The Crypt

How to play The Crypt

“Everything has as a beginning, a middle and an end, including companies”, Samuel H. Liggero

When walking back to our hotel after finishing CalvinAyre.com EiG coverage in October of 2013, I looked over to my producer (Rob) and camera operator (Mani) and said, “I think my calling is Bitcoin”. 

As a team that year we had already covered several Bitcoin events including Bitcoin London and Le Web, both featuring Bitcoin enthusiasts who were eager to educate the world on this groundbreaking technology. EiG 2013 attracted several professionals in the Bitcoin space as well, at the time with a focus on introducing Bitcoin as a payment system for iGaming operators.

What is The Crypt?

But for Klebanow, the lesson Japan should take from Macau and Singapore extends beyond the importance of non-gaming attractions. It is also about how regulation should work. Policymakers, he argues, should establish basic legal and commercial guardrails, while giving operators sufficient “latitude” to “propose and develop projects that best serve both the residential and tourism markets”.

He points to Macau’s Cotai Strip and Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa as examples of how regulatory discipline can coexist with considerable freedom for developers to innovate. “At its core, Japan’s policies need to be pragmatic and allow for developments to succeed – not constrain them to the point that they risk failure.”

When asked which operator will be willing to take the risk and ultimately win Japan’s next “licence lottery”, Klebanow contends that it depends on how restrictive – or attainable – the regulations and requirements imposed by the government will be.

What is The Crypt?

That impact, he argues, comes from preparation as much as product. Splash Tech works with partners to establish expectations and benchmark performance against relevant KPIs before launch. On the free-to-play side, the picture is similarly collaborative rather than automatic.

“Wherever there is investment from the operator or the platform in properly investing in the infrastructure needed to maximise the output of the product, we have seen great returns, ROI, on that investment,” Wilson says.

In other words, there is no magic “engagement” button. There are tools, expertise and an operator willing to put both to work.