“At the Enada Rimini Trade Fair, Snaitech showed once again its nature as a company that is able to keep up with the times. We have stood out for our innovative strength for a long time now, and this shapes both the company’s technological features and our pursuit of an increasingly responsible and refined form of entertainment,” affirmed its CEO.

With regard to the 31st edition of ENADA, he said: “We designed our stand so as to represent the whole company and all our latest products, creating a space for showing off the game “The Age of the Gods”. We have already launched this new Playtech content as a part of the Group’s products, specifically targeting the Italian market. The Trade Fair is both a moment to meet up with our network of operators and an opportunity to present our new products and make new deals and agreements.”

He then added that the firm is proud of its partnership with Aresway, since it is another investment by the company in quality, innovation and Italian talent. “Thus Snaitech is becoming the springboard for the first ever multi-content platform, designed using the most advanced standards, including GSA protocol and HTML5 system. Thanks to this level of technology, the platform acts as a 'superhighway' to the Omni channel world, while at the same time laying the foundations for the future AWPRs,” he said.

When asked about the position of the company in Italy and in the European market, he said: “For the first time, we participated in ENADA as part of an International Group, Playtech, holding a position that strengthened our position of market leader. In 2018, Snaitech’s EBITDA (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) rose by 14%, mainly due to a 27% increase in online sector revenues, whereas total revenues amounted to 894.6 million euros. From the perspective of a company with international ambitions, the Playtech network represents an engine for further growth. We have access to an excellent technological library, which provides us with competitive tools and services. Technological quality and a wide-ranging strategic vision will be a formidable area of strength for Snaitech.”

He then remarked the plans of the company in different gaming sectors for 2019: “For the first time, our products will be integrated alongside the ones of the Playtech Group, including the launch of dedicated live casinos and other new products. With regard to our football-betting offer, we will broaden the range of markets offered, as we have done recently by increasing our number of markets on corner kicks, goal-scorers and bookings. The Horseracing sector deserves a specific mention because, as owners of three racecourses, we have always been the historical market leader in this field. With regards to betting, thanks to the introduction of a free market for horseracing, we will be able to add a truly international dimension to our offer. Nevertheless, the overall issue is wider than that: it will be necessary to implement a comprehensive plan to re-launch a sector that needs institutional support. As far as we are concerned, for the past few years we have been enhancing our facilities in order to use them for activities other than horseracing, thereby attracting a different clientele. For example, this year we organized, for the third time in a row at the Snai owned San Siro racecourse the Milan Summer Festival, including concerts by Metallica and Kiss. We are also involved in the Fai Spring Days guided tours. Furthermore, 2019 is a special year because it is the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo Da Vinci and as you all know, Leonardo's Horse is located at the San Siro racecourse.”

“The Municipality of Milan chose ten projects, including our own Leonardo Horse Project, to commemorate the anniversary.Thirteen world-renowned artists will create scale reproductions of the horse that will be placed throughout the city. Through an augmented reality app, the user can enjoy new and interactive contents related to the history of the horse, the horse riding education of the Tuscan genius and the performing arts,” Snaitech CEO told SoloAzar.

A theme that could not be excluded was the current status of the gaming sector in Italy. He answered the following: “It is a particularly sensitive moment for the industry which has been affected by a series of continuous fiscal interventions and a ban on advertising and sponsorship. As stakeholders, we play a leading role in the sector with huge responsibilities towards our investors. We are confident that the government has a real interest in supporting a sustainable system of legal gambling, but without a legislation that covers the country as a whole, and without the acknowledgment and support for the work carried out by authorized operators, new investments are unlikely to happen As the market leader, we can confirm our interest in the new betting tender procedure, with the aim of increasing our market share. We need the assistance of the institutions in addressing the territorial issue: as of today, many regions have implemented procedures that make it impossible to exercise tender rights. It would be more reasonable to postpone the allocation new concessions until 2022, thereby waiting for the national reorganization of the sector and the consequent definition of the distribution of the network.”

“We can no longer be the most convenient cashpoint for the government’s fiscal policy,” Schiavolin anwered, when asked about the current taxation situation in the country. “Due to continuous tax increases, the illegal betting companies that the State has tackled so far have returned to the fore. As concession holders, we have always defended the system, but protecting the legal side of the sector is becoming increasingly difficult.”

Finally, when consulted about how does the prohibition of bookmakers’ advertising in Italy affects the business, he concluded: “What concerns me the most is any kind of prohibition, because that does not support the safe protection of the legal gambling market. Strict regulations on advertising are completely different to a total ban, which sends out completely the wrong message and deprives the world of sport, at all levels, of huge levels of income and assets. It is the wrong way to face up to the problem: it is not the ban on shirt sponsorship and stadium advertising that will heal compulsive and addicted gamblers. Anyway, these gamblers represent merely a drop in the ocean of in the sea of sports fans who bet responsibly.”