Tell us about the latest updates with DR Gaming Technology. Primarily, how did you find G2E?
G2E is central to our Mexican and South American operations and associated land-based casino partners. To that end, in respect of products at the Venetian last month, I’d say our new DR App was probably the most significant development, as well as our new web-based Next Gen software and a recent Point of Sale (POS) integration undertaken with unTill®. As you know, customer relationship management (CRM) is key to the success of any business - possibly even more so in respect of the gaming sector, as loyalty programmes and player rewards have been a given for decades.
That said, while the principles remain the same, technology continues to drive what we can reward players with, how and when we reward them and the ease of redemption. To that end, most operators now have some form of POS and casino management system (CMS) or CRM integration, but in most cases, players need to redeem their loyalty points at some sort of kiosk or cash desk and then take that voucher to a bar or restaurant to redeem those points. It is a rather tedious, clumsy and insecure process and one that is open to abuse.
What we have delivered with unTill® is a solution that affords players the ability to use their loyalty points (or casino wallet) to pay for meals and drinks directly via their player card or our DR App. For operators, they can manage inventory, track players’ preferred meals and drinks and reconcile points and their associated POS activity all in one place.
The other product I noted was our Next Gen software. We’re 20 years old this year, and over that period we have developed a wide range of tools in respect of our integrated management system and our loyalty products. However, when taking a nostalgic look at what we’d done over the last two decades we realised two things:
1. The user interface and experience across many of those products were not as uniform and user-friendly as they should have been; and
2. Advances in technology could now afford us the ability to build something a lot lighter and way more mobile.
So, after many months of hard work, Michiel (van Dam, CTO and Co-Founder) and his team delivered a suite of tools and reports that are 100% web-based, quick and now accessible via any smartphone, tablet or desktop device whether it be Android, iOS or Windows-based. Visitors to G2E really liked them.
What were your main takeaway points from G2E in terms of lessons learned or business leads gained?
The short answer was cashless and I mean truly cashless. Not just on the gaming floor but across the entire resort (or resorts should an operator manage more than one property) from retail to F&B to hotels to live shows and any other possible player touch point.
New games and cabinets will always be a massive drawcard, but the ever-increasing focus on one card (or better still, one mobile device) to do ‘everything with’ was without a doubt at the top of my mind.
In most cases players need to redeem their loyalty points at some sort of kiosk or cash desk ... It is a rather tedious, clumsy and insecure process and one that is open to abuse
You note cashless as your key takeaway. The DR App you mentioned a little earlier talks 100% to your push for specifically mobile cashless functionality, which we understand is something you hold high hopes for in Mexico?
Cashless has been one of our core lobbies since its inception and is a technology we continue to develop and sing the praises of at any opportunity. The benefits to players and operators alike are well documented and as legislation changes and operator economics allow, we plan to roll out more and more of our cashless solutions. With specific reference to Mexico, legislation there allows players to top-up their accounts directly at an electronic gaming machine (EGM), in addition to all of what in my view should now be ‘standard functionality’ in respect of any integrated iOS or Android casino player and operator App.
Ours affords players the ability to directly transfer funds from their personal bank account to the drApp and the drApp to their EGM of choice – no cashier visits, no queues, no need to leave the EGM: it really is quite special. Operators can also brand the DR App as they see fit with players then using it to sign in and out of their EGM of choice via a QR code. Players can then similarly use the App to check their loyalty status, jackpots and promotions they qualify for and for the redemption of rewards and vouchers.
Our App also includes operator-specific functionality, with the likes of player-specific push notifications, geo-location technology, tailored management tools and reports, staff-specific notifications and even 'key off' functionality in respect of the likes of hand-pays and fault reparation. While we maintain that player cards will become a thing of the past in the not-too-distant future, at present a combination of cards and our App is probably the most player-centric option. What the drApp does is present a significant cost saver moving forward for any operator and one that we believe will set the trend for suppliers in the future.
Staying in Mexico, your sister company Infiniti is set to open its second local casino in that market. What have been the biggest player trends you've noticed there?
We opened Infiniti Casino Acapulco in the middle of last year with about 180 slots and 12 or so electronic table games and we hope to open our second Infiniti Casino in Mexico City by the end of this year. It will comprise an initial 300 slots and a similar number of electronic table games as Acapulco.
In addition to our casino operations, we are also the official distributor of APEX in Mexico (and a couple of other global jurisdictions too). To date, we have almost 1,500 APEX EGMs on revenue share in Mexico alone.
In fact, with respect to your trend question, our relationship with APEX has driven significant interest in not only its games but its jackpots too. To that end, a large portion of our new Mexico City casino offerings will comprise the full bouquet of APEX’s games and its progressive jackpot suite.
The ever-increasing focus on one card to do ‘everything with’ was without a doubt at the top of my mind
Over in South Africa, what can you tell us about the situation regarding electronic bingo?
Our operating partner Goldrush was awarded the first bingo licences in South Africa in 1998 with the first outlet in the country opening its doors on the 1st of October in Gauteng. Seven years later in 2005, the Gauteng Gambling Board approved the installation of electronic bingo terminals (EBT) into licensed bingo operations – a move that saw a significant increase in demand, so much so that earlier this year a further Request for Applications (RFA) was issued by the Gauteng Gambling Board for an additional 9 Bingo licences in the province.
These closed recently, with our understanding being that the adjudication process should be completed before the end of the year. In addition to Gauteng, bingo is also licensed in the Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, North West, Limpopo and Eastern Cape Provinces. The Free State, Northern Cape, and Western Cape are yet to license any bingo operations.
According to the National Gaming Board, for the year ended 31 March 2022 there were a total of 8,828 operational EBTs and 132 traditional bingo seats in the country of which:
- 2,475 (28%) were in Gauteng based out of 11 locations (17%);
- 2,158 (25%) were the Eastern Cape based out of 15 locations (23%);
- 1,776 (20%) in KwaZulu-Natal at based out of 21 locations (32%);
- 1,025 (12%) in Limpopo based out of 7 locations (11%);
- 780 (9%) in North West based out of 6 locations (9%) and
- 746 (6%) in Mpumalanga also based out of 6 locations (9%)
There has also been development in Botswana in regard to land-based gaming. Can you walk us through the latest progress?
The Botswana Gambling Authority issued an RFA for betting licences in early June and subsequently issued their response to the public's comments in relation to their earlier draft Limited Payout Machine (LPM) RFA in July.
This was followed by a request for possible service providers of a central electronic monitoring system in regards of LPMs, Tote and betting licences to submit an Expression of Interest with regards thereto by mid-October.
To date land-based casinos have been the only form of legalised betting in Botswana and as such these new additions to the country’s gaming sector are good news for product and service providers, as well as operators and players. The LPM timeline issued by the Board notes the awarding of licenses to successful candidates in early March 2024.
As long as we can also initiate and then successfully nurture partnerships in France we will succeed
Given all the focus and geographical diversity of the above, do you have any closing words about DR Gaming Technology™'s goals in 2024?
In addition to the above, we recently secured a supplier licence in France. I mentioned my use of the word partner earlier as opposed to customer and remain steadfast in my belief that as long as we can also initiate and then successfully nurture partnerships in France we will succeed. I firmly believe that our product suite is only ‘part of the puzzle’, and whilst granted it has to work and work well, our sustainability as a business in France (as has been the case elsewhere) will be far more reliant on how we work. We have operated Casino Dinant since 2014 and due to its proximity to the border have garnered considerable French experience in respect of both player needs, as well as the tools and technology operators require to meet those needs.
Our roots are in Europe and we continue to enjoy significant market share in a number of European countries. In fact, we are the market leader by some margin in our home country of Belgium as well as Switzerland and enjoy a strong presence in the likes of Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Macedonia and Ukraine.
As a result, we have a number of existing partners who also operate in France, and as such the opportunity to engage with them to gain an understanding of both local needs and local nuances. To the above end, we look forward to working with and supporting the considerable French land-based casino market with our best-of-breed cashless, jackpot, marketing, reporting and management system technology.
