Scientific Games, Jon Lancaster Vice President of Sales EMEA chats to Lyudmyla Kyrychenko
Which proven products and business solutions will a leader in the European market gaming industry, and around the world as a supplier of innovative and technological solutions, bring to the Ukrainian gaming market? One of the managers of Scientific Games tells the magazine Casino Life Ukraine about the successful restart after many years and about plans for the future.
Could we start with a brief description of Scientific Games?
Scientific Games is an industry-leading provider of gaming and technology solutions across the world. We are an innovator of creative content setting new standards in the gaming industry by leading the way in design, manufacturing, and distribution of premium gaming content and hardware. One of the key reasons why Scientific Games’ products are so successful is the diverse portfolio of content, technology and hardware. Operators have full access a large game library featuring titles from our Bally, WMS and Shuffle Master brands.
Congratulations on the success of your return to Ukraine. What has been the reaction from Casinos to your 2021 launch such as your Electronic Gaming Machines?
Thank you, we’ve been delighted to receive such an incredible reception in Ukraine so far and have already deployed products in some of the country’s most high-profile casinos including Slots City, Storm Ukraine, and Billionaire Casino. Casinos have seen our launch into their market as an opportunity to introduce a new and innovative EGM offering, that extends to a wider player base due to our product differentiation, we’re keen to help them capitalise on this.
Tell us about Scientific Games’ plan for Ukraine and what does it involve?
We are a leading provider of gaming solutions across the world and have expertise in many different markets. So, our strategy is to bring that experience to Ukraine and introduce products that have a great track record in other similar European markets. Ultimately, we’re here for the long run, expanding our presence, building familiarity with players and always evolving experiences to maximize revenue for our partners.
What Games are you providing the Ukraine market?
On the slots side, we are entering the market with products that have proven performance including games from the highly successful Duo Fu Duo Cai™ family. These games offer players a unique and rich gaming experience and there will already be a recognition of these themes from other markets. We are also bringing our successful proprietary table games such as Ultimate Texas Hold’em and electronic versions of key live games that are deployed on our Quartz terminal. Finally, this is complimented by market leading utility products such as our range of shufflers and chippers.
Have you plans to launch further new games as gaming equipment in Ukraine?
Our entire product range across all categories is the result of an end-to-end strategy that introduces the player to concepts at an entry level and develops them over time. We will continue to introduce the next games in the sequence so that player loyalty and familiarity to our product mix and game themes develops with time, which will ultimately drive player loyalty for operators.
How have you found being back in Kyiv after so many years?
It’s great to be back and see some familiar faces, Kyiv is a great city and there’s lots of opportunity for us here. We’re looking forward to seeing how the market grows as casinos begin to fill up again!
What aspects of the city do you enjoy most outside of your busy schedule?
Ukraine has clearly boomed in the last ten years, with its many retail outlets and ever-growing hospitality industry. It’s great to see the city thriving and it’s fantastic to be able to to catch up with our current partners and potential customers.
Are their plans for a Scientific Games show room in Ukraine?
We are working hard to introduce our product portfolio to the market, and it is exciting to see those products launch on the casino floors. We’re completely committed to the Ukrainian market and have people on the ground supporting this strategy. As the market develops and our market share grows, we look forward to expanding our footprint on the ground.
For those who are reading this interview and would like to learn more about SG Games products can you provide details of exhibitions in Ukraine that the company plans to exhibit and any further contact details?
Our Scientific Games website hosts a great overview of our product range as well as some fantastic coverage of our global success via our news and media room. We would encourage operators to contact myself and Stelios for a more hands on approach. We would be delighted to spend time with casino operators and show them the full potential of the Scientific Games product range that will grow revenue for their casinos.
