The European street gaming market is undergoing significant change as technology and legislation continue to shape the sector.
A DIVERSE and complex collection of gambling regimes, Europe’s street market has had a somewhat challenging few years. The negative impact of smoking bans and the recent economic downturn has been further compounded by the emergence of a new rival in the form of online gaming. Rising to the challenge, however, manufacturers have been designing new gaming solutions to continue to attract players.
“The face of the street market for gaming has changed almost completely in recent years in many European countries,” said Thomas Niehenke, COO of German gaming giant Gauselmann. “The traditional market of lower cost machines that move from site to site – beginning at a premium site and then being passed on and on to lesser standard sites – has almost gone for good. This is mainly due to the increased technology available to the street market. Multigames have arrived for good and thus an AWP isn’t necessarily a one-game machine any longer.”
There are exceptions, of course, with players in the UK, Spain and Italy often favouring standalone titles. Here, however, multigames are becoming increasingly important. “With that,” said Niehenke, “the focus moves more to game content.” The Gauselmann Group and Merkur Gaming have development teams in place in various countries that can adapt games to meet local cultures. At ICE this year, the company introduced new cabinets and games, broadening its range. In Germany, for example, it offers multigames with up to 60 games in one AWP and with its My Top Game feature, players can access their favourite game even it is not within the game library on that particular AWP.
According to Gerhard Burda, acting chief product officer at Inspired Gaming, the move to multigames has been a significant trend within the European market, as has tailoring games to local audiences and broadening player choice.
“In terms of technology evolution it’s been all about multigame products and, for Inspired, about downloading new content to the machines regularly and researching consumer needs in order to provide the right content at the right place using our versatile menu creation methods and therefore tailor the experience to the local players,” he said.
Read the full article in the May issue of InterGame
