Skilrock Technologies is set to participate in the upcoming SiGMA Europe event, to be held from November 14-18 at the Malta Fairs and Convention Centre (MFCC), Malta. The software products and services provider, a Gold Contributor to the World Lottery Association, will be showcasing its latest innovations for the Lottery and iGaming industries, including its omni-channel platform called INFINITI.
Ahead of the event, Julian Arabadjiyski, Regional Manager – Europe, held an exclusive interview with Yogonet in which he explains what are the company’s main objectives for the events, Skilrock’s plans for the region, and how the industry is rebounding from the pandemic, among other topics.
Skilrock is set to participate in the upcoming edition of SiGMA Europe. What will the company focus on at the event, and what are some of the products you plan to showcase there?
SiGMA is becoming one of the most significant iGaming events of the year. Skilrock participated back in August at SiGMA CIS in Belgrade, Serbia and we have actually exceeded our expectations and attracted top-tier industry leaders, business owners and operators.
The focus of the European event will be on the innovations in Lottery and iGaming industry:
- Instant electronic and lottery games
- Augmented Reality games
- NFC Cards used for retention, marketing and responsible gambling
- Printed scratch cards and the full cycle management
- iGaming solution built on a customizable platform supporting online, retail and self-service channels.
What are the company’s objectives for the expo? What are your expectations in terms of meeting with clients and potential deals?
Our focus will be on building new partnerships and showcasing our games and omni-channel platform called INFINITI. The platform is now in the 4th generation and could be customized for every customer requirement. It has the ability to manage multiple channels simultaneously.
We are in the final stages of getting licensed by MGA in Malta, and working on local licensing in Bulgaria and Georgia as well, so this will be another objective for us: to meet operators from the region.
The event is set to reunite affiliates, operators and suppliers of the European gaming industry. What presence does Skilrock currently have in the continent, and how important is this region within the company’s operations?
Skilrock is a leading technology solution provider for Lottery and Gaming across 28 jurisdictions of the world. We are a gold contributor to WLA and regularly showcase our innovative products and solutions at various Global and Regional events. Skilrock is a fully owned subsidiary of Sugal & Damani Group, a 48-year-old diversified group, supporting various State Lotteries in India.
Skilrock Technologies Malta will offer games to B2C Licensed operators. At the core of Skilrock’s game offering is the INFINITI platform, which supports a variety of games. At the moment Skilrock games are live with more than 20 operators. We also have partners in Bulgaria and Ukraine.
How do you assess the current gaming landscape in Europe? What added value can Skilrock’s offerings provide stakeholders in the region, and in which way are these solutions adapted to these markets?
The region has always been very strong in terms of iGaming and Lottery. Latest reports show Europe accounts for 36% of the Global lottery sales. The European gambling market is enormous, accounting for 49% of the market worldwide; gambling revenues in 2022 will reach more than 99 billion USD. Europe has recorded accelerated rates of iGaming participation in recent years. Denmark, Sweden and Norway were ranked at the top in this category.
After the pandemic, most European lotteries reported record-breaking results. Almost all big national lotteries had a tremendous increase from their online channel. Here comes Skilrock, which has always been leading innovation because we understand both the business needs and the technology changes.
In many countries, there is a rise in the popularity of scratch-off instant games, which may positively impact the growth of the market. The increased penetration of smartphones is giving rise to a number of mobile application-based games. The end users are now playing mobile mainly, which is one of the major drivers of the segment.
The Skilrock team and partners at SiGMA CIS in Belgrade
How would you describe the current demands from your clients? What new technologies is Skilrock seeking to leverage in its current products portfolio, and where do you see the sector headed?
Describing the current demand is actually very much dependent on the specific region and the status of development of every market. Skilrock is a global company and our approach has been innovative and flexible. For example, in LatAm some of the key products are retail scratch solutions, instant lottery, high-frequency games like Keno and Bingo and sports lottery.
On the contrary, in Europe we have tremendous demand for online games, and the increased penetration of smart devices is giving rise to mobile applications as well. The end users have the convenience and comfort of playing basically from anywhere, but at the same time always look for new and modern content.
We believe that innovation is the best approach for operators to differentiate themselves in the already crowded iGaming space.
This upcoming participation follows a recent attendance at the World Lottery Summit 2022 in Vancouver. What can you tell us about that participation and the feedback received from attendees there?
Yes indeed, we have just come back, still suffering from jetlag. Skilrock Technologies is a Gold Contributor to the World Lottery Association and our participation in the World Lottery Summit in Vancouver was a huge success.
It’s been 4 years since the last WLS was held and this event attracted many lottery professionals from around the world. Skilrock shared our vision for growth & success through world-class innovative solutions such as high-frequency games, scratch, e-scratch lotteries, sports lottery, iGaming solutions.
WLS was a brilliant show and there have been so many partners visiting us and we had a lot of exciting discussions. We offered various solutions that were specially developed for different regions and it was nice to receive so much appreciation.
