With more than 10 years of experience in the company, what would you say are the main characteristics that distinguish it from others working in the same business?
I’ve been here over ten years and I have also dedicated 20 year to this business. Entering Income Access (a Paysafe company) was an important step in my career to advance in the iGaming sector. On those days, the relationship between the affiliate and the operator was difficult to manage because of the need to have accurate tracking, particularly on the affiliate side. A large affiliate network takes a lot of management, and having a tool like the one from Income Access significantly simplifies everything for the operator, giving the affiliates what they need to drive high quality traffic. Our key differentiator against our competitors is not just the technology. Where we really shine is in the details and the granularity of reporting, as well as in our capacity to track at really high volumes. In fact, we have a complete suite of affiliate marketing tools. We really see the whole ecosystem of affiliates.
In which U.S. markets are you currently present? What solutions did you offer at G2E Las Vegas 2023?
This is a great point. So Income Access is a North American based business and it came before PASPA was passed. So we started in the U.S., particularly with poker, and then we transitioned to a global business where the European market was a major one for us. Lately, the Latin American market is also important. Since the beginning in the U.S., we were there to help operators to understand more about the affiliate side of the industry. So when iGaming and sports betting started to being regulated in different states, we already had a big early adopter advantage. We were ready to serve the market from day one. The other major benefit we have is being part of Paysafe, a large established business working in the U.S. We have the resources and we know the market. We really shine when it comes to understand customers’ acquisition standpoint and regulatory standpoint. Regarding the expo, it was probably my fifth G2E. It’s always great to be there as part of the Paysafe Group, because we have such a large presence every year. Taking a look back, I’ve seen the event becoming more and more focused on the digital side of the industry, as that market continues to grow. What operators really want in the U.S. market is a focus on profitability, I mean paying the right price, from customers to affiliates. Income Access is sitting in the middle, and we can assist both sides to work together. During the show, I’ve met with a number of affiliates as well as big key operators. We’re helping to negotiate that path forward for them, getting the affiliates the data they need, and making sure the operators are able to analyze the traffic, and to know they’re engaging the highest quality customers possible.
Without a doubt, one of the topics of the moment is the cybersecurity failures suffered by the main gaming operators in the United States. How does Income Access work to safeguard not only the operations of its clients (the companies), but also the financial data of the players?
I would look at this from two ways. One is the collection and storage of personally identifiable information. We have a really strong position as being a global business. We experienced the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) years ago, and we took all the right actions at that point. Prior to that, we were always very careful to collect only the minimum amount of information that we would need from our operators. That’s because that data is so valuable we don’t take anything that can identify any individual themselves, no financial data of customers or anything like that. Our first line of defense is to take only what we need. That’s a benefit because we can manage our own cybersecurity, as well as the security of our customers, the operators, because they get to keep it in-house within their own systems and not release it to third parties. The second way is our support from Paysafe, where cybersecurity is so important in the payments industry. We get to piggyback off of all of those resources and ensure that that we’re meeting the highest standards when it comes to this issue.
How is your company working on the LatAm market so far?
LatAm has been our largest growth market over the last 18 months. We’re in particularly in Brazil with some of the largest operators there, and it’s an incredibly exciting market. There’s lots of innovation and appetite to acquire as many customers as possible. We are enthusiastic of being a big part of that journey. I think again a key element for us is that we are part of a global business. We speak the local languages. We have Portuguese speaking and Spanish speaking account managers. That’s incredibly important. All of our operators in LatAm really understand the value localization has for their success. So while we have those resources in house, we also partner with local people there to ensure that we understand the affiliate market and the technology needed for that market. We pride ourselves of being versatile enough and able to offer our tools to both large operators and startups.
What is the Income Access Affiliate Network? What benefits obtain those brands that connect to that network?
Income Access was born as a network that connected operators and affiliates. This is still a critical piece of our offering today. The Income Access Affiliate Network is a network with multiple, different operators inside. From an affiliate perspective, you get access to various operators right away with a single account that you can drive traffic. Then, you will find the right operator that fits your traffic, and vice versa. As an operator, you get tapped into a network of affiliates that already are driving traffic and looking for exciting new places to send it, without having to incur the cost of your own standalone affiliate program, or to build that up from scratch. We also offer large levels of support. A coordinator assigned to you by Income Access will help you navigate the system and reach out and connect to the affiliates that you want to meet with, and even make recommendations for you.
Do you divide the network between continents or how does it work?
The network itself is not divided between continents at this point. For example, we do have somewhat of a focus on bringing in a number of Latin American brands. Affiliates can go in there and work with the brands that make sense for them. The advantage is that this is not an automated network. You will always have a human assistant helping you navigate this technology. Being able to speak to someone and get some advice is something that we’ve always felt is really important, and we make sure it’s available with our network.
How do you assess the evolution of the online gaming and sports betting market in the USA and Canada today, and what prospects do you foresee to strengthen Income Access’ business in North America?
There are so many factors to look at when you’re in a global business like us. Really understanding what it takes to succeed in a new market (like Latin America) is one element. New verticals are another. Social gaming is becoming extremely popular, as well as Esports. From a sports betting perspective, we’ve been supporting some of our operators for a few years on the Esports segment. We haven’t seen it grow enough in the affiliate side of the business. Of course, regulatory changes are elements we always need to stay alert about. Advancing into the Canadian market in Ontario, and managing the complexities of the U.S. market are among our most important goals. However, no matter what challenges are expecting to us, we are confident and ready to adapt and face any future scenario.