Greentube: 'Strong in Italy but the Dignity Dl can cause problems for the legal industry'

“Although the Italian market comes with its regulatory challenges, it is mature enough to boast a large, well-established player base that has been little impacted by tightening rules”.

This is the analysis that Michael Bauer, Cfo and Cfo of Greentube, Novomatic's interactive division, makes of the Italian online casino market, also in the light of the provisions contained in the Dignity decree and which ban advertising of gaming with cash prizes. “Looking further ahead, the advertising restrictions could hinder attempts to attract new audiences which, in the long run, might become a problem for the industry. The advertising ban is also contradictory to the regulator’s goal to channel players to a legal offering and therefore a threat to both player protection and tax earnings for the state. As a result, the ban has potential to be quite critical for the long-term health of the market, and the only beneficiaries will be illegal operators”. Bauer explains Greentube's strategies: “On the one hand, we continue to invest into our B2C brand Starvegas, which is a strong player in the market. On the other hand, from a B2B perspective, our portfolio has consistently delivered fantastic results in Italy, and that is largely thanks to our ability to tailor content to local market demands and needs. By providing our partners with localised content that appeals to Italian audiences, we have built a strong reputation and have rapidly expanded our market share. This year we signed with a number of casino brands in Italy, including most recently Snaitech, E-Play24 and Capecod which has further cemented our strong position in the country”. But in recent months, Greentube has been making its entrance into many regulated online gaming markets. Which are the most promising ones? “Greentube has really expanded its global footprint recently. From Switzerland and Denmark all the way to Latin America, we have been making our mark both in emerging markets as well as in more mature territories. In Switzerland, where authorities recently opened the doors to online gaming, our games have outperformed our already high expectations following last month’s launch with the online platforms of Grand Casino Luzern and Grand Casino Baden. With more market entrances in the pipeline for 2020, we’re looking forward to extending our global reach even further over the next 12 months”. 2019 is about to end, what are your results and what are the projects that will keep you busy in the coming months? “The consistent quality of the games we have released this year has been outstanding, and we will continue to create a steady stream of innovative, interactive content that provides our partners’ customers with first-rate entertainment. A major focus over the last 12 months has been the development of nJoin, which has streamlined integration with our Home of Games portfolio and provided clients with a simple, secure and fast tool to launch content. As well as this, we are in the process of completely rebuilding our technology stack which will enable us to bring new and innovative features to the market. This will be rolled out in 2020, and it will completely enhance our ability to serve our customers and provide them with an outstanding toolset”. What are your forecasts for the future of casino games in the years to come? “We are convinced that online gaming will continue to thrive. As with any market, there will be fluctuations as new challenges are presented, and yet given the rate in which online gaming is growing in popularity globally, propelled by the emergence of newly regulated markets, the trajectory is on track to stay on the current upward curve. Technological developments and advancements in mobile gaming, together with the release of exciting new propositions and concepts, are attracting new audiences and demographics, ensuring that the industry stays relevant in the face of rapidly changing consumer preferences and market conditions”.