F E A T U R E TA L K I N G P O I N T S
eGR: Do you believe operators are being foolish for not taking a ‘mobile ?rst’ approach to development? JS: I do not think they are foolish; one has to stay true to what you are. I can only say that LeoVegas truly has a mobile first approach and that has clearly been appreciated by both traditional web players and players of the smartphone generation. Many operators are talking about a strategic “mobile first” approach as they have realised its potential. What they struggle with, however, is to implement the same in their organisations. After all, for all operators in the market today, with the exception of LeoVegas, the traditional web channel is still by far the largest, and deemphasising their bread and butter may be hard for many operators to do today. eGR: How do you use technology to stand out from competition? How does this extend to marketing? JS: Our mobile ?rst approach has extended into our marketing strategy. A result of this has been developing a new generation of advertising formats. LeoVegas has pioneered several mobile banner formats highly successfully, especially where we have taken the touch element and playfulness natural to mobile devices as the cornerstone of the advertising format. Many other companies, beyond gaming, that market in mobiles now commonly use most of these formats ?rst introduced by us.
eGR: What do you see as the biggest challenges for your company in the casino space in the future? JS: LeoVegas.com, the distinctive category leader in mobile casino gaming, truly manifests what innovation is able bring to the gaming excitement in the smartphone era. Our key challenge is to maintain this passion to stay ahead and be able to take the mobile position in all new markets we enter. eGR: Is there anything you see larger operators doing and think they’re doing something wrong or in an old fashioned way? JS: Most operators, big and small, are attempting to squeeze a web experience into smartphones. This can never deliver a genuinely good mobile experience – the one that people have come to expect from leaders such as Apple. Not properly understanding the differences and potentials of mobiles will keep operators back. eGR: What aspirations do you have for growth in the next few years? JS: What Ladbrokes once did to the concept of betting shops, LeoVegas is to do to mobile gaming. We currently own the position of being the mobile casino in Scandinavia and aspire to deliver the most astounding gaming experience for the smartphone generation all across Europe.
and now mobile and live gaming are pushing the product into the hands of consumers that were previously out of reach. Flash is now being replaced by HTML5 and download casino is evolving into the app. This is the online casino of 2013, but where it goes next will once more shape the fortunes of the biggest operators in the sector. Those who are on the right side of the technology shift will find the biggest benefit to their bottom line, as we have already seen with the growth of mobile in sportsbook. Mobile casino is in its nascent stages, but it is already seeing strong signs of growth and its potential is far from untapped. In the coming years, mobile casino will doubtless dominate the online casino sector as it is beginning to in sportsbook. Spotting the next big trend is never easy, but few people are better positioned than Shimon Akad, Playtech's VP operations. He runs Playtech's business operations and has a keen eye on all areas of the sector, from live gaming to social to the land-based integration. He spoke to eGaming Review about the future of mobile, the rise of social and the casino of the future.
eGaming Review: What have been the biggest changes in the casino sector over the past 12 months? Shimon Akad: There have been some big changes in the past year, but probably the biggest change SIMON AKAD of them all is the mobile revolution. The growth in mobile gaming is not only about technology, but it's about feasibility and there has been a revolution in the customer gaming behaviour. Customers can now use their mobile device to play anywhere, anytime. In a few years from now mobile will be the absolute dominant part of the betting industry.
Q&A
eGR: Are there the same opportunities in mobile casino as there are in sports betting? SA: Sports is leading the mobile revolution and casino is lagging behind a little, but as time goes on more and more people will move to mobile devices. They would have moved a bit earlier, but some of the technology challenges they present are holding things back. The previous revolution seen in the industry was from download to Flash and now as a general rule mobile devices do not support Flash. It was easier to change the habits of a sports bettor, but the graphics needed for the slots are more technologically challenging. Further, mobile gaming is characterised with shorter but more frequent gaming sessions, a behaviour that is more common with sports.
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