Zona de Azar UK – Virtual Ampersand Assembly: Final Conclusions Part 2

United Kingdom.- June 17, 2020 www.zonadeazar.com The second edition of the Virtual Ampersand Assembly took place last May 18 to May 29 . It was a must-see event for the industry, the first edition of which took place last April. This new and unprecedented modality consisted of 25 assemblies, which according to Ewa Bakun, Director of Industry Insight and Engagement at Clarion Gaming, intended to be “informal and fluid conversations, very similar to those you would have during a Coffee Break or networking event of the conferences and exhibitions organized by Clarion Gaming”.

As follows the most important conclusions of the “New post-pandemic business models” Assembly, focused in terms of customer engagement, payments and driving efficiencies:

Will general shift towards online survive? And should operators try to keep players online?

Older people have spent more time on computers and online so might be more adept at it now and more likely to stay, e.g. William Hill reported jump in demographic for their online offering since the beginning of the pandemic.

– Disposal income will play a part in who is likely to return and whom to attract.

– Work from home has potential to change the work environment – what impact will it play on the entertainment consumption?

– Land-based groups will have a different perception of online, which can work as a way to get them back, but also to keep engaged if they don’t feel comfortable traveling and being in casinos – opportunity for operators to drive from online back to offline. Online/offline are complementary offerings with different drivers pushing players to each

– For those operators, like William Hill referenced above, to be able to keep players online, they will need to become way more engaging in their marketing. Some of the pandemic habits, such as zoom calls, might offer some inspiration, e.g. facial interaction, TikTok as a new platform

– Creative potential behind the pandemic: we should see some interesting approaches as the result of the pandemic in the next few months

Impact on land-based:

– Land-based casinos will also need to start gearing towards younger demographic and understanding what they want better

– Millennials need to be engaged; need a social aspect, community feel; have grown up playing different games

– M&A as the effect of the pandemic, driven by operational, financial and innovation goals on both the vendor and operators level, Some are looking to buy igaming companies now to add to their database and product line. Some organisations will struggle, e.g. Mohegan, others are thriving, e.g. Wynn, LVS

– Tribal casinos opened up first – they’re local, don’t require long distance travel, more community based so ability to connect with friends from area; air travel an issue for Las Vegas casinos to recover, as well as impact of corporate travel bans on the MICE economy – important driver of Vegas visitors

– Lottery also have an ageing demographic – is lottery still sustainable; millennials don’t play lottery at all

Regulatory and Responsible Gaming considerations:

– Data available through online gaming offers a better regulation opportunity – ability to track players and their play better – in response to the pushback from the opponents of iGaming

– A lot of regulatory pressures and changes are here to stay, but different approach in the US where regulators have a different take.

– Cashless payment might offer an opportunity for limits on spend. Generally there is a fear of being overbearing on the player to avoid migration to illegal market – tech solutions are out there for it. Self-limitation is an option too instead of limits imposed by someone else.

Ampersand members have presented more than 90 themes for this event, which have been consolidated in more than 20 assemblies. These were developed with a maximum of 10 members each. The topics covered were be very varied, including: esports, the impact of the pandemic on the industry, game regulation, artificial intelligence, among many others.

Edited: @MaiaDigital www.zonadeazar.com