• 2014 October

This year DLV is celebrating its 20th anniversary. How would you describe the current situation of the company compared to year 1994 when it just started its activity? In what ways is today's industry different from that of 20 years ago?

The progress DLV made over these 20 years is obvious: the company that started up with several people and was purely local, now features 50 gaming halls and 400 employees in Latvia, as well as has moved to international level, advancing not only in Europe, but also in Latin America and Asia.

Speaking of gaming industry as such, there is a night-and-day difference between what we have today and what was there 20 years ago. If then it sufficed to equip a wooden gaming machine with a platform featuring one fruit game, now it is not that simple anymore. Players have become more demanding, they need to have a bigger choice of games: standalone, jackpot, online, themed games etc.; one should also know how to build customer loyalty, offering additional options and bonuses through player cards etc.

What makes you so enthusiastic about gaming business?

More than anything, it is the never-ending challenge: every new market challenges us to prove to everybody, including ourselves, that the product we offer is qualitative. It should comply with specific jurisdictional requirements, and be mathematically and graphically attractive to players; sometimes, it is even the question of adapting it, so that it would appeal to players of different cultures – so in general it is a great deal of work, and seeing that DLV slot machines are in high demand among players, inspires us to continue working with equal enthusiasm.

Europe, America, Asia. How does the company manage to provide products for such different territories, considering personal preferences of players in those markets?

It is true that these regions stand in marked contrast to each other, and they require a special individual approach. For this purpose, DLV’s head office includes a research and development department whose task it is to investigate markets, their jurisdictional, technical requirements, their popular type of games and other related matters. By all means, it is of great help if one has local partners. We have more than once seen for ourselves that working with people who live in those countries and, consequently, know all the pitfalls and cultural peculiarities, is a great advantage which almost definitely guarantees success. As an example, we can mention our Colombian partner Mundo Video who has at various times advised us on how to adjust our products to the needs of the Colombians.

In how many Latin American territories does the company have presence? How have your company's commercial operations evolved in Latin America over the year?

DLV has presence in many countries of the region, among them - Peru, Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama, Surinam, Uruguay, Dominican Republic, Belize, Nicaragua and a number of other countries. Over the year we have brought more machines to Peru, including the recently homologated HD; DLV also undertook and successfully completed homologation process in Panama, as well as sent its products to Costa Rica, Surinam, Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and now has scheduled to send more machines to Dominican Republic.

What is the balance of the company’s participation in G2E show and what are the expectations for SAGSE Buenos Aires, where DLV Peru will have a booth?

The participation in G2E resulted more than productive: apart from meeting with our partners from Uruguay, Panama, Surinam, Bosnia, Ireland, we also discussed possible projects with guests from El Salvador, Switzerland, California. We expect that Argentinian show will be no less productive.

What would you recommend to a young European company that wants to start expanding its gaming operations to Latin America?

As it has already been mentioned, a great advantage is to have local partners who can suggest which products would be successful and which need to be modified, as well as what would be the best business model for local market.

How important are interactive and social media channels, as well as online gaming in the current overview of the industry? What does DLV do to follow those trends?

We have repeatedly indicated that social networks and online gaming are the reality of gaming - something which already exists and is gaining ground. With such popularity of social networks, gaming industry stake holders need to start offering their solutions for online gaming, so that players would have this option. This is just what DLV is currently doing and at London’s ICE the company will present its dlvbet website for online betting.

What are your prospects and aspirations for the next two years?

The pillar of any company and its formula for success is its close-knit team and reliable partners and we, first of all, aspire to preserve the relationship existing within the company and between DLV and its partners and customers.

We also plan to expand DLV’s activity in the regions of interest and already have many projects which surely will help us achieve this objective.