Interview with Ana Tokuhisa. Spintec Gaming
As you may know, the gaming business in Ukraine was forbidden for 12 years. Now, we have new legislation and everyone looks in the future with more optimism and hope for a new beginning. How things were for you, in Slovenia, during all that time?
Did you miss Ukraine?
During the period when Ukraine has taken the pause from gaming, Spintec has been developing, creating and installing the famous electronic table games worldwide, on all continents and providing our products to all locations that wished for the highest quality, technologically advanced products with cutting-edge design and superior performance. We were observing the situation in Ukraine through all this time, of course, and waited for the legislative process to start, and already while legislation was still in the process, we started to receive calls and orders from Ukrainian clients that want to offer their players our products to ensure the superb gaming experience and have a goal of low operational costs and almost no maintenance needed with our products. I enjoy greatly while working with Ukrainian clients, to me Ukraine is like a jewel, full of professional and very kind people, it gives me a great honor to work in this market. I believe Ukraine has tremendous potential and deciding to re-open and regulate the gaming industry is a good step into attracting bigger investments and also attracting additional tourism into the country. Therefore, this wave of economical benefit will make a positive impact on the country as a whole.
How are things in Slovenia and the EU? How industry changed and are you happy with those changes?
Slovenia has regulated the gaming industry for many years, as well as a majority of other EU members. Each EU member has its gaming legislature, and they differ from each other in so many ways. In the past years, there have been talks about major modifications of the gaming law in Slovenia to enable better dynamic in this industry and to allow 100% private ownership of the casinos, which at the moment is still not available by law. For Spintec the legislation of each country is something that we incorporate and adapt to with our products immediately, providing all necessary for clients to receive the product that fits into the regulation. We also make sure to modify the games and products over time if the laws and certifications change in some markets. We are very flexible and fast in adjusting to clients wishes and also to legislation demands, it’s our natural way to make all required steps very fast, so clients don’t wait for our part when they need something, and not only this, we deliver everything with a smile:)
What did the Ukrainian market mean for you and how do you see It in the future?
Our vision is that Spintec products are offered in every country, also in Ukraine. It’s no secret that our products have been so reliable and profitable that clients order our products to gain all the advantages with our products. We respect every client, regardless, if it’s the smallest slot club or the biggest casino, we treat everyone with respect and give them our best, with customized leather and wood color options, adding clients logos on our products, and much more. Ukraine, is, of course, a very important market for us. In a way it’s a natural path to lead our products to players that will play in Ukrainian casinos and slot halls, to experience excitement and entertainment. One of the reasons why Ukraine is asking for our products is also that the neighboring countries around Ukraine already have our products and made great success with them. One of the examples is Georgia, where we’re making truly amazing results for the casinos and slot halls with our electronic table games. So our reputation as a very good, as a great manufacturer, with very reliable, stable machines that bring bigger revenues. Ukrainian clients are calling us just for these reasons already. Ukraine, of course, has great potential. It’s a large country, with a history of gaming, which gives us confidence in the future evolution of the market. With this it will bring the investors into this country, creating new jobs, generating a new economy and develop some areas that were hungry for the purpose and investments. I’m very positive about these changes that Ukraine went through and I’m sure it will evolve nicely in the future.
You are in the electronic table games business. I remember at the beginning of the 2000’s that it was something that many Ukrainian companies were rather skeptical and not so willing to experiment with the product. Could you tell us more about the evolution of the product and where it stands now, both globally and locally?
Our products are distinguished by a unique design, user-friendly interface, stability and security. With innovative technologies, players can enjoy fully automated, diverse virtual solutions and live gaming connectivity. And at this point, I can say that the evolution of the electronic table games made the most important step, on Spintec play stations operator offers a player unique experience with the simultaneous play on electronic, live and virtual games, a perfect combination for any player to have the best entertainment. In the past decade, the development was rapid and won players excitement, so many players now demand electronic tables in casinos and slot halls and don’t want to play other options. I’m glad that our products have proven themselves in longer gaming sessions and therefore higher revenues for the casinos and slot halls.
I’ve noticed that you are a company that has corporate social responsibility policy. It’s rather unusual for the Ukrainian market, not only in the gaming business but in general. Please, elaborate more on the importance of CSR, give us some examples.
We recognize and embrace our commitment to the community in which we operate, since the day when Spintec was established. We value teamwork and cooperation which is resulting in the success of the company, that is why we believe giving back to the community drives innovation and builds an environment that enhances education and entrepreneurship to foster sustainable growth. Spintec is a proud sponsor of Skiing Club Gorica and the world-cup alpine ski racer Ana Bucik. Next, Spintec has been a proud sponsor of Barcolana, a historic international sailing regatta taking place every year in the Gulf of Trieste in the Mediterranean Sea. The Barcolana is one of the most crowded regattas in the world, which draws in a record number of over 25,000 sailors that every year come together to test their skills on the Mediterranean. Additionally, Spintec supports the activities of Aeroclub Edvard Rusjan Nova Gorica, the association of glider airplane lovers and sport pilots. We believe that investing in youth is a cornerstone to long-term prosperity in the local community. We support Youth association Renče-Vogrsko in the realization of their ideas and strong programs and Kids Sports Association Sonček in supporting their sports initiatives. In many ways, Spintec company provided to those in need also during this pandemic, we don’t look away when we see hardship but we do our best to help. We hope that all companies would vision their success not only through the profit but also by giving back to the local community and seeing the growth in this field.
What are the three most popular products from your catalog?
Now, this is a difficult question, cause our collection of products is large and also because different territories prefer to order different Spintec products:) Smaller slot halls usually prefer to order compact 5‑seater, 6‑seater, 8‑seater electronic roulettes of Karma product line and combine it with our Blackjack, Baccarat, Craps, SicBo virtual games. Larger casinos order usually a mix of Spintec products, installing Spintec stadium with the combination of live, electronic and virtual games of Aura product line, and adding also some of Karma tables next to it, connecting all together to offer players the diversity of games on each Spintec play station. Aura play stations are gaining high popularity among players and we sell them in large quantities worldwide to small and large casinos, there are many reasons for this popularity; we designed the Aura product line in the most ergonomic ways, adding luxurious softness of natural materials, a wide selection of wood and leather options, superior sound quality, more than 20 different languages, intuitive user interface, USB ports for charging mobile phones, with place for drinks and mobile phones, additional space for storage of personal belongings, wide Screens tilted for optimal viewing angle, large space for legs and feet, special 360 degrees Chair with ergonomic armrests and adjustable seat height, distance from the screen, and footrest angle for the optimal sitting position,… There are many advantages to why clients choose Spintec products, and it’s so nice to see them happy once they purchase their first order and continue with more, creating a beautiful synergy on their gaming floor. They all like to offer something amazing for their players and with Spintec product they achieve this goal, offering a seamless and enjoyable multigame experience.
Given the fact that you are operating on the market for the last 11 years, please tell us how did the psychology of the players changed, are they ready for innovation or prefer old school games, so to speak?
Yes, there are different types of players, not only as the age groups differ, but also as player’s characters are different and have also different cultural background, habits. All this results in the preferences of the games that players like, their decision on whether to sit at the live table and interact with the dealer and other players at the table, or they prefer some peace by the electronic table, focus on multiple games that they play there, some are more into slots. As much as the industry evolved in the past decades, some players go with all the trendy new games, and others prefer classics. Therefore, it’s easy to understand why successful casinos and slot halls have a variety of different products to satisfy different types of players.
Can we expect you on the Ukrainian market in the nearest future? What do you need for that?
Ukrainian clients and Spintec have been cooperating already for some time, our products are installed already in casinos and slot halls that are waiting to open. There is nothing that holds us back and we’re looking forward to work closely with every Ukrainian casino and slot hall in the future to provide them with our equipment, which will be specially customized for each client.
Will we see you at the Gaming Industry exhibition in Kyiv, in June this year? What are your expectations?
Of course, we plan to exhibit in Ukraine, present our products, and meet all our clients in person. We’ve been in a really good position to give clients the best that they can get and of course, we need to be patient with exhibitions taking into consideration the extremely unpredictable pandemic. The Pandemic affected many fields of life, and all of the events and expos worldwide had to be cancelled in 2020 and looks like also 2021 is following this ‘’no-events’’ trend. Otherwise, Spintec would exhibit at the London ICE show, Las Vegas G2E show, Macau show, and all local shows, like every year before the pandemic took this away.
Once it’s safe for our clients to visit expos, it will bring us a great pleasure to meet with them in Kyiv, show them our beautiful products and continue with our successful relationships.