“There’s a lot of convergence between land-based and online gaming”

(Exclusive interview).- Focus Gaming News directors visited Greentube’s offices in Vienna, and talked with company executives about its latest technologies.

Greentube received Focus Gaming News’ directors in its offices in Vienna to discuss in an exclusive interview what the rest of the year will bring to the company. Mike Robinson, International Product PR and Media Manager at NOVOMATIC talked about the technologies that will be released throughout the rest of 2018, the upcoming shows where the company will showcase its products and its assessment of the current situation of the industry in Europe, among other topics.

You’ve been in the gaming industry for the last 9 years. Please share with us your first steps in NOVOMATIC Group.

I joined NOVOMATIC two and a half years ago, first based in London as International Communications Manager for the Group, working between the UK and Austria. I then moved to Austria full-time last November to be based in the Group headquarters as International Product PR and Media Manager, a position where I take care of international media interests and speak about the new products that NOVOMATIC, as well as the Group of Companies, supplies to the markets, and this of course also includes Greentube. There’s a lot of convergence between the land-based and online businesses.

The beginning of 2018 has seen Greentube launch multiple games. Will you continue this trend throughout the rest of the year?

Absolutely. Greentube has an extensive roll-out plan for the year ahead and we are launching new titles every month. The content comes from a variety of sources, either NOVOMATIC games that have a particularly strong performance in the land-based segment, which are brought online, as well as games from Greentube’s own studios and third-party providers.

A significant game for Greentube this year is From Dusk Till Dawn™, following the land-based launch by NOVOMATIC last year at G2E. We signed a deal with Miramax® for the rights to use the movie assets for both land-based and online channels, which included approvals from Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez and the full cast. The area of IP games is somewhat new for NOVOMATIC and has been primarily triggered by our expansion into the US. Greentube released the online version of From Dusk Till Dawn™ in June and the game was a major highlight at iGB Live last week.

Last month, our feature game launch was the Greek-themed Realm of Poseidon™, created specifically for online markets, as well as Lucky Lady Bingo™ that combines a classic theme with highly engaging online game development.

Greentube has an extensive roll-out plan for the year ahead and we are launching new titles every month.

You have been talking about iGB Live, what did the company showcase there?

The highlight was From Dusk Till Dawn™ and our booth was themed around the movie, including the bar that stayed busy serving a range of drinks and cocktails to our customers and guests. There were a lot of giveaways and, of course, a presentation the game on desktop, tablet and mobile devices. In addition, we showcased a complete spectrum of classic and new Greentube content.

We were talking about shows and events provide a great opportunity for interesting conversations with business partners. Will you be presenting your products at G2E Las Vegas this year? If so, are you counting on the event to help you strengthen your partnerships and achieve new ones?

In particular with G2E in Las Vegas, this show is becoming more significant for NOVOMATIC year on year, as an expansion in the US is a key part of our strategy. At G2E we’ll once again present a joint stand with Ainsworth and show a range of products in the casino, VGT, bingo, systems, online and sports betting segments. There is excitement particularly in sports betting this year since the PASPA regulation came to an end in May.

Greentube will increase its prominence over last year, and bring a strong content portfolio to Las Vegas. 2017 was mainly focused on Greentube Pro, a smart solution for social casino gaming, as the US market traditionally hasn’t permitted regulated online gaming. Greentube has now been in the social space for a few years, and the games are becoming more popular amongst US players. Hopefully, the sports betting regulation will speed up the growth of a regulated online market in the US. We’re already planning to roll out online games into New Jersey as it is regulated – wherever there is business opportunity and a solid regulatory platform in place, we’ll be ready.

While the biggest events in the industry, such as ICE London and G2E Las Vegas are essential for a company’s exposure, there are regional events that help you personalise your offerings in more specific markets. Are you planning on showcasing your products in other events in order to further expand your brand?

As mentioned before, there’s a lot of convergence between land-based and online gaming, however, I believe that separate events are beneficial for the different sectors. Land-based events are more localised and give the opportunity to showcase products specifically for various markets, to the local operators. I would say online events are more focused on networking where gaming takes place across borders and markets come together from different countries.

I do agree that industry events are fundamental. We were at the World Gaming Executive Summit in Barcelona and at iGB Live in Amsterdam these last two weeks, to name two very recent examples. We were also at the recent land-based trade shows in Colombia and Peru, where, whilst showcasing our latest products for those markets, had good conversations about online gaming. The Colombia online regulatory framework is well constructed and provides for a robust, transparent framework that could be adopted in Peru, as well as other markets in Latin America to follow.

In particular with G2E in Las Vegas, this show is becoming more significant for NOVOMATIC year on year, as an expansion in the US is a key part of our strategy.

Can you name some of the latest technologies Greentube is working on at the moment?

There are two particular developments I would like to highlight. One is Plurius, being the first real development through extensive collaboration between Greentube and NOVOMATIC. Plurius is a server based omni-channel gaming solution. It enables players to move their gaming session between land-based, mobile and online, using a single wallet. This is an advanced solution, although the regulation hasn’t quite caught up, so we currently only have Plurius deployed as a VLT solution in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and recently the UK – and as soon as regulation permits, will activate the full omni-channel capabilities.

The second new technology is Matrix. We are currently operating five online casinos, all of which were developed at different times, which fragmented the back-end technologies. We decided to build a single platform for these, as well as future, online casinos. Matrix provides a number of advantages, such as the roll-out of new games, promotions and design elements at the flick of a switch.

NOVOMATIC is one of the most important companies in Europe and Greentube has been growing fast in the last years. How do you perceive Greentube’s position in Europe? Are you considering strengthening your brand in a specific market in the continent?

Greentube, like NOVOMATIC, is both a B2B supplier and B2C operator, and we follow similar examples in each area. NOVOMATIC is very strong in Europe and that’s reflected in Greentube’s position. The strength of NOVOMATIC and popularity of the games, both classic and new, as well as a detailed understanding of the different markets, can really support Greentube in Europe. Our knowledge feeds back into the development of new content, our knowledge from land-based can be applied online, and vice-versa.

On the B2B side, we are in a phase of expansion in Europe and this year have already entered several new online markets for the first time, including Italy, Romania, Serbia and The Baltics. Due to our local presence and understanding of player nuances in the markets, as well as our B2C operations, we have access to an extensive knowledge pool that enables us to provide the best solutions for the individual countries.

You’ve been saying that Greentube is growing but also the competitors are doing their job. What is the biggest difference that Greentube has with other companies? What are you doing to keep the leadership?

One of the most important factors is the relationship with NOVOMATIC and the legacy the parent company brings. The Group employs around 30,000 employees worldwide, and we’re a relatively a young company, established in 1985. An example is the new online market in Colombia. We are already very established in the country: NOVOMATIC games have been in the country for around 25 years and our subsidiary NOVOMATIC Gaming Colombia established 7 years ago. This means that both players and operators are already very familiar with our games well before they are brought to the online space. This, in addition to our understanding of player preferences in the market, gives us a big advantage over the competition.

Thank you Mike!