G2E brings together the biggest players in the US gaming sector

What innovations did you present at G2E?

The key focus for G2E was to showcase our market-leading retail and online products and the SBTech omni-channel Infinity Account, which provides the power to move seamlessly between verticals. In addition, we presented our best-in-class self-service betting terminals, which have already proven to be very successful for our partners in New Jersey and Mississippi, and which generated huge interest during the 3 days of G2E.

What does G2E mean for the company?

G2E brings together the biggest players in the US gaming sector, so it’s extremely exciting to have the opportunity to share the insights that we have gained recently and to demonstrate our market-leading products to large numbers of very interested potential partners. This is vital in terms of building relationships with casinos and media companies looking to capitalize on the historic opportunity presented by regulation of the US sector.

What plans does the company have for the remainder of this year?

Having already launched in New Jersey and Mississippi with Churchill Downs, Resorts Casino and Golden Nugget, we are now looking to leverage our early successes and go live with other partners in these states, while exploring other US states as well as adding additional betting markets to enhance our highly tailored US sports offering. We will also enter several new European markets and launch additional clients in several other regulated European markets in which we already have a presence.

What are the next shows for the company?

While SBTech is strongly established around the world, the US is currently one of our most important focal points. ICE SB USA is the next major event for us and we’re looking forward to continuing the great work we’ve done at G2E this week.

Of course, the ICE show in London in February is one of the highlights of our calendar. We launched Pulse Bet there last year to great acclaim, and next year’s event will be no less significant for the company. We will also be attending other upcoming conferences in the US, including the PGRI Lottery Expo later this month and the TribalNet Conference in November.

Sports betting is currently a central issue in the United States. What is your opinion about how the sector will develop?

Regulation is clearly key to the success of sports betting and the devil will be in the detail, especially around areas like tax rates, how sports will be distributed and how the black market will be tackled and reduced. But overall, in my view, the market will be much bigger than most analysts have suggested, and I think the landscape will evolve rapidly in terms of participants, with major media companies looking for ways to enter the space through strategic partnerships with leading technology providers. We’ll also see an increasing number of states considering sports betting regulation as revenues from New Jersey and Mississippi continue to rise over the coming months.

Do you think that online games are complementary to or in competition with land-based games?

All the evidence in geographies where land-based and online gaming coexist suggests that online active is largely complementary, with very limited, if any, cannibalization - with the caveat that regulations can create an unlevel playing field, favoring one distribution channel over others. For example, data from New Jersey suggests that since online casino gaming was launched several years ago, it has been highly complementary, generating more than $200m in gross gambling yield with limited impact on the revenue performance of land-based casinos. Online operations tend to target new players who represent a discrete customer base, while extending the play of land-based customers who can access and enjoy playing casino games more conveniently.

Regulation permitting, the rise of true omni-channel solutions, such as the SBTech Infinity Account, will allow players to use a single balance to play both online and on-property. This will provide a genuine cross-channel experience, enhancing both land-based and online activity, creating seamless customer journeys and having a positive impact on overall operator revenues.

Millennials are the players of the present and the future, how does the company adapt to them?

Our core mobile-first focus, intuitive UI/UX, speed of performance and highly configurable personalization features put SBTech in a strong position to help our partners attract and retain not only millennials, but all demographics. We give our partners the ability to target every key market segment via our modular software which is highly configurable by design, and is one of the key attributes of the SBTech offering.