Setting its products apart behind a curtain in the London ExCel, SG Gaming exhibited a modern new game menu along with exciting new B3 content features last February at ICE 2019, with CEO Phil Horne explaining how the manufacturer has equipped its customers for a shifting regulatory landscape.
SG Gaming, the UK division of Scientific Games, gave the industry a glimpse of its dynamic new game menu at this years ICE expo, with the company also showcasing its latest innovations in B3 content.
Following the UK government’s decision to cut B2 stakes to £2, the manufacturer has been tasked with creating B3 content that attracts the attention of traditional B2 players, and combined with the company’s new game menu, CEO Phil Horne believes SG Gaming is extremely well prepared for the change.
“Moving forward from last year’s B2 decision, we are very excited about what the proposition is now. We’ve created a new stream of slots content for our LBO, AGC and bingo customers,” said Horne. “SG Gaming has also introduced a new menu mechanic so that we can present our games in the dynamic, sophisticated way that people are used to when searching through content. In a similar way that consumers find the best music on Spotify, or the best movies on Netflix, we’ve introduced those mechanics into our new menu offering. Our customers will get a combination of an expanded slots content range, presented on the new menu with 150+ games on there, and as our menu evolves throughout 2019 we’ll be moving towards a personalised menu experience, which is a really exciting proposition.”
To maintain its position as a leading manufacturer and content developer, SG Gaming keeps its research and development finger on the pulse of player trends. This allowed the company to take measures to shift players towards slots, and away from roulette, in preparation for this month’s £2 stake implementation. For many of its LBO customers, three quarters of players are already playing B3, with revenue split even between B2 roulette and slots. Now B2 has “practically ceased to exist”, however Horne is not too apprehensive about how SG Gaming’s customers will adapt, especially with the company’s increased commitment to B3. In fact, he is rather excited.
“Whilst the decision to go to a £2 stake on roulette is going to be commercially difficult for LBO’s, we’ve underpinned our continued commitment to the sector, as shown by the recent seven year extended arrangement with our biggest customer, Ladbrokes Coral,” continued Horne. “We’ll be investing more money in technology, more money in content, more money in menu and platform development, and that will ensure our innovative streak continues. What history tends to tell us is that when the regulatory landscape becomes more challenging, that stimulates innovation, and that’s what we’re showing at ICE for LBO, AGCs and bingo operators. In a strange way I have been looking forward to the change to see how the end consumer reacts.”
Leaving little to chance, however, SG Gaming has been conducting player focus groups to ensure their new products hit the mark. Horne detailed that the reaction so far has been a very positive one, with the groups also making interesting suggestions for how the company can further improve their game menu through personalisation. While this will no doubt improve the evolution of the menu throughout 2019, when it comes to actual B3 game content, it’s hard to find a better and bigger content library than that of SG Gamings.
“A B3 experience is all about quality and quantity, and SG have a great track record of creating very successful titles – that’s the quality. The quantity comes from the type of multi- game model we operate on in the UK, which requires a constant refresh of content,” explained Horne. “At SG Gaming, we have access to not only our inhouse Manchester- based content development program, but also the entirety of Scientific Games worldwide footprint, so we’re constantly taking game concepts from the US, bringing them over here, and repackaging them into a successful UK format.”
One such game AGC and bingo operators can look forward to is a Michael Jackson B3, which has already proved a hit in the slot metropolis of Las Vegas.
Along with serving players with an winning combination of the new menu and fresh content. SG Gaming also displayed a new feature strictly for operators at the London expo. This is the company’s new Customer Portal, which allows operators to log-in and manage their promotional and tournament strategy, as well as to browse the latest content from SG Gaming’s development teams.
Indeed, backed by the latest technology, Horne believes SG Gaming is extremely well positioned for whatever comes the industry’s way over the next few years, with the company intent on leading research into the future innovations that will shape the industry.
