Interview with Ramiro Atucha, CEO of VibraGaming

With all the attention that gambling regions like the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands, and others across Europe receive, it is fantastic to see omni-channel gambling developer VibraGaming carving out a niche for themselves in Latin America.
We were fortunate to have CEO Ramiro Atucha take the time to chat with us about their omni-channel approach to online and offline gambling, their best casino games, localised branded partnerships and more.

GamblersPick (GP): Founded in 2020, VibraGaming is a fresh face in the iGaming space. Can you introduce yourself to our readers and tell us about the company and its approach to online gambling?
Ramiro Atucha: Vibra has rapidly grown to become the leading games developer for the LatAm region. It is experiencing rapid regulation, with several countries opening their doors to online sports betting and iGaming.

Vibra offers land-based and online-only brands, localised platforms and content specifically tailored to the LatAm market and its players. The management team has significant experience navigating heavily regulated European markets and has become a 'must-have' partner for both local operators launching a digital strategy for the first time and international brands entering newly regulated and regulating LatAm markets.

Within the casino segment, Vibra plays a significant role in bridging the gap between traditional games that have been played for years and the latest products from international brands. This strategy is proving highly successful across LatAm.

GP: What have been some of your biggest challenges and success stories in developing the Latin American online gambling market?
Atucha: The challenge in any market is understanding its framework, its culture, its players and potential partnerships and customers, and what specific needs and requirements they all have. We have more than 20 years of experience in the iGaming sector, more than any other provider in LatAm and arguably more than many in the global supplier space, so that immediately sets us apart from our competitors. Plus, we have built an extensive network of partners and established relationships with the most respected industry stakeholders across LatAm and the global gaming market.

This local expertise, combined with years of global experience, means we recognise the subtleties of each market across LatAm. Pinpointing precisely what local players prefer and trust regarding brands, bonuses, features, experiences, and volatility is vital to ensuring you gain market share, maintain that performance, and create a sustainable business for years to come. A great example is our work with Betsul in Brazil. After an extensive period of market research and product development, we were privileged to be able to cooperate with one of our main customers, Betsul, and bring a unique product to the lottery market.

GP: If you wanted to introduce new players to VibraGaming, which three games would you recommend they play first to experience the best of the best?
Atucha: We have a stellar range of slots, but three come to mind: Piggy Cash, Popeye and Phantom. The latter two are branded games of which we're very proud.

• Piggy Cash is a high-energy, fun-filled slot experience with multiple ways to win and several features that enable players to access plenty of big money prizes. The first is the “Piggy Wild” symbol which, appearing on any reel, replaces all symbols except the piggy bank and the money bill. Then a second feature is triggered when Piggy, the piggy bank pig symbol, appears on reels 1, 3 and 5 and grants 15 free spins. In addition, during this bonus, three Piggies can appear randomly and award five more spins. The biggest bonus is the money re-spin. Each bill symbol has a prize amount. Players must get six or more symbols on the reels to activate the bonus with three re-spins. Each time an additional bill symbol appears, three more re-spins are awarded. The bonus ends when all re-spins have been used and wins are added. If all 15 positions are filled with symbols, on top of the accumulated wins, players are rewarded with a big jackpot.
• Popeye the iconic retro cartoon is a colossal player favourite and forms part of our branded games portfolio. Players can travel with the famous strongman sailor and win big. The game even features the sounds of the waves with Popeye appearing from the middle of the ocean to bring slot fans good luck. His eternal love Olive and arch-nemesis Bluto also make several appearances, alongside the anchor, pipe and, of course, the Spinach. These symbols take players back to when they used to watch the iconic character on TV. The game has three standout features, including the Olive Wild, where symbols extend to become wilds granting re-spins and can re-trigger any time. The Bluto Wild is activated on reel 3, giving players a series of re-spins with symbols becoming sticky wilds. And finally, free spins are triggered if three or more spinach symbols appear, presenting players with up to 20 free spins, including multipliers and the Olive or Bluto wild features, enabling them to win even more.
• The Phantom is another iconic character that we have taken to the next level with our video slot, and players have taken to it well across markets. Players have the chance to go on an adventure with the masked hero and win heroic prizes. This dynamic and graphically rich game is inspired by the adventures of the famous comic character and is filled with features, bonuses and an incredible jackpot ready to be won. These include Horse Wild, which appears in different places and triggers big prizes, free spins with three wolf symbols triggering more ways to win and Skull Money re-spin with six or more symbols triggering the bonus. Every time a skull symbol appears, players are awarded a further three re-spins. The bonus ends when all re-spins are used, winnings are added up, or if all 15 positions are matched with skulls, the player walks away with the jackpot.

GP: Unlike many of its peers, VibraGaming offers slots, bingo, table games and lottery games. What drives the decision to provide the full spectrum of casino games rather than focusing on video slots?
Atucha: Slots are our core product. However, our experience is varied; therefore, we decided to produce a wide variety of content, all with a localised approach and flavour depending on market preferences.
GP: Standing out in the online casino development space is essential. Can you tell us what Brazilian Classics are and how they set your offering apart?
Atucha: We have a well-established partnership in Brazil that has set us in good stead for existing and forthcoming regulations. An example is our work with Betsul. After an extensive period of market research and product development, we were privileged to cooperate with Betsul to bring Scratch a Lot to market, a unique interactive scratchcard product that sits within existing lottery legislation and which has already begun to generate some great results.

The development of Scratch-a-lot is aligned with our approach to content and the vital role we play in bridging the gap between traditional games and the latest digital products. 

In Brazil, we identified classic Bingo games as products that players are very familiar with playing. Our research showed that local players are not ready for sweeping change and, given a choice between new games and those they know and trust, would likely return to products that give them a sense of comfort. Therefore, we started working in this direction and are taking 'retro' games and themes that local players enjoy and adapting for online audiences. The result is a series of high-quality, digital versions of products LatAm players trust. By gradually bringing local players into the online world, we are confident we will significantly grow operator audiences once regulation takes place.

GP: Looking at your video slots, it was exciting to see two beloved franchises, Popeye and The Phantom. Do you have any plans to add more branded slots?
Atucha: We enjoy working with brands that resonate with local players and have a strategy to release and acquire more rights. We recently acquired the rights to produce a slot based on the famous cuarteto singer from Córdoba, Rodrigo Bueno, known as ‘El Potro’, who is very popular in Argentina.
Rodrigo ‘El Potro’ Bueno is well-known for transforming the popular music scene in Latin America, particularly the cuarteto music from Córdoba, becoming successful and famous all over the country. 

We are close to launching the game has acquired the rights to bring this legendary artist to the world of slots, planning it to be a 100% omni-channel game both in land-based and online formats. Our goal is to capture the essence and excitement of El Potro’s shows. We have paid close attention to the game and other ambient sounds to convey the magic fans feel during his concerts.

This acquisition is part of one of its central business units introduced in 2020: the production of licensed titles. They have already launched Popeye Slots and The Phantom, two titles of excellent quality and performance. And another recently acquired license is Condorito, a very popular cartoon character in the region.

By Q1 2022, we expect to be enjoying the game of Rodrigo, one of Argentina's greatest popular idols, who will now have his slot with good reason. Another well-known IP, Condorito, or little Condor, is a feature-packed branded casino game based on the legendary Chilean comic-strip character. The slot will feature several prominent comic figures, including Condorito's eternal love, Yayita, his rival Pepe Cortisona and his great friends Huevo Duro (Hard Egg) and Garganta de Lata.

GP: Can you tell us more about your plans for future omni-channel game releases now that you have successfully launched Roulette European?
Atucha: Vibra Gaming, the leading games developer for the LatAm region, has launched Roulette European, the first title within its new range of table games.
Roulette European was the first of several omni-channel versions of table game classics that we plan to launch this year and that we firmly believe will thrill thousands of players across a host of major LatAm casino brands. In line with our commitment to launch products of the highest quality, we introduced our version of a classic product that never fails to entertain and reward lucky players. Roulette European is the first title in a new line of table games, including Blackjack, Baccarat, Craps, and Sic Bo.

Ondiss, platform developers who collaborated to develop the game, has already launched Roulette European at leading brand Casino Magic and will soon distribute it through its other online operators: Casino Club and City Center. 

Later this month, we will launch Blackjack to LatAm players' screens. With a realistic and dynamic interface focused on the player's point of view, we aim to transport players to the heart of the casino, achieving the feeling of sitting at the Blackjack table in front of the dealer. Our Blackjack game has several features that can earn players stacks of chips as they decide whether to stand or draw another card. They can choose whether to select the chip value and betting area so they can play on one, two or three fields simultaneously, with the same or different values.

They can double the current bet button. When selected, the dealer deals an additional card, and your hand is held automatically. There is also a split button, ideal if you receive a pair of matching cards and wish to split the pair into two new hands. Finally, there is an insurance option. This bet is optional and offered to players if the dealer has an Ace in his hand, equal to half the initial bet. If chosen and the dealer has Blackjack, the insurance bet pays 2:1, and the initial bet is forfeited. The insurance bet is lost if the dealer does not have Blackjack, and the original stake is played.

GP: In closing, what can fans of Vibra Gaming look forward to for the rest of 2022? Do you have any upcoming games or special features you would like to tease?
Atucha: We will continue to source and produce high-quality localised content based on localised themes for our core market of Latin America, such as El Potro Rodrigo, which is coming out towards the end of this year. El Potro is a very popular musician and is especially popular in Argentina. We expect the game will resonate well with local audiences and is a market where we perform very well as a business. We have a long history of performing well in LatAm and producing a series of very entertaining lottery games, so watch this space for future developments!
In closing:
We hope you have enjoyed this deep dive into what it takes to become a market-leading LatAm casino game developer and platform provider. If you want to try out three of VibraGaming’s best online slots, follow the links below to play Popeye, The Phantom and Piggy Cash.