How would you evaluate this year’s edition of ICE?

ICE proved once again to be one of the most important gaming events in the fixture list for all of us at team Habanero. Every year brings together the entire global gaming sector – and offers the best in terms of showcasing product innovation as well as networking opportunities.

Being the first event in the annual calendar, it’s also a great bellwether for highlighting what we should expect to see hitting the headlines in the coming months – and it certainly didn’t disappoint for us this time round!

Our perception of the sector is extremely positive at this point in time, and we’ve been very impressed with the gaming industry’s handling of the delicate regulatory situation in Europe, with new solutions in terms of products, technology and team skillsets ensuring a more efficient industry vertical than ever before.

Business has also been fantastic this year, following a record-breaking 2019, we kept the momentum going with a wealth of deals signed and closed during the three days, which I see as a true testament to the growth and popularity that the company has achieved during recent times. We’re now transitioning from being one of the sector’s most promising ‘rising stars’ to establishing ourselves as one of the world’s favourite suppliers.  

What products proved to be a hit at your stand?

We unpacked our latest catalogue additions to an excited audience, with Loony Blox proving to be a real hit. Crammed with action-packed graphics and a host of high-tech gaming features to keep every player coming back for more, I’m looking forward to seeing its performance across global markets. 

Alongside, the deluxe edition of our legendary Fa Cai Shen Deluxe was also on display; upgraded from our 2016 classic Fa Cai Shen, our development team has taken the very latest in terms of mathematics and HD graphics to bring a brilliant new twist to a slot that’s proven to be a real player staple. 

Overall – I’m delighted to see the hard work and dedication of our brilliant teams paying off; with widespread appreciation from our existing and (soon to be) new operator partners, especially when it comes to our in-game mathematics and design. Hand in hand with that is the excellent feedback we’ve been getting from our back-office, who have worked wonders in terms of each of our partners having the very latest in terms of reporting and promo tools.

This was the first important trade show of the year, how does your calendar of events continue for the company in 2020 and what are your expectations?

We’re already fully booked! With a laser focus on Europe and South America, we’re looking to build on our fantastic success in 2019 with even more players introduced to the wonderful world of Habanero.

To name a few of our highlight shows, we’ll be exhibiting at CasinoBeats Malta in March and starting from April we’ll be gearing up for LatAm as the expo season kicks off there. As Colombia is to date the most important fully regulated market of the region, we are particularly excited about attending  Cartagena in April, which will no doubt offer plenty of chances for business as well as catching up on the latest news and views from the ground.

On the European side, Enada - Rimini, the biggest gaming show in Italy, is set to see our team out in full force. Italy has been a real home in Europe for us since we entered the market there, and our list of operator partners includes every major name across the board.

What goals do you hope to achieve during 2020?

2020 is going to be a standout year for us, of this I am sure. In the first few months alone, we’re already live in three new markets! We’ve got a pipeline in place for a raft of game launches across each month, as well as a host of new features and functionalities to help our customers market their games in the most productive way possible.

Our core focus of ensuring every one of our customer’s needs are met is also hot on the agenda, and we’ll be keeping our spotless reputation going in terms of responding quickly and efficiently to everything our partners require. 

In terms of deals and markets, we are now certified in 16 jurisdictions across Europe and South America, which will continue to be our key focus - with further certifications and key licenses expected very shortly. Of course, we expect this to open plenty of new doors for us; allowing us to bring the world of Habanero to even more players than before, which I’m delighted about.