Kai Buenger, International Sales Director, VNE.
What’s your analysis on the current business possibilities of the U.S. online and sports betting market? How is your company developing products for that segment?Cash is and will always be a factor in gambling. The complete U.S. online market -sports betting as well as online casino- didn’t introduce any automated cash deposit or cash withdrawal solutions yet. As simple as it is, they just leave that part of the cake aside. VNE already has experience with such applications in other markets. What we did for the U.S. market was to create a combination of different functionalities. This allowed us to use VNE redemption with several applications in parallel. Online players can deposit or withdraw cash at the same machine where other players redeem their tickets from a land-based slot or casino operation. We have also integrated KYC and account verification features in order to connect VNE products to bonusing. In general, the US market is good; especially for our products. In which way you consider the industry is increasingly changing?
In the first place, I think the industry has too many shows. There’s like a factory of gaming shows. We daily receive lots of info about new products. Why any executive would attend to a show? People is definitely choosing online and mobile, so soon there will be no need to attend a casino or a trade show to learn everything you need to know about new solutions. For instance, in Europe, the number of land-based casinos or the total of gaming machines is decreasing. But, on the other hand, we have a fast growing online business, and that’s why we were in Boston. Some companies in Europe have already integrated our platform for payments in the online segment. In the U.S., we have a license in Nevada to work with land-based operators. However, our intention is to enter in the online business in this country. Which are your company’s main plans for the rest of the year? How is Latin America a possible market for your company’s expansion or consolidation?
VNE has expanded into several new markets within the last years and it’s our goal to have more direct contact to our customers. Our products are visible at more than 30 exhibitions per year. This year, we attended Peru Gaming Show, and the next year, we are considering to exhibit at Sagse Buenos Aires event. Our network of distributors and service partners becomes more and more complete. This will help customers and operators to find someone local to talk about how they can use VNE products or have an after sales support or service.