“The reaction from our customers at ICE was universal excitement”

What were the highlights presented at ICE show? How was the public feedback?
This was the first time that many operators across the EMEA region have had the opportunity to see Aristocrat’s new range of premium hi-tech Helix cabinets, presented in upright and Super Screen slant formats on our new, advanced Gen8 Platform. This combined with a comprehensive array of over 60 new games for gaming floors in Europe and Africa across clearly-defined player segments of C-Series core games, J-Series jackpot games, E*Series entertainment games and our very strong line-up of
popular licensed and linked centrepieces in our gaming operations portfolio. The reaction from our customers was universal excitement; they arrived at our stand with a ‘must-see Aristocrat’ mind set and left with a clear understanding of our philosophy, future strategy and a shopping basket of our latest core, jackpot, entertainment and top-end licensed games.

What's your opinion on this latest edition of ICE?
From a personal viewpoint, it was by far one of the most polished and professional global business events I’ve attended over the last 20 years. There was very little evidence of the economic turbulence faced by this industry over recent years and a general air of optimism and ebullience was very much apparent.

What are the brand's goals and expectations for 2015? How is the firm planning to achieve them?
Aristocrat has spent the last 18 - 24 months assembling and strengthening the best design and development teams in the global
industry, refining our games portfolios and focusing on our pledge to create the world’s greatest gaming experience, every day. We believe that 2015 is when customers will fully realise the delivery of that promise.

What are the main markets you plan to target this year?
From an EMEA perspective, we aim to reconnect with all customers in every viable market. The strategy is simple: if good business is mutual for both parties and we can provide high quality gaming entertainment for their clientele, then Aristocrat will strive to support any legitimate gaming activity with expediency and professionalism.

How do you see the gaming industry today? What changes would you implement to make this industry more efficient?
In the short term, machine sales are of course paramount for every exponent in the supply side of the industry. What operators are looking for is a partnership approach, whereby we understand their changing needs, both today and tomorrow, and create a sustainable approach to game refreshment, so that players continue to be entertained and are never left side-lined by outdated offerings.

This year's show had several companies participating which have recently gone through mergers, most of them technology companies, changing the world map of the gaming industry with alliances and millionaire acquisitions. What do you think about this phenomenon?
Consolidation and change is a fact of life in any industry. From an Aristocrat perspective, we’re proud that our acquisitions have been complementary, strongly accretive and not built on the expectation of a single dollar of cost synergies. This means we can continue focusing on the design, development and delivery of optimal player experiences and supporting our customers – not on internal issues such as integration and cost-cutting.

Online gaming was another highlight at ICE. What are your expectations for the sector in 2015?
Online Gaming on both sides, the real money-wagering and social gaming, is a very interesting distribution channel for traditional casino gaming providers such as ourselves. While a mature market across Europe, it is starting to gain acceptance and momentum in some other regions across the globe. Aristocrat has been very successful in recent times with
social gaming and we will continue to actively explore other opportunities such as Real Money wagering as these emerge and are regulated in different markets over time.