“The highlight at ICE was the response to Evolution Gaming's new Immersive Lite studio installation"

How was your experience at latest edition of ICE?

ICE 2015 was another big success for our team – probably the best ICE ever in terms of the interest generated by our largest-ever ICE stand and the new business discussions we had with both existing licensees and new prospects. Overall, the feedback we had was very positive indeed.

As always, we set up as many meetings as possible ahead of the show. We had virtually all-key roles present, so we could bring in the relevant people for any given meeting. There are some very real opportunities that we are following up, and we’re confident they will lead to significant new business.

We had a lot of new products and range of enhancements on show, which proved to be a big attraction. The highlight for us, though, was the response to our new Immersive Lite studio installation.

Based on our award-winning Immersive Roulette, Immersive Lite is a new bespoke option that makes an ‘Immersive’ multi-camera set-up available for the first time on Evolution licensees’ dedicated tables. Lite operates on the same principle as Immersive Roulette – players are immersed in the live action through multiple camera views and dynamic close-ups that follow every spin of the wheel and movement of the ball.

ICE was our first opportunity to reveal Immersive Lite to the wider world. We had a live Immersive Lite demo on the stand, streamed from our Riga studios onto one of our big screens. At first glance, some assumed the screen presentation was just a marketing video, and a number of people asked if we had a version on which they could place bets. They were delighted when we told them what they were seeing was a full operational live demo. We were able to say, “Yes, go ahead, play it right now on desktop, tablet and smartphone.” Visitors were very impressed with just how good the playing experience is across all devices.

What are the main challenges to focus on this year?

We have some very exciting plans for 2015. We’re looking to dominate new markets that are currently re-regulating, which will extend our stronghold in Europe. We also plan to expand into new territories.

We will achieve our goals by continuing to deliver the world’s leading Live Casino solutions and by being alive to every opportunity on behalf of our licensees.

By being proactive and ahead of the game in new and re-regulating markets, we will continue to deliver first-to-market advantage to licensees.

We will also continue to innovate and to invest in our customers’ futures. Development of further key products is on-going. We’re confident that the new products coming through will have a considerable wow factor and will continue to position us ahead of our competitors.

How are you planning to expand business?

For licensees in all markets – established, re-regulating and emerging – we are constantly enriching our portfolio of live dealer games and constantly opening up new ways in which these games can drive incremental revenue growth.

We work very closely with licensees as their long-term business partner, which in itself strengthens their businesses and ours.

In terms of potential new markets, that area is also a constant focus. We have a very strong track record of being first to market in re-regulating territories.

We are already in the process of building a new studio in Casino de Spa in Belgium. That will allow to us to continue to deliver the best possible service to existing operators working in the Belgian market, as that market undergoes regulatory change. We will also be working with new A-Licence operators, as we are keen to maximise every opportunity in the new Belgian market. As with Italy, Spain, Denmark and other jurisdictions over the past few years, our aim is to be the go-to provider for every new market.

With that in mind we are monitoring very closely developments in countries such as Portugal, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria and the Netherlands.

Partnerships are not key for us in terms of expansion or in the actual delivery of our service. We are platform neutral, so we are able to integrate our Live Casino into the business of virtually any licensee or, indeed, into virtually any regulator system.

What kind of changes would have to be implemented so that the industry becomes more efficient?

I see the gaming industry today as constantly changing and adapting to developments in three key areas: regulation, technology and player behaviour.

Change in general is advantageous for Evolution. That’s especially true with regard to re-regulating markets, as we are so well versed in the rollout of Live Casino solutions for new markets. We see the opportunities for licensees and deliver the solution ahead of others, which gives our licensees a head start in establishing their brand and winning customers and market share.

I wouldn’t necessarily advocate any changes to make the industry more efficient in general. However, I would encourage land-based casinos to embrace Live Casino as a means of improving their service in a multi-channel world, and as a means of attracting new, younger and different demographics. Traditional and online services are complementary and can work hand-in-hand to deliver major business benefits. We will see that more and more over the next few years.

How important is it to bring about new legislation to gaming? How will this affect revenue and profits?

New regulation is a fact of life in gaming. Major gaming brands accept this because they know they have to exist as part of a regulated, responsible gaming industry.

In some cases, a rise in taxation could well be seen as eating into operator revenues in the short term. We tend to take the longer view, however, and focus on the bigger opportunity. Governments need to take control of their jurisdictions. Operators need to deliver the best possible service to their players within this framework. That’s where Evolution comes in. We have always had a strong focus on regulated markets and, as mentioned earlier, we were first to launch Live Casino solutions under the new regulations now in force in key markets such as Italy, Spain and Denmark.

Getting to market early is important for licensees for all the classic reasons: they can grab market share, establish their brand and get the fastest return on their investment.

In delivering this competitive advantage we work very closely with licensees to maximise their new opportunity. We come up with creative solutions and localisation options that make the most of our licensees’ early advantage by attracting players in the first instance, that they stay for longer, and come back again and again.

And, of course, our Live Casino has the advantage of being a live marketing tool. We can offer multiple levels of flexibility to enable operators to differentiate themselves; we can offer exciting branding opportunities and native speaking dealers that can establish the closest possible rapport with players; we can cross-sell the licensees’ services from other verticals such as sportsbook; and we can tie in fun, creative promotions around key dates in the calendar or big sporting events, such as Champions League games.

It’s a cliché perhaps, but regulation should not be seen as a problem, more as an opportunity.