INTERBLOCK AT G2E AND BEYOND


product road map and in the gaming industry, due to the certifi cation requirements and approvals, it can take upwards of two years for products to reach the market in any kind of quantity. We’re now seeing that effort begin to roll out, mainly in the US presently. But that’s only because the rest of the world has been somewhat more conservative in their re-openings and ability to allow players to enter gaming facilities in a meaningful way. So as a result, North America has been the showcase for that innovation and technology and the numbers are speaking volumes to the operators. The numbers are also a result of simple


player appetite. The player acceptance of ETGs has risen; during COVID the closing of live tables really forced an industry to try new forms of technology and new products, so we think that’s also a factor as to why our product has grown so quickly. Players tried it, and though live table games opened back up as COVID started to even out and the market started to rejuvenate, players stayed at ETGs and didn’t go back to live tables. They found something they liked, and we know the operators liked the profi tability and reduced operating expenses, so I think that along with some other factors has resulted in this extraordinary growth on the Las Vegas Strip. Elsewhere we have also had great growth, well into double digits and climbing.


CI: Could that be explained by greater early success in other part of North America, and Nevada’s understandably stringent regulatory regime? JC: The approval process in Nevada is one of the more intensive in North America and I think as a result it’s resulted in the products perhaps being approved 6-12 months later than in other markets. So we’re seeing that momentum now in Las Vegas and Nevada in 2021.


CI: Are there substantial Stadium installations on The Strip, like the amazing installation at Foxwoods? JC: There are, and when people visit Las Vegas they will see that we are approaching 20


Planet Hollywood, Pulse Arena


Stadium installations on the Strip and Downtown alone of various sizes and technology, from Pulse Arena to a more traditional Stadium environment. The size of the Stadium in a smaller venue can be from 16 seats to over 40 seats, not including standalone units on casino fl oors. We’re seeing a tremendous increase in player acceptance and operator demand for all types of distribution methods and forms of electronic table games.


CI: Are these installations across multiple operators? JC: I’ll just say that I believe with many of the major operators we now have exclusivity in all of their properties for Stadiums and we see that trend evolving by the week. For those people lucky enough to be coming


to G2E Las Vegas, we would encourage you to walk several properties and look for what’s new and innovative since 2019. I think one of the striking things visitors to Vegas will take away this year is that proliferation of ETGs as a segment.


I’m struggling to think of a major North American operator we’ve not done a deal with in the past 12-24 months.


CI: What are the main benefi ts of an Interblock installation with your new approach and technology? JC: Due to our technology and the evolution of ETGs, operators are now, on a large scale in North America, beginning to yield up their live traditional table game play to $25 or higher. Due to labour costs and the direct and indirect costs of live table games, it’s diffi cult to make a profi t on a $5-$10 table game of any type. We, however, are seeing a trend like never before, to yield up traditional live table game play and to push not only existing players, but high new-carded play, to electronic forms of table games. The reason for this is, thanks to technology and player acceptance, we are able to drive more handle, a higher hold or house advantage at reduced expense – it just makes business sense. I think the reason we haven’t seen this


historically are numerous. At Interblock our job was to create a platform and various product lines that made that operator decision easier, and to have those products perform at a level that made them willing to take those steps. Fast forward to 2021 and we think we’ve achieved those target metrics and as a result the operators are taking those steps forward, to utilise technology in this segment to drive higher profi tability and attract new players while still servicing existing players. It’s so exciting to see the industry heading


this way. The gaming industry is no exception to wanting to fi nd or utilise technology to drive higher margins and profi tability to their shareholders while creating a user-friendly environment.


OCTOBER 2021 33


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