“Inspired is showing a total commitment to the Colombian market at FADJA show”

Inspired feels comfortable with the potential of the market, the regulatory environment and the operators who are already active here. Based on our research of the potential, our tie up with PMV S.A. and Algazara and our knowledge of the market, we feel we have a sound opportunity to be a supplier of choice in Colombia. We will show this during FADJA, and by having a strong management presence we are showing a total commitment to the Colombian market.

We believe that Colombian operators are now ready to take our products – due to the control requirements the Government has set – and FADJA is the perfect launch for us into the country.

Inspired will be launching an exclusive partnership with PMV S.A and its sister company Algazara. Together on stand 21, the companies will be launching a new Inspired class III slots product called Multi Win Mystery HD, on the widescreen Machete cabinet. Multi-Win Mystery has the right price and content for Colombian operators, and it boasts more features than competing products because it is powered by Inspired’s Open Server-Based Gaming CORE platform.

Our SBG machines can support unlimited content from Inspired and third-party developers, so we can always be sure we are providing our customers with the best game mix. The multi game product is remotely updated with new games and is launching with a library of international hit games, such as Inspired’s Treasure Island. The mix of game types on the Multi Win Mystery HD is also hard to beat, as it offers a wide range of slots, casino table games, poker and Latin bingo. We believe that with our extensive ongoing game development and research of the local market, the games we are launching at FADJA will be very attractive to the Colombian market.

Multi Win Mystery HD can be connected with Inspired’s new Dragon Gems mystery progressive jackpot, which increases player excitement and venue popularity. The Dragon Gems jackpot system will also be displayed on Booth 21 and is the first in a collection of themed mystery progressive jackpots Inspired will be launching for Colombian operators.  

We will also be showing our wide range of Virtual Sports, which have been very successful internationally by generating in excess of US$ 7.4 billion of revenue and US$ 1 billion gross win every year. Inspired provides its Virtual Sports products to over 13,000 venues worldwide and has the widest portfolio of sports including football, horse, dogs, motor racing and tennis.

Which trends do you expect to see this year at the show?

I believe three key trends will be very important at this year’s show: Server based gaming, more creative jackpot systems and new content developed specifically for the Colombian market. Inspired has identified all of these as growing in importance in Colombia and we aim to be leading the industry in all of them.

- Server Based Gaming: Slots that are connected to a central server will be the main product development for this year. Server Based Gaming has been known as an exciting technology by Colombian operators, but their interest has now increased because the Colombian market is under pressure to get connected to the Government. This creates an opportunity for the operators to directly jump to Server Based allowing the advantages of control, price and flexibility to be used.

Operators are, for the first time, concerned about dealing with their old equipment, and many will be questioning suppliers at the show about whether they need to start from scratch and how much it will cost. We have all the right answers in our booth about how to integrate SBG without changing the entire venue and how much revenues can be increased with the right system and mix of games.

- Better jackpot systems: Inspired has been busy developing a creative jackpot offering for Colombia, as this was one key thing we identified as lacking in Colombia during our research process. An exciting jackpot system, such as Inspired’s Dragon Gems, will reengage the player base with better prizes and increase venue popularity.

- Colombia-specific games: Investing in a Server-Based system allows a better range of games for players. Not only do the machines become multi-game, but they also allow new games to be launched in venues more frequently. I believe this new flexibility will create more demand from players and operators for content that has specifically been developed for the Colombian market.

It’s expected that the regulators are getting more settled into their new roles as the law which passed last year - forcing all machines to be connected to the government by July 2012 - needs to be enforced. With the new government in place and the scandals subsiding, the government is better able to enforce the situation and allow the industry to grow again, as the regulatory issues have basically created a standstill position of the industry over the last two years. It is an exciting time and we believe that the new situation in the country will lead to growth and create a more diverse industry.

What’s happening in Venezuela and Ecuador is specific to the type of governments they have elected. Colombia has always been far more practical and understands that limiting or killing the industry will not make the industry disappear. As we see countless examples of the industry being driven underground it’s a far worse situation. The gaming in Colombia has a long history and is there to stay, however, it also means that the industry needs to offer value, trust and respect to the players, regulators and their politicians alike.