Given their status as one of the largest gaming technology companies in the world, it came as little surprise to see Novomatic heading up no fewer than four stalls at the ICE London event this week at ExCeL. There were sections focused on Novomatic Spain, Novomatic Italia, and Novomatic Americas, as well as their sports betting section. Naturally, Novomatic wished to showcase the fact that they are present in pretty much every sector of the modern gambling industry, so the giant Austrian firm presented to ICE attendees what they termed the ‘360-degree experience,’ which consisted of a guided tour through a whirlwind of gaming offerings and innovations for every gaming market.
Amongst these offerings were Novomatic’s latest gaming cabinets, both single and multi-game; their “Enchanted Fortunes” series, which offers linked progressive jackpots across their range of titles such as Book of Ra, Treasure of Tut and Goddess Rising; and a major showing of their newly licensed title From Dusk ‘Til Dawn, which they were understandably keen to promote and one offering which certainly could not be accused of being child-friendly! Zombies are still a killer marketing hook in gaming, no pun intended, and the gambling industry is no exception. As such, this title certainly drew more than its fair share of attention from visitors.
Novomatic’s Pac-Man titles, on the other hand, which were presented by partner GreenTube, were certainly much more questionable in light of the recent, emphatic critique voiced by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) of titles or advertising seemingly geared toward children. Their Crazy Birds title also appears somewhat problematic.
One major victory for the firm at ICE was the presence of their famous brand ambassador, three-time Formula One champ Niki Lauda. Lauda spoke at the convention about his career, taking questions about his past wins as well as his current role leading the development of the Mercedes Formula One team.
One nice touch seen from the firm was the offering of traditional Austrian snacks to punters. Some much-needed coffee was also handed out, a well-timed and welcome way to help counteract all the free bars peppering the nearby stalls!
