This is the second time that Merkur Gaming has been present at ICE Africa, what are your impressions regarding the fair?

We have the same feeling as a year ago. We wanted to return to South Africa in order to build on the many contacts that we made in 2018. During the two show days we have received visits from all the main operators, both LPM and Casino, in the sector and their reception and appreciation of our products has been very favorable.

What products did you decide to bring to the Africa show?

On this occasion we have presented product highlights for both the casino and LPM sectors. For the LPM market we brought our G Box HD cabinets and a selection of high performing games designated specifically for African players. For the casino sector we featured our latest innovation:  the Linked Progressive Jackpot Treasure Link, which is combined with five dazzling new titles, African Glory, Dragon Marbles, Golden Silk, Joker Buffalo and Temple of the Nile, to create an exciting new concept. These excellent base games, that feature a free game bonus feature called Cash Games, have their own special features, which are also the player's entrance to discover Treasure Link's high-value Mini, Midi, Maxi and Mega Progressive Jackpots.

Additionally we exhibited Rapid Thunder, a built-in high-value jackpot feature, which gives the player the chance to win great prizes.

How is the South African player?

The South African players are knowledgeable, sophisticated, enthusiastic and, above all, able to recognize games that present real gaming entertainment. They are very polite. That is, they clearly understand the possibilities and social elements of gaming

That is equally true in both the casino and LPM sectors; one reason why we chose to exhibit our top casino games and also our proven and successful LPM models. That choice led to us enjoying a very successful ICE Africa and we are extremely pleased to have opened new opportunities, not just in South Africa but also from all across the continent.

What are the company's objectives for this year?

For Merkur Gaming, South Africa is a very important market. We have products specifically designed for the needs of local operators in this country; products that were first successfully introduced last year. We have built on our experience here and we are confident that we will increase our business.

As for the wider African region, it is an exciting but still very difficult and complex territory. When we analyze the center of Africa, we can see that there is strong competition from online gaming and sports betting.  As an objective, we will move to support the land based sector by offering great games that, as we have seen at ICE Africa, are games that players really want to play: games that will drive us forward to success very soon.