41 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023 and service. Our internal culture is one of mutual respect and appreciation, combined with high expectations for achievement, dedication to service, and a creative drive to effect digital transformation and long-term success for NeoGames clients. We keep reminding ourselves that our success is measured by one thing and one thing only: the level of success that our customers have, and their satisfaction with the service we provide them with. That is why we see our goal not as producing the best products for the industry, but to create, or at least to play a role in creating, successful lotteries. That’s where our focus is. You also encourage your clients to adopt a best-of-breed model. M. Malul: In our vision that I mentioned, we believe in “partner of choice” not partner of force. That means we need to prove ourselves every day to our customers and if they want to include third-party products, or that we integrate for them into other services, we will of course do that. We need to be focused on innovation and the quality of our products so that our customers will prefer using them. The lottery operator understands their business and their needs better than anyone else. We encourage them to be guided by their own assessment of how to meet those expectations and needs. And we think the community of commercial technology partners should do everything it can to enable the operator to select the best partner for every aspect of the business. We all like to think that every aspect of our portfolio of products and services is bestof-breed, for everyone. But that is for the customer – the lottery operator – to decide. For instance, the client may want NeoGames’ player-account-management system, but also the flexibility to integrate game content from multiple suppliers, or even select a sports betting solution or another part of the overall ecosystem. We all benefit when the client successfully implements a best-of-breed strategy for maximizing value to their customer – the players. “We all benefit when the client successfully implements a best-of-breed strategy for maximizing value to their customer – the players.” With the acquisition of Pariplay, NeoGames is becoming a powerful content hub as well as a content and product provider. M. Malul: The third part of the NeoGames mission was “throughout their interactive journey”. Our industry is ever evolving at a fast pace, as part of a journey we wish to be a part of as a strategic partner and advisor to our customers. That is why, when we saw that globally, more and more lotteries are moving into iGaming and online sports betting, we decided to buy leading assets as well as knowledge in these spaces so that we can enhance our partnership with our customers. We augmented our organic growth engines with strategic acquisitions like Pariplay, BtoBet, and Aspire Global, all with a focus on the player who wants more options, providing a broader range of choices and ways to connect and play. We have seen that this strategy has been successful, with major parts of our customer base already adopting these new offerings. So, the Pariplay value proposition, and the reason the Virginia Lottery chose Pariplay, is because the business of integrating is a matter of speed-to-market at the lowest cost? And Pariplay puts all content providers on equal footing right alongside NeoGames? Moti Malul: Well, it is actually much more than that. Pariplay is the ultimate content hub in the industry, that has really become a marketplace. Whatever the game category or functionality, Pariplay creates a seamless integration process, enabling the operator to implement a true best-of-breed model. Pariplay has more than 100 content vendors connected to its Fusion platform, with eInstant game content, iGaming content, Bingo, Virtual Sports, Live Dealer and more. However, it is not only the technology that it handles, but also the entire service of seeking content based on lottery guidance, contracting, integrating, paying vendors, and so on. This means that customers will simply deal with their own strategy, with as little operational burden as possible. Pariplay has been very successful in doing this for iGaming operators, so it was seamless for us to bring these products and services to our customers. First was AGLC in Alberta, then Sazka and now Virginia. Content variety is seen as a strategy pillar, facilitated through a single and fast process, while allowing players to enjoy the engagement features and functionality of the Fusion solution. With innovation taking place at a breakneck pace, operators need the freedom to choose and upgrade when and where they deem necessary. Operators need an IT platform that facilitates flexibility to meet consumer expectations for a world-class user experience. That means the best games, the widest variety of gaming options, easy navigability over a broad range of game categories and intuitive access to an increasingly complex array of value-added functionality. It takes time and money to acquire the competencies and assemble the network of partners that enable the world-class player experience of the future. Some lotteries may want to outsource those activities so they can concentrate on their primary mission of building their brand and engaging their audience. However, it’s a similar story for game content vendors that seek distribution easily and across multiple jurisdictions. That’s what has made Pariplay a go-to option for many, at a growing pace. Thankfully, we are seeing more and more RFPs with specific requirements to support this kind of content hub and service approach, enabling the fast and easy integration of game content from multiple suppliers. NeoGames started with game development. And that has evolved into the NeoGames Studio. M. Malul: Indeed. I believe we have been pioneers of eInstant games content, launching our first games in early 2006. We are excited to see that 17 years later, NeoGames Studio is a global leader and plays a key role in the evolution to a Lottery Ecosystem 2.0 that values the flexibility to meet and exceed the expectations of the players for more and better game content. Here is where NeoGames thrives, as we live in a state of constant change and creation. Lottery gaming is evolving to include elements of casual, social, and mobile gaming, to appeal to the broadest cross-section of player preferences. This “Operators need an IT platform that facilitates flexibility to meet consumer expectations for a world-class user experience.” Continued on page 53
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTg4MTM=