Novomatic: Carving a place in the Italian market
Novomatic, with its local subsidiary Novomatic Italia, has been in Italy since 2007. How have the tastes of players changed in that time?
Certainly, in the last 18 years, the Italian market, and therefore also the players, have changed significantly. Novomatic Italia has adapted to this transformation by continuously developing and refining its product portfolio. When Novomatic Italia entered the market, the only type of slot machines available were the AWPs, traditionally installed in bars or smaller arcades. But with the introduction of new product category VLTs in 2009, the arcade segment could evolve as these machines were dedicated by regulation to the arcades – and players followed this evolution.
Today, Novomatic Italia goes far beyond gaming machines. We offer the full spectrum of regulated gaming products permitted under Italian law, holding licences that range from sports betting and online gaming to bingo and traditional lotteries. We also operate Italy’s largest chain of gaming arcades, with over 300 venues across the country.
Over time, we’ve expanded and completed our offering, increasingly aligning with player preferences and anticipating market trends.
In the post-pandemic era, and with a new generation of customers emerging, the industry’s challenges have clearly shifted toward the digital realm. That’s why we’ve placed a strong focus on developing products and marketing strategies tailored to this segment. Not only to complement our strong land-based presence, where we maintain a leading market share in gaming machines, but also to promote our offerings across digital channels.
How do you adapt your games to appeal to the Italian market?
To best meet the preferences of Italian players, we established a dedicated game studio in Italy that works closely with our game studio at Novomatic headquarters in Austria. As a result, our game portfolio offers a powerful combination: internationally successful titles from Novomatic, alongside localised content developed under our Italian brand, NovoElsy.
NovoElsy focuses specifically on the Italian market, developing game content and mathematics, analysing player trends and anticipating market needs. This local expertise ensures we offer highly tailored entertainment experiences that resonate with Italian players.
I must say that this blend of global innovation and local insight has been very well received by our customers. In the B2B segment, we’ve consistently earned the trust of operators thanks to the strong performance of our games. And in terms of player appeal, our portfolio successfully aligns with local preferences, delivering entertainment that remains relevant, engaging and highly competitive.
Brightstar (formerly IGT), in a consortium that also included Allwyn, Arianna 2001 and Novomatic Italia, secured the bid for the Italian Lottery licence earlier this year. What does that mean for Novomatic?
Our collaboration with the Lottoitalia consortium is a prime example of what I mentioned earlier. Since entering the Italian market, Novomatic Italia has consistently pursued a 360-degree strategy, aiming to establish a presence in every gaming vertical permitted by the regulator. Italy remains one of Europe’s most attractive yet demanding gaming markets – and we are fully committed to it.
The new Lotto concession not only underscores our continued interest, but also highlights the depth of our commitment to operating in this important and competitive environment. Within Novomatic Italia, we hold concessions across a wide range of sectors, from the machine gaming network to bingo, land-based to online sports betting. This broad presence enables us to play a truly significant role in the Italian gaming landscape.
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