Merkur UK brand Regal rebranding to reflect technology-first corporate identity

Merkur Group UK has announced gaming supplier Regal, which is part of its portfolio of companies, is undertaking a rebranding. The move is set to “nuance its corporate identity” in order to better reflect its status “as a progressive, data-led machine operator,” the Gauselmann Group subsidiary said on Tuesday.

The company has now transitioned from the traditional Regal Gaming and Leisure title to its new one: Regal Gaming Technologies, a name change that “reflects the role of technology in the growth of machine income.”

"Company names should reflect core competencies, credentials and characteristics and certainly over the last five years our business has changed significantly,” Joint-Managing Director Matt Bricknell said of the name change. 

“While the core objective of putting the very best and most entertaining games on the market for people to play across a raft of hospitality venues remains constant, the process by which we maximize income for our customers has been transformed and that's due in no small part to our on-going investment in technology,” Bricknell added.

Founded in 1998, Regal Gaming Technologies is a leading UK supplier of amusement equipment to the leisure sector and operates about 15,000 machines from 9 regional depots. Its team consists of circa 360 employees, of which about 80% are based in the field with its customers.

"Regal's expertise, which also draws on the experience of the wider Merkur Group, means that we are uniquely placed to support customers with an unparalleled level of insight and business intelligence that's extremely detailed and granular,” stated Bricknell. “For example, we can identify dips and increases in income of any of our sited machines at any time of the day, we can identify the denomination of notes used by site and we can generate service calls pre-empting issues that will impact the machine income.”

The Joint-Managing Director further explained the level of detail that is available means the company “can provide licensees with all of the data they require” in order to make informed cost/benefit decisions. By using technology, Regal is able to provide the information and intelligence that enables operators “to maximize income.”

"Connecting all of our digital AWPs to our MARS system has been a game-changer,” said Sascha Blodau, General Manager for Merkur UK. “It means that data can be collated, summarized and analyzed in real-time, with content and Firmware updates processed at the push of a button.”

For the executive, the combination of having a strategic vision alongside the investment and commitment to deliver that vision has accelerated the transformation of Regal from what might have been described as traditional business to one that is “empowered by technology,” hence the new trading name.

“On a broader level the depth of business-critical data that we are able to share with our customers means that we have a closer and more consultative relationship with them which in turn has helped underline the importance of the machine sector in generating income," added Blodau.

Merkur Group UK is part of the Germany-based Gauselmann Group of companies. Since 2000, Gauselmann has invested £450 million in the UK and is one of the country’s largest operators of high street entertainment centres and Bingo Clubs. 

The UK Merkur subsidiary operates a total of 177 high street entertainment centres, plus three Bingo Clubs. It employs over 2,500 in the UK, and supports high street economies in 140 parliamentary constituencies.