"ITL's new state-of-the-art recyclers were our focal point at ICE"

Innovative Technology reported a busy ICE 2019 and successfully previewed their two new state-of-the-art recyclers. Both the NV22 Spectral (NV22S) and Spectral Payout attracted much interest on the stand, alongside their new ICU unit - a brand-new age verification device that automates the policy for controlling access to age-restricted premises, gaming and purchases.

After the event, Yogonet spoke with Mustapha Hadj-Ahmed, Group Sales Director to delve into the company's experience at this year's edition.

What were ICE 2019's highlights? What did you like about it the most?

The highlights on the stand this year at ICE were undoubtedly our two new state-of-the-art recyclers which both feature cutting-edge Spectral technology to give exceptional protection against fraudulent notes. They offer mixed note denomination recycling to significantly reduce machine float levels and full spectral sensors provide high-resolution imaging to authenticate the validity of notes. ICU - our brand-new age verification device that automates the policy for controlling access to age restricted premises, gaming and purchases - also attracted much interest. So too did ReelPay; a new, secure app allows customers to transfer funds to enabled gaming machines using their mobile.

What was clear from this year’s show was that this exhibition is growing quickly and seems to be taking over some of the major shows in the world. We think that ICE will soon become the largest show in the gaming industry and therefore holds significant importance to us.

How would you describe the atmosphere or mood of the trade show overall?

Overall the mood at the show was upbeat, busy and gave out positive vibes. This year’s ICE displayed a positive, futuristic outlook for the gaming industry, and we are excited about what the future holds for the business.

What major threats and opportunities do you foresee for Innovative Technology core business?

We have a huge opportunity to bring the latest technologies to the forefront of the gaming market. It is an important part of our core business that we continue to develop technologies and products that give players a choice of payment options including coins, notes, TITO and other alternative payments.
Convenience and customer choice are vital; so, for Operators, being able to provide a range of different payment options will be key to produce operational efficiencies and will fuel business growth. Security is also a consideration and producing highly secure validation products is at the heart of our core business. The use of Spectral technology to provide high resolution imaging is the latest example of how we use cutting edge technology to continually innovate, to stay ahead of our competitors and the fraudsters.

How do you keep up to date on your target market?

We keep up to date with our target market by keeping close to our customers. Having strong customer relationships means that we obtain constant feedback from both manufacturers and operators. We use this to input directly into product development and to help us decide the future products that the market needs and wants.

Our presence at exhibitions such as ICE provides us with one avenue to keep up to date with our target market. We gain essential customer input to add to our field trials, ensuring we continue to produce products that exceed customer requirements. We also invest heavily in research, training, product development and security to ensure our validation products are what the customer needs.