Great news! SuperSeven Casino will soon open its virtual doors to the gaming public. The perfect moment to speak to co-founder and COO Tim Parker for an insight into their concept and operations. Questions, questions, questions. Who is he, what is the company striving for and what did they prepare to ensure that SuperSeven Casino stands out from the crowd?
SuperStart with SuperTim
GMBLRS: Hi Tim, thanks for taking the time to sit down with us today. Admittedly, I have been looking forward to this interview, especially because I got to know you from your time at Rizk Casino/GiG. You have moved on since and are about to open a new chapter with SuperSeven Casino.
Let’s make an easy start. Our readers love to hear some personal details like shoe size or favourite drink. Jokes aside, some will also remember you as Captain Rizk. Anything you could share with us about you?
Tim Parker: Hey Harry, good to start on the personal stuff!! Well, I am an old man now by this industry standards but I used to enjoy playing a bit of rugby and can still be found glued to pretty much any match, generally with a beer in hand – I even started my rugby career as an open side flanker – or Number 7, but I don’t remember anyone referring to me as a “SuperSeven” back then!!
GMBLRS: That made me smile Tim and also leads me to the next question. Can you give us a short rundown on how you entered the iGaming industry and what your path has been so far?
Tim Parker: Yeah, so I was involved in software sales about 20 years ago when I was approached to help a company sell software platforms to the bricks & mortar industry. After the financial crash, I jumped the fence to online with an Italian-facing operator before getting hired to set up and run Rizk Casino. Later on, I took responsibility for all GiG brands before I helped to sell them to Betsson around a year ago. Since then, I have been working on the concept of SuperSeven so it has been a while in the planning!
GMBLRS: Let’s move on to that new chapter in your journey, SuperSeven Casino. The iGaming industry has changed significantly over the last decade, making it more challenging for all involved from game providers to operators and indeed players. What were the main driving factors in your decision-making process to open the casino?
Tim Parker: I agree with you, on the whole, I also think that the industry has forgotten the most important thing and that is the player, not the regulator. Now that doesn’t mean that you should ignore the regulator but you have to think about it a different way around. What is it that I want to build for the players’ enjoyment? Once we understand that, then how will that work in a regulated market?
Technology has come on so far that new operators like us are able to put solutions in place to help with the player experience rather than more established operators whose platforms still work in a way that they are trying to patch up from 2015 or before.
GMBLRS: You decided to opt at first for a Curacao licence, which opens up more countries while also restricting some major markets such as the United Kingdom and Sweden. Can you please list a few advantages as well as maybe disadvantages for that matter of the admittedly weaker regulator? And how will you approach doubtful players who have little trust in the Curacao licence?
Tim Parker: So, we decided to go for Curacao due to the speed to market – it can take an extremely long time to get a licence elsewhere and we weren’t prepared to wait that long. We also believe that it does not mean that you should abandon your moral code or even your business beliefs and concepts, just because the regulations are somewhat less restrictive. There are 4 main pillars around which we built SuperSeven Casino – Speed, Service, Safety and Rewards – each with a focus on quality in a secure environment.
There are obvious disadvantages such as it is far more difficult to gather as many payment methods, working with Tier 1 marketing mediums like Google and Facebook is trickier etc, but you just have to be a little more inventive.
SuperGames at SuperSeven
GMBLRS: Time to speak about some of the more exciting parts of SuperSeven Casino. The first item that will get the attention of potential players is the game choice. The GiG platform is known for its large catalogue of slots and games. Can you give us some of the main providers you have chosen to add to the casino lobby?
Tim Parker: For sure, game providers are really important to us and as such you will find all of the major ones that you would expect – Microgaming, Play’n GO, Pragmatic Play, Relax Gaming, Big Time Gaming and more, plus a significant number of smaller studios. Evolution Gaming will power our Live Casino and will also soon be adding in NetEnt and Red Tiger games on their new platform now that they have finalized the acquisition of the Swedish gaming giant.
SuperPots for SuperWins
GMBLRS: Cue in SuperPots, which to my understanding will be a major part of the gamification at SuperSeven Casino. Can you please explain to our readers what they are and how the concept works?
Tim Parker: SuperPots is a new concept that we have looked at and are hoping to release this summer. Basically, we took a peek at things that have worked in the past, such as Red Tiger’s Daily Drop Jackpots. However, while they create a huge amount of excitement, the chances of winning something for an individual player are very remote. So, we wanted to do something that would allow our players to use a little judgement on their part to optimize their odds of pocketing a Jackpot.
Initially, there will be 2 SuperPots per day, each triggering randomly and players can choose when they want to join the chase for the jackpot for a period of time. Quite simply, all players opted in when the SuperPot drops will win an equal share of the jackpot. So, there might be no winners, in which case it rolls over, just one lucky winner or many winners that share the prize pool – it just depends how many people correctly predicted when the SuperPot would fall and are actively playing during that period. The concept still needs a few tweaks and changes but we think it is an engaging and different mechanic.
GMBLRS: Other than SuperPots, four slogans have appeared repeatedly in connection with SuperSeven Casino – SuperRewards, SuperSafe, SuperSpeed and SuperService. Could you please say a few words about how each of them will contribute to the player experience and, naturally, you are welcome to mention other slogans you might have added in the meantime.
Tim Parker: As I mentioned earlier these are the four pillars of our “players code” if you like. We didn’t want to be so crass to announce that “we have the best customer service ever” or “fastest KYC approvals ever” because it is just an unmeasurable boast and is normally BS anyway. We wanted these four to be our key drivers in everything that we think about.
Whatever we do or plan, our guiding thought is from a players’ perspective and we ask ourselves, as players ourselves, “what’s in it for me?”. We know that these four things are the cornerstones of what they want and therefore we build everything around those. It is our pledge to the player if you like.
In terms of slogans, our main one is “In Sevens We Trust”, I think we all know that as gamblers we are a superstitious bunch and Seven is widely regarded in the Western world as a very lucky number. So it works from that perspective but also because we want our players to be able to put their trust in us to deliver an environment that has SuperRewards, is SuperSafe, where everything is processed at SuperSpeed and players experience SuperService…
GMBLRS: Two items are usually at top of the list for informed players who are looking at a new gaming hangout – payment speed and RTP. They are also part of our drive at GMBLRS to educate customers, simply because we think that both are integral to an enjoyable gaming experience. For the former, what kind of timeframe can players expect for processing withdrawals at SuperSeven Casino?
The second has become more prevalent recently as an increasing number of providers offer customizable RTP settings, e.g. you can find Dead or Alive today in a range between 91.xx% and 96.xx%. Which bracket will you be choosing for the slots at SuperSeven Casino? Where applicable, will it be the default, medium or lowest setting?
Tim Parker: 100% agree with you on this one and I can make you a guarantee that every game that we launch at SuperSeven will be at the highest RTP available. This is one area that I am a huge believer in – we must understand that we won’t survive unless we provide people with a hugely entertaining experience. We are not just up against a choice of other casinos but also up against other entertainment time and that is becoming increasingly relevant as the factor time becomes more precious in the modern age. So, we need to provide real entertainment to players and not just try to get them to lose their deposits as fast as possible. I would hate that as a player myself and as such, I won’t do that to my players either.
Withdrawal times are massive for us and are part of our SuperSpeed and SuperService pledge. Of course, there are a lot of influencing factors such as fraud, game checks etc, however, once a player is verified then we are looking to automate as many withdrawals as possible in 30 seconds. Our ultimate goal is to process 90% of all withdrawals within 30 seconds of them being requested.
Obviously, it will still take a period for it to reach a player’s account depending on the method but we will process it from our end as fast as possible. It will need some time for us to get to that stage, mainly because at launch only a very small number of players will be verified and we will need to do a huge amount of verification work etc but that is our medium to long term target.
The SuperTeam at SuperSeven
GMBLRS: We heard that you assembled quite the team for SuperSeven Casino. Can you name a few and from where they are hailing from?
Tim Parker: Yes absolutely, we are nothing without our team here. Let me introduce some of the people:
- CEO Chris de Lima comes from a bricks & mortar background having worked for many years for Crown Resorts at London’s high-end casinos and as such has an innate understanding of customer service.
- Business Development Director Emilie Zamponi has come across from the game provider side. Her timeline includes spells at Yggdrasil, Quickspin, RNG Foundry/Microgaming, giving her a deep understanding of the industry. I strongly believe that this will allow us to bring interesting content plus exclusive promotions to our players.
- Digital Marketer Quinn Olive has joined us, who has even more experience at launching brands from his homeland in South Africa and has a phenomenal in-depth knowledge of Digital Marketing.
- Head of Affiliate Marketing Hanna Dahl has joined SuperSeven to run our affiliate program. She is extremely well-known throughout the iGaming world and has some great contacts to help us roll out the brand.
GMBLRS: Last but not least, are you able to confirm an exact date for the launch? We have GMBLRS members eagerly waiting for SuperSeven Casino to open its virtual doors and, no doubt, many unregistered readers too.
Tim Parker: We are currently undergoing Beta Testing but, barring unforeseen circumstances, will be open for full launch on Tuesday, 30th March.
GMBLRS: Final question in our interviews is often a personal trivia question. This one comes from a GMBLRS member and contributor, Jamie F. Do you have a nickname in the office or in your family and if yes, what’s the story behind it? I remember in one of my first jobs ever, I was called the “Bean Counter” as I worked in accounts and always insisted that the numbers match to the last position behind the comma, no rounding allowed.
Tim Parker: Ha ha ha – in the office I have no idea because we live in such strange times that I have yet to meet in person about 70% of the team, so I don’t really know but if I did I am sure it would be something cool. Although somehow I think that I am trying to convince myself of something that just isn’t the case! Ask me again in 3 months time!
Strange times indeed Tim. Thank you for answering all our questions as well as your and your team’s motivation to create an exciting gaming destination with a difference. We very much look forward to the grand opening and will make sure we are there from day one to show our support.
Interviewer: Harry Moyrer