There is a lot of customer interaction at ICE

What are you introducing at ICE 2018?

We have a couple of new things like The Pink Panther Games. These games were developed by our team in Australia, which does many of our international development. The Pink Panther is a brand that is successful for us internationally, so we have introduced two new themes - Mega Mariachi and Kalahari King - and they are a multi-level progressive, and also multi-denom. We handle a multi-denom a little bit different than many have - we’ve actually changed up the hit frequency, and the pay table a little bit as well, depending on the denom, so we can try to cater to people at different price points; we don’t make everybody at the same price level play the same game. We want people to have a better game experience at different price levels. These games are already successful in Australia, so we’ve brought them into Europe and Latin America. We are really optimistic that these games will do well for us.

We’re also introducing a new Monopoly game which was developed by the Australian team. They’ve deployed it now for about a year in that market with enormous success and now they are starting to exploit that version in other international markets. It’s not a big US game that’s been forced into international markets which is, quite frankly, a strategy that has seen very limited success.  One of the strengths that we have is that we have development teams in both Australia and Asia that are very good at making games for the international market, like our successful 88 Fortunes, 5 Treasures, and Fortunes 3, which is now a multi-game version of that brand.

Another highlight to mention briefly is that we are starting to introduce our James Bond game license and franchise. We think that this brand will be very exciting for us. We have the rights to 24 of the existing films, the future films, all the Bond actors, most of the Bond villains and the Bond girls, and the Bond music. We have big expectations for Bond! We have the current versions that will be rolling out soon in the US and we expect to take those games to the international markets shortly after.

How have you seen the current edition of ICE?

The show is very busy for us this year. One of the things that I really like about the show is that there is a lot more customer interaction at ICE than other tradeshows, where people have a purpose to get here, and are much more engaged and I think it leads to a better environment to talk very specifically about the products and the customer needs. I do enjoy the show a lot and I think you get better engagement and better opportunities here.

How do you see the European markets?

The European market is a grouping of small markets.  Every country has its own language and, in many cases, every country has its own rules, so you really have to approach it very methodically and very locally to get your product developed in the manner that it needs to be successful. Since you have so many different cultures and so many different types of players, what works in one place may not work in another one. So you really have to be smart and careful with the games that you introduce and try to customize the product to the needs of the customer you are looking for, and that’s very unique in Europe.

What are the plans of the company for this year?

Our plans are to roll out some of the products internationally: The Pink Panther, the Monopoly products, to start introducing James Bond, first in the North American markets and later on internationally.  You will continue to see us develop a lot of Duo Fú Duo Cái style games - that is still a tremendous product for us and is one that does good business for our customers so you’ll see a lot of variations like Fortune 3 showcased here at ICE. The plan is to cover all the European territories; there are major markets like France or Poland, however there are other countries that are starting to grow, and the good thing is that we can cover both types of market. For example, The Pink Panther is available in two different platforms to appeal to different markets, so, with our diversity of products (in slots, tables and systems), we can cover the various requests from our European customers.

There are so many European slot manufacturers that develop a product or two for specific market . We are fortunate enough to have the development resources at our disposal to make multiple cabinet styles. The Dualos cabinet that we are showcasing here is a cabinet that is marketed only in Non-American markets. It addresses any currency issues and offers a range of games with the international customer in mind. With all of the forces behind the Scientific Games brand, we have the opportunity to address the customer needs, which are very specific, and also give them the comfort that we can accommodate them from a systems point of view, from the tables side,  and with the specialty slot games and products that cover the need of any casino throughout the region.

How do you see the future of the industry globally?

It’s hard. It’s a mad business we are working at times, right? The industry wants new technology, but usually nobody wants to be the first to deal with all of the issues that come with it; the regulations, introducing new technology into the industry, and the customers who might have the desire but are apprehensive about adopting it. In Europe we have customers who didn’t fully embrace ticketing.

It’s a challenge for a company like Scientific Games, with so many new ideas and innovations, to balance introducing new technologies and concepts into a market with not alienating our current customers and players.  We have to be considerate and think about our current players and new players, and how to keep games exciting and engaging for them for the long term. We want to make sure that we establish a player for life - when somebody plays a Scientific Games game, they see the value and the entertainment in that. I think that if we do things right and keep the player in mind, the rest of it will probably take care of itself.

What other shows will the company be present this year?

Obviously G2E is the largest, and ICE is probably the second largest show as far as booth space, and the number of games. Then comes G2E Asia and AGE, which are also other international shows. There’s another show in the US dedicated to the tribal gaming industry. Then, there are also smaller shows that we do.

We’re also considering a variety of tradeshows dedicated to the Latin American market.