John Connelly, CEO at Interblock, announced the games manufacturer will showcase dozens of new products at ICE London 2023, to take place February 7-9 at ExCeL London. The company will be exhibiting its latest solutions at Booth #S5-250.
In an exclusive interview with Yogonet, the executive highlighted the importance of this show for the gaming sector and assured that, during its upcoming edition, Interblock will pay special attention to the online industry, into which it plans to dive deeper.
The organizers of ICE London have stated that this year’s event will be “the biggest on record.” Within this encouraging context, how will Interblock’s participation in this fair be carried out?
We take tremendous pride in ICE London. It provides us the opportunity to meet with some of the most influential and cutting-edge operators in the world. The possibility to display our team’s innovation and obtain feedback from our customers and partners in real time is priceless.
We will display dozens of unique new products, features and functionalities, and upgrades to virtually all of our existing portfolios. As we approach the event, our goal is to do what we do best – introduce new forms of Electronic Table Games designed to create a more competitive environment for Casinos around the world.
ICE London takes place almost at the beginning of the year. What do you think will be the impact of this fair for the sector in 2023?
We will continue to share Interblock’s ability to introduce advanced technology to help drive incremental growth for the casino sector. For decades, the Traditional Table Game area of casino floors has remained disregarded and ignored, all while the competitive landscape and the players we are trying to cater to evolve. Increasing labor costs and the progression of online gaming establish a necessity for change. This is a key factor when we look toward the future and outline our innovative strategy.
At Interblock, we work hard to protect the DNA, culture, and ambition that has driven our company for decades. We work every day to make Interblock synonymous with the future of “table games,” regardless of the distribution channel. This will soon lead us into the online sector, where we intend to utilize Interblock’s successful foundation to create an entirely new category of players.
As one of the main events in the sector, ICE London 2023 will address many topics related to the industry, both in person and online. Will you be paying attention to any specific industry issue?
We will pay more attention to the online gaming aspects of the conference this year, than in years past. At Interblock, we feel compelled to take our innovation to a new distribution segment on a global scale.
The synergies between Sports Betting and Table Games is something we find extremely interesting. Through the utilization of Interblock’s brand recognition and unique product portfolios, we feel the possibility to bridge the traditional land-based players with the online world is worth exploring and investing in more aggressively.
You have announced that, at ICE London 2023, Interblock will be exhibiting the titles Pick2Win Craps and Bonus Wheel Roulette. What can attendees expect from these games?
Pick2Win Craps and Bonus Wheel Roulette received a tremendous amount of attention at last year’s G2E Show in Las Vegas. The tradition of innovating and releasing new play actions and product offerings to the Gaming Sector will be further demonstrated at ICE London 2023.
Pick2Win Craps is designed to capitalize on an increasing demand within the gaming industry to provide dice-related content. For generations, Dice have been utilized on a social level and we believe we found a more user-friendly manner to attract players to a historically intimidating dice-style game.
Through technology, we added features and functionalities to the game that brings a new level of excitement to the game of Craps. While playing Pick2Win Craps, Players choose the two dice they feel are the most likely to win. In addition, we now offer Crapless Craps and Easy Craps games to attract novice players.
Our Bonus Wheel Roulette is nominated for Product Launch of the Year by Global Gaming Awards London 2023. It is an exciting new standalone product that incorporates the thrill of playing traditional Roulette with the opportunity for players to win payouts up to 250 to 1 with a dual wheel bonus system.
When players wager on any of the four bonus gems and the ball lands in the selected bonus gem pocket on the main wheel, a secondary bonus wheel spins to determine the amount of the bonus payout rewarded to players with multipliers up to 250 times.
With the bonus round occurring approximately one in every ten spins and payouts more than seven times higher than that of a traditional Roulette wheel, our developers successfully produced an elevated game for Roulette players to enjoy.
During 2022, Interblock took its products to different venues around the world, such as North America, Latin America and Europe. What is your goal for 2023?
We are enthusiastically exploring ways to provide our global partners and players the ability to play our content in an integrated manner, whether online or in a physical casino.
Online players have different expectations when entering a Casino than the players our industry has grown accustomed to. The rate of play, distribution methods, social aspects, and many other factors are more relevant when attempting to bridge online gaming and traditional table gaming environments together.
Our data proves that, in order to accomplish our goals, we need to consider multiple product demographics when designing new technology. Through the utilization of best practices, obtained from years of experience, our ability to migrate to a parallel distribution channel will prove successful.
Looking ahead to this year, will you be announcing any launches or new agreements in relation to the Latin American market?
Interblock’s focus in the LATAM market has never been stronger. We signed more business in the past 28 months than in the past four years combined. The product portfolios and the current innovative road map within our company will ensure this trend continues.
Many of us feel we are only at the beginning of the true potential Interblock can offer casinos throughout the region and 2023 will incorporate some new product launches designed to change the gaming industry forever – only time will tell.
