8 Global Gaming Business FEBRUARY 20191
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“All of you policemen there, get out. It’s
crawling with usurers, kidnappers. If I pass
there and I see you, I
will run over you.”
—Rodrigo Duterte, the
always quotable Philippine
president, reiterating that
law enforcement officers
are banned from the
country’s casinosBrooks Pierce
President and COO, Inspired Entertainment“They
Said
It”I
nspired Entertainment was formed in London in 2002 as a mobile entertainment technology
provider. Over the ensuing decade, it specialized in server-based gaming and became a pioneer in vir-
tual sports betting. In 2016, it was acquired by Hydra. Lorne Weil, the former chairman of Scientific
Games, was appointed chairman, and Brooks Pierce was named president and COO. With vast experi-
ence with gaming suppliers, Pierce has been able to raise the visibility of Inspired in the gaming industry
and expand the reach of the company to include iGaming, lotteries and more. He spoke with GGB
Publisher Roger Gros at G2E in Las Vegas in October. To hear a full podcast of this interview, visit
GGBMagazine.com.GGB: What drew you to Inspired Gaming?
Pierce: A couple of things. First, in my past, I had looked at the company and saw the technology and
products and thought it was really interesting. And then when Lorne Weil, who I had worked with for
24 years building Scientific Games, became chairman of Inspired, it was an attractive opportunity.
I knew they had a very well developed business in Europe, but virtually no business in North Amer-
ica. I thought it was a great complement to my skill set and background since I had spent the majority
of my career in North America. And quite frankly, starting from a zero baseline in the world’s largest
gaming market is always attractive.How does virtual sports betting work? Is it RNG-based?
Yes, that’s exactly what it is—like a ball drop in keno or a slot machine. But the outcome is displayed in
high-tech, ultra-realistic fashion. So what would essentially be shown as a reel spin on a slot machine is
displayed as a sporting event—horse racing, football, auto racing. It’s a slot machine pull but highly en-
tertaining at the same time.How do you work with all segments of the gaming industry—casinos, sports books, iGaming,
lottery?
It’s great because our content is ubiquitous. So it’s not only the geographic disbursement of the business
but also in all the different segments. Our customers can be as diverse as William Hill and the Pennsyl-
vania Lottery. So every prospect out there is a potential customer for us.How do you work with lotteries?
In Pennsylvania, we have a deal with Scientific Games, which is the central system for the state lottery. If
you go into a bar or a restaurant, there will be three screens. We have two for our football and car race
games, and Sci Games has the third for their keno game.
But the lottery is an important vertical for us. In Greece, we have the best-performing slot ma-
chines, as well as 100 percent of the market in virtual sports.Doesn’t the legalization of sports betting make virtual sports betting less popular?
No, quite the contrary, actually. It’s a very complementary product. In every market around the world,
our product is offered wherever sports betting occurs. Typically, what we see is that virtual sports are
about 15 percent to 20 percent of what’s bet overall. And from the operators’ perspective, it’s (viable)
product at all times because this is simulated and not on a schedule. If a player is betting a live football
game or soccer match, it’s something they can play while awaiting the outcome of the live games. And
while the hold on live sports betting is something around 5 percent, the hold on virtual sports betting is
significantly higher than that. So it’s really complementary, not competitive.February 4 - 7 : Western Indian Gaming
Conference, Harrah’s Southern California, Valley
Center, California. Produced by the California
Nations Indian Gaming Association. For more
information, visit WIGS.CNIGA.com.February 5 - 7 : ICE Totally Gaming, ExCeL
Centre, London. Produced by Clarion Gaming.
For more information, visit ICELondon.uk.com.February 6 - 9 : London Affiliate Conference
2019 , ExCeL Centre, London. Produced by IGB.
For more information, visit
igbaffiliate.com/events/london-affiliate-
conference.February 21 : UNLV Gaming & Hospitality
Education Series—The Road to 2020 : Critical
Time for Las Vegas and Gaming, Stan Fulton
Building, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Produced by GGBMagazine and UNLV William
F. Harrah College of Hospitality. For more
information, visit UNLVGHES.com.February 26 - 27 : Strategic Platform for
iGaming Conference and Exhibition (SPICE)
India, Goa, India. Produced by Eventus
International. For more information, visit
sportsbettingevents.com.March 3 - 6 : World Game Protection
Conference, Tropicana Las Vegas. Produced by
World Game Protection, Inc. For more
information, visit WorldGameProtection.com.March 21 : UNLV Gaming & Hospitality
Education Series—Operators vs. Manufactur-
ers: Making Peace. UNLV’s Stan Fulton Build-
ing, Las Vegas. Produced by GGBMagazine and
UNLV William F. Harrah College of Hospitality.
For more information, visit UNLVGHES.com.April 1 - 4 : Indian Gaming 2019 , San Diego
Convention Center. Produced by the National
Indian Gaming Association. For more
information, visit IndianGaming.org/events.p. 8 5questions:Layout 1 1/10/19 12:10 PM Page 8