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Bringing the omni-channel revolution to Asia Omni-channel’s transition from industry buzzword to transformative strategy has been swift, but will it have the same impact in Asia?
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nyone who was in London in February for ICE may have noticed that the usual divide between the online and land-based suppliers displaying at the exhibition appeared to have diminished. While the business of selling slots to casinos and online operators remains distinct, the two have been brought closer together in recent years by a new strategic approach which stresses the importance of offering consistency in product, payment and marketing - both in-venue and online. Omni-channel has been a favorite term on the industry conference circuit for some time now, but it appears to finally be having a tangible impact on the strategy and results of many of gaming’s biggest firms. “Omni-channel is at the core of providing casino and gaming content wherever players are and at any time, giving instant and reliable access to the latest games,” Max Lindenberg, head of product marketing at Novomatic, told AGB. “As the next generation of casino player emerges … operators can quickly extend their reach and cater to this rising demographic by providing omni-channel solutions
Asia Gaming Briefings | March 2016
that position player-favourite content across land-based, online, mobile and social platforms ,” he added. Tom Light, VP of business development & commercials at SBTech, said omni-channel is now so important operators have been placed in an adapt or die scenario. “We look at the world from an omni-channel point for view, it is an important part of our business,” Light told AGB. “Essentially, although there are standalone online operations, there is no room for ‘standalone retail’ anymore, and all are converted into omni-channel. If any retail sports company would tell you otherwise they would very soon be out of business,” he added. Perhaps the most notable manifestation of the trend was GTECH’s $6.4bn takeover of IGT last year, which brought together giants of the land-based and online supplier industries. At the time Marco Sala, CEO of the newly-merged entity, said it was “uniquely positioned” to deliver exciting gaming experiences “through every channel, including lotteries, gaming machines, social, mobile, and interactive.”