NetEnt: to the conquest of America!

More and more countries worldwide are regulating online gaming, and this is obviously an opportunity not to be missed.

The software company NetEnt certainly doesn't, as Henrik Fagerlund, managing director, NetEnt Malta, explains: “New market openings have presented some big opportunities in the last 12 months, allowing us to partner with more operators in more countries than ever before. The U.S. has been a key strategic focus, with our games now live in Pennsylvania – a major achievement for NetEnt. This year we also signed a landmark deal in New Jersey with DraftKings and look forward to progressing that partnership in the coming months. Closer to home in Europe, after launching in Denmark and Lithuania in the back end of 2018 we have made great progress in carving out a significant share of the respective markets. NetEnt always has an eye on potential prospects in existing and emerging regulated territories and will continue to extend our global reach when the opportunities arise”. But let's talk about Italy, a peninsula often considered a promised land for foreign operators but now struggling, for example, with the provisions of the Dignity decree... “The industry is adapting. As is often the case with controversial regulatory changes, the impact hasn’t been as wide-reaching as the doomsayers predicted but that isn’t to say that the restrictions won’t shift the landscape. There are still options available to operators to communicate directly with players and those that are able to utilise those pathways effectively within the boundaries of the law will be the ones that come out on top”. Fagerlund adds: “Since entering the market in 2011, our Italian footprint has gone from strength to strength and it remains a key territory for NetEnt. Our aim is to diversify our game portfolio in such a way that we increase focus on customers, thereby further developing our loyal fanbase and maintaining our market presence. Recent releases from Sweet Honey Fruity, Imperial Riches and the branded title Conan, exemplify the strategy in action and our games roadmap has plenty more exciting new titles, for different markets and player segments, waiting in the wings”. NetEnt has a wide-ranging business strategy: “Our recent acquisition of Red Tiger has reshaped our strategy for next year with the promise of collaboration on game design and product development. In addition to this, we have significantly invested in our Live Casino Offering this year and will continue to develop this vertical throughout 2020. The launch of our very own Network Branded Casino (NBC), designed to boost flexibility and increase operators’ control and cost of running their live casino environment, together with the launch of Perfect Blackjack has set a new standard in live casino content that we are extremely proud of”. And, according to NetEnt Malta's number one, they have positive prospects: “Although it is undeniable that operating in the online sphere is becoming increasingly difficult due to regulatory pressures and financial challenges, there is still an appetite for our industry’s proposition. The popularity of online and mobile gaming is unlikely to dip significantly as long as we keep pace with evolving player preferences. The sector has proven time and again that it can both innovative and adapt in the face of testing market conditions, providing a solid foundation on which to continue growth in the years ahead”.