“I dare say that the attraction of a slot machine lies not in a single feature, but in the perfect combination of game features, math, art, music and sounds” — Interview with International President of Zitro Sebastian Salat
We continue our series of interviews with prominent figures in the world of gambling, and our guest today is Sebastian Salat — International President of Zitro. He kindly agreed to answer our questions and shared plenty of interesting aspects about one of the most important issues in the industry.
Sebastian will tell us about the best slots and bingo from Zitro, and also he will share with us a recipe for a perfect game. Sebastian will tell us about progressive jackpots and features that players like the most and why land-based casinos should work harder to retain players.
Learn about this and much more with today’s guest.
— Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about yourself.
— I have over thirty years of experience in the Gaming Industry. I am currently International President of Zitro, and have held senior executive positions in leading companies, such as WMS and CIRSA, overseeing International sales and operations in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and Latin America. In addition to focusing on market expansion and supporting customer needs, I have pursued new business opportunities to leverage my companies’ capacities to develop innovative products and achieve significant growth for my employers throughout the World.
— What do you like most about working in the industry?
— The gaming industry combines the appeal of a high-tech product with the challenge of making a product for mass consumption, and all of this on an international level. Gaming machines are global technology products that must appeal to audiences across geographies and demographics.
— Tell us about the Zitro jackpots. What are the biggest jackpots that have been paid out to players?
— At Zitro, we develop slot machines that, for the most part, have several levels of progressive jackpots. The amounts of these progressive jackpots are not necessarily very high, but they are essential to the attractiveness of our games, as their relatively frequent appearance encourages players to choose to play on our machines.
— It was only Video Bingo Games at first but you didn’t start releasing slots until nine years after founding Zitro. Can you tell us why you decided to start with this genre?
— Video Bingo machines are extremely popular in certain markets such as Mexico, Latin America, Spain and the Philippines. However, slot machines are popular in each and every market in the world where gambling is regulated. Therefore, in order for Zitro to grow the way it has, it was necessary to diversify our product portfolio by developing slots in addition to Video Bingos, thus being able to reach a much larger customer base worldwide.
— Tell us about Video Bingo Games that each player should try.
— We have Video Bingo games that are true classics such as Power Mania, which is popular in any market in the world with an affinity for Video Bingo, and other Video Bingo games developed to connect with the cultures of specific markets, such as Loteria Mexicana, a Video Bingo game that captures the tradition of lotteries popular in Mexican culture.
— Tell us also about Zitro slots that every player should try.
— It is difficult to choose, but without a doubt the Link King and Link Me games are products that have made Zitro great and that every player should experience, followed by the 88 Link series and Bashiba Link. And our most recent launch, Mighty Hammer. Сurrently only available for land-based casinos
Other highly recommended games are those featured on the Altius Glare cabinet such as Wheel of Legends and Fú Shòu Qí Tian, which offer a sensational immersive multimedia spectacle, as well as highly rewarding mathematics for players.
— Tell us about the slot development process at your company, starting with an idea and up to release. How long does it take to develop a slot? How many people are involved in the process?
— At our technology campus in Barcelona, we have more than 400 professionals and an R&D team, dedicated to researching market trends, innovation and, very importantly, dedicated to turning great ideas into great products, which is not always easy. The time it takes to develop a machine is relative as it goes through different phases from design, field testing, and debugging to final launch.
— What features do players like most in your games?
— In Video Bingo machines, the extra ball is certainly the essential ingredient on which the attractiveness of the machine is based. In slots, it is much more diverse as the variety of games and bonuses is much greater than in Video Bingos. I dare say, however, that the attractiveness of the slot machine game does not lie in a single feature, but in the perfect combination of game features, mathematics, art, and music and sounds. A perfect blend of all these components is what makes the perfect slot machine.
— Zitro is a rather unusual name. Does it mean something or is there a story behind it?
— Zitro founder, Johnny Ortiz, decided to use his last name in reverse to name his company. The name is as unusual as the success Zitro has achieved in such a short period of time.
— Zitro is a big provider, your games are appreciated by the gamers and your products regularly win awards at the international IGaming events. Share the secret of your success.
— You have to be passionate about what you do, and you have to know how to transmit it to people throughout the organization. We avoid complacency and arrogance, and always keep in mind that even inspiration is no substitute for work.
— Zitro decided to use renewable energy sources and that’s why you installed light panels. Tell us what other efforts you are taking to protect the environment and why it is important to you. Have you faced any challenges and how have you solved them?
— There is no doubt that climate change is one of the greatest threats facing the world today, if not the greatest, and its severity is such that we must take significant steps to make a positive impact and preserve the long-term viability of our planet. This important commitment to renewable energy is just the beginning of a series of actions and policies aimed at reducing Zitro’s carbon emissions from our activities. We work and promote initiatives that contribute to being more environmentally friendly, and to create a more powerful purpose for our company.
— Online casinos have become much more popular since the pandemic, in one of your interviews you noted that land-based casinos need to work harder to be remembered. So what do they have to do to retain players?
— With the growing competition of online gaming, land-based casinos need to work harder in order to offer memorable, unique experiences. It is the responsibility of manufacturers like Zitro to create outstanding casino products to meet the high demands of the gaming industry.
— Share the company’s plans for the future. What games do you plan to release and which markets are you going to enter? Maybe in the future we should wait for other game types?
— We are determined to continue to grow in Europe, to reaffirm our leadership position in Latin America, and we have ahead of us the exciting challenge of expanding our presence in the US, in Canada, in Asian markets, and, through Zitro Digital, in digital gaming markets around the world.
