Zitro looks back on ICE 2024 and ahead to 2025. By Peter White
As 40,000-plus attendees flooded ICE, one of the standout booths they would have seen was that for Zitro. The game maker brandished a fistful of new casino-floor games, in addition to its online repertory. ICE London also marked the European debut of Zitro’s wide-area progressive (WAP) games. To sort through the rush of sensations, Publisher Peter White sat down with Zitro International President Sebastian Salat.
With regard to Zitro's presence at ICE 2024, what novelties did attendees find at the company’s booth?
At ICE London we showcased recently launched games from G2E Las Vegas, designed for the European market. However, over the past few months, these games have already demonstrated an outstanding performance in diverse markets worldwide. Among these games, I must mention “Fu Frog,” “Fu Pots” and “Lún Pán Dú” which — along with the new games introduced at ICE, unprecedented until now — provide the best guarantee for operators’ investment. They ensure diversity and commercial refreshment for all the Zitro machines they acquire.
I must also highlight that the products presented at ICE have been adapted to the preferences of European players. This adaptation includes not only betting configurations and mathematics but also incorporates game mechanics in high demand in Europe, as seen in our new games “Energy Link,” “Drum Dynasty” or “Hit Selection,” thoughtfully designed primarily for the European market. At ICE, we also made our debut in Europe with our WAP product line, already operational in Latin America, and we plan to deploy it in all the markets where we operate throughout 2024.
Finally, I want to emphasize the significant growth of Zitro Digital’s offerings, continuously adding new titles such as “Makeda-Epic Kingdom” or “Imperium-Mighty Hammer.” Additionally, we have introduced various promotional tools to support operators in the commercial management of our games.
What has been the reaction from visitors to Zitro Digital, who have been showcasing their online versions of their classic, land-based slots?
All operators, whether operating in land-based or digital environments, are pleased to see us release titles that have been successful in their land-based casinos, also in digital format due to the immense opportunities this strategy offers for cross-selling. Digital-only operators appreciate the distinct personality of our games and their unique features that set them apart from the game offerings of other studios that release a much larger number of games but lack the distinctive character of Zitro games. Our strategy focuses on a smaller yet proven number of games, accompanied by our promotional tools to support customer operations.
Given your global presence across LATAM, North America and Europe, to what extent do you look to personalize for each region?
We already customize our games for each region. Our games support multiple languages such as Spanish, English, French and Portuguese, and we are adding others, particularly in the digital versions of our games. We also adapt to the regulatory requirements of each jurisdiction. From a commercial perspective, we configure each bank of our machines according to the demographics of each casino’s clientele. This includes denominations, betting levels, jackpot amounts and hit frequencies, and return-to-player percentages.
It’s the final day of ICE London. How has the 2024 show been for Zitro?
We are proud and satisfied with the great reception our products have received from European customers and from other latitudes, consolidating Zitro as an outstanding leader in the global gaming industry. The operators who visited our booth were able to corroborate the enormous progress that Zitro has made in the breadth and diversity of its product range, which makes a visit to our booth at ICE — or at any other event in which Zitro participates — a must for any casino operator in the world.
What are your hopes and expectations for ICE Barcelona 2025?
ICE London has been for years a must for all professionals in the global gaming industry, and an invaluable tool to demonstrate the strength of our industry, which is not always valued as the powerful technological and economic engine that it is. It is now up to ICE Barcelona to take the baton from London and continue to grow. To do so, Barcelona has undisputed logistical advantages derived from the fact that the fair will be held within the European Union, and from the fact that the city is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the world.
On the other hand, the fact that the show is held in Spain is an additional incentive for Latin American operators who, in our opinion, will travel in much greater numbers to Barcelona than they did to London. And they can expect a big showing from Zitro at ICE Barcelona. Given that Zitro’s main technology campus is in Barcelona, we assess very positively the opportunity that ICE Barcelona will represent for Zitro, as we expect to have many opportunities to show operators and regulators our facilities, and — through them — the dimension and scope of Zitro's project.
Do you have any personal highlights of the past 12 months?
I have turned 65 years old in company of my dearest wife and my family. Another year has been joyfully spent leading Zitro’s international growth, allowing me to meet again with so many customers around the world who are also my dearest friends. My passion for mountaineering and climbing has led me to reach a great number of summits, providing me with amazing experiences and breath taking views.
What are amongst Zitro’s main goals for 2024?
I will try to summarize our objectives in five points:
• Consolidate our presence in the U.S. market, making Zitro an essential supplier of gaming machines for any operator in the country.
• Maintain our leadership in Latin America and Spain, and grow in the rest of the continents towards our goal of making Zitro a global leader.
• Make Zitro Digital the preferred supplier for any online casino in the world.
• To provide our organization with the necessary resources and tools to support our growth.
• To strive for the satisfaction of our employees, suppliers and customers. Success is not measured only in financial terms. In fact, success can only be built on solid and lasting relationships with all stakeholders in the business.
Casino Life Magazine would like to thank Sebastian Salat International President Zitro along with the PR Team for all the help and assistance provided to us during the production of this exclusive interview.
*** This exclusive interview was originally published in March 2024 edition of Casino Life Magazine Issue 164***
