Q&A with Michael Maokhmphiou, Operations Manager at Lightning Box

Tell us about the CEE region for you in 2020 – what’s been your major highlights?

We’ve watched with interest as iGaming within the CEE region has developed in recent years, with a number of different countries choosing to regulate. Our games have now been certified in Croatia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. We’ve seen player engagement rise as a result. Numbers have been steady, in spite of the pandemic, which is encouraging, and it is definitely an area with potential growth, particularly as we look to replicate our larger presence in neighbouring western Europe and the Nordics.

To give readers a view of how you see the market – where’s been key for you and what regions are you keeping a close eye on?

The key for Lightning Box has been to build up a catalogue with a wide range of innovative and entertaining slots that have broad appeal. We’ve found recently that players are enjoying a new spin on some of our classic games, particularly when we add new features. A case in point is our recent release Chicken Fox5x Skillstar, which now has an added skill feature and a leader board. This has made it more engaging for players as they look to compete against one another. It is also a popular element of social gaming and can be a good way of introducing new customers to real money gaming as countries regulate. Slovenia may be one of the next in the CEE region and we are monitoring it alongside a few others at the moment.

How have events in since last March changed your approach to the region? Would you say it’s changed the landscape and demographics?

Our approach remains the same for all regions and hasn’t been guided by the pandemic, to be honest. We want to build entertaining slot games that appeal to all demographics. That will continue in spite of external factors which are beyond our control. As statistics have shown, there has been an overall increase in iGaming activities since the pandemic began in March last year. Due to restrictions and betting venues remaining shut, players who like to play in land-based venues have transitioned online. The trick for suppliers like us is to keep them engaged and to make sure they enjoy the experience whilst they’re here in order that they stay.

Looking to the future – what should our readers be watching out for in the next 12 months?

Hopefully will see more entertaining and innovative slots coming out from our studio and others around the world. Popularity in iGaming during the pandemic has increased worldwide due to the ease of access to online casino entertainment and retail businesses being shuttered. We feel as more regions open, there will be more and more players coming online. That’s an opportunity that we need to manage responsibly by working within each jurisdiction’s regulations to ensure player protection.

And last but not least, looking outside of the gaming industry, can you name an industry figure or company that we’d do well to learn from in the year ahead?

I’ve been impressed with the progress of a number of fintech companies recently and the Dutch ecommerce payments specialists Adyen have really caught the eye. Not only were they able to sustain traffic during the global pandemic they also increased it, as well as tailoring their services to businesses so they were still able to operate effectively and efficiently online. To adapt so quickly and with a minimum of fuss is no mean feat. There is a lot that gaming companies can learn from some of these more dexterous fintech giants.