Innovation and the Network Effect
A platform is about building something that is open, inclusive, with an emphasis on strategic focus. The ability to leverage the network effect of a platform gives an advantage over competitors in every industry. Microsoft Windows in the 90s, Apple’s APPs and the iTunes store over the last decade. Uber and Airbnb in more recent years are examples of the fastest and most disruptive companies in their industry leveraging the network effect of a platform, at the same time bringing valuable creativity to the market and generating revenue growth.
TGG Takara Gaming Group is the first Interactive Entertainment company in Asia with a 3-in-1 “Landbased iGaming & Social-Media” cross-channel platform; designed with a strategic focus on bringing together game producers and players into interactions to encourage innovation. This then becomes a competitive advantage, transforming the gaming products in an open, inclusive, thriving ecosystem.
For Ernie Suek, co-founder of TGG, leveraging of the network effect isn’t a new concept to him. Besides setting up TGG, Ernie is the chairman of the Neway Group in Hong Kong, a pioneer in the Asian entertainment industry with a total workforce of 4000+ employees. Listed in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since 1992, Neway has successfully utilized the cross-business “network effect” by integrating Music, Movie, Concert Productions, Celebrity Management, and Social Media into an entertainment hub. This network value has led to a snowball effect that allows Neway to dominate the multi-billion dollar Karaoke Entertainment business by operating thousands of karaoke rooms in 4 different cities and countries in the region. TGG is also working towards the same advantage by creating a strategically focused platform in the gaming industry. Powered by a vast 200+ casino gaming titles library, TGG’s 3-in-1 “Landbased iGaming & Social-Media” cross-channel platform is built upon the GLI-11 and GLI-19 international gaming standards which are recognized by 475 gaming jurisdictions worldwide, making the TGG platform ready for both landbased and iGaming markets globally. The advanced HTML5 technology has also provided a solid foundation for a real-time deployment of games in both the Landbased and iGaming sectors with minimal engineering effort.
More production attracts more consumption, and consumption leads to the demand for innovation and variety. Traditionally, slot machines provide entertainment via games of chance, for which players have almost zero interaction with the game itself as it is based on pure chance. TGG’s renowned “Game of Control” concept means to bring the new generation of interactive entertainment elements into gaming. On top of the traditional game of chance theory and mathematics, the “Game of Control” concept will provide more opportunities and more options to the players, so as to create a sense of “Control” by allowing players to interact with the games and altering the pattern of winning without affecting the actual payout. TGG’s first patent-pending gaming title “Blackjack Impossible” is built with such a mechanism and the company will have more “Game of Control” gaming concept titles available to the market later this year.
TGG now has operations and business partners in all 5 continents including Macau, Taiwan, Korea, Cambodia, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Serbia, and Kenya, giving a solid foundation for pursuing new verticals and strategic alliances, well positioned for future revenue growth.
TGG staff hosts a tour of TGG’s office for GM Alessandro Cattarossi and other senior leaders from Casinò di Venezia after their visit to G2E Macau 2018.
