“We have all it takes to bring our international experience onto the North American casino floor”

Tell us about the products you brought to G2E Las Vegas this year.

NOVOMATIC Americas has grown substantially over the last year. As such, the North America section of our booth was very strong at G2E 2016, showcasing a wide range of new products. Of particular interest was Tales of Darkness™, which comes with four hypnotic themes and has generated a lot of interest among both industry professionals and players. Also, very important was the showcase of the World Championship of Slots™ - a brand new and exciting concept that allows players throughout the U.S. not only to win large jackpot prizes but also get the chance to go on national television. The TV game show is scheduled to air for the first time in January next year.

G2E also saw the introduction of new content for our DOMINATOR® Curve and V.I.P. Lounge™ cabinets. On the international part of the booth, NOVOMATIC showcased our famous V.I.P. range of products. The NOVOSTAR® V.I.P. III and NOVOSTAR® V.I.P. Royal cabinets made their debut in Las Vegas and based on the feedback we got from visitors to the show, we expect them to be a big smash in the U.S. Another novelty was the GAMINATOR® Scorpion, which is already gaining a lot of attention in the international market.

Greentube, part of NOVOMATIC Interactive, had a dedicated section at the booth to present a comprehensive range of omni-channel gaming solutions, along with Greentube Pro - our social casino platform that launched this time last year with Foxwoods Resorts. At the moment, we're building on that partnership to bring more NOVOMATIC content and functionalities onto the platform. We’re also in talks with several other operators to implement our social solution - and you will hear more about that very soon. At our G2E booth this year, attendees also had the chance to see first-hand our omni-channel sports betting and lottery solutions.

Last but not least, there were our bingo games from the newly-acquired Otium company, which is based in Barcelona. Bingo is something we're looking to exploit in the near future. We expect the new bingo machines to have an instant impact on the Mexican market.

One of the problems for operators nowadays is how to get Millennials to spend more time on the casino floor. Even though gambling giants have upgraded visual displays, introducing plasma screens and themed cabinets based on T.V. shows and films in an effort to attract younger demographic, technology has remained much the same. What are the key points the industry is missing in its attempt to adapt to a new demographic?

Technological innovation is abundant in the gaming industry. Innovation in terms of screens and cabinet styles, and it's proven to work! If you put any of these machines on the casino floor, people will undoubtedly go and play. Of course, it depends on the market. In the U.S., for instance, Intellectual Property (IP) games are an important attractor for players. You can see gaming manufacturers launching licensed slot games one after another. Being a fairly new player in the U.S. market, we are adapting to meet local needs.

What is the current status of the Ainsworth deal?

We're in the process of acquiring a 53% majority stake in Ainsworth Game Technology.

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The transaction is expected to be completed in the course of 2017

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Once we finish the purchase, this will give us a foot in the door in the U.S. as well as in Latin America, Australia and New Zealand. The deal will result in numerous synergies ranging from geographic profile to research and development across land-based, online, mobile and social gaming products.

How do you see the development of non-gaming VS gaming in Las Vegas?

Non-gaming revenue is going up, but that doesn't mean that gaming revenue is going down. Gaming remains constant. There's still a huge amount of people that come to Las Vegas to gamble. It's true, however, that the attractions around gaming are gaining more popularity than before, but as long as there are gaming products out there, people will still choose to gamble.

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A new demographic in Las Vegas through non-gaming, can only benefit gaming

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Can you explain NOVOMATIC's plans for the future and your push into North America?

We're building everywhere. We believe North America represents an exciting opportunity for us. Operators want new manufacturers with fresh ideas, they're looking for a broadened mix on the casino floor. It's not like in Europe where casinos are more limited in terms of size. At NOVOMATIC we have all it takes to bring our international experience onto the North American casino floor.