— Thank you for agreeing to the interview. Please introduce yourself and tell our readers about yourself. What are your responsibilities at KAJOT?
— My name is Piotr Brzezina, I am the CEO of KAJOT Group. I help the brand owner strategically lead and promote the entire KAJOT group of companies commercially and personally.
— How did you get into the gambling industry?
This was more than 7 years ago and actually by accident. I wanted to change the industry I worked in and learn something new.
— KAJOT creates slot machines for land-based casinos, produces online slots, manages poker rooms and more. Where did you start?
— I started in the company as a project manager. In particular, I was responsible for ensuring all product certifications and compliance with the requirements of the products developed by the company — both hardware (slot machines) and software (systems, online slots).
— What is the most popular destination right now?
— This is a rather complicated question. The answer to this question depends on many different factors. As a manufacturer, we continue to focus on both aspects-online and offline — and expand in both sectors.
— Do you adapt popular land-based slots to an online format, or are you focused only on original developments?
— We have created online versions of several of our most popular slots. This was at the dawn of online development, that is, in 2017-2018. Now we are going the opposite way and are doing original development and creating games for the online environment faster. We always choose a few games, which we then adapt for land-based casinos.
— The company has been operating for almost 30 years. Can you tell us how the players ‘ preferences changed during this period?
— I can evaluate the last 7 years I have been working. At the moment, I can say that there is still a fairly strong base of people who prefer to visit land-based casinos. Of course, with the rapid growth of online casinos, compounded by quarantine measures, a large group of players has formed who prefer to play exclusively online. As for the theme, Central European countries prefer fruit — themed games, while classic slots with 5, 27 and 81 paylines are preferred. In the countries of Southern and Western Europe, preferences are slightly different. Customers like to try themed games, multi-line slots. Personally, I think that for the last 30 years everything has been about the same, if not the same, as it is now.
— How have land-based slots changed over the past 10 years?
— Looking only from the player’s point of view, definitely graphically and gameplay-wise. A big shift is taking place. Competition has increased, so manufacturers, including us, also care about the sounds, appeal and gaming experience, which is mainly related to the mathematics of games. The shift in technology is very noticeable and brings players a huge number of interesting machines with many bonus rounds and unconventional features, systems, and so on.
— How can you surprise your players now?
— Manufacturers should take care to come up with something original during development. They usually give you the opportunity to play in bonus rounds, with multiple paylines (multiway) or some non-traditional theme. In-game jackpots or payline systems are also interesting for many players. We share this path with our originality.
— What are the biggest jackpots played in KAJOT slot machines?
— There are various legal restrictions. For example, in the Czech Republic, a customer cannot win more than 20,000 euros. Of course, there were bigger jackpots won last year.
— What do developers need to do to stay relevant for decades?
— Engage in self-education, study and play competitive games, and, in my opinion, enjoy free time outside of work so that you come to work rested, satisfied and determined to constantly expand your boundaries and company boundaries.
— What is the current situation with ground clubs? Is the number of users growing or falling?
— Again, this differs from market to market and is related to the regulation and legislation of states. In some countries, it has long been established. We see that even the younger generation of people likes to visit the casino. In other countries where regulation is too strict, the number of players in clubs decreases. People are learning to gradually switch to online casinos.
— Do you have any slot machines with high limits?
— Yes, of course, there are slots that offer really big limits. Again, if this is not prohibited by law. We do not limit our customers ourselves.
— What conditions do you offer high rollers?
— We have several loyalty programs. If the client likes to gamble and often goes to the casino, then they are offered more rewards. Rewards come in various types, from tangible items to loyalty points, which the player can use according to the program.
— KAJOT INTACTO Casino offers slots from other developers as well. How do you select providers?
— We choose them based on market demand. We also try to be unique and have something exclusive compared to competing operators, if possible.
— Have you ever encountered scammers in land-based casinos? Tell us more about these cases.
— I do not know of any such cases in a long time. If there were any, they didn’t tell me about it.
— Which myth or stereotype about gambling annoys you more than others?
— That all casino operators are multimillionaires, do not pay taxes, etc. Doing business in this sector is similar to any other, but often much more demanding due to strict regulation and high taxation.
— You are developing in the European and South American markets. Are there any differences?
— Yes, there is. Latin America is much more popular, and customers are looking for themed slots more. I would say that they are a bit more demanding compared to European visitors.
— Whose experience of legalizing gambling seems successful to you? Which country should other States follow?
«That’s a good question, but not an easy one to answer. But I would say that in the long run, Croatia and Bulgaria are relatively stable countries that have regulations, but not strict ones. Taxation is not extremely burdensome, so even operators will pay. Regulation is adequate and works. In contrast, the Czech Republic has extremely strict gambling regulations and high taxation. The Netherlands also plans to increase taxation by introducing restrictions on advertising, sponsorship, and the like. I would put these two countries at the opposite pole of the scale.
— Tell us about the most significant cooperation in recent times.
— We value all our customers extremely, regardless of where they come from or where they work. We are glad that we manage to raise the bar for the quality of our products and services. We probably have the best relations in the domestic market and in neighboring countries, that is, in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland, because we have a similar mentality. We are always happy to meet with our clients and make common plans for the future, no matter where they come from, or how big an operator they are. One of the most interesting joint projects in recent years is with Patrick Vrbowski, known as Rytmus. This is a Slovak rapper who is an ambassador of our Slovak online casino.
— What are your plans for the future? Any interesting announcements?
— We would like to launch our own online casino in the Czech Republic in the near future, although the competition is already huge. Of course, we also have plans for ground-based establishments. This year we want to introduce and launch a new multi-game called Diamond Planet. It will feature brand-new slot machines. We will gradually add more and more games to it.
— Thank you for your answers. Goodbye!