A slot machine manufacturer from Russia based in Kiev
The investments in the project are estimated to be about $20 million. A live interest to Ukraine expressed by the Russians is explained by the fall of demand in the RF after the gambling regulations were toughened. Experts state that the Russian crisis can catch up with the company in Ukraine as well, where a flow of old gaming equipment is expected to pour.
Until recently Ukraine has been quite independent in supplying its demand with slot machines. According to President of Ukrainian Gambling Operators` Association Sergey Tretiakov, the market has been shared by four local enterprises by far. However, it has not prevented Unicum Group, a company created as a result of the merger of two largest Russian gaming equipment manufacturers – SmartGames and Unicum, belonging to gambling tycoon Boris Belotserkovsky, from establishing a manufacture based on Unicum Gaming Ltd. in Kiev.
Now the Russians are talking about launching the second extension of the plant in which about $20 million will be invested. Before the year 2008 begins, a full-scale production of slot machines on the server platform is supposed to be created there. Such machines are not currently produced either in Ukraine or in the CIS. “Unlike buying regular devices, in this event a market operator – a casino or a slot location – invests money once, not paying for the software in each individual slot machine”, explained Lyubov Loginova, commercial director of Unicum Group. According to her, manufacture of these products will be established together with Videobet, an Estonian company which is a part of Playtech Group, a European software supplier. At present, says Ms Loginova, 50 slot machines of the new generation have been made, and they are being tested I 30 slot locations of Ukraine. All in all, according to her calculation, the enterprise will make and connect about 5 thousand devices a year. Taking into account the fact that now, the official data expose, there are about 100 thousand slot machines operating in the country, in a couple of years Unicum Group will be able to take about 15% of the market, increasing its current share virtually twice.
the “Delovaya Stolitsa” materials (Kiev)