GGRAsia – Pandemic focuses casino op technology spend: TCS chairman

Pandemic focuses casino op technology spend: TCS chairman

May 14, 2021 Newsdesk Latest News, Trends & Tech

Casino operators with budget currently to spend on new equipment are focused on “revenue-generating products or with a focus on security; game protection products, that safeguard revenues,” says Tristan Sjöberg, executive chairman of equipment supplier TCS John Huxley Ltd, in commentary on the firm’s website.

“Luckily our portfolio is extensive and diverse enough with many products playing to these strengths,” he added.

In a May 2020 release, the firm said it had launched a “Care & Protect” product range designed to help gaming operators ensure they can serve their customers safely as venues restart after the shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The United Kingdom-based firm said one of the initial products in the range was a chip sanitiser, capable of cleansing up to 600 casino chips at a time on the gaming floor.

In announcements in February this year, TCS John Huxley said its Chipper Champ UV product under the Care & Protect Range, had generated a lot of interest and the firm was currently in discussion with “some large groups in Asia” regarding installations “in the coming months”.

Mr Sjöberg noted in his recent remarks – on the topic of whether the Covid-19 pandemic had changed casino player preferences and demographics – that there were “regional differences”.

But he noted that as some casino markets reopened after closure due to the pandemic, “many older customers” were “choosing to stay away” from casinos, while “younger crowds” were viewing them as a “good place to socialise and be entertained, especially whilst clubs, bars and large venues are closed”.

The executive chairman said the firm’s focus had been on live table games, including electronic table games (ETGs). These, he said, were “preferred by younger players,” as they are seen as more “skill-based” products, where people could be “sociable”.

He stated: “We see this trend growing and as a result, are focused on developing and building more varied and exciting game content across these platforms.”

Mr Sjöberg said the firm’s Qorex electronic gaming terminals allowed players to select and play multiple games all from one terminal “without having to move around the casino floor”. Being able to expand the game portfolio and offer further choice “is where our attention is focused,” he added.

The executive said TCS John Huxley had to “make some quite drastic changes” during the pandemic, scaling down teams, refining certain products and services, and streamlining operations.

“I believe we will see a lot of innovation this year as many companies have been busy making use of the quieter times when many casinos were closed,” he stated.