What were the most significant developments for Comtrade Gaming in 2014?
During 2014 our major focus was finishing our big new product investments. Firstly, iCore, The Enterprise Gaming Platform, which allows operators to differentiate their offering by providing the option to choose best-of-breed content. Secondly, sCore platforms, which operate by connecting terminals from all leading EGM suppliers to a central server, from where terminals can be monitored and configured in real time. They are both already in production, with our first clients in the UK and Austria, and we are now actively working on opening other markets.
We have also signed some strategic partnership agreements that extend our portfolio of gaming partners with some of the leading content providers in the industry such as Net Entertainment and Microgaming.
What will be the key points of focus for Comtrade at ICE?
Our iCore platform, which connects multiple products and enables centralized management of all player activities, has been extended with a number of features. The upgraded platform enables operators to more efficiently manage their business from a single location and engage their players consistently across all channels (land based, online, mobile) and products.
Online operators will have the chance to see Comtrade Gaming’s new iCore Engage product designed to empower operators with highly advanced player engagement features like Universal Free Spins, a Game Offering Engine, and a Bonus Dashboard that analyses performance across all game suppliers.
Our mobile development team will present new HTML5 games, including the latest Live Roulette client with real-time HD video streaming.
On the land-based side, the latest solutions for gaming machine management in both casino and distributed environments will be presented, combined with central solutions for player management, responsible gaming, and regulatory control. This year, we will also present a new sCore Connect product that enables existing SAS-based systems to communicate with machines through G2S. Additionally, all of our solutions are based on the Gaming Standard Association’s G2S protocol.
What will be the most important activities for Comtrade in 2015?
In 2015 we hope to open new markets for our key products. They have comprehensive support for new requirements in regulated markets like central monitoring and responsible gaming, so they are suited for new markets where regulators define stricter frameworks for new operators. Since we were able to integrate support for both worlds together – online/mobile and casino/retail – we are targeting operators that manage a complete portfolio of channels and products, and might target different regulated markets across the globe.
What excites you about the industry for 2015?
Modernisation of the gaming industry has always been under close inspection of regulators who often slowed down certain innovations because they weren’t compatible with the usually quite strict rules. Recently however, regulators have helped with, or sometimes even formally adopted new requirements that force operators and vendors to modernise their still very traditional environments.
Trends are going in the direction of connecting all facets of the gaming industry – online/mobile and land-based, together. Thus, operators’ and regulators’ drive towards modernisation and investments into advanced technology is getting larger. This excites us the most.
Anything else you’d like to tell us about Comtrade?
Comtrade Gaming is a part of a large Comtrade group which has 1,500 employees. This means we have a strong technology background, since we have operated for more than 20 years in industries like telco in finance that demand first class performance. We have transferred all this experience into our gaming business and strengthened it with gaming-specific expertise both in the online and land-based areas.
Over the years we have invested a lot into developing the most advanced solutions. Thus, our platforms are designed to provide significant upgrades to current system technologies. It is the starting point of a collaboration with clients to develop new products and features that can help land-based and online operators build unprecedented loyalty with their players.
