Roger Raatgever - 17 Successful Years as CEO of Microgaming

[ArvindDass]

Providers began to flourish actively in the 1990s - new companies will turn into giants of the gambling industry in a few years. Among them, Microgaming takes pride of place . One man, Roger Raatgever, is largely responsible for the provider's success. The willingness to take risks in symbiosis with an innovative approach has given the market dozens of exciting slots.

Rat race

Prior to being appointed to Microgaming, Roger quickly rose from student to executive. Frequently changed jobs

In 1992, the student got a job as an intern at the auditing company David Strachan & Tayler. After 3 years, he received a leadership position there.
In 1997, the young specialist was entrusted with managing Aspen Health Care, a private medical company.
In 1998, Roger was in charge of finance for the South African restaurant group King Consolidated.
In 1999 he became a consultant. Managed corporate finance at Absa Bank.

Adrenaline junkie

Microgaming is a private company. Therefore, its structure remains hidden from the public. I had to find out the details through a few interviews with employees.

According to rumors, one of the founders of the provider was Martin Moshal. He created Microgaming in 1994. But the company was going through hard times. In the late 1990s, it was on the verge of bankruptcy. So Martin needed a loan. At that moment, Roger was just engaged in lending at a South African bank. He provided a loan to Martin, getting a ticket to the gambling industry.


From scratch

In 2001 Microgaming moved to the Isle of Man. At this point, the post of CEO goes to Roger Raatgever. He had to clear the name of the company first.

In the 1990s, dishonest slot manufacturers seriously damaged the reputation of honest providers. And players were reluctant to trust slot machines on the internet.

To remedy the situation, Roger began to cooperate with competitors in the market. Microgaming becomes part of the Interactive Gaming Council (IGC).

This is a non-profit organization. She is in charge of market regulation. To join the IGC, an operator must build trust through fair play and fair treatment of users.
In 2002, at the initiative of Microgaming, the Health and Care Trust was created to support charitable organizations on the Isle of Man. During his work, the provider donated more than £700,000 to him.

In 2003, the eCOGRA regulator was born. The new organization checks the honesty and safety of online gambling. After testing, the products receive a quality certificate.

In 2006, the US changed the law to combat illegal online betting. Banks were banned from carrying out operations related to illegal casinos.

Some operators continued to accept clients from the USA. But Microgaming terminated their contracts. This had a negative impact on the provider's revenues in the early years. But later he managed to strengthen his position in Europe and Asia.

Successful adventure

The first serious success came through collaboration. Microgaming was one of the first to create slot machines with popular characters from films and comics.

In 2004, the Tomb Raider slot appeared. The comic book-like graphics appealed to an audience that had never before been keen on betting. The provider also operated other franchises. Over time, Microgaming has released such popular slots:

1. Hitman .
2. Game of Thrones .
3. Scrooge .
4. Bridesmaids .
While competitors adopted the experience and also released titles in conjunction with other brands, Microgaming remained one step ahead. In the 2000s, providers mainly made up to 50 paylines in machines. In 2008 Microgaming decided to increase this number to 100.

The greatest success was brought by the Mega Moolah slot machine with a system of progressive jackpots. Roger understood that the increase in the prize pool is a good incentive for regular bets. In addition, specialized media always write about big wins. And it's free advertising.