The SBC Summit, first held in Lisbon, made its mark on the iGaming industry, just as SOFTSWISS did with its notable anniversary presence at the event.

Eighty SOFTSWISS delegates attended the SBC Summit Lisbon, hosting their partners at the company’s largest stand in history – a 288m² space. Partners, clients, and industry peers gathered at the stand to celebrate SOFTSWISS’s 15th anniversary. With ‘Cheers!’, lively discussions, and a spirit of collaboration, guests explored future business opportunities, forged new partnerships, and discovered new avenues for growth.

Among the highlights was the chance for clients to meet with SOFTSWISS founder Ivan Montik and Formula 1 legend Rubens Barrichello to discuss business insights.

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Montik and Barrichello shared their leadership experiences on the main stage during the Leaders Summit, engaging the audience with invaluable lessons. Ivan Montik took on the role of interviewer, drawing out key leadership insights from Rubens Barrichello, who spoke about the critical lessons he learned as a Formula 1 driver and how he applies them to business as a leader. The event, tailored for leaders, offered inspiration to everyone in attendance.

From the stage, Rubens Barrichello reflected on the importance of practice and adaptability: “Natural ability can take you far, but without practice and repetition, it’s not enough. In both racing and business, it’s about adapting quickly, refocusing, and constantly improving to handle whatever comes your way.” He added on teamwork and leadership: “Success comes when there’s a balance in the team. Whether racing or running a business, trust among team members and knowing everyone’s role is key. A good leader isn’t just someone who gives orders but listens, learns, and works closely with their team.”

During his speech, Ivan Montik commented on leadership in business: “In today’s fast-paced world, leaders need to be adaptable and ready to make decisions on the fly. It’s not just about managing tasks but about motivating your team, fostering trust, and allowing everyone to contribute to the organisation’s success.”

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The three days in Lisbon were filled with memorable moments, including the Grand Party celebrating SOFTSWISS’s 15th anniversary, attended by over 500 guests in the best venue in the city. The legendary DJ Benny Benassi took the stage, energizing the audience and turning the celebration into an unforgettable night.

A standout highlight was the Track Day led by Rubens Barrichello, where participants learned directly from the Formula 1 legend. Rubens guided the group through various high-performance driving experiences, including sessions in a Formula 4 car, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, and Porsche 718. He provided real-time guidance, performance feedback, and expert insights, teaching participants advanced driving skills and techniques, making it an unforgettable learning experience.

SOFTSWISS will shine again at its next major appearance at SIGMA Malta in November 2024.

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About SOFTSWISS

SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience in developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS holds a number of gaming licences and provides comprehensive software for managing iGaming projects. The company’s product portfolio includes the Online Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with over 23,500 casino games, the Affilka Affiliate Platform, the Sportsbook Software and the Jackpot Aggregator. In 2013, SOFTSWISS revolutionised the industry by introducing the world’s first Bitcoin-optimised online casino solution. The expert team, based in Malta, Poland, and Georgia, counts over 2,000 employees.

The European Gaming Congress (EGC) returns to Warsaw for 2024 on 15-16 October, and organizer HIPTHER is proud to introduce the conference’s esteemed Sponsors – trailblazing companies and accomplished professionals that help make the magic happen! In this Sponsors Spotlight Interview, we welcome Maciej Makuszewski, iGaming Director at Promatic Group, parent company of the Platinum Sponsor for EGC 2024, Promatic Games.

For many people outside the gaming industry, putting social responsibility and online slot games in the same sentence might seem counterintuitive. What’s your perspective on this? How can a slot development company demonstrate responsibility?

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You’ve hit on a very interesting point right from the beginning. From an outsider’s view, social responsibility and online gambling might seem like polar opposites—like water and fire. But within the industry, we understand that to succeed, all parties, and especially operators and game studios, need to cater to a broad audience. This includes not only players seeking excitement and adrenaline but also casual players who just want a bit of entertainment. We simply need to think about the mass market when designing the gaming experience.

From there, it becomes essential to safeguard ALL players by promoting responsible behaviors and minimizing risks. After all, even with a naturally risky activity like gambling, people still want a sense of security in their experience. This is where social responsibility becomes key. While the public often associates our industry with problem gambling or even addiction, this is a simplistic view. A problem gambler is not a good player—not for them, and certainly not for us. We aim to create a safe and enjoyable environment for all players, which ultimately benefits everyone involved.

So speaking of iGaming in general, what are the key areas when it comes to promoting responsible behavior and minimizing risks for players, as you rightly put it?

I would consider Responsible Gaming as an umbrella term that encompasses a range of measures. I usually break these down into several key categories:

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1. Identifying and protecting vulnerable players
2. Game mechanics
3. Transparency and communication
4. Youth exposure
5. Game design and incentives
6. Financial limits and self-exclusion mechanisms
7. Utilization of player data

Of course, this list can evolve depending on specific market needs, but these are the core elements. I haven’t included aspects like fairness or certification, as these are typically viewed as basic prerequisites in most regulated markets—they aren’t specific to Responsible Gaming but rather fundamental requirements for offering games to customers. Additionally, technical standards can also play a supporting role in fostering a responsible gaming environment.

Given that your role as a game studio is to provide the games themselves, how can you contribute to making the experience as responsible as possible? You’re not in full control over all of the seven areas you mentioned earlier.

You’re right—our role is narrower compared to operators, but we still have a significant impact in key areas. We can influence game mechanics, transparency and communication, youth exposure (to some extent), and game design and incentives. While we don’t manage player data, we can still support the identification of problem gambling behaviors.

Take game mechanics, for example. As a studio, we invest a lot of time in balancing the speed of gameplay with clear, accurate visualizations of the spin results. One of our key principles is ensuring that all our designs and developments are configurable to meet Responsible Gaming requirements. For instance, our games were recently certified in the Czech Republic, where the regulator mandates that each spin lasts at least two seconds. This is a Responsible Gaming measure, and our configurable software allowed us to implement this requirement quickly.

Another area that’s been a focus of many regulators is the Bonus Buy feature. We were hesitant to introduce it because some of the behaviors associated with this feature may heighten the risk of problem gambling. After months of careful consideration, we decided to launch it only with the ability to monitor every player action related to this functionality. We are committed to tracking this feature closely to ensure it aligns with responsible gaming standards.

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You’re also going to touch on game design and incentives at the European Gaming Congress (EGC), correct?

Yes, that’s right! We’re excited to share the story behind one of our most innovative games, Ale Fajny BOBER. The game’s theme is inspired by a popular viral video, and it was a fascinating challenge for our team to translate the essence of a two-minute YouTube clip into an engaging slot experience. We had many discussions on how to best capture and visualize that story within a slot game format. But I’ll save the finer details for the conference—we’ll be talking about it on Day 1 during our presentation! Feel free to join and ask questions!

You mentioned the game Ale Fajny BOBER. Could our readers be familiar with other titles that have come out of your studio?

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Ale Fajny Bober is indeed a new game, which had its premiere in Poland on September 26. Promatic Games has a portfolio of hundreds of exciting slot games that have been both successful and widely appreciated by players. Some of these include: Mummy’s Treasure Deluxe, Dracula’s Treasure, Janosik 30 and Miss Joker Show  – the latter has even been shortlisted for the Best iGaming Product category at the EiGE2024 awards, with the final taking place at the upcoming conference. I warmly invite to join us at the event and cast your vote for our title. See you there!

Promatic Group’s iGaming Director, Maciej Makuszewski, and Product Design Manager, Luka Oblak, will be presenting a workshop at the European Gaming Congress on ‘Mastering the Art of Balanced Slot Development.

Join us in Warsaw and meet the Promatic Games Team in person:

Get your tickets for the European Gaming Congress 2024 Now!