The Year of the Ox could also be the year of the multi-game slot machine, says Novomatic
The challenging trading conditions of 2009 could be the breakthrough moment that multi-game slot machines have been waiting for, says David Orrick, Communications and Business Development director of Austria’s Novomatic Group.
“I really think this will be the year of the multi-game, for a lot of different reasons,” he states.
“It’s not just for the value of the multi-game itself as a product, but because of its diverse operations on the floor. The operator can broaden his offer [to guests] without committing increased capital expenditure. You can have the games you want and also have the flexibility to be able to offer customers and guests a greater game diversity. What a casino marketing executive may decide to offer guests should in theory also coincide with what those guests want. Occasionally those predictions don’t work. A multi-game in a slots context gets you out of that situation whilst simultaneously offering the guest additional ‘new game’ stimulus,” says Mr Orrick. “In optimal business conditions you deal with operator and player demand by selling more slots and more variety of slots at US$12,000 or US$13,000 per unit. Now it’s harder to make that offer stick, so it’s better the operator pays slightly more for the [multi-game] box in return for an improved offer,” he states. The appeal of the multi-game system also applies to standalone, rather than banked, units, says Mr Orrick.
“If you take one of our slot games such as Air Racer, for example, you can set the machine display for attract mode, sleep mode, etc to advertise that game. But because [casino] customers are smart and catch on pretty quickly, they also know they can go and play whatever else they want at the press of a finger.”
“Just about every manufacturer dabbled in multi-game machine ranges in the past, but it’s never quite become the front line product. Novomatic is determined to make it so in terms of our offer,” he states.
Novomatic also used the International Gaming Expo 2009 in London to unveil its Novo Unity™ II platform. This allows a huge range of games to be offered on one standalone slot cabinet or one multiplayer machine via a single network. The multiplayer offer covers: Novo TouchBet® Live-Roulette; Novo Multi-Roulette™; Novo Flying Roulette™; Novo TouchBet® Live-Baccarat; Novo TouchBet® Live-Black Jack and Novo TouchBet® Live-Sic Bo, as well as the new electronic live gaming table TX-01 featuring Novo Texas Hold’em Poker™ and the Novo Wheel of Cash™.
Asian appeal
It’s no surprise that Novomatic expects the baccarat configuration to have special appeal in the Asian market, while offering the flexibility to provide the other games at the touch of a screen.
Novomatic Multi Live-Baccarat on the Nova Unity™ II platform is available as a live dealer operated set, or as fully automatic.
The Novomatic Group achieved a record global turnover in 2008 of US$2.5 billion, but is not complacent about the challenges the whole casino equipment industry faces in 2009.
Excellent platform
“The Nova Unity I was a very successful product with products such as multi-table roulette where you could interconnect different roulette products and make them available on one terminal to the guests,” says Max Lindenberg, of Novomatic’s Marketing and Business Development team.
“With Nova Unity II we introduce the first platform able to offer multi game functionality to the guests. This means the system can connect every Novomatic electronic multiplayer product and make it available on each connected terminal.”
Novomatic Multi Live-Baccarat caused excitement in the Philippines before it was even launched at IGE 2009, says Mr Orrick. Pagcor, the gaming operator-cum-regulator in the Philippines, has expressed interest in fully electronic versions of the machine.
“It’s nice when people actually come to you first and ask about products,” states Mr Orrick.
“It gives us an opportunity to broaden our focus into the Philippines, which has been exclusively slots heretofore, in line with a request from Pagcor that we bring in multiplayers generally and baccarat specifically,” says Mr Orrick.
“It’s no secret that Novomatic is more expensive than some, because it’s the best. It’s the originator; it’s the highest quality. And for Pagcor’s VIP operations, it’s something they want. They say they want the Novomatic name because it’s known everywhere.
“There are lots of new things going on in the Philippines at the moment, including new VIP clubs opening up. Pagcor are currently very active in terms of changing the product offer,” he adds.
Slot offer
Novomatic says it is also looking to build on its presence in the Philippines slot market and in Asia Pacific generally.
“In terms of slots, we’ve done extended trials, as everybody does, in order to get into the market place. That can initially be frustrating from a commercial point of view, but what it does do is establish a solid base for the product,” says Mr Orrick.
“Personal, face-to-face relationships with customers are important everywhere, but especially so in Asia. It takes time to build trust.
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“You need to work well with the slot technicians in these markets as well as with the purchasing teams. Technicians make a lot of recommendations to managements, and they can make a supplier or break them on occasion,” suggests Mr Orrick.
“When you get slot managers telling you what your [machines’] performance is over not 30 or 60 days, but over 90 or 120 days, then you realise that they want to keep the equipment.”
The term ‘trial’ means different things to different people in various parts of the world, says Mr Orrick.
“In many parts of the world a trial is a trial, and you’ll either pass it or you won’t,” he explains.
“With other operators a trial is virtually a pre-order. It becomes more about the commercial terms on which they will place the order. For example if they’ve made significant revenue from the trial then that makes their purchase easier,” Mr Orrick adds.
Local tastes
He says he had what he describes as an “illuminating” conversation with a gaming executive on a recent visit to Manila regarding the tastes of Filipino slot players.
“He said to me: ‘The way to succeed here is to bring us things that are real to us.’ He pointed out that dragons and animal characters and so forth, are mildly amusing, but they’re not part of life. Filipinos are very warm people, and if you have themes that at least touch their everyday experience, they tend to be more successful,” says Mr Orrick.
Although Novomatic is a globally recognised brand it has not thus far had a major presence in Asia’s key market, Macau.
“We have so far taken a fairly cautious approach to Macau, to the point that we have worked over the last couple of months with a couple of the operators there to redefine the games in the way they have suggested. We will launch a new test programme just before G2E 2009 Asia. We’ll see where we go from there,” says Mr Orrick.
“Macau is a challenging market but we have the advantage of already having multiplayer roulette there [at the Grand Lisboa] which gives us the brand identity. And we now have a good opportunity to build on that.”
