“Operators are more aware of the excellent performance results our products are demonstrating in the region”

Have you launched new products in ICE?
One of the exclusive products that Konami launched during ICE was the Beat the Field, a 4-level (maxi, mega, major and mini) linked, community style mystery progressive. This horse-themed race gives patrons the feeling of being at a real horse track. Players will enjoy the horse racing theme of the game as well as the community aspect of the game encourages increase play.

Another new product Konami launched was the Pirate’s Jackpot which is a stand-alone, 2-level (maxi and mini) mystery progressive with an additional bonus prize is sure to entertain customers. And we also launched a series of new game themes for our Podium and Advantage 5 platform. Including new Standard games, XtraReward games, KonXion games and Multiple-Lines games.

What do you remark from your participation in London this year?
We were very busy attending our current customers as well as several new customers. It looks like operators are more and more aware of the excellent performance results our products are demonstrating in the region. Additionally to the interest on the games, we had several customers interested in our Casino Management System (KCMS), as it is one of the most innovative in the market.   

How have you seen the event?
It exceeded our expectations, as we had a very continue flow of customers interested in seeing the new products that we were launching for the European market. The key decision-makers of each country were around.

How do you expect the market to develop during 2011? Which is the outlook you could perceive in Earls Court?
Although the economy in Europe is still slow, several of the key operator shared with us their plans to replace products this year. For sure they will do it in a cautious way, as any investment needs to bring good results almost immediately. This is very good news for us, as the current products we introduced in the market last year have continually demonstrated a very strong performance.

In which way will the integration agreement signed last year between WMS Gaming and Konami Gaming be reflected in Latin America?
The major beneficiary of this agreement between Konami and WMS are our customers. With this joint effort, Konami and WMS are simplifying the integration of a Casino Management System and the use of downloadable technology. Customers that are seriously planning to go in this direction in the next few years, for sure will see the benefits of selecting this combined solution including Konami Casino Management System (KCMS) and WMS downloadable servers (Wagenet). In this solution contents Konami and WMS will reside in the same downloadable server, and KCMS will be able to manage it too.

Which are your main projects for the following months?
Konami and its Distributors have two main projects for this year. The first one is to solidify our presence with operators in the countries we entered last year, and a second project is to enter in a few markets in which we do not have presence yet. We are very confident in reaching these targets, as we have an exceptional network of distributors that have been working very diligently on that.