The eighth meeting of the series of online seminars from content multiplatform Gaming and Media News took place on Thursday, June 11th, with very good repercussion among the global gaming industry. The discussion in English focused on the topic “Helping operators to evolve their business. Successful stories from iGaming Software Providers.” This free theoretical-practical talk, held in order to contribute to the learning process in the sector, had the participation of highly experienced and capable speakers from prestigious firms worldwide: Alessandro Fried, CEO, BtoBet; Christian Maglia, CCO, Magellan Robotech, a Stanleybet Group company; Robert Toth, Business Development Manager, Global Bet, and Eduardo Morales Hermo, Senior Advisor, iGamingCo and Ficom Leisure, who, at the same time, was moderator of the webinar.
Of course, there were many topics on debate, and questions from the attending executives that were well answered by the panelists. Key issues dealt around five points: 1) Challenges for operators during and after COVID-19; 2) Successful stories of iGaming providers in entering different territories, including Latin America; 3) From multichannel to omnichannel solutions. How to boost the performance of a gaming platform for operators? 4) Discussing innovation. What are LatAm audiences demanding right now? and 5) Future prospects for online gaming software providers.
Some ideas of this extensive and fruitful webinar can be highlighted here. In the first instance, on the need to have strong platforms to develop business in Latin America, Fried (BtoBet) stated: “I think the offer in the market is very limited. In terms of technology, when we talk about platforms, we are referring to a solution that suit business requirements of a gaming operator. I feel quite lucky to be one of the few companies that can fill the gap. That gap is to know when and how iGaming will be regulated in more markets (besides Colombia) in Latin America. Large operators will be willing to enter these markets. They will need a partner that has the proper technology to comply with each market requirements (regulations, business models, UX, payment methods) and provide different type of content. As a platform provider, we believe that the regulatory processes in those countries will improve the quality of the offering of operators and sportsbooks there, and this will allow the platform to have richer content, in a more solid and secure environment.”
Regarding the knowledge of the markets, Maglia (Magellan Robotech) said: “In LatAm, you start trying to install your products, but first you specifically need to understand the local cultures, to previously study each and every market. About products, audiences want different games and solutions, depending on the market. For instance, in Brazil, videobingo games are a boom, as well as lotteries and number games. In the Caribbean, horse racing is a much demanded product. Of course, sports betting, mainly football, is the center of the offer for countries such as Colombia, Peru, Mexico or Argentina. For me, the key is to have a good e-wallet, and excellent payment solutions.”
In that line of thinking, Morales Hermo (Ficom Leisure) added: “In my opinion, having a single electronic wallet is the tip of the triangle where everything converges. And then, there come channels and products. We are still a long way from having multiproducts on each channel. Many land-based gaming manufacturers are not yet involved in the online segment to provide a different and broader offering to their customers. As Alessandro said at the beginning, if companies do not have Big Data, they cannot efficiently do what it takes to please their customers. They must know the itinerary of their clients to be able to give a precise answer and even anticipate their needs and desires.”
Finally, about omnichannel, Toth (Global Bet) commented: “Omnichannel is definitely the way to go. It is the only way, if an operator wants to grow. Smaller operators have some kind of difficulty being truly omnichannel. In some continents like Africa, with the majority of retail operators, they are now rushing to incorporate online, trying to improve their offer. Of course, it is not that easy. I understand that only the main operators, the largest ones, will be able to deliver a true omnichannel experience to their clients.”
In short, with this new educational material, and close to start celebrating its first anniversary in the industry, Gaming and Media News continues to show why it is one of the few media that is strongly committed to the expansion of quality academic knowledge, which represents an invaluable contribution to the gaming executives. This was also considered by the international press, which reflected the event with positive texts (see the important Spanish site AzarPlus: https://www.azarplus.com/brillante-participacion-de-eduardo-morales-hermo-en-la-serie-de-webinars-de-gm/; and the British media InterGame: https://www.intergameonline.com/casino/news/online-gambling-has-strong-future-in-latin-america). Those interested in fully watching this relevant conference can access to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1tKhIEB-rM.