Kiron is ready to display new products at ICE

In an exclusive interview with Focus Gaming News, Steven Spartinos, CEO of Kiron, shares his expectations for ICE 2016.

The South African skill and virtual games provider bets on the current virtual sports increasing demand.

ICE will be held once again in February, what do you expect from this show?

We’re very much looking forward to ICE, as we do every year, as it is a great opportunity to get in front of people from all areas of the industry in different parts of the world. For Kiron that means speaking to both sportsbook and casino operators about how our recently expanded range of products might be able to help them differentiate their offering and boost revenues. But it is also a great chance to speak to fellow suppliers too. Many of our best products in recent time have come through collaborations. Virtual sports is really on the up and is one of the must-have products of 2016 – so I’m expecting it to be very busy!

Will Kiron be introducing new products during the show? What are the advantages for operators and their players?

Yes we will – lots of them. We’ve upgraded our virtual horse and dog products, introducing new digitised tracks, and a jumps racing game which we expect to be popular.  There’s also version two of the Fantastic League football product, through a renewed partnership with VSoftCo, which includes a completely revamped game that uses motion capture to deliver upgraded graphics and animations and exciting real time game play giving players an authentic football experience. This also features a new league format that offers up to ten concurrent football events, allowing players to place system bets across these events with attractive returns. We’ve also got a new archery game, in association with Fluid Games, and boxing, thanks to a deal with VIP. Lastly, we’ve added another mainstream casino-style product, Spin and Win roulette, to go alongside our Keno game. These give operators options to keep content exciting and fresh for their players. They’re very simple to operate and are guaranteed revenue generators in land-based and online environments.

 What are your plans for 2016? Which markets are you focusing on?

Over the course of the last year we’ve done a number of deals in Africa, Asia and South America, as well as traditional markets in Europe, and I don’t see that outward expansion slowing any time soon. There are new territories opening up all the time as regulations change. There are also more people coming to virtual from the casino side of the industry as it is a perfect product for players who know and love RNG games. We’ve always been very strong in retail estates, but I would think the launch of our Betman Online remote games server will also help our online expansion significantly during 2016.

How do you see the gaming industry today? Which are the challenges for this year for the worldwide industry?

There are certainly regulatory and taxation issues in some markets which may curtail expansion for a time, but on the whole I’m confident that we’re moving in the right direction. I think for suppliers and operators alike the main challenge will be keeping up with the rapid rise of mobile as a betting medium, and the increasing appetite among players for more tailored betting opportunities. I’m confident that with Betman Online and a broad spectrum of content, which provides operators with a home of virtual sports, Kiron is in excellent shape to provide a solution to these challenges.