In this interview with CalvinAyre.com’s Stephanie Raquel, Derik Mooberry of Scientific Games explains how mass market shapes iGaming products.
Products are shaped by consumer demand. Companies produce products that they think will be patronized by many. That’s why many companies devote resources to research, in order to understand the behavior and spending pattern of consumers.
The good thing about consumer-determined products is that they drive suppliers to innovate their offerings.
Case in point are the electronic table games in Macau. During Macau’s heyday, gambling suppliers have developed more offerings intended for VIPs since these clients were the ones bringing in money to the business.
This, however, changed when Beijing launched a corruption crackdown and high rollers were forced to avoid Macau. The exodus of VIP gamblers prompted gaming operators and suppliers to change their business strategy by focusing on the mass market.
Derik Mooberry of Scientific Games pointed out that product innovation has been the key for gaming operators to tap into the potential of Macau’s mass market. He said gaming technology providers such as Scientific Games have been working with gambling operators to entice the mass market to gamble.
“As a manufacturer, I think it provides opportunity to show are innovation and highlight a lot of the new products and features we’ve been working on,” Mooberry told CalvinAyre.com. “I think, as the market here in Macau evolves, and you get more of the mass market consumer, I think slots, which have historically been a small percentage of play here, I think we could look to see that evolve and I think you could see new styles of machines, new play mechanics, new form factors, that makes it more exciting for the operators as well.”
Mooberry said electronic table games are designed so as not to intimidate the mass market, partly by adding lower bet options for them. This allows a different price point, which he said is more efficient.
“From a consumer perspective, it gives you the benefit of playing in what I call ‘a non-intimidating format.’ Live table games, if you are not used to them, can be very intimidating,” he said. “So as you think about mass market, then that provides benefit to them. So, you really have a win-win situation for both the operator and the consumer.”
At present, Mooberry said that electronic games are booming and expanding from Asia to the Americas and Europe. He predicts that products will continue to evolve especially now that the world becomes more digital.
“I think that is an expectation that will evolve in most markets around the world. It just really becomes a question of time,” he said.
