In an exclusive interview with Yogonet, Eduardo Ashing, Vice President of Konami, International Games Operations, reflects on the company’s performance during 2021, and plans to secure a greater presence in its active markets, including Latin America. Aching also discusses Konami’s SYNKROS casino management system and how data has become an essential part of successfully running a gambling business.
The CEO also explains the keys to the continued success of the DIMENSION cabinet series, as well as new developments in the vertical sector. The vice president also provides an update on some of the company’s expected products for the year.
What do you think are the main expectations and new challenges for 2022, for both the gaming industry and Konami in particular? In your opinion, what are the key issues that will drive the industry agenda this year, and how would you rate Konami last year?
In recent months, we have seen steady improvement in all the countries we serve. Working in anticipation of demand growth, Konami has moved into direct sales across Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay., in order to be a more competitive partner in those markets. After years of positive momentum in these markets, our former distributor Atlantic Venture Project It has allowed Konami to absorb their people into the region and we are currently moving forward with an exceptionally strong team.
Heading into 2022, Konami is excited and fully equipped to deliver the latest high-performance DIMENSION products to operators across Latin America.. From a great mix of Triple Sparkle games on DIMENSION 49, to the latest stacked screen content on DIMENSION 27, we look forward to supporting our casino customers with the latest in entertainment and technology.
Konami’s SYNKROS casino management system has been instrumental in allowing world-class Las Vegas resorts to launch a state-of-the-art cashless gaming experience. What role does the content management system play within the casino and what is the reception like so far? As cash betting is expected to gain momentum this year, what new opportunities do cashless games open up for operators, and how are both casinos and customers benefiting from it?
The casino management system powers core casino resort technology, including player tracking, player communications, player rewards, slot management, table game management, cage and credit, reporting, analytics, and more. Konami’s SYNKROS brings all these functions together in one powerful ecosystem. This is one of the reasons why SYNKROS continues to achieve record growth in more casinos.
SYNKROS also supports a large mix of cashless solutions. Konami’s cashless core technology is called Money Klip. Money Klip is seamlessly integrated into SYNKROS, and it works with almost any type of gaming hardware manufacturer. Money Klip was first introduced to the market 7 years ago and is backed by industry-proven performance. At the same time, Konami is constantly innovating its cashless technology to serve consumer preferences, with improvements such as cashless betting and TITO support in table games..
In addition, SYNKROS provides a robust data ecosystem for operators to use, with the ability to benefit from real-time casinos information. Do you expect analytics to play an increasing role this year? Are operators actively looking for these solutions, and how can they take advantage of them?
The biggest change in recent years has been the increased depth and breadth of information available to operators. This includes Data about spending, preferences and traffic flow, and more, which can be leveraged in real time to deliver targeted rewards.
Powerful analytics are essential to casino operations and maintaining the health of the organization. Operators are looking for tools and technologies that allow them to better access and understand their information, with high accuracy and agile integrations.
As systems collect more data across different sources across the space, The ability to review and act on this data becomes critical to maintaining a competitive advantage. The need for non-gaming data, in particular, is becoming increasingly apparent.
Now, more than ever, the demand for analytics software by operators is increasing. They want to be able to know what’s going on at the enterprise level and not just on the gaming floors. As other areas of revenue generation are complementary, analytics technology must evolve accordingly. SYNKROS does just that.
Konami Gaming took first place for Best Slot Product at the 20th GGB Gaming & Technology Awards in October. The DIMENSION 49J video slot cabinet was chosen to be an example of a step forward in technology. What are the keys behind this recognition and continued success of Konami’s current line of safes?
One of the most important factors that distinguishes DIMENSION is the popularity of the game series. Our customers have experienced a high degree of success with new DIMENSION games such as Ocean Spin, All Aboard, Fortune Mint and more. This series is among the best performing slot machines this year. Because they are so powerful, I encourage all of our Konami customers to consider these games, and please talk to us about a plan, if you haven’t already. Do not miss the good results of the casino floor.
Another big factor is the hardware performance and reliability, which DIMENSION has proven in the field for nearly two years. The machine works very well, and it attracts and retains the player’s experience. This is true of the DIMENSION 49J, as well as the DIMENSION 27 stacked monitor and DIMENSION 49 flat panel monitor, which has ranked the highest indexable photo cabinet in the industry for four consecutive months.
Inclusive, Konami is very happy with the recognition DIMENSION has receivedWe are pleased to offer this award winning entertainment to our casino customers around the world.
As land-based casinos begin to recover from the pandemic last year, how has the demand for lockers and casino products evolved and what new innovations should we expect going forward? Furthermore, the company introduced four additional DIMENSION series slot tanks at G2E last October. What are its main features?
Konami has expanded DIMENSION to a total of five DIMENSION form factors. They all share the essential ingredients that are proven to be authenticAward-Winning DIMENSION 49J – Including stylish design, dual swivel buttons, dual cup holders, inclined footrest, flashing, and smartphone chargers.
DIMENSION 27 and DIMENSION 49 are the two most important releases for Konami customers in Latin America and Europe. DIMENSION 27 is our newest basic stacked screen cabinet. It’s a solid investment, with a high degree of flexibility and plenty of gaming options – from multiplayer-compatible SeleXion classics like China Shores and Quick Strike, to brand-new games like Mystical Pearl and Patrick O’Potts of Gold.
DIMENSION 49 is one of the best performing vertical cabinets in the industry for the year and we supply it to international operators With proven popular series such as Ocean Spin, All Aboard and Triple Sparkle series. So our overseas clients can take advantage of these themes on their own land.
Konami’s Lauren Bates was honored in September at the Women’s World Games Awards for her commitment to the development and advancement of women in the industry. What does this recognition mean for the company and women in gaming? What place does Konami give to inclusion in corporate objectives?
Our organization is pleased to celebrate the series of industry awards received by West Games Vice President of Sales Lauren Bates. The work you do with Global Gaming Women helps develop current and future gaming leaders in regulated markets around the world.
In September, Konami unveiled the world’s first BattleBots slot machine at Caesars Entertainment Studios. At the time, it was announced that a public release was scheduled for this year. Can you give us an update on the product and what the reception has been like so far? What should we expect from the slot machine once it is launched?
Konami’s BattleBots slots are in development, targeted for initial launch during 2022. Based on the popular robot fighting competition and reality TV show broadcast in More than 150 countriesBattleBots slots allow players to enjoy unforgettable scenes and machines from the show, with a cash chance.
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