The Invisible Man

About The Invisible Man

SmartSoft has joined the African iGaming Alliance (AiA) as a Gold Supplier Member in a strategic partnership focused on its continued development of African gambling.

In an announcement on Tuesday, the parties said the agreement was “focused on supporting the continued development of sustainable, responsible and commercially viable regulated gambling markets across Africa”.

SmartSoft maintains an established and growing presence in Africa, having also co-hosted the iGB L!VE Africa Summit in July.

What is The Invisible Man?

He points to Macau’s Cotai Strip and Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa as examples of how regulatory discipline can coexist with considerable freedom for developers to innovate. “At its core, Japan’s policies need to be pragmatic and allow for developments to succeed – not constrain them to the point that they risk failure.”

When asked which operator will be willing to take the risk and ultimately win Japan’s next “licence lottery”, Klebanow contends that it depends on how restrictive – or attainable – the regulations and requirements imposed by the government will be.

“If policymakers once again impose onerous policies that limit a property’s profit potential, then most developers will not take the risk of investing upwards of $10 billion in an IR development,” says Klebanow.

How to play The Invisible Man

“As much as we work as a managed service, it’s always a collaboration,” Wilson states. “We need to make sure that the operator and Splash are a partnership, we understand your requirements, and then we can go out and deliver that for you.”

That management also involves balancing margin and longevity. Wilson notes that Jackpot engines need to balance commercial performance with a sustainable and enjoyable player experience. Operators need enough control to manage contribution levels, drop mechanics and reward frequency, while ensuring the product remains engaging and fair for players over time.

 “How do you balance that against not draining too much of the players’ funds and making sure that it has the stickiness, and that we’re not pushing players away, but encouraging them to come back?” he asks. “That really is the science.”