"This year's ICE was a truly fantastic event in every respect for Merkur Gaming"

What is your general assessment of Merkur's presence at ICE 2018?

This was another record-breaking ICE Totally Gaming overall and, for Merkur Gaming particularly, a truly fantastic event in every respect. We expected more visitors this year and took the bold step of removing some product displays from the booth in order to allow people to move around more freely. That worked really well, as it meant our stand visitors could access not just Merkur Gaming but also all the other Gauselmann Group companies that were represented on our integrated booth. In fact, we managed to demonstrate in action that ‘a little less means a lot more’.

Which was the product that attracted the most attention from operators on your stand?

For Merkur Gaming our highlight products are always the games and the cabinets we have to show. Beyond that, it is hard to pick out single examples of the products that attracted the most attention. With over 100 games on display, and cabinet innovations such as the brand new G-Box (our cost-effective solution for smaller gaming venues, where space is at a premium) and the Curve cabinet that will have its full international rollout during 2018, we showed three specially themed games world areas, highlighting our Asian, Egyptian and Fruit game collections, and we also highlighted the exciting first products to come from our recently created games design facility in Las Vegas, Sunshine Games.

What is your overall opinion of this year’s ICE?

There are just so many ways that we can say ‘excellent’. In fact, the question that I and many other Merkur Gaming colleagues have been asked, post-show, is ‘was the best ICE ever?’. Based on the recent years of experience at ICE I have always answered in the following way: this was the best ICE … so far.

Which tendencies or innovations stood out at ICE?

Aside from the traditional land-based casino product offerings, it was clear to see that both i-gaming solutions and sports betting continue to grow in terms of their innovation and their popularity with operators. The Merkur Gaming booth (which was the largest in London ExCel’s North Halls) had participation in both of these relatively new disciplines, sports betting’s Cashpoint and XTiP, together with the Gauselmann Group’s dedicated online casino solutions specialists, edict both reported high visitor numbers and many positive opportunities for new business.

Will you be attending any other trade shows during the following months?

Absolutely! Merkur Gaming will be represented at all the major gaming exhibitions throughout the year. Next up for us is NIGA in Las Vegas in April, followed closely by Juegos Miami at the end of May, then we will be the major exhibitor at the Peru Gaming Show in June, followed by SAGSE in Buenos Aires on its new place in the calendar, September. Finally, we will have a major presence at G2E in Las Vegas: by which time we will already be planning the diary dates for 2019!

What are Merkur's plans for this year?

A simple question that deserves an equally straightforward response: Merkur Gaming’s plans for the remainder of 2018, and beyond, are to continue to grow by market expansion while also opening new markets. At the same time, we will continue to expand our product offerings through intensive research and development input combined with our made-in-Germany manufacturing excellence. So, in short, we do what we do and we never cease ensuring that we do it better.