With the CasinoBeats Summit 2023 on the near horizon, we sat down with Swintt’s Head of Business Development, Lars Kollind, to find out his expectations for the event, the significance of being shortlisted for three awards and what the future holds for one of iGaming’s fastest-growing studios.
CasinoBeats: You joined Swintt at the start of this year. How have the first few months in your new role been?
LK: My first few months at Swintt have been extremely busy, but super positive. I’ve been hard at work networking with contacts both old and new and signing many contracts that will help our brand grow as we move forward.
It’s been an absolutely fantastic experience with a great team and I feel very confident about the direction that we’re currently moving in. It’s a really exciting time to be involved with such an ambitious company and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for everyone at Swintt.
CasinoBeats: The company has undergone tremendous growth over the last few months and on your website, there have been a few markets pinpointed for expansion, including Greece, Canada and the US. Why have you picked these markets in particular?
LK: We aim to keep our strategy consistent with the overarching ambitions of Glitnor Group as a whole, so when we look for new markets, we also consider what our B2C division is doing and try to ensure Swintt’s actions go hand-in-hand with these.
With regulation taking place not so long ago or happening as we speak, the whole industry is agreed that Canada and Greece are two of the hottest emerging markets, so Ontario is our next main focus. I am also very excited about travelling to Toronto for the Canadian Gaming Summit ran by SBC and looking forward to meeting everyone at this show.
CasinoBeats: How will your game development strategy differ in these markets compared to those you already operate in?
LK: With all three being relatively new markets, I don’t think there’s currently enough data available to do deep research and know exactly what works in each country. That being said, at Swintt we pride ourselves on creating games that cater for as wide a cross-section of players as possible and our portfolio is already broad enough to appeal to fans of classic games and more advanced video slots as well. I believe by continuing to follow this basic strategy, we’ll have great success in the Ontario and beyond.
CasinoBeats: How valuable have you found the networking opportunities at CasinoBeats Summit in the past and have you made any important connections there?
LK: CasinoBeats is definitely a summit with a strong focus on industry networking and we’re very much looking forward to attending this year’s edition. We really enjoy participating in SBC shows and while we love that they run both the exhibition part and the conference part, we’re equally appreciative of all the other events that they host in the afternoons and evenings. We’ve met a lot of our friends and industry peers at these in the past and we’re sure this year’s show will again live up to our expectations!
CasinoBeats: What do you think sets the CasinoBeats Summit apart from other industry conferences or events that you’ve attended over the years?
LK: As I mentioned above, the fact that SBC runs both the exhibition part and the conference part of the show means the CasinoBeats Summit ensures a consistent level of quality that’s fairly unique compared to other industry events. The standard of the speakers is also exceptionally high, while the size of the conference makes it a more intimate setting that’s perfect for networking. We love the fact that people are really close to each other and have the chance to mingle during all of the other events.
CasinoBeats: How does it feel that Swintt has been nominated for THREE awards at the Game Developer Awards?
LK: It feels absolutely fantastic and honestly it was beyond even our wildest expectations! We were hoping to be nominated for an award, but to be shortlisted for three separate categories is a great surprise for us and we can’t wait to attend and be a part of it all. We particularly love the fact that CasinoBeats has such a strong focus on game developers, as this is again unique in the industry and something we’re very proud of. We really enjoy having a chance to present all the new content we’re working on.
CasinoBeats: If you could have any celebrity join you at your next casino visit, who would it be and why?
LK: Having already been fortunate enough to have Vinnie Jones join us for a show in the past, I certainly think he’d be a great addition to any casino visit. To see the friendly and familiar way that he interacts with people and the buzz that he creates wherever he goes is really special, so I’m sure he’d be able to work his magic at the casino tables too! Since we collaborated with him on The Crown, Vinnie has obviously been a huge draw for our brand, so at the very least he’s earned couple of free bets on me.
CasinoBeats: What can we expect to see from Swintt for the remainder of 2023? Are there any new titles or products in the pipeline?
LK: We’re putting a lot of work into our SwinttStudios platform and doing our best to expand the list of boutique studios that we can support from both a technical marketing and commercial perspective. As I mentioned above, we’re currently building at least one new game in collaboration with Vinnie Jones and we’ll also continue to deliver exciting new Swintt Premium and Swintt Select games to all available markets, so there’s plenty for players and operators to look forward to in the coming months.
