Now in its sixth year and recognising the achievements of operators, suppliers and affiliates from across all the major disciplines. This latest entrant in the CasinoBeats contenders series delves into supplier categories as we look at those vying for the ‘Innovation in Casino Entertainment’ gong.

BetGames.tv

Invention and innovation are pillars in the gaming community and while there is a sameness in operators providing daily lotteries and traditional casino games, the freshness and fluid nature of our marketplace means breaking boundaries.

BetGames.TV provides an enhanced, modernistic vision. The company created a niche market in the dynamic, fluid, rapidly changing world of gaming. We showcase a unique live dealer experience and maintain the industry norm of efficiency, speed and revenue potential.

Betsoft

2019 has been a year of significant success and innovation for Betsoft. This stems from our unique and innovative approach to slot design. Our portfolio of Slots3 games has grown considerably, and our offering now boasts a multitude of best performing games including Spinfinity Man and Viking Voyage.

However, among our most exciting titles is Max Quest: The Wrath of Ra. This game is a departure from the traditional slot model offering players a completely new casino experience and operators a disruptive, highly original, revenue generating vehicle to both acquire and retain customers.

Design Works Gaming

Design Works Gaming has an enviable history of producing slot games for land-based and social casinos. After developing titles for some of the biggest names in land-based casinos, DWG turned its gaze to the social scene with its first social casino, Diamond Sky, which was launched in 2016. We experienced significant success with Diamond Sky, and since have launched a number of social casinos, including two more this calendar year.

Evolution Gaming

Monopoly live from Evolution Gaming — a unique live online game show based on the world’s best-loved board game. It is an all-new special edition of our player-favourite Dream Catcher and created in partnership with Hasbro. It blends live game action with augmented reality, creating an entirely new player experience and has opened up live casino to an entirely new segment of players!

Green Jade Games

Being a new studio, we believe our best chance is innovation. Our vision is to deliver the next generation of casino games. Green Jade Games’ ambition is to develop the next generation casino games, based on an innovative mix of features from slots, computer games and hyper-casual games.

Greentube

Step inside Greentube’s “Home of Games” as we deliver safe and secure casino entertainment to players around the world. As the Novomatic Interactive division, we offer a diversified game portfolio of video slots, table games, AWP reloaded slots, server-based gaming, social casino gaming, video bingo and more.

Our omni-channel technology is at the forefront of gaming innovation and converges online, mobile and land-based gaming. As a full service RNG supplier we offer both customised platform solutions as well as a complete range of operation services.

Iforium

Welcome to Iforium, join us in connecting the game. Founded in 2006 and based in the Isle of Man, Iforium are a leading B2B software development company focused on providing the next generation casino platform.

Gameflex, our multi-award winning casino aggregation platform delivers the largest gaming portfolio in the industry with a focus on the regulated markets. Our portfolio now extends to over 9,000 games from 100+ content providers and is growing month on month.

The Iforium platform is live in 12 regulated markets and we work with multiple household name operators. We are presently licenced and regulated by the UKGC, MGA, ONJN and New Jersey in the US.

Playtech

Unique to Playtech games, game modifiers are “unlockable” special features available within certain games, giving licensees a cost-effective way to boost engagement through tailored, semi-personalised gameplay.

Game modifiers can be activated either manually through Playtech’s IMS or automatically via rules set in the engagement centre, either for individuals or multiple players. As well as creating an enhanced player experience, Game modifiers are designed to offer licensees a fresh alternative to traditional bonusing that does not rely on financial incentives.

By delivering something extra for players with an element of exclusivity, licensees can tackle churn, reward VIPs, promote cross-brand or cross-vertical play and much more.

Pragmatic Play

2019 has seen Pragmatic Play considerably strengthen its position as one of the leading providers of products and services in the igaming industry. Our expanding portfolio of video slots has grown in size and stature to be one of the most immersive offerings the industry has to give.

This has been supplemented by the highly successful launch of our live casino offering, and the roll-out of our pioneering Pragmatic Play Enhance tool. Much of our success has been the result of our unwavering commitment to innovation.

Red Tiger

We believe Red Tiger’s Daily Drop Jackpots Network is the greatest casino innovation for the judging period in question because, for the first time, a slots player can win an average of €56,000 every single day on our games making it the biggest daily jackpot in the industry.

This attractive prize has proved tremendously popular with players and operators alike. Unlike progressive jackpots, our daily drop jackpots are much more attainable for players and our clients have been able to harness this attraction to acquire customers and, most importantly, to retain them.

Scientific Games

Scientific Games understands its customers’ needs and always seeks to innovate to create business solutions to solve their pain points. Introducing Scientific Games’ player boutique, an innovative marketing and gift fulfilment program that is truly unique and enables operators to more seamlessly reward player loyalty, conduct special events, simplify program giving, enhance operations and improve the casino promotional environment.

Tom Horn Gaming

We make sure to create the best-in-class entertainment for those who are brave enough to embark on a thrilling journey to discover many fantastic worlds our video slots offer. 

Our slots always stimulate all your senses. Attractively done visuals with the soundtrack bouncing along, engaging gameplay with a host of amazing features just do the perfect job.

We are always setting ourselves new challenges as a brand in terms of growth, revenues, gaming concepts, innovation, technology. Our rigorous research of new technologies is always translated into our own in-house game development, that always features new game concepts and new technologies to attract new players and provide them with an unforgettable gaming experience.

The post Part 1 | CasinoBeats contenders: Innovation in Casino Entertainment appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Now in its sixth year and recognising the achievements of operators, suppliers and affiliates from across all the major disciplines. This latest entrant in the CasinoBeats contenders series delves into operator categories as we look at those vying for the ‘Innovation in Casino Entertainment’ gong.

LeoVegas

If last year’s success of casino streaming, extra chilli exclusivity and live casino expansion is anything to go by, then this year has been a feast far superior. Simple but smart innovations to the product, a swathe of new exclusives – including our very own LeoVegas Megaways slot – and new markets have certainly made this a year to remember.

Mansion

Putting our customer’s needs and expectations is at the forefront of what we do across all of our brands at Mansion. We focus on delivering exceptional products and service. This year, to maximise player’s enjoyment and casino experience, our flagship brand Casino.com launched the exciting innovative gaming experience, CasinoClub.

CasinoClub, by Captain Up is a brand-new gamification feature adding another dimension to regular casino play. It creates an exciting sense of achievement for players as they complete challenges, level-up and get rewarded for their casino play, as well as introducing them to a wider variety of games.

Videoslots

Videoslots.com is an industry-leading online casino with a comprehensive portfolio of content. It offers more than 3,800 slots and table games from the igaming industry’s leading suppliers, giving them more content than any other online operator. Our aim is to deliver the best possible user experience to players on our proprietary platform, complemented by diverse gamification and social tools. It’s for that reason we offer the personal touch, allowing players to tailor their content to suit their preferences.

Wildz

Wildz in a nutshell: Working with machine learning, giving real-time awards to the games that player actually likes with their average bets, having developed Spinback features which allows us to give extra excitement without competing with the actual games, we can say that our focus is in providing the best possible casino experience by the use of an automated, data driven casino and we use gamification to boost the casino experience by creating features that integrate with the games.

The post Part 2 | CasinoBeats contenders: Innovation in Casino Entertainment appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Speaking as part of ‘The fallout from Sweden’ panel at the SBC Summit Barcelona – Digital, Hoffstedt explained that the newly-imposed deposit limits are having a negative impact upon channelisation, thus driving players towards off-shore, unlicensed casino sites.

The panel, moderated by Jesper Kärrbrink, creative director at Green Jade Games, initially struggled to find some of the positives that have come about as a result of the re-regulation of the market – with the introduction of player protection measures, channelisation and credibility being among the most favoured outcomes.

Discussing the deposit limits, which Kärrbrink aptly described as the ‘elephant in the room’, Hoffstedt pointed out that the Swedish market is tentatively edging towards a channelisation rate which was previously the key driver for its re-regulation in January 2019.

“We shall remember the temporary measures and other issues which are hurting the gambling regulation – which are not from the gambling authority but from the government. They believe that they have reasons to safeguard a number of land-based gambling operators,” he explained.

“We must remember that they still own Svenska Spel, as well as the majority of the seats on the board of ATG. The social democratic party also own their own lottery company. They have reasons to safeguard particular verticals within the gambling industry. With the temporary measures, it’s really interesting that the government advocated for these measures due to a fear that online casino activity would heavily increase due to COVID-19.

“This issue was addressed in Denmark – the Danish regulator looked at the numbers and dismissed them. Sweden implemented the restriction despite what happened, which is that trotting had a large uptick in activity due to sporting restrictions, while online casino activity stood still. Despite this, trotting was not subject to the temporary restrictions, but online casinos were.

“When a digital industry says that you cannot make offers to your customers, it would effectively reduce the competition”

“Of course this will have a negative impact on channelisation. When we measured channelisation earlier this year, it was between 80-85 per cent. When it comes to online casino, this dropped slightly to 75 per cent. Once the limits were introduced, we asked Copenhagen Economics to estimate what channelisation rates will be, and they estimated that future channelisation would reach between 52-63 per cent – which is incredibly close to the reason as to why Sweden re-regulated for the first time.

“We may have to re-regulate the Swedish market once again – and I’m not entirely convinced that the privately-owned businesses will be as enthusiastic as it was a few years ago when the government first asked us to re-regulate.”

Drawing comparisons between the Danish and Swedish market, Morten Ronde, managing director of Nordic Gaming, explained that the defining difference between the two jurisdictions was the laws regarding bonus offers – pointing out that the prohibition of such promotions in Sweden has reduced the competition among operators.

Ronde said: “Not only is the purpose of the Swedish and Danish legislation the same, I’d say the wording of the law is almost identical. I’d guess that 80 per cent of the law is the same – but it’s that final 20 per cent that makes the difference. What you don’t see in the law is the dealings of the local gambling authority. Bonusing is a major difference between the two countries.

“Our industry very much depends on the bonus offers, but it goes beyond that because it’s also sales promotion too. When a digital industry says that you cannot make offers to your customers, it would effectively reduce the competition in the market which is effectively what has been done in Sweden.

“Denmark obviously has strict regulations when it comes to bonus offers, but they are still permitted. The authority in Sweden has created a very non-transparent market because there is no communication for the operator or supplier with the gambling authority – you have to communicate through your representative.

“I’d argue that it’s not even aimed at player protection, it’s just pure politics”

“But in Denmark, every company has two contact persons within the gambling authority, and a lot of issues are cleared out this way. In Sweden, it is decided by these decisions made by the authority that creates a massive liability for suppliers.”

Panellists were in overwhelming agreement that the government-mandated measures would significantly impact on channelisation rates, which could in turn result in a ‘re-regulation of the market’.

Thomas Vermeulen, affiliate and internationalisation manager at Smarkets, asserted his opinion that the limits would not necessarily have a negative impact on the typical player, but would rather have a huge effect upon the high-value customer – subsequently driving them to play via offshore sites.

He explained: “I think the limits will have a negative effect. There was previously a report which showed that the average loss of a Swedish gambler over the year was roughly 5600 SEK, meaning that only a small percentage of the user base is generating a large portion of the revenue while a large majority are playing with significantly lower amounts.

“I don’t think that the smaller players are really affected by the measures, but the bigger value players are still playing, albeit somewhere else. They’re now playing offshore.”

Fintan Costello, managing director at BonusFinder, expressed his complete disregard for the idea that the new measures were introduced to protect players, arguing that the ‘ridiculous’ measures were merely a political decision.

He added: “It’s obvious that it’s a nonsense piece of legislation. It’s clearly a soundbite for a politician to use as part of the next election campaign. The practicalities of this are ridiculous – players can still open up multiple accounts, they can still bet offshore.

“It’s failing in protecting those that it’s aimed at. It’s clearly just politics – I’d argue that it’s not even aimed at player protection, it’s just pure politics.”

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Delivering the opening day-two keynote at the SBC Digital Summit, Jesper Kärrbrink, co-founder and chairman of Green Jade Games, spoke about leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting off the session, Kärrbrink talked about the “C-time” period, yet instead of COVID-19 times he’s labelled it “crazy times” with a situation which could have “come out of a Hollywood movie.”

Kärrbrink went on to ask the question, “Where is this heading?” He said: “I think if we look at this in a broadened setting, we are going from healthcare to wealth care.

“I really want to reach out to all these fantastic doctors, nurses and ambulance drivers etc working around the clock in war-zone conditions to really help with all the sick people, we know they are fighting in ways they haven’t been fighting before.

“Wave two is about saving as many jobs as we possibly can. We see that this crisis will have a huge impact on the world economy hopefully, I doubt it but hopefully, politicians and bankers will work as focused and committed as doctors and nurses.

Kärrbrink went onto claim that the igaming industry had strayed onto the lucky side of the current pandemic due to being a “young industry with young employees” and from his own experience, “very few people in the critical category.”

The chairman of Green Jade also stressed that the sustainability of the industry in these challenging times comes with added responsibility. He stated: “We know there are always people looking at this industry and today is probably the most important time to promote responsible gaming to the top of the agenda.

“We’ve seen what happened in Latvia, temporarily suspending gaming licences. We’ve seen the measures in Belgium and Portugal, last week the Swedish government came out with enforced regulations on deposit levels. This is happening, the more money we are making the easier it will be for them to implement restrictions like this.

“This is a perfect opportunity to put responsible gaming on top of the agenda to show that we care, to show that we take our responsibility and that we, at some point, look back on in a couple of years and see things we missed and what put us in this situation and that is very important.”

Kärrbrink went on to express the “amazing ability” of companies to adapt, with people moving from working in an office to working at home, game release kept on schedule even with people working from home and product development continuing as it previously was.

Yet, Kärrbrink went on to express the struggles industries find themselves in, he said: “The largest challenge in leadership is to always find balance. Balancing between investing and saving, pushing and holding back a bit, driving your workforce very hard and still having them to enjoy their lives and this is a new way of finding balance and the largest challenge is actually managing and leading people. Seeing people without actually seeing them.

Kärrbrink spoke about his personal challenge in adapting the way he worked. From the usual walking around the office and praising people with their work, he now claims praising people directly over phone calls now feels more “intrusive.” Yet he believes communication is imperative in the current climate. He continued: “Communication is key. I think sending emails, texts, WhatsApp etc has exploded.

“I think we need communication like this. Leaders need to stand up and speak to their employees and congratulate them. It’s more important now to over communicate than under communicate.”

Concluding, Kärrbrink believed that the current situation could potentially lead to an new method of working due to increased efficiency in work being produced. He said: “Is this the beginning of a new way of working? Yes I think so.

“Why have expensive offices for 200 people when I know that for most one day or two days working from home will work perfectly? It will increase efficiency, it will improve the work-life balance and we are also given more responsibility to our employees working from home but as a manager you have to give more responsibility. There are studies that show efficiency has peaked dramatically.

“At home you go from breakfast to work, you don’t go to breakfast to commute, to chatting with colleagues, to getting your coffee and then 45 minutes later you actually turn on your computer. It’s breakfast to turn your computer on. We are more efficient.

“I’m not saying we shouldn’t meet or we should close offices but we should find a sounder balance.

“It’s our responsibility as managers and leaders to embrace change, to take the positive parts of this crisis with us in the post crisis era. We need to see how we can improve from this, and the one industry that I can see as doing this is the igaming industry.”

The SBC Digital Summit runs from 27 April to 1 May 2020 and features seven conference tracks, a virtual exhibition and virtual networking lounges, attracting an estimated 10,000 delegates logging in from around the world.

There is still time to register for the event, with company discounts available: https://sbcevents.com/sbc-digital-summit/tickets/

The post Kärrbrink: Now is the most important time to promote responsible gaming appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Set to welcome up to 1,000 delegates to Olympia London on September 17-20, CasinoBeats looks certain to significantly expand on its 2018 debut, and Playson is greatly looking forward to making its first appearance.

Lars Kollind (pictured), business development manager at Playson, said: “This will be our first time at the CasinoBeats Summit, and we are very excited to be a part of the event as
premium sponsor.

“With the number of key companies that attend, we see great value in the summit. Based on the success of last year, CasinoBeats provides the perfect opportunity to further develop our relationships with many of the industry’s leading companies,” continued Kollind.

The move is a natural step for Playson, which has grown rapidly recently with the signing
of a number of key new clients, including LeoVegas, Mr Green, ComeOn! and Relax
Gaming.

Kollind continued: “Playson is becoming a leader in the games supplier space and I see
SBC and CasinoBeats as hosting ‘must attend’ events. We are looking forward to taking
part and catching up with key contacts from across the gaming industry as well, of
course, as establishing important new relationships.”

CasinoBeats will offer visitors four conference tracks and unrivalled networking
opportunities with as many as 200 operators present, along with regulators, leading
suppliers, payment companies and marketers.

Operators attending and speaking at the Summit in 2019 will include Hard Rock, Lottoland, Mansion, Olympic, Paf, Rank, Royal Panda, William Hill and Wishmaker, while a number of leading suppliers are also backing the event, with BetConstruct, Red Tiger and SG Digital joining Playson as sponsors.

In addition, Summit delegates gain access to Betting on Sports Week, which takes place at Olympia at the same time, alongside the PaymentExpert Forum and the Digital Marketing Forum, delivered in conjunction with AffiliateINSIDER.

Stewart Darkin, managing director of CasinoBeats, said: “It is great news that Playson
is supporting the Summit and we are excited to welcome Lars and the Playson team to
Olympia London in September.

“Support for the CasinoBeats Summit from partners that continue to drive the online
gaming sector forward, such as Playson, is one of the reasons the event works so well.”

With two conference rooms of content across two full days, the 2019 CasinoBeats Summit will offer insight from across the online casino community with operators continuing to play a leading role.

The CasinoBeats Summit takes place at Olympia London on September 17-20, alongside  Betting on Sports Week – learn more and buy tickets for the Summit here

To find out more about sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities at the Summit, please
contact sales@sbcgaming.com

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Hammon spoke alongside Alex Cohen, COO and co-founder of Kalamba Games, David Flynn, CEO at Swintt, Ewa Kazmierska, COO at LVBet, James Ford, head of casino at LeoVegas and Kim Larsen, igaming consultant at Agrippa Consulting to discuss the topic of innovation, and the debate as to whether we even need innovation. 

Speaking about the panel session, Hammon pointed out that the most enjoyable element was the topic of discussion itself: “It’s a very hot topic in the industry, and I think we’re suffering from a lot of the problems that were raised in that room. 

“I think that there was a good mix of operator and supplier viewpoints which is really healthy for a common discussion and so I like the dynamic of the operator and supplier input.”

When quizzed about how the CasinoBeats Malta event has helped address the topic of innovation, Hammon commented: “I think that events such as this are very important, and I think that what they do is they encourage discussionary topics which you might already be having behind closed doors, or with colleagues, and so you get a wider perspective. 

“It’s a calibration largely of what the market is feeling, and acts as a temperature check, which I think is super healthy. Events like this offer good networking opportunities, and you get to discuss those with competitors, with operators, fellow suppliers, colleagues and I think that’s a healthy mix. 

“They draw the kind of discussion as to where the market is heading, and so I think that’s a key thing for these events.” 

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Delivering a keynote address on day two of SBC Digital North America, Lycka began by giving a regulatory breakdown of the US and Canadian market, noting that several more states have already joined the “betting club” in 2021 alone.

However, his focus soon turned towards the importance of responsible gambling measures as he highlighted the overwhelming need to introduce “robust consumer protection measures with resolute focus on responsible gambling”.  

He said: “Low and behold, what a seismic shift this has been in just three years. At the same time, as an industry, we have been sketching out a sustainable way forward that will serve us well in the long run. 

“It is becoming ever more evident that the most efficient way of achieving long-term sustainability of the North American sports betting and igaming market is by introducing robust consumer protection measures with resolute focus on responsible gambling.”  

Explaining that there are lessons to be learned from the UK and the wider European market, the SVP warned that states simply cannot “sit on the fence and wait for any storms to blow over” when it comes to problem gambling. 

Instead, he implored the industry to now take the opportunity to “get on the front foot” and take action. He continued: “If there is anything to learn from the UK and the wider European experience, it is that sitting on the fence and waiting for any storms to blow over does not pay off. 

“I strongly believe that the North American industry is best advised to actively engage with responsible gambling matters and tackle them head-on with both enthusiasm and determination. 

“In other words, we might want to get on the front foot right here, right now, in order to prevent the simmering problem gambling concerns from boiling over. 

“Let’s not forget the old sports saying that defences win championships. Shoring up our consumer protection defences will give us an even stronger momentum for further economic development in the North American markets.”

Looking to the future, Lycka explained that the onus to provide help to at-risk customers clearly lies on the betting and gaming industry – highlighting that we must also steer bettors away from the black market.

He challenged the industry to focus on the ways in which the issue of problem gambling can be addressed, noting that we must continuously identify instances which could place gamblers at risk.

Lycka said: “What is the challenger that we’re all up against? It is estimated that overall, approximately five per cent of our customers are at risk of developing a gambling problem. This doesn’t mean that all of them will, especially if we can help it. 

“Clearly, the onus on the industry – being supported by regulators and third party suppliers – is to provide help to at-risk customers. At the same time, we need to cater to the demand of all customers that can, and do, play with us responsibly. We need to do that with the view of steering them away from the black market. 

“Here is our challenge: can we have an attractive product offering while protecting our customers from the scourge of gambling addiction? The answer, I believe, is a resounding yes. Yes we can, and yes we must.

“Exactly because the answer is a resounding yes, now is a high time that we focus not only on continuous identification of the problem that we’re facing, which itself is very important, but crucially and critically also on how it can be solved.”

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“Over the COVID pandemic if we look at what has happened in regulated markets in Europe we have seen regulators take steps to curb online gaming. This is the case even in jurisdictions that have set the bar high in terms of player protection and once again our industry is in the spotlight for negative reasons,” it was asserted. 

Taking part in a ‘Reputation Management for the igaming Sector’ panel, Scott Longley, CEO of Clear Concise Media, moved the conversation along to assess the questions that the title poses: “The debate in the UK has worsened over the years. We have had a debate within the public about the proliferation of gambling and online gambling and the extent to which that may or may not have induced a certain amount of gambling harms. 

“The issue now is that the gambling industry, and the online industry, finds itself to be friendless when it comes to politicians and legislature. There has been a tide of anti-gambling rhetoric and measures that has been introduced which has made it a very negative environment for operators.

“It has to be said that at the moment the industry is losing the battle. It looks like we will have further harsher measures introduced likely sooner rather than later. What that suggests is that the pendulum swing will be replicated around Europe in a negative way for gambling.”

These thoughts were echoed by Russel Mifsud, director and gaming Lead, KPMG Malta who added: “Bad news tends to move faster and it only takes one operator to fall foul of regulators to dampen the industry as a whole. 

“We are essentially dealing with an industry that is considered taboo and that is something difficult to change. As we’ve seen in jurisdictions, coupled with COVID, restrictions were always going to get tighter.

“The industry has always approached things in an isolated way, but it’s time where operators come together. You can never change the entire industry, but if you’re able to combine the forward looking visions then that will start to crowd out some of the cowboys.”

Joining Longley and Mifsud on the Gaming Malta-sponsored panel, which forms part of the Working in Malta track at the event, was James Scicluna, partner at WH Partners and Gaming Consultant. 

Discussing the impact of the UK on the rest of Europe, Scicluna commented: “What we see in Europe to a large extent is differing approaches. It is true that the UK plays an important role in the sense that others look to the UK in terms of policy making and legislating. 

“What has happened in the UK is that this has become a public health issue. To what extent will that be followed across Europe? Well you have Sweden which has gone that way and it’s not unreasonable to think that certain other jurisdictions might follow it through, maybe not to the same extent, but gambling as a health issue has come to the forefront of the regulator mindset.”

Industry veteran George Debrincat looked to the past in search of an answer for the industry’s future. He called back to his personal experiences, concluding: “Gaming already had a bad reputation as an industry and it goes back to the land-based and to casino times. I remember when I first joined, the reaction of my friends was ‘oh god, you are going into gaming’, so it was already taboo at that time. 

“We’ve managed to survive through all the ups and downs and we’ve created a reputation for ourselves and I think it’s a positive one. I think basically we have to look over the years. The industry has been fragmented and everyone has gone on their own. I think we need to discipline ourselves as an industry, gather around a table and try to hammer out something for the industry to present it better in negotiations with the regulatory bodies.”

CasinoBeats Malta Digital, delivered in association with Gaming Malta, takes place from 30 June to 2 July 2020 and features 40 virtual exhibitors, numerous networking opportunities, 130 leading speakers, and countless business opportunities for 3,000 senior decision-makers from operators, suppliers, affiliates and other industry stakeholders.

Alongside the exhibition, networking and conference, all delegates also gain access to the full range of entertainment on offer, including free-play slots, daily competitions and a selection of prizes such as iPads and cash.

Find full details of CasinoBeats Malta Digital, including information about how to register and the discounts available on company group passes, at the event’s official website: https://sbcevents.com/casinobeats-malta-digital/

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Moderated by Vixio’s head of global research Andrew Gellatly, a panel titled ‘Lottery in Society – Post-Corona positioning’ saw three lottery industry executives join day three of SBC’s Digital Summit to discuss the impact of COVID-19 and the complications surrounding the impending return to normal operations. 

Providing a somewhat positive view on the virus and the changes it has brought, Marko Stokuca, deputy director of the gaming and game development division at Hrvastska Lutrija, commented: “We in Croatia could say that corona gave us some answers especially regarding the potential of sports and games. 

“Online casino is the main online game in Croatia so we’ve focused on that and tried to maximise online channels and awareness. With lottery games we had a promotion for new registered players who got a welcome bonus for Euro Jackpot resulting in us registering seven times more new players than before. 

“We also decided to push esports as much as possible but we found out that the potential of esports in our market is not good so we can conclude that at the moment in the Croatian market esports is not the substitute for the real thing.” 

Danske Spil’s sportsbook director Jens Nielsen offered a contrasting view of the genre, providing the panel with a Danish update that centred on significantly expanded esports usership. 

“Before COVID-19 esports was already a popular and growing sport in our sportsbook,” he said.  “Every year since we launched in 2014 it has at least doubled in turnover and during the last few weeks it has grown tremendously. Esports has become more and more popular and since COVID it has been stronger and become more popular. 

“Proportionally esports constitutes for much more activity than normal and measuring it we can see its growth in the last few months. We are of course running less sales but we have seen more people are trying it out.”

Nielsen was also able to share his differing experiences, when compared to his fellow panelists, regarding Danske Spil’s operations during COVID due to a majority of shops remaining open. He continued: “Contrary to other countries most of our shops are open because they are located within essential services such as supermarkets. With this being said activity is quite low because normal sports are missing. 

“Of course our shops follow normal rules and recommendations that we see in society now, we have touch screens and we have done everything we can to sanitise and ensure materials are close to the screen for customer use. Clients are now also able to place their bet using a mobile phone as to not use touch screens and we’ve seen a growth in this niche. 

“Society has been shut down and we’re in a phase of slowly reopening which I’m sure is much more complicated. Relating to sports betting most of our shops have been open, however the whole foundation of our business is at a very low level. We look forward to reopening fully, we’ll see when that happens but I’m sure we’ll be ready.” 

Providing a similar positive outlook regarding life post-COVID, Thanos Rigas, trading director at OPAP, spoke hopefully regarding the future and shared some of his industry expectations following the eradication of the virus: “This is a new reality. It is a new world out there because of COVID but we have taken the necessary measures to plan and make sure that customers feel welcome again in our shops. 

“Social distancing is fact, it is there. There are specific amounts of people allowed per square metre for example and we are adjusting to that. It is something new but I don’t think it will change our OPAP shops. I think it will continue to be something very social but what is going to be the new reality remains to be seen. We have planned well but real life will show us the way.

“We’re still going to be offering table-tennis, it’s not something new. In 2004/2005 it was the highest turnover sport per minute. We know this and will keep offering it but we’re going to see a lot more coming from all providers. 

“I expect habits to change. I expect more digital and more contactless transactions. There will be a new society but when it comes down to sports, social games like poker, I think we will see growth. 

“We are in front of an unprecedented situation, but we’re in this together and i’m sure that we can forge a better future in the times to come. I’m fairly confident that despite the hard times we will face, the future will be brighter.”

The SBC Digital Summit runs from 27 April to 1 May 2020 and features seven conference tracks, a virtual exhibition and virtual networking lounges, attracting an estimated 10,000 delegates logging in from around the world.

There is still time to register for the event, with company discounts available: https://sbcevents.com/sbc-digital-summit/tickets/.

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CasinoBeats: Why did you sponsor and what are you hoping to achieve?

Alex Cohen: “As CasinoBeats brings together a wide range of industry leaders from tier-one operators to disruptive suppliers, it’s a great opportunity to form valuable relationships that will serve us well as we embark on a new era at Kalamba.

“We attended CasinoBeats Malta earlier this year, which proved to be an extremely insightful and successful event, and so sponsoring the London summit was a natural step. The content agenda never disappoints and will without a doubt leave delegates full of inspiration and new ideas.”

What are you looking forward to at the show?

AC: “Engaging in thought provoking conversations and making new connections. Now is a testing yet exciting time for the industry – a mood which will likely be reflected in lively panel discussions and an energetic exhibition floor.

“It’s always a pleasure to catch up with our existing partners, and we’re looking forward to meeting with key stakeholders to discuss what’s in store for Kalamba and how our products can transform operators’ online offering.”

What can we expect from Kalamba over the next year?

AC: “The last few months have been an exciting time for Kalamba Games, with the unveiling of our new branding and the releases of top-performing new titles that are demonstrating the talent we have in the company.

“We’re focused on taking that momentum into 2020 and continuing to push the boundaries of innovation in game development.”

“Operators have an absolute goldmine of data – But could they be using it more effectively?”

Tell us about the panel you’re speaking on and why you chose to join it?

AC: “The panel looks at the role operators should play in product innovation. Operators have at their fingertips an absolute goldmine of data when it comes to game performance, player trends and customer preferences. But could they be using it more effectively to help guide suppliers in creating tailored content? It’s an interesting question, and I’m looking forward to unpacking arguments for and against.

“We believe that getting to know the player and understanding different play styles is
key to creating games that appeal across a range of demographics. Suppliers should be seeking player-led innovation and having access to data and insight to inform game development – particularly in the age of localisation – is more important than ever. We’ll also be debating the value of streamers – which are playing an increasingly bigger role sat between the supplier, operator and player.

“As a controversial new way to market content, it’ll make for an interesting conversation.”

The CasinoBeats Summit and Betting on Sports, incorporating the Safer GamblingForum, take place at Olympia London on September 17-20 – learn more and buy tickets for the CasinoBeats Summit here.

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