Merkur Gaming presented its latest games at Juegos Miami

“Juegos Miami is not a trade show in the traditional sense. It is a hybrid event that is a mixture of exhibition, conference, round-table discussions, networking and socializing. All those things put together in three days and two nights. So we don’t regard this as a normal trade show in the same way as, for example, G2E or Peru Gaming Show. But of course we have a product presentation here, in our private suite, and we are showing the games that were created by Sunshine Games in Nevada, which is our own company. We are developing games that I like to call “Made in America, by Americans, for Americans,” said Orrick.

The firm unveiled two innovative games, for which they have exclusive copyright, from the famous New York City game producer Hi 5 Games. “So we are proud to also show those here and the response to them has been really excellent. At the same time, we also have colleagues here from the Gauselmann Group, namely GeWeTe, who are cash-handling experts, and also we have Cashpoint, who are specialists in i-gaming and that is important for the show particularly given the new decisions that have come out regarding sportsbetting and also the expansion of i-gaming, which are now the fastest growing and arguably the most significant areas in gaming today”, he added.

Orrick also commented that the new games from Sunshine Games in Las Vegas attracted a lot of people to their booth. “Many people that attended Juegos Miami had not already seen those games, and therefore there was an immediate attraction to them. The reaction to those games was overwhelmingly positive, so there is a lot of excitement and optimism for the future of that product line development.”

“This is the third year of Juegos Miami and it is a matter of pride in our company that Merkur Gaming was the first top-line manufacturer, three years ago, to agree to support the show. It is a kind of a joke but it is also partially true that the reason the show is in Miami is that it is very close to America, because the attendance of Juegos Miami shows that it is an event that is hugely attractive not just to local attendees but also to visitors from across Latin America, from all the different countries”, Orrick said, when asked about the trade event.

With regard to the expectations of the company, he answered that it is always positive “because we know of the experience from the past two years that, whilst it is not a trade show in the traditional sense, it is a fantastic opportunity for networking and particularly for meeting new people and establishing new relationships, thus it is a proven pathway for new relationships in the future.”

He also considers that Latin America has a prime importance for Merkur Gaming Americas. “Whilst on one hand, we are looking to market entry within the United States of America, a process that is currently ongoing. We have strong and existing business over many years throughout our subsidiary companies in Latin America, companies that exist in Colombia, in Peru, in Mexico and, most recently, one year ago, in Buenos Aires, Argentina”, he pointed out.

Then he highlighted the teams of the company. “We are extremely fortunate to have fantastic teams in each of our four subsidiary companies in the various countries and, whilst they are each superb in their own right and in their own country, they also regularly come together to share experiences, share knowledge, share philosophies and share success. that means that those four companies represent  more than just the simple total of four. For example, we continue to develop in our most recent subsidiary company in Argentina. They have grown the team and they now have a group of specialists that are performing extremely well, and they have moved into business areas in both Uruguay and Paraguay.

“When we all sit together in various meetings and we discuss opportunities, it is amazing how many ideas come to the surface that can be used throughout the group of companies. So throughout Latin America, it is already a success story for Merkur Gaming, one that continues to grow and develop, and which will expand in the future.”

When asked about the achievements and expectations of the company in 2018, he said: “We achieved new successes in 2017, and those successes have carried though into the first half of 2018. We have many opportunities to make new business contacts through the various trade shows that we will attend. We have the development of the existing business and the promotion of new business. So our expectations are 100% positive.”

Orrick also assured that the firm will participate inPeru Gaming Show and in SAGSE in Buenos Aires, “SAGSE is a somewhat difficult proposition this year, not the fault of the organizers at all, but simply various events that are taking place in Buenos Aires have required moving SAGSE forward in the calendar to a point three weeks before G2E in Las Vegas. That is not ideal for SAGSE and it’s not ideal for those companies that will move from SAGSE to G2E because the dates makes life extremely complicated and the logistics are difficult. For sure nobody is going to preview new equipment launches at SAGSE this year, simply because they will move to G2E three weeks later, and there they will make the biggest announcements. As a major international manufacturer, you can for sure expect that from Merkur Gaming.”

Finally he gave his opinion on the ongoing legalization process of sportsbetting in the United States. “One of the reasons why this Juegos Miami has been such a success is the news, literally of just  a few days ago, that opens up a whole new world of exciting, positive and forward looking possibilities for the industry. For that reason, I’m delighted to say that we have our colleagues with us from Cashpoint, who are specialists in that market, and who have been walking round for three days in Juegos Miami with huge smiles on their faces because of the interest that they’ve been receiving from visitors and the probability, rather than possibility, of greatly enhanced businesses in the future. For the industry in general and for the Gauselmann Group in particular it is nothing but good news”, he concluded.