“We expect to replicate the success of 2012 and to grow in all market segments”

What performance did Casino Systems division of Spielo International have in the company’s major markets last year?
2012 was an excellent year for Spielo International’s Casino Systems division, with an increase insales of the entire range of Galaxis casino management system modules, as well as good performance by the System2go multi-site gaming system solution.

What new countries did Spielo International’s Casino Systems reach in 2012?
The past year heralded a new commitment to Asia. In 2012, we had some large scale systems installations in Korea, the Philippines and Malaysia, equipping as many as 2,000 slot machines at a time. We have also started to see a lot of interest in systems installations from smaller casinos in Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos) as that market is looking for a more flexible, reactive systems provider with a high level of service. This niche is where Spielo International excels.

We also have had new installations in Eastern European countries, the biggest of which was in Bulgaria, where we received the BEGE Casino Management Systems Award recognizing our innovation and originality. In Latin America our systems installations have continued to grow in Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Chile and Colombia.

What are the main features of Spielo International’s Casino Systems solutions?
With Galaxis, Spielo International has one of the widest ranges of market-proven casino management systems installed in 400 casinos in 50 countries. The modules cover all areas of casino operations, to attract and retain players and optimise gaming revenues.There are seven available modules including Galaxis slots, tables, marketing, jackpots, bonusing, analytics and Connect (which includes the network platform and touchscreen player interface). We also offer Galaxis Cashless and Cage & Credit solutions.

With System2go, Spielo International provides a packaged, multi-site management system through the network cloudthat is rapidly installed and easy to use. In addition to automated accounting, it includesa jackpots system with a choice of options for ticketing, card payment, and a player loyalty systemthat can be used on a PC, tablet or smartphone.
I’d like to take this opportunity to talk about an important part of our offering which is often missed: customer services. Within Casino Systems, we believe that service is an essential part of the business, and our Professional Services are here to not only deliver the best solutions to our customers within the required timeframe and budget, but also to provide support and consulting services. We’ll be expanding this consulting activity in 2013: stay tuned for more details.

What type of solutions are operators demanding the most?
It depends on the type of gaming operation and the jurisdiction, so let me answer on a geographical basis. In the mature markets of Europe and South Africa, operators need additional systems that support sophisticated player marketing and loyalty programs. Galaxis Marketing and Bonusing modules, and the tools and applications contained therein, answer this need for casinos. However, all of our Galaxis products are installed in these regions. They are moving (or have already moved)to cashless with one of our Galaxis Cashless solutions.

In Asia and Latin America, casino operatorsare installing Galaxis Cashless in many locations, as well as Galaxis Connect and our Wide Area Progressive system. The Asian market is particularly interested in Galaxis Jackpots mystery and progressives, and Galaxis Tables with the underlying backbone of Galaxis Slots.

Asia, Latin America and some areas of Eastern Europe are very enthusiastic about System2go –a very practical, user-friendly system that’s easy to install and manage through cloud-based computing. With System2go, it’s also so easy to add on additional casino functions in a series of four different packages.

The latest overall market trend is analytics. This word today encompasses so many things: let me explain what it means for us. Our customers have accumulated a treasure trove of data which is ready to be mined. Data comes from the machine meter handling the daily activity (ram clear, meter jump, clearance); player activity (by game, theme, denomination); and a scalable timing (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly). For these analytics to be done properly, two things are needed: accurate data and a simple, intuitive tool to display the data.

This is where Spielo International shines. We partnered with the best data presenter, which is BIS2and their gameViz product. I was very impressed when I first saw how BIS2 presented the data within our product and how intuitive it is to use. Those combinations of these two solutions provide a simple, robust, and pragmatic approach to analytics which truly adds value and benefit to the operator.

How do you see the evolution of these systems? Which market should a supplier of Spielo International’s size target?
The Casino Systems division of Spielo International is in a privileged position. As part of the Lottomatica group, we are one the largest gaming conglomerates in the industry. At the same time we are highly flexible and reactive–we adapt our solutions to the needs of our customers, which few competitors of our size can emulate. Therefore we can truly say that we are unique in the industry in this respect. Casinos and gaming venues are increasingly turning to us for this kind of flexibility, service, and customer proximity whether in Asia, Europe, or Latin America. We are also seeing growing interest from new sectors of land-based gaming operations, including street operators and the AWP market, where we’re already successful in Italy and continuing to grow in Spain.

Last year, you held a Magistral Seminar in Lima with the participation of Orlando Baridon (Sales & Key Account Manager of Casino Systems). What were the results? Do you plan to repeat the experience this 2013?
We held an Open Day in our Latin American Spielo International headquarters to present our entire product portfolio, with an emphasis on System2go, our complete, cloud-based, multi-site solution. All of our Peru customers attended the open day, and we received excellent feedback after the event. It was an outstanding success, and we definitely plan to repeat the customer Open Day in 2013.

We also held an Open Day in Colombia to address the regulation changes in that market. Additionally, we’ve hosted similar events in Europe, and we’re planning more soon in Asia.

What are your goals this year?
2013 will be a challenging year in all industry sectors, but the Casino Systems division is ramping up for one of our busiest years yet in Asia and Latin America. We have simplified the presentation of our Galaxis portfolio and added a new module, Galaxis Analytics, which encompasses a series of analytics tools. We expect to replicate the success of this past year, and to grow in all market segments, enjoying joint achievements with our cabinet, online, and game content colleagues. 2013 will be an exciting year for Casino Systems and we’re expecting it to be the best year yet!