With only five days to go until industry experts come together for CasinoBeats Malta Digital, the event sponsors are sitting down with SBC to tell us what they’re most excited about.
Carl Ejlertsson, Director of Business Development at Red Tiger, advised businesses looking to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 to ensure that they are not over capitalising on an increase in consumption during the lockdown
What are you looking forward to at CasinoBeats Malta Digital 2020?
I think there will be some good speakers who can give us some insight going forward. It will be interesting to see how the networking works in a virtual format. It seems to be evolving quickly with every new show.
What would be your biggest bit of advice for betting and gaming businesses trying to mitigate the impact of COVID-19?
I think there is a danger that businesses could be tempted to over-capitalise on the fact people are stuck at home consuming more entertainment products like online casino. It could spark a regulatory backlash. It’s not the biggest market, but that was demonstrated in Latvia with the crack down that we saw there.
From an internal perspective, as in the impact of COVID-19 on businesses, I think it’s very important that you work hard to communicate with all parts of your business to ensure people are engaged and concentrating on the job at hand.
What are you promoting at CasinoBeats Malta Digital?
We’re very excited about the launch of Gonzo’s Quest Megaways on July 23rd and will be discussing that with customers. It is ten years since the original was launched and I think players are going to love the new one. If our collaboration with NetEnt and Big Time Gaming on Piggy Riches Megaways is anything to go by it will be a big hit.
What industry innovation will capture the most attention in 2020?
Live casino will have a lot of attention. There are a lot of cool products being built on that front and it has really shone in recent weeks with players craving the social interaction that it provides. Every new game there is real innovation, more so than slots. For Red Tiger, 2020 will be the year of the Hourly Jackpot following the success of Daily Jackpots in 2019.
Which operator has impressed you the most in 2020?
The William Hill Group including Mr Green has been particularly impressive this year. They’ve really capitalised on our games and marketing tools which have done very well there. They’ve increased margins and revenues, and everyone has benefitted accordingly.
On a more existential note, there has been a lot of talk recently about bonus abuse. Going forward, the operator that makes the biggest leap in eradicating that will earn high praise.
What partnership has stood out in the past 12 months?
On a supplier level our partnership with NetEnt is going particularly well and is really bearing fruit. As for operator partners, we’ve really enjoyed working with GVC on exclusive releases of our The Wild Hatter and Cash Volt slots. Both smashed all-time highs of previous collaborations and have really underlined the value of working closely together on these projects.
Which parts of the conference agenda have caught your eye?
The Future of Gaming track probably holds the most appeal to me personally and the sessions regarding platforms and aggregators, as well as live casino at the crossroads, on the second day should be interesting. I will also be tuning in to the debate on RTPs on the final afternoon.