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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 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.

Leveraging real-time technology

Robert Filić, Director of Player Engagement Platform at Bragg Gaming-owned Oryx Gaming, discusses casino experiences, real-time data and boosting engagement levels

"What has revolutionised the engagement tools offering is the use of real-time data. It’s an asset that helps operators communicate"

Visiting a land-based casino is an experience. When you enter the premises, you are captivated by flashing lights and thrilled by the ringing bells of winners, and exciting jingles from rows of slot machines. The entertainment factor is high and, struck with the anticipation of winning big, you are there to have a good time. Visiting a casino is also a social experience where friendly staff welcome and guide players through a vibrant atmosphere, surrounded by other customers enjoying themselves.

Online casinos are not short of excitement, but they offer a very different experience to that which you find in person. A major distinction is that iGaming is almost always a solitary experience without human interaction, forcing the industry to think of other ways to engage players and enhance the experience. This is where new technology comes in.

Over the last few years, we have seen an increase in the number of engagement tools launched by suppliers and operators to take online gaming to the next level. They often aim to make the experience more social with initiatives, such as offering the chance to compete and interact via tournaments. Other popular features include quests and jackpots that are also proven to significantly boost engagement levels.

What has revolutionised the engagement tools offering is the use of real-time data. It’s an asset that helps operators communicate with players while they are active in a casino or a particular game. For example, a player can be greeted when logging in, rewarded for achievements, or offered incentives when needed the most – all in real-time. Players can also directly be offered games they haven’t tried before based on their preferences, which further improves retention and lifetime value.

Features like this offer instant gratification and help players feel looked after, enhancing their experience and creating a more social and unique approach. This can be compared with a hostess in a land-based casino, armed with all the data collected on the player – such as their behaviour and preferences – to help them navigate through the casino floor and offer incentives when needed.

Analysing and interpreting real-time customer data gives suppliers and operators an understanding of player behaviour patterns, and how to immediately improve the user experience. Constantly striving to offer players what they want by fully engaging them instils a feeling of importance and will ensure they come back for more. For operators, this also leads to maximised player value, improved KPIs and better financial results.

Real-time data enriches your toolbox with plenty of possibilities to engage with players and to offer a better experience. Products leveraging this make it possible for operators to use gamification principles in their online casinos, make the experience more social via direct relevant communication and enable automation of the user journey.

Using tournaments as an example, we have seen fantastic results among our clients. Tournament tools have been proven immensely effective in growing the participation in casino games with operators seeing bets, rounding the number of players up to almost 300% in some cases. Combined with free incentives, the numbers rise even higher to an over 300% increase in bets, more than a 400% spike in the number of players.

This is a significant and invaluable achievement at a time where more operators and suppliers than ever before are fighting for the attention of players across regulated markets. Therefore, data is becoming an increasingly important tool in an operator’s arsenal and, if utilised correctly, it can hugely benefit all stakeholders with the players seeing the biggest advantage.

Player demographics are different in each market and being able to offer localised, and targeted promotions, to individual players in real-time is the next step in ensuring the industry delivers entertaining, engaging and relevant gameplay to today’s online casino players.