‘Athanasios ‘Sakis’ Isaakidis, Merkur Gaming: “G2E is a great opportunity to showcase our developments”

Merkur Gaming’s Chief Executive answered questions on the eve of the Las Vegas event.

Interview.- Athanasios ‘Sakis’ Isaakidis, chief executive of Merkur Gaming, spoke about his expectations before the G2E, Merkur Gaming’s latest product innovations and their plans for the future.

Are you excited about G2E 2023 and Merkur’s return to Las Vegas?

Absolutely! It is always great to be back in Las Vegas and of course also to once again participate very strongly in G2E. The show is a significantly important B2B event for Merkur to maintain and expand business relations with our Latin American customers. G2E is only bettered by ICE, which we think of as our ‘home’ event and which is each year, our most important business opportunity. So, certainly, we are all excited about G2E. It is a great opportunity to showcase our development and enables us to provide answers and solutions to the needs of the international market.

What do you expect from G2E this year?

G2E 2022 was a fantastic ‘comeback’ for the show after the disaster scenario of the Covid pandemic. The atmosphere was great, and it allowed the gaming industry to come together and start a new chapter in businesses at every level. But this year will be the real test. G2E has to step up and create a new international standard. A year on, manufacturers have had the time to develop new technologies and
new solutions and operators have seen the crowds return in numbers, proving that the appetite for
gaming entertainment is stronger than ever.

“We have seen the recovery in the industry and that is why we come to G2E this time to show new solutions for our operational customers and to create, in our business environment, a whole new ‘high’.”

Athanasios ‘Sakis’ Isaakidis, Chief Executive of Merkur Gaming.

It is predicted that a large number of G2E visitors will come from across Latin America. How important is that for Merkur?

Very important indeed. Merkur is a hugely important brand throughout the Latin American region, and we know from past experience that operators really like the opportunity to enjoy everything that Las Vegas has to offer. They are always pleased to make the trip, enjoy the show, meet international exhibitors, and more.

In fact, we see G2E this year as being, for Merkur, a particularly ‘LatAm-centric’ show. For that reason Merkur has invested heavily – for example, see our brand new booth design and layout – plus the fact that all of our regional companies (Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and Peru) are bringing their senior executives and commercial teams to Las Vegas to help us to create a major presentation for our Latin American customers.

What new products will Merkur present at G2E?

The simple answer: a lot of different innovations for a lot of different markets. I am extremely proud that we will display two linked jackpots, Reign of Riches and 88 Gems. These will be brand new, fresh out of the box, and immediately after G2E they will go out for product testing and evaluation.

“I can promise that the Merkur booth will be packed with product innovations, from single and multigames right through to our ever-increasing portfolio of sensational Linked-Progressive-Jackpot-Systems.”

Athanasios ‘Sakis’ Isaakidis, Chief Executive of Merkur Gaming.

What is the next show after G2E for Merkur?

As we go toward the end of 2023, we will end our show calendar for this with BEGE in Sofia, Bulgaria. This is an important event for Merkur, as Eastern Europe is an extremely successful region for our brand. BEGE is a two-day show, with an additional conference day.

We know from experience that both days are extremely busy and historically have produced excellent commercial results. Then we head for the Christmas and New Year celebratory period, but we will still be hard at work preparing for our biggest show of each year, ICE.

2024 will be the final year for ICE in London. What is your reaction to the planned move for ICE to move to Barcelona in 2025?

Indeed, 2024 will be the last ICE in London. Now that everything is signed, sealed, and soon to be delivered, we can say that we are totally happy with Barcelona as the new host city for ICE. The organizers, Clarion Gaming, have worked tremendously hard to make the move to Barcelona happen, and we are pleased that Merkur can and will work in a strong partnership with them in the years to come.

Moving host cities was never an easy decision, but now we can see that ICE Barcelona will undoubtedly elevate ICE to a whole new level of success for the entire industry – something to be welcomed, for sure.

See also: Merkur Gaming makes its successful debut at “Slots del Sol” in Paraguay’s capital, Asunción