“2016 was a great year for Scientific Games in Europe”

Only in October you were taking your product portfolio to Las Vegas to take part in the G2E show. What news and solutions did you present in the recently held ICE Totally Gaming event in London?

2016 was a great year for Scientific Games in Europe, having presented at ICE a variety of products, including the cabinets we had previously launched in the United States and Australia, but which had not yet been introduced in the continent: TwinStar and Dualos. An interesting fact is that for both platforms, we have introduced content that was specifically designed for the European markets.

Casino customers are changing very rapidly. What is your strategy to attract younger gamblers, the so- called “millennial generation”? Which products do you consider key to reach this audience?

We think players have not changed as much as people think. Millennials are not yet casinos’ main customers because a large part of that generation does not yet have the economic means to spend their discretionary dollars on gaming entertainment. We do, however, understand that they represent an important group we must pay attention to, demanding innovation, interactive, social and community experiences more so than today’s primary player base.

Many of our products, such as our PRIZM Game Table that allows four gamblers to play one game resulting in a perfect fit that encourages social interaction, can reach a social segment like millennials. Also, an interesting idea is to introduce this audience to roulette and not exclusively to the slots world; but for that we have to think about innovation. It is from that starting point that we can think of a strategy for reaching them.

But again, I don’t believe that customers who bring money to casinos have changed that much yet. The core of the casino business is not millennials at the moment, so our product offering is not limited to this segment.

Scientific Games has gone through a comprehensive phase of organizational changes. What is your balance now that you have become a larger group of companies merged together offering a wide range of products and services?
Such an integration brings along some challenges. However, it has been a highly productive process, providing huge advantages if we consider the product offering. We are going through a time of changes, especially in Europe, and results are really satisfactory.

Speaking about Europe, Scientific Games has a strong position in Western Europe with Eastern Europe yet a distant market. What is your plan for the Eastern region this year?

Scientific Games is gaining ground in Eastern Europe. However, we have moved forward slowly, reaching a larger part of the market with local operators considering us more and more. It is definitely a very interesting market that is growing and evolving and one where we expect to continue growing this year.

At the moment, we can say that the games we have managed to position in Western Europe are gaining attention in the Eastern European markets. This year we will focus on Romania and Greece, enterting a new market every year until we cover the complete Eastern European region.

What are your expectations for Latin America this year? Which markets do you consider more strategically important?

Even though my focus is not this region in particular, I understand Latin America is a very important market for the company. The same type of games that we are developing for Europe will definitely have a place in this region. We will continue to operate in partnership with our customers across the whole region, seeking to foster growth in each market by offering the most suitable products for each venue and operator.