Taken from the ‘How 2020 changed the industry’ panel at the SBC Digital Summit CIS conference the session looks at some of the takeaways from 2020 and how can the CIS region continue to develop its igaming ecosystem.
What is it?
The pandemic has had a profound impact on society, including business operations and consumer trends. However, such challenges ultimately drive innovation and change. This session talks about the rise in the diversification of products, the reach into new markets and the impact travel restrictions have had on retail markets in the region.
Who is it?
Maka Gorgadze, CMO, Casino Adjara
Vedran Katić, COO, Pin Projekt
Oleksandr Laroshenko, CEO, Betbazar
Mark McGuinness, Director of Marketing & Customer Success, Dam Mad Media Limited
Dainis Niedra, COO, Optibet
Marcos Oliveira, Head of Business Development, Clever Advertising Group
What is being said?
Gorgadze: “The situation is not very optimistic for land-based casinos. Statistically in the Batumi region, around 85% [of figures] are based on tourists and guests, and if we take a local market in Tbilisi, around 50% are tourists.
“So, our entire land-based casinos are based on tourists, which is 70% of tourists compared to 30% of locals. Money wise as well, locals are not the ones you can operate on. Most of our guests who gamble are from regions like Iran, Kuwait and Azerbaijan which are countries where gambling is prohibited so they would come here.
“We’ve been closed since March and we’ve tried to have meetings with government officials but they never came back to us. Employees tried to strike but that didn’t help because the community looks at this business in a very negative way so most of the people are happy that casinos are closed.”
Why should I watch it?
To get an overview of how the pandemic has effected the CIS region looking at what worked, what didn’t work, and given the chance, how companies might have changed their approach.
Where can I see more?
Source: SBC YouTube Channel
