Meet the Slots Creators – Spinmatic’s Norbert Mathies Interview

1.     Hello Norbert! Please tell us a bit about yourself. What makes you, you; and why have you chosen to work at Spinmatic?

I really enjoy learning new things and I am constantly seeking out new learning opportunities. I add every year at least one new skill to my portfolio. I see life as a journey of learning and knowing new things and people. I am a very good communicator and that makes it easy for me to relate to people.

2. We love big wins, can you disclose the top 3 winnings ever paid by Spinmatic?

As the volatility of some of our games is high, we have a max. exposure on some games higher than x30,000 your bet size, so the range for possible wins is up to 3,000,500 EUR.                                          

You see we love the big wins as well and we love to see our players win high! After only 3 months in the market we had our first real big winning client who won an impressive amount of 49,720 Eur on a single Spin on “Egyptian Stone.”

In 2019 we paid 90,015 Eur on a single Spin on “Caishens Treasure.”

In 2020 we had the highest ever won amount in Spinmatic’s history: a player from Russia won 124,300 EUR on our game “Ed Jones and the Book of Seth.”

3. You have an impressive slots portfolio, can you name the best three slots ever released by Spinmatic?

It is difficult to choose because every game is carefully developed and has some characteristics that make it good enough to be a Spinmatic game. Otherwise, we wouldn’t create it or release it… but regarding innovations, I would say the most important slots are Spinalott, made together with Helio Gaming, which merges slot and lottery; Mayanera, with a unique mechanic of a slot displayed in a wheel, and Fall of the Beast, that presents a massive feature selection, the possibility of collecting items, and three free spin options with different features.

4. 2020 was a challenging year for all of us yet Spinmatic managed to release some great slot titles. Which slot takes the 2020 title of the best Spinmatic release?

Fall of the Beast was our greatest innovation in 2020.

5. Looking to the future, what is the next significant release Spinmatic is planning?

We are planning to release the second part of our slot Ed Jones, which is the most played Spinmatic slot worldwide. It will be in the first quarter of 2021.

6. In a market with hundreds of game studios, what would you say is Spinmatic’s biggest differentiator?

First of all, we always have the needs of the specific customers in mind when creating and developing a storyline for a new game.

Also, we have a very strong focus on being on the pulse of the latest technology. Each new game is future-ready, and we design and develop it to work for the next 20 years.

7. We would love to hear more about the slot creation process. Can you let us know which is the most exciting part of the entire process when creating a new slot?

We apply the games thinking of the needs of our customers, considering the geographical and cultural background of their clients. We have noticed that players have different preferences depending on their country of origin. 

There is a deep and very interesting process of knowing the market and their players, what they do, what they like… so we can guarantee the success of the slot or, at least, know that most of their client base would enjoy the topic.

For example, Italian gamblers prefer video slots based on ancient cultures’ gods, especially Greek, Rome and Egypt, such as Poseidon or Egyptian Stone, and classic themes as pirates, as well, like Calico Jack. For Latin America we have Mexican, Inca and Maya themed slots, among others, such as Danza de Los Muertos, El Fuego, Mayanera, and Lama Glama.

8. What about any inside funny stories, do you have something to share with us?

Sure… there are a few… The most recent one is that we have a new employee that looks like one of our slot characters… We call him the “Slot model!”

9. How can you tell if an online slot is going to be a hit or not?

Of course, we don’t know it for sure, but with the correct development and good innovations that make it unique, it is most likely that players will like to try it and will be engaged. High quality in sound FXs, stunning ,and charge speed also help the betting experience and the final success of the game.

10. Switching our attention to casinos, with so many options out there, can you let us know which are your top 3 casino preferences?

Without talking about the bush I can say for me at the moment there are so many real nice and professional working casinos out there and it’s really difficult to pick 3. Personally, I’d choose:

Nr 1 Party Casino

Nr 2 Videoslots

Nr3 1XBET (which is a combination of sportsbook and casino)

11. Did you use to play slots before entering the iGaming industry? Can you share with us your biggest win on an online slot? (you don’t have to name the stake, just the multiplier and the game is more than enough)        

I barely can remember the time before working in the industry… I am almost a dinosaur here. 

I used to play a lot online- poker, back in the days, and in the tournament breaks I switched to Slot Games. There I got engaged and started to play these lovely games, learning a lot about volatilities, payout schemes, math models and mechanics, so I got a preference for Book of …. Games. 

My highest winnings have been 8,500 EUR during one session. I’ve never been a highroller and I always played for the excitement and thrill I felt while playing.

12. What are your hobbies?

I really love to travel and see new places. Skiing during winter times is a must for me, as I live in the middle of the Austrian Alps. I have been riding 1,600km in 2020 on my bike so that could be considered a hobby as well, mainly mountain biking. I love to hang out with friends and have some nice BBQ. I hope those days come back soon. 

13. What has been your biggest challenge and your most significant success in the gambling industry?

I think we will all agree that the biggest challenge has been 2020. An unprecedented situation that put the industry in lockdown for a while. Fortunately, our online focus helped us to be able to keep on working and growing.

The most important thing was to ensure our employees’ health and safety, so everyone started working from home and they did it amazingly!

In terms of the success of the company, I couldn’t choose just one. It has been a great success itself to grow, working in new markets, partnering the best in class companies, winning some important awards, and continuing to launch unique slot games. And of course survive 2020!

14. If you weren’t in the gambling industry, what other industry would you want to work in?

To work in the wine business could be lovely. As a certified sommelier, this would be my second choice.