Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/608340
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 29 NOVEMBER 2015 Gaming in Malta IX Staying ahead of the game in the gaming sector Could you give us some background information about the origins of the name of the company? NetEnt was founded 19 years ago by Pontus Lindwall, current CEO at Betsson, when the Internet was at its initial stages. Our name comes from the combination of two words; 'Net' being the Internet and 'Ent' because we are in the entertainment business. What is the difference between NetEnt games and games from other game providers? We want players to choose our games because we offer the best gaming ex- perience and enable them to have fun while playing our games. To achieve this we provide our customers a com- plete gaming solution where each game is unique, with its own math model, dedicated theme, visuals and audio. One thing that differentiates NetEnt games from other providers is a high level of return to player, RTP. In ad- dition, we provide a whole range of professional services ranging from technical integration, to account management, customer support and business intelligence. The uptime of our gaming solution is also best in class, providing operators with a very stable gaming solution and players with a high quality and uninterrupted gaming experience. Which types of games are growing in popularity? In general all our titles are perform- ing very well. Our blockbuster games are Starburst, Gonzo's Quest and Twin Spin together with some more recent releases such as Dracula, Dazzle Me and Spiñata Grande, which scooped "Game of the Year" at the eGR Awards this week. Our live casino is also becoming more popular among players and operators as it offers a unique blue screen technology, and video-in-video streaming. How does your mobile platform 'NetEnt Touch' compare to your web platform? First of all it offers players the possibil- ity to have fun wherever and whenever they want. Our mobile games have driven innovation in the industry ever since we launched them. We are currently working on upgrad- ing our mobile games with what we call Touch 2.0. It will improve the overall experience for the player by utilizing the full potential of the modern mobile devices. Since May all our games have been simultaneously released in html5 on desktop and mobile. You've recently announced plans for further expansion on the Maltese market. What were some other highlights of 2015? 2015 has been a very exciting year with a lot of highlights. At the beginning of this year we received our licence to operate in the UK from the UK Gambling Com- mission. This was followed in June by a general licence for online games and a singular licence for slots in Spain and in September, we were granted a Transac- tional Waiver, TW, by the New Jersey Divi- sion of Gaming Enforcement, allowing us to launch our gaming solutions with Bor- gata, in New Jersey. We have also signed with Caesars, Resorts and Gamesys and are pending the TW so we can go live. As previously mentioned, since May all our games have been released in html5 simultaneously on desktop and mobile and we have also entered the world of land-based gaming when launching our first games for retail, via William Hill's retail network. This month we unveiled our first multi- channel simultaneous release for desktop, mobile and retail. Koi Princess is an Asian- themed game that is the most feature- packed slot we've developed so far! What's the company's relationship like with the Gaming Authority and the casinos it works with? We have a close relationship with the Gaming Authority with frequent com- munication. We both work on certifica- tion of the games, players' protection when it comes to responsible gaming and prevention of fraud, more strategic discussions about future regulatory frameworks and market opportunities. With regard to our casinos worldwide, we position ourselves as a true busi- ness partner, offering them a gaming solution of premium quality in the digital entertainment market. How does NetEnt stay ahead of the game? And what do we have to look forward to? Innovation is an integral part of our culture and runs throughout every part of our company. This of course includes our games, but it is much broader than that as we strive to improve every aspect of our gaming solution and operations in general. Looking at the future, you can expect a continued offering of unique and in- novative games. At NetEnt we aim to expand our distribution and presence in existing markets with a focus on regu- lated markets. It is also our intention to enter new regulated markets to be busi- ness viable and to offer more profes- sional services to support our business partners and operators worldwide. ENRICO BRADAMANTE is the Managing Director and Chief of European Market Operations for NetEnt, a veteran of internet gaming with almost two decades of experience in the field. He outlines what makes this company such a popular and resilient business Innovation is an integral part of our culture and runs throughout every part of our company. This of course includes our games, but it is much broader than that as we strive to improve every aspect of our gaming solution and operations in general