Aristocrat is going into the Spanish casino market for the first time. The company has been in Spain for several years, but always with street market products.
The logistics of the Spanish casino market are difficult to contend with. The country’s 17 separate jurisdictions means that every machine has to be tested each time and with some jurisdictions only having one casino, the high cost of homologation for the sake of perhaps a tiny number of slots is not considered worthwhile by most manufacturers.
However, Aristocrat has now taken the decision to enter the market selectively. The company announced at the FER Interazar street market show in Madrid in late March that it will place its first casino slots in Catalunya through its relationship with Barcelona-based GiGames and its parent Conei Corporation.
“We both have something different to bring to the table,” said Aristocrat’s public relations chief Alex Fierek. “We have the global technology, the hardware, the systems, the brands and the games, but GiGames/Conei has the nationwide operation and after-sales network.”
The company has recognised that the logistical challenges may mean that it is present in only a handful of Spanish jurisdictions. At the FER show, recognising that many casino operators and management visit the event, Aristocrat showed nine new Class III games, as well as having its latest SBG solution for route operations on display.
Pictured is Donal Maguire, Aristocrat's sales and marketing director for Europe.
