Salsa Technology is a company with Brazilian DNA that develops technological solutions for the gaming sector, with operations in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Mexico and Portugal, among other countries. Its platform and vast library of games are among the leading products across Latin America and Europe, where Salsa is already on track to achieve certification in Malta.
“We stood out first in specializing in Latin America, which led us to be known as the ‘The Supplier’ of technology and content for any operator interested in Latin America, even though we have expanded to Europe,” says Peter.
Check below the main excerpts of the interview.
GMB -First of all, I would like you to introduce yourself to our audience and how you got to the present moment, heading Salsa Technology.
Peter Nolte - I have always been involved with technology. I worked in the automotive industry and was dedicated to this area. One day, I received a call from a head hunter inviting me to have a conversation with an executive at a gaming company. I never had any contact with this segment and when I accepted the invitation, I was received by Eduardo Antoja, from Cirsa. He was extremely professional, and I was excited about the opportunity. Days later, Cirsa hired me to set up their structure in Brazil. We organized the entire team and installed a factory for assembling machines under CKD regime, in 1995. We made the first 40 or 50 bingo halls in Brazil, in partnership with Ramon Aznar's Vaprel. We were representatives of Vaprel and we had Cirsa-Unidesa machines. It was a fascinating time because it was the beginning of everything. Soon after I was hired by IGT, as they wanted to settle in Brazil.
I spent some time in the United States, where I came across a fascinating world. They had just opened a new factory and at the time were considered the largest gaming maker in the world. I stayed at IGT for five years, being responsible for assembling the team, office, and a manufacturing line in Manaus. At the time, only machines with a bingo theme were allowed, so the big challenge for IGT was to develop this theme. In the United States, we took a machine - Triple Diamond Poker - and transformed it into Bingo Total, the first IGT-themed bingo machine and a success in Brazil. After that, I participated in the development of several other games and that's where I acquired my experience in that area. It was a market that was starting in Brazil and many companies were beginning to take their first steps in gaming development.
In 2000, I left and started a consulting company and over time I identified that online gambling was the future. What to do? We developed our own platform and a lot of game content. At the time, we had a license in the state of Santa Catarina. We were the only site in Brazil with its own platform with bingo content and the license of a Brazilian state. That's when I fell in love with gaming technology and that was the kick-off of Salsa Technology. We have been developing various versions of platforms and today Salsa is a provider of technological solutions for the gaming industry worldwide. We started in Brazil, expanded to all Latin America and we are currently also present in Europe.
How is the operation in these countries since Salsa has a Brazilian origin, a country where there is no regulation for the activity?
Our priority has always been to develop a gaming platform specifically for Latin America. It has some peculiarities and features very specific to the region. Our company grew in the region and today we have offices in Uruguay, Mexico and Peru, for example, in addition to a unit in Portugal, with customers spread across Latin America and Europe. We stand out first in the specialization in Latin America, which led us to be known as “The Supplier” of technology and content for any operator that has an interest in Latin America, even though we have expanded to Europe.
Has online gambling already established itself as something that conveys confidence to the player?
Clearly, yes. Online gambling has grown a lot in Europe and has expanded to Asia, but I would say that Europe is an example of where online gambling works very well. We have the activity reaching the United States, where for a long time it was not allowed, with several success stories, as in New Jersey, and Brazil we see the regulation in progress. The truth is that online gambling is a complement to the activity. There is no longer, in my opinion, just the land-based gaming. There is a convergence of the face-to-face game with the online sector. This occurs with sports betting, which go in this convergence.
In Brazil we still don't have the regulation of gaming. How do you see the possibility of the activity being regulated and how has Salsa positioned itself in this direction?
I think it is wonderful that Brazil has a law passed and a regulation well done so that the operator and the government work together, controlling the activity and offering a good experience for users. I hope that the regulation will be published soon, as Brazil has enormous potential, but unfortunately the issue is politicized, with different interests in the political area, but I hope that they can meet, if they understand, as it will be fantastic for Brazil, for the player and for operators to have a well-regulated Brazil for sports betting and other gambling activities.
Are you undergoing platform certification also in Malta?
That's right. We are in the final stage of the process and in about 30 days we will have our certification. We are working in Gibraltar, where we just signed an agreement there. The fact that we have a certification in Malta allows us to work with all operators licensed by them. We are very interested and so we are looking forward to getting our license in Malta. The same is going on in Gibraltar, where we are seeking certification. There are many operators with whom we already work who are licensed in that jurisdiction and we await our license, which will go hand-in-hand with Malta, as there are some common understandings between them.
In fact, Malta has become the epicenter of certification for operators and developers…
For sure. They were very intelligent, creating a regulation very well done and focusing on Europe, where some countries were regulated, and others were not. It is the example of Germany, where there is no regulation and operators there use the Malta license. In other words, they have become the epicenter of the European gaming in terms of licensing, and the activity is important for the local economy.
Returning to Brazil, how to know the taste of the Brazilian player, who is still crawling, since even the bingos were closed in the country so many years ago?
Our experience has been very interesting in the area of sports betting. We have talked a lot with Brazilian operators to whom we offer content and we seek feedback on what should be done to improve our products and games.
What about other gaming modalities, like casinos?
There are some proposals in the House and the Senate that could pass a law for casinos, bingo and other modalities. I hope that happens. We are ready for this and our games are certified in laboratories. I hope that in the first phase sports betting will be regulated and then Brazil will be able to open to other gaming activities that complement all of this. Since we are going to regulate an activity, we should regulate everything. It will be good for Brazil and for the user.
And s Salsa ready to serve this market?
For sure. We are very anxious that regulation is taking place in Brazil and we want to collaborate as much as possible as a technology supplier and with the technological intelligence that we have.
Source: Exclusive Games Magazine Brasil
