DR Gaming Technology’s CEO, Jurgen De Munck, MD: Africa, Charl Geyser and MD: DRGT Online, Jean-Michel De Busscher talk about their plans for ICE 2020, the history of the company and what they believe the new decade holds in store.
DRGT was established in 2005, and Jurgen the company really is your and Michiel’s (van Dam, CTOs) baby.
JM: Yes, that’s right; we’ve been very fortunate; the company has really grown from strength to strength over the last 15-odd years, thanks to Michiel and his team of developers, and the likes of Charl and Jean-Michel across Africa and in Belgium, as well as Alfredo (Moreno) and Alex (Stiglich) our Mexico and Latin America MDs and their teams, along with Christian Eder and his team in Austria.
Charl, towards the end of 2018 your baby, Simplicit-e Gaming Solutions, became DRGT Africa, what effect, if any, has this joint venture between DRGT and Grand Parade Investments (GPI) had on the company’s African and Indian Ocean island business over the last year?
CG: Ahead of me answering your question let me just note that my relationship with DRGT dates back almost a decade, to when I took on the distribution of the then SiP product, subsequent to which I met Jurgen and Michiel when they purchased SiP in late 2011. To answer your question though, the value that DRGT as an internationally recognised developer and supplier, alongside GPI a well-respected South African gaming investor and former operator have added significant gravitas to our African operations. The relationships and network that both of these businesses have given us access to over the last 12 months has been invaluable, part of what you will see on our booth at ICE will bear testament to that.
That’s a nice feather in the caps of both DRGT and GPI.
JM: It is indeed, but don’t let Charl be so modest. The relationships he has across Africa following not only his establishment of Simplicit-e Gaming in 2009, but also as a result of his 13 years with Aristocrat are of immense value to us too; DRGT Africa was without a doubt a win-win for all three parties
Let’s move from Africa to Europe; Jean-Michel, as the head of DRGT’s Belgian distributor business, ICE must surely be your key operator engagement opportunity?
JB: Without a doubt. Just as G2E remains an integral part of our Mexican and Latin American and Caribbean marketing efforts, ICE fulfils that role for our European and African endeavours. As you may know we are the management system market-leaders, by some significant margin, in our home country of Belgium, as well as in Switzerland, and as a result we remain under significant pressure from our competitors, and rightly so, to maintain that status. Jurgen mentioned Michiel and his R&D teams earlier; I believe that our market leadership is jointly driven by our system augmentations, new products, and product extensions, alongside our operations and service support efforts. Together they keep us that proverbial “step ahead of the pack”.
That’s an interesting point you make: that notwithstanding the fact that your success is driven by technology, it would never have reached the heights it has without the support from the operations staff who are at the coal face engaging and servicing your customers. Who though, or what, drives your on-going product development? It is integral to any businesses’ success.
CG: You are 100% correct, in fact in an interview I did last month I made it quite clear that in my view, in respect of not only 2020, but the new decade, that the player experience, is going to be what defines and drives operator success and sustainability in the foreseeable future. The above view mirrors what was, and remains, Jurgen and Michiel’s unwavering design mantra of “The Player First”.
JB: I cannot agree more. As the saying goes people like doing business with people they like, and similarly players like playing at establishments they like, and generally those are establishments that genuinely appreciate their players and their custom. The core gaming products whether they be EGMs, table games and any iterations thereof are available to each and every operator on the planet, within reason. They are a commodity if you like, and remaining relevant in that space is a whole separate discussion; where I see us having set ourselves apart, and where I believe we provide the best option in assisting operators in setting themselves apart, is our ability to help operators measure, understand, manage and then engage and communicate with their players.
So, if the player experience holds the defining key, how do casino operators go about delivering it?
JM: I believe the answer to that question is by hiring and training staff with the right attitude, then arming them with knowledge, and finally empowering them to make player-centric decisions. We have all had poor customer service experiences, and in most cases it has been as a result of the way we were treated when addressing an issue, not as a result of the actual issue itself. The whole process has become extremely integrated; operators need to understand who are best suited to service their players, they then need to employ and train these like-minded individuals. We as systems service providers then need to provide these staff with the means to get to know and understand each and every player individually (the much talked about “player segment of one”), and finally these staff then need to go out and do what they do best, fully cognisant of their capabilities, and the fact that they are empowered and armed with the tools and knowledge to make the correct player-centric decisions.
