Habanerо Q&A: Provider's Key to Success

"There’s no magical formula, it’s all about finding the perfect mix of great content, talented and knowledgeable professionals, and a lot of hard work and determination." – Habanero

Slotegrator has been working with the well-known Asian provider, Habanero, from 2016. Since the signing of the partnership agreement, the developer has released over 100 casino games for our customers: high-quality online slots, video poker and exciting table games. All provider’s products are available for integration into online casinos through a unified APIgrator protocol. Habanero software has been tested by iTechLab and BMM Testlabs as safe and reliable. Licensed by Malta and Curaçao, the games of provider are demanded in various markets.

Following the start of cooperation, Habanero gave its first interview for Slotegrator. In 2018, we again meet our Asian partner and talked to Arcangelo Lonoce, Head of Business Development in Europe to find out what has changed in the company during these 2 years and what are their perspectives for the future.

Earlier this year, you received certification to enter the Italian iGaming market. How is it going in Italy so far?

We have made major strides in Europe this year and Italy in particular. We’ve already begun to reap the rewards of investment there following the release of games designed to appeal to players in the market.

These titles include Jump! Fortune Dogs, and Egyptian Dreams Deluxe which, along with agreements with the likes of iForium and PlayAGS, have helped us gain real traction.

We have also agreed deals with StanleyBet, Planetwin365, Microgame and Codere. All of whom benefit from our full portfolio of titles, skilled account managers, and operating software.

Last time we spoke was two years ago. What’s changed since 2016?

It has been a huge couple of years for everybody at Habanero. We have added a wealth of new games, new markets, and new talent to our ranks and the brand continues to grow quickly.

Certification across a total of 12 European jurisdictions remains a continuous and ongoing process for our talented team as we look to continue our push, having cemented our place in other markets.

We have a number of plans and goals to implement and aim for in the coming months and years as we strive to be the best specialist provider in the industry. It’s certainly an exciting time at Habanero.

How are the regions different? Do you have a special approach to every region? Which one was, or still is, the biggest challenge for you?

Habanero invests a great deal of time and resources in fully understanding the regulations of each and every jurisdiction.

It’s important to employ the best talents when it comes to entering new markets. By sourcing local specialists, we are able to cut out the guess work and ensure we work more efficiently.

We’ve already pushed into new and exciting markets this year thanks to the dedication and knowledge of our team, with European business up 500 per cent in the last six months.

What games from your portfolio are the most popular among the players? Is there a difference in preferences in various regions/countries?

World Cup fever swept around the globe in the summer and our cleverly designed Knockout Football release was able to capitalise on this thanks to great production and a superb maths model.

By making one of our summer releases so topical, we were able to reap the rewards of a tournament which dominated the news and conversation around the world and it was a strategy which certainly paid off.

It quickly became one of our most popular titles with players engaging and spinning before and after matches as well as at half-time. It certainly helped us win over players in new European markets.

Are you preparing anything special for your players on the upcoming holidays?

We have enjoyed great success with topical games, as demonstrated by the popularity of Knockout Football during the World Cup, so you can expect to see a Halloween title from us very shortly.

The game is set to go live later this month and will feature pumpkins, as well as tricks and treats. However, free spins and bonus rounds means there are a number of chances to Hallo-WIN!

As ever, our HTML5 creation will be playable on a wide-range of platforms and features the latest in high-end graphics and pitch-perfect sounds designed to immerse and entertain players.

What is Habanero’s key to success?

There’s no magical formula, it’s all about finding the perfect mix of great content, talented and knowledgeable professionals, and a lot of hard work and determination.

This year we challenged ourselves to broaden the brand into Europe and so far, it has proved very successful. But there’s a long way to go and we can’t get complacent.

There are still a number of markets we want to move into or grow larger in and that will only come to fruition if we continue to put time, money, and a lot of hard work into making it happen. 2019 holds a lot in store for us, with Latin America firmly on the agenda. We can’t wait to grow further.