse Duo, and Lock It Link, we can help to be a driving success in this recovery process. We offer a sense of familiarity to returning players thanks to these fantastic titles, but also extend to a wider player base due to our product differentiation through the introduction of new titles.
CI: Tell us about SG’s plan so far for SA and what does it involve in the future? WA: We have a long and rich history in the South African market that we continue to build upon. We are here to stay and remain committed to innovating and playing a big part in the future of gaming in the South African market. We will continue to offer our successful robust and reliable product base, that not only delivers performance, but brings efficiencies and economies of scale to our partners. We are able to do this with our end-to-end solutions across slots, table gaming, utilities and a unique bingo offering. We know that evolving our offering is just as important
in remaining competitive and that providing something new to players is also key to success. We’ve got a great road map of games and products coming out in the South African market. For instance, we recently launched Kraken Unleashed an exciting title that is showing strong performance. In addition, we’re building on our vast library of top performing table games, including Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em and House Money. Finally, we’re delighted that our new title, Free Bet Blackjack Push 22, will be hitting casino floors in South Africa soon. We are excited about the new product sets that will be launched in 2022, we look forward to sharing more!
CI: Gambling in Africa is predicted to grow massively over the coming years, mainly online - do you foresee this growth having a positive impact on traditional slot-based gaming? Do you foresee traditional slots evolving to embrace online gaming preferences?
WA: The South African market is an exciting place to be right now, there continues to be positive growth in the gaming industry. Once online gambling is legalised, SG will be in a strong position to offer games online that will be familiar to players from the land-based slot market. These games have strong player loyalty and familiarity, which will transfer into the online world and vice versa.
CI: Africa is obviously a huge continent – what are your plans outside of South Africa? It’s a mature market compared to most of the rest of the country, so how will this influence your approach elsewhere? WA: As well as South Africa, we continue to thrive across 22 countries within Sub- Saharan Africa, including Senegal, Tanzania, Mauritius and the Ivory Coast. The product set in South Africa is also available in these other markets – from EGMs through to Slot Systems. Our goal is to be focused on the whole region, so we will continue to work closely with our customers to offer bespoke support across the continent.
CI: Given the size of Africa, will SG be setting up any regional offices to support customers? WA: We are working hard to introduce our product portfolio to the market, and it is exciting to see those products launch on the casino fl oors. We’re completely committed to the South African market and already have people on the ground supporting this strategy in Johannesburg. As the market develops and our share grows, we look forward to expanding our footprint on the ground with further regional support to partners.
CI: Africa has an advanced mobile network, far ahead of any kind of wired broadband unlike most other markets. Does this infrastructure and its implied user base mean that iGaming takes on greater significance for SG in Africa? How do you plan to approach this? WA: South Africa has huge potential for an iGaming market. We’re really looking forward to seeing how this part of the market launches and develops. As a content-led business, we are in a strong position to support our partners once online gambling is legalised.
FEBRUARY 2022 31
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