INSIDERS JOHN CONNELLY
The supply chain Interblock CEO John Connelly speaks to Gambling Insider about continuing the supplier’s growth, despite pandemic-enforced obstacles
"Absolutely we were impacted by the pandemic. With that said, I am very proud of my team's ability to keep lead-times to 12 weeks or less"
Interblock Gaming bills itself as a provider of luxury gaming products, so it is not surprising its booth at the recent Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas was cloaked in black curtains and had an invitation-only entrance policy. When Gambling Insider received its golden ticket into this exclusive setting on the final day of G2E, we managed to sit down with the very busy John Connelly, CEO of Interblock Gaming, for a few minutes. Connelly discussed the return of the big conference, how Interblock is dealing with worldwide supply chain issues and what the gaming industry can expect from the company going forward. WHAT PRODUCTS/SERVICES DID INTERBLOCK UNVEIL AT THIS YEAR’S G2E? We continue to grow our portfolio of Stadium technology and Pulse Arena games. These electronic table games are attracting new players to the casino floors, both with live dealers and automated dealers. Our Stadium games have new form factors and updated software. Technology
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is very important in making the electronic games profitable for casinos and attractive to the players. WERE YOUR PRODUCTION TIMELINES AND/OR NEW PRODUCT REVEALS DISRUPTED BY THE PANDEMIC? IF SO, HOW? Absolutely we were impacted by the pandemic. With that said, I am very proud of my team's ability to keep lead-times to 12 weeks or less. That is longer than we would like, but still within a reasonable time frame for our customers. We are seeing forecasts to cut that down to 9-10 weeks, but that is subject to change on a month-to-month basis based on supply chain issues. WHAT WAS THE GOAL FOR INTERBLOCK AT G2E? We were very excited to show off all of the new aspects of our games. G2E is such an important show for the gaming industry. All of the companies exhibiting here bring their new products and services. This show is the benchmark.
WHAT ARE INTERBLOCK’S GOALS FOR THE REST OF 2021 AND INTO Q1 OF 2022? One of the primary goals is to continue to place a very large emphasis on yielding up fixed assets on casino floors. We are using technology to drive up hold to our casino partners while reducing operating expenses and continuing to provide an enjoyable player experience. One of the ways we are working to accomplish this is a new software platform called Global Version. The feedback has been extremely positive so far from all our customers. Another initiative we are pursuing is to enter the online segment of gaming from a B2B perspective. There is tremendous demand from current customers to supply our technology to them in this space. I am happy to say we have been experiencing a tremendous growth rate post-Covid, so we are looking to add new talent in the company – as long as it is the right talent.
