“The challenge of the casino industry will be to continue being attractive in an increasingly interactive world”

2014-12-12

Reading time 1:37 min

(Brazil, exclusive Yogonet.com).- With the conclusion of this year, Yogonet asked Rafael Lisboa, Copag International Key Account, to sit down and review the positive and negative points of 2014, both for the company and for the industry in general. Selling directly has been one of the strategies adopted for the card manufacturer to adjust costs and focus on the customer.

What are the main challenges that the Latin American gaming industry has faced in 2014? What is your vision as a manufacturer? What have the main regional operators told you?

I think that the Latin American market is still suffering from the European and US crisis. That's why nowadays the cost of the products has a big impact on the results of the company. Surely, this will continue being one of the main issues for the customers and for us, too.

For that reason, Copag continues looking for alternatives for customer support to have the best cards, at the best price. The latest strategy was to start selling our most famous 100% PVC plastic cards directly to the customer.

What have been the main technological advances within Copag's core business?

There are many technological improvements that Copag have developed from its offices in Manaus and Sao Pablo. We are now focused on new technologies, such as the use of virtual reality, among others. These technologies are already seen in our online products commercialized worldwide. However, when we speak about casinos, I should say that the most advanced technology remains under-utilized.

With regard to casino cards, Copag has a continuous commitment to quality and security with its customers. That's why we create top-quality products with the state-of-the-art technology. For example, we are pioneers in the manufacturing of cards with RFID (Radio-Frequency IDentification) Technology. And we keep on developing the card market with UV technology, barcode, Qrcode, among others.

What are your plans for 2015? What will be the main challenges for you as a company and for the industry in general?

We will proceed with our strategy to be the best card manufacturer worldwide. We will remain customer-centered, now selling directly. We expect to continuing working with maximum efficiency to attend to our most demanding customers worldwide.

The challenge of the casino industry will be to remain attractive in an increasingly interactive world, and, over time, it will be more and more important to seek of new customers among the younger generations. That's why I think that, in the short term, investments will need to be renewed.