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Ramiro Atucha, CEO at Vibra Gaming, has kindly agreed to participate in the Q&A by CasinosHunter and told more about the games, experience, and plans of Vibra Gaming.
Q/A Session With Ramiro Atucha, CEO at Vibra Gaming
How many games does Vibra Gaming have today? How many new games are released per month or per year?
We produce around 15 games per year and have 35 games available in the market today across several categories including slots, bingo games, table games, lottery games, and Brazilian classics that are specific to that market.
Every game has been successful but we have had some big hits that continue to flourish today such as Popeye, Piggy Cash, and The Phantom, plus some of our latest content such as Scratch a Lot which is an innovative, interactive scratchcard product that can complements lottery products very well.
The key market for the company is LatAm, is that correct? What other markets are you interested in?
We specialize in the LatAm market for both local and international operators, however, we work globally and attend and support the majority of global conferences and events. We are also identifying and looking to potentially enter several emerging markets such as the US which has shown explosive growth since state-by-state regulation came into play in 2018.
Vibra Gaming is a comparatively small and recent company, but if you would compare it to competitors, what are its main advantages?
We have more than 20 years’ experience in the iGaming sector, more than any other provider in LatAm and arguably more than many in the global supplier space so that immediately sets us apart from our competitors, plus we have built an extensive network of partners and have established relationships with the most respected industry stakeholders.
This local expertise combined with years of global experience means we recognize the subtleties of each market across LatAm in particular. Pinpointing precisely what local players prefer and trust when it comes to brands, bonuses, features, experiences, and volatility, for example, are vital to ensuring you don’t just gain market share but also maintain that performance and create a sustainable business for years to come.
A great example is our work with Betsul in Brazil. After an extensive period of market research and product development, we were privileged to be able to cooperate with one of our main customers, Betsul, and bring a unique product to the lottery market. We are confident this launch will not only be different from anything we have ever done but also potentially the most successful in our history.”
The development of Scratch-a-lot is aligned with our approach to content and the important role we play in bridging the gap between traditional games and the latest digital products.
Also in Brazil, we identified classic Bingo games as products that players are very familiar with. Our research showed that local players are not ready for sweeping change and, given the choice between new games and those they know and trust, they would likely return to products they are comfortable with.
Therefore, in preparation and ahead of forthcoming regulation, we started working in this direction and are taking ‘retro’ games and themes that local players enjoy, and we are adapting them for an online audience with the end result being a series of high-quality, digital versions of products LatAm players trust. By gradually bringing local players into the online world, we are confident we will significantly grow operator audiences once regulation takes place.
What are the three most popular games by Vibra? What is so special about them for your players?
Our most popular games are our branded titles, such as Condorito which is a very popular branded character not just in all Spanish-speaking Latin America, but also in other parts of the world and allows us to reach multiple global audiences with those titles. We put special emphasis around these characters and this content and it works very well.
What new online gambling trends have you been noticing lately? Are there any trends that you think will stay and change the industry in the long-term perspective?
Personalization has been a big topic for several years however this has arguably not materialized as quickly as the industry has hoped.
We are, however seeing more operators looking to introduce more data-driven technology to drive more personalized offerings that will, in turn, drive higher retention levels. We’ve seen this work so well in other areas of entertainment such as streaming services and eCommerce platforms with recommended products, dashboards that offer you products and services based on your likes so I expect this to be far more integrated in sports betting and casino in the years to come.
Mergers and acquisitions are also increasing in gambling with consolidation becoming more commonplace as the industry matures and emerging markets such as the US shake out the smaller and sometimes inferior brands and suppliers and market leaders grow their share.
What are your predictions about VR online casino gambling in Metaverse?
The closest gambling comes to immersion is a live casino where players watch and chat with ‘hosts’ who spin a branded roulette wheel, deal cards, or present a gameshow-style gambling game.
Apply this to a sophisticated 3D world where you socialize with hosts and other players, and potentially hold and trade digital assets, and I can see this gaining popularity, but for this to succeed you need mass adoption and this is arguably why gambling has held back to this point.
Another sector that has seen growth accelerate in the last two years is eSports and specifically betting on games such as Dota2 and Call of Duty with millions of fans watching pros expertly navigate their way through virtual worlds. The scenario is ideal for betting to engage a younger, next-gen audience who are both digitally savvy and constantly connected across multiple devices, the next step would be simply to create a world where they can meet, watch, bet and engage with the product on a deeper, meta-level.
The third area where I can envision a metaverse being created and gambling converging with 3D immersive worlds is sport and virtual sports. When global lockdowns forced the cancellation of sporting events, betting faced months of revenue losses and sought refuge in digital, namely virtuals where Random Number Generated (RNG) virtual horse racing, greyhounds, football, and basketball soared in popularity with bettors who were deprived of real-life events.
What are Vibra Gaming’s plans for the future? Are there any fresh releases that we should expect?
We will continue to create unique content taking a localized approach to markets, with a specific target of LatAm but with an eye on other emerging markets such as the US in the years to come.