Tom Horn's Ondrej Lapides: The importance of seeing the big picture in iGaming

Casino Guru has had the pleasure to sit down with Tom Horn Gaming CEO Ondrej Lapides, a well-seasoned iGaming veteran with a strong grasp of the industry. He has presided over the company’s rapid expansion in key jurisdictions and overall increase in the pace of production and execution.

Tom Horn delivers on a range of thematic games that are tailored to the local market, yielding strong results. To remain competitive, though, Lapides says that companies must be able to maintain their pace in an industry that is already moving at a break-neck pace.

Success is measured in companies’ ability to see the big picture and formulate long-term strategies that enable companies to reach their true potential. Lapides offers insight into how Tom Horn has been able to embrace the pandemic just like any other challenge in the highly competitive market and emerge stronger. Not only that, but Tom Horn is planning to release a number of amazing titles this year and beyond.

Q: Tom Horn Gaming has been picking up its pace of development and delivery. Can you tell us more about your game development process?

We have been experiencing steady growth across the board and our products have been enjoying huge popularity among our operator partners and players. In order to meet booming demand for our products we have ramped up game development as well as enhanced gameplay of our new games to satisfy player preferences of new demographics.

Analysing player habits in multiple markets and working closely with our operator partners, whilst monitoring the latest industry trends, is a crucial part of our development process. It brings a wealth of insight and is an invaluable factor in shaping up our games road map.

We have multiple teams working on games, including concept generation and design. This approach allows for a bigger diversity of game themes and game mechanics and ultimately leads to a differentiation of our gaming portfolio.

Q: What have been your main distribution channels and how do player bases react to your products?

Tom Horn Gaming is a B2B company therefore our main distribution channels are naturally either direct integrations with our operator partners or we supply our gaming content via aggregator distribution networks to reach the end users - players - in the most efficient and effective manner.

The type of distribution channel we use to get our gaming products to consumers depends on many factors - from business goals to external factors such as a partner company structure, a market set up or market regulations in new, existing and developing jurisdictions.

Over the years we have developed an extensive delivery network and now we pride ourselves on supplying our games to operator partners in all four corners of the world.

Given a global scope of our business, we target players in a multitude of markets with different consumer preferences. As a result of a wide range of themes, mechanics and a focus on the localisation, our products and solutions are well received and loved among players.

Q: In terms of geographical reach and opportunity, what do you think is next for Tom Horn Gaming?

We always think long term and formulate our strategy as diverse as possible across the product verticals and geographic regions. For every business it is of paramount importance to have their finger on the pulse of the industry. iGaming is a fast-speed industry. Changes and innovative solutions appear on a daily basis. Navigating this breakneck pace takes agility and the ability to see the big picture and to be one step ahead in your planning.

Tom Horn Gaming is a gaming solutions supplier that has been building its worldwide presence for years. Today, it is safe to say, that we are one of the suppliers with the vastest market reach. This, however, doesn’t mean we do not actively look for new opportunities. There is still a lot of untapped potentials out there. With new emerging markets opening up their doors to fair and transparent gaming, which will result in new mature markets, Tom Horn Gaming always makes sure to offer our amazing games and products among the first.

In Q1 and Q2 2022, we expanded to small, but promising markets of Slovakia and the Czech Republic. In these countries, players are naturally more inclined to hit the spin button of classic fruit titles and our slots, such as our flagship game 243 Crystal Fruits, Flaming Fruit or The Secret of Ba are in high demand. We build on this momentum, constantly expanding our market reach. In the coming weeks and months, our slots will be made available to players in countries such as Croatia, as well as further afield, including new markets in Latin American..

Q:Has the production of iGaming content changed in 2022 compared to pre-pandemic times? Have the last two years precipitated a shift in trends do you think?

As said above, the industry changes every day. In my opinion, the pandemic didn’t have a direct impact on the trends and player preferences. It rather accelerated the transformation of the industry itself. We witnessed many land-based businesses venturing into the online world to remain relevant and survive the changing consumer landscape.

In terms of game development, suppliers constantly roll out new innovative ideas to attract new demographics of players and make the player experience more engaging and entertaining. This is what we do. Pandemic or not :)

Q: What new exciting products is Tom Horn Gaming planning to roll out this year?

This year is another huge year for Tom Horn Gaming. We have further consolidated our business presence with multiple new market entries and strategic partnerships. We continue to enjoy the rapid growth we have seen over the last few years. Our road map is full of amazing titles which will utilise the tried-and-tested gaming concepts as well as introduce new approaches and enhanced features to offer a more engaging and immersive gaming experience.

On top of that, we have included new gaming content from fantastic RNG and live games studios to strengthen our product portfolio and to offer our operator partners a more diverse and unique collection of slot games, live dealer games, and beyond.

Our teams are working around the clock to deliver igaming solutions that strike the right chord with our partners and players and we have a number of exciting new tools and products in the pipeline. A lot to look forward to in the coming months!

Image credit: Tom Horn