In the run-up to G2E Asia, we caught up with Lawrence Levy, vice-president of global sales at Novomatic.
ICR: How important is attending G2E Asia for your company, for how many years have you attended the show?
Lawrence Levy: G2E Asia is the major trade show for Asia-Pacific and is increasingly important for Novomatic. We have attended the show every year since its inception over a decade ago, and are now placing an even greater focus as we ramp up our efforts in the region.
Over the past 12 months we have expanded our portfolio for Asia with targeted content, cabinets and solutions, and look forward to showcasing these new products to customers from around the region at the show next month.
ICR: Which of your products or solutions are you highlighting for this edition of G2E Asia, and why?
LL: We are bringing an exciting line-up of products to Macau. Centre stage will be our new linked progressive jackpot system – Enchanted Fortunes Linked Jackpot™ – that features a broad range of titles such as Asian Fortunes™, Book of Ra™ Mystic Fortunes and Goddess Rising™.
At the show, we will present these games on a bank of brand new PANTHERA™ Curve 1.43 cabinets and demonstrate the features of the jackpot system. This will be the first time the Enchanted Fortune Linked Jackpot™ games as well the PANTHERA™ Curve 1.43 will be shown in Asia. Another premiere at G2E Asia – and the region – will be the V.I.P. Lounge™ Curve 1.43 with new titles such as Voodoo Fortunes™ and Riches of Babylon™.
New content we are highlighting at G2E Asia includes the single games From Dusk Till Dawn™ and Viking & Dragon™, the new NOVO LINE™ Interactive Edition X on the V.I.P Lounge™ 2.32 and the 4K version of Great American Wilds™ on the NOVOSTAR® V.I.P. Royal 2.65.
Already strong around Asia, our ETG footprint is growing and we will display some of our latest products for the region including the NOVO LINE Novo Unity™ II platform connected to state-of-the-art EXECUTIVE SL™ 1.24 cabinets and an automated roulette wheel.
Also on show will be the LOTUS ROULETTE™ automated roulette island. And last but by no means least will be new OT300 cabinets from Otium showing a range of video bingo games and jackpots that have been performing especially well in the Philippines.
ICR: Could you tell us more about some of your recent product releases?
LL: The PANTHERA™ Curve 1.43 made its international debut at ICE this year alongside its sister PANTHERA™ 2.27 cabinet. Both have been built for the modern gaming floor and feature a stylish black design with LED lighting, 4K capabilities and our new TouchDeck™ player interface.
The PANTHERA™ 2.27 features two 27” screens and offers a wide variety of Novomatic single games and multi-game options, whereas the Curve version features a single 43” curved screen and selection of new curve games. The V.I.P. Lounge™ Curve, also released this year, is the successor of the international hit V.I.P. Lounge™ 2.32 and together with a 43” curve screen in 4K and new TouchDeck™, features the highly comfortable V.I.P. Scorpion Chair.
ICR: What will be your focuses in the Asia-Pacific region in 2018, are you expanding in a particular product segment, or entering any new markets etc?
LL: For us, 2018 is the start of a new chapter for Novomatic in the Asia-Pacific region. We have released several speciality products for the various markets. These cover linked progressive jackpots, slots and bingo, electronic table games as well as casino management systems.
G2E Asia will be notable for us this year due to our wide-ranging showcase of new products – and we look forward to delivering these products into the region towards the end of this year, in 2019 and beyond.
ICR: What kind of business successes has your company achieved in the Asia-Pacific region in the past 12 months? Have you entered any new markets or made any major developments?
LL: We have a significant number of ETGs at the Genting properties in Malaysia and Singapore and have delivered even more terminals over the past 12 months.
We have spent time understanding several expanding markets, in particular, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines, and are working on some significant installations over the coming months. In the Philippines, we are placing more Novomatic slot cabinets as well as Otium cabinets and bingo solutions into the market.
There have also been further installations of the Octavian my ACP casino management system and the solution now powers casino floors around the region in the Philippines, Vietnam, Saipan and Laos.
ICR: What would you identify as the distinctive features of the Macau market? On the product front, where do you think the market is leading in terms of trends?
LL: As the biggest gaming market in the world, Macau continues to be the benchmark for the region. The predominant trend is linked progressive jackpots and I anticipate this will not change, at least in the short-term.
G2E Asia will provide us with the opportunity to present our new linked jackpot solution and games to the region, on our latest cabinets. Due to an increased focus in Asia, we will continue development in this segment, in addition to new content tailored to the regional markets.
