month in minutes >
Q&A
Steven W. Meistrich
> Co-Founder and CEO of games developer Genesis Gaming, Inc. eGaming Review (eGR): What are the biggest changes you have seen at Genesis in the last ?ve years and where do you think the industry will be in the next ?ve years? Steven W. Meistrich (SM): Land-based and online gaming have previously been two separate industries; one from the hospitality sector and the other from the technology sector. The obvious commonality is gaming. The convergence of these industries will be an event of vast signi?cance. When the opportunity is solidi?ed, the link between bricks and mortar and online casinos creates the optimal player experience. Branding and content will be essential in developing consistency to build player con?dence and maximize this opportunity. Land-based systems, from player tracking to room reservations, will converge with the online world facilitating player acquisition and loyalty. It is inevitable that server based gaming systems (land) will integrate with online platforms (including mobile) to drive content through multiple channels of distribution offering a broader spectrum for both player experience and gaming revenues. eGR: The majority of your work has focused on the real-money side of the industry, but the rise of social has seen you develop more Facebook-style slot games. Where do you see social gaming going and how much more of your work will be involved in this ?eld? SM: Social media has become an integral part of everyday life. Social gaming capitalises on the mass participation in this sector. Signi?cantly lower player acquisition costs and access to a new, broad and typically younger demographic, makes social gaming a signi?cant tool for real money operators. The monetisation of social sites with virtual credits should lead to conversion to real money players as social players begin to experience and develop con?dence in casino brands. It essentially becomes more of a maturation process that promulgates the conversion. As a content provider, we are committed to developing social games to our clients that deliver as much of a real money experience as possible. We continue to create unique and high quality social casino slots and do not underestimate the player by limiting features or creativity. Familiarity with speci?c content should also drive conversion as recognition is often a factor that promotes credibility. eGR: Is social gaming a bubble waiting to burst or does it have a serious future? SM: It would be shortsighted to presume that social gaming is a bubble. Operators that invest in the social sector will continue to bene?t from building trustworthy brands among players that have not yet had the con?dence or opportunity to make the leap into the real money world. This offers these operators the ability to capitalise on player behaviour and begin evolutionary processes that will lead a segment of the social gamer to real play. A large social segment is likely to remain in the world of virtual currency rather than assume what may be considered signi?cant risk. Likewise, there will be masses of social gamers that immediately jump into real money play as soon as jurisdictions make it available.
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CONSEQUENCES OF A DEAL
Zokay Entertainment, led by Chiligaming founder Alex Dreyfus announced its acquisition of the Global Poker Index from Pinnacle Entertainment at the start of August
Zokay, whose portfolio includes the Deepstack Poker Open and the inhibernation Chili brands, plans to augment the existing ranking system of the top 300 tournament poker players with more projects under the GPI brand. The ranking list, published in the US, will be distributed to more mainstream media publications, with Dreyfus “looking for sports newspapers in every country”.
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partnerships with poker sites along these lines, as well as affiliate and marketing agreements. Zokay will roll out a series of national rankings for 17 countries, initially focusing on Asia, as well as introducing the GPI VIP Club, offering players perks such as access to a dedicated VIP representative. A ranking system of this calibre is needed in the poker industry to bring it in line with other competitive contests of skill and sports
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He will monetise the offering through
www.egrmagazine.com
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