After an important professional career in big companies such as IBM, William Hill, NetEnt and GiG, among others, you have recently entered Skywind Group. What surprised you the most about this multi award winning iGaming supplier and why are you excited to be part of this group?
I wasn’t looking outside my previous employer when I was approached by Skywind. Having seeing their evolution over the last few years, and understanding the management background and know-how, I decided to join Skywind to be part of the exciting journey ahead and make an impact in different markets.
Over the last six months, Skywind has signed an amazing amount of partnerships. In which way this strategy enhances its content offering and how users have been responding to this initiative in the different markets the company has presence?
We are here to stay, to expand our portfolio and provide operators with quality and localized content for their players. We have an amazing –and growing– team of individuals knowledgeable about the different markets; people willing to help and always assist operators.
Approximately, by what percentage did the company’s sales grow during the last two quarters due to the increase of iGaming consumption, consequence of obliged global quarantine because of Coronavirus?
I cannot comment on that growing percentage, but I can tell you we are signing partners monthly. Our sales team has grown exponentially since September. I can’t even keep track of newcomers! Ask me this question in April 2021, and I’m sure everyone will know us so much more by then.
Talking about products, besides slots and live casino, your company delivers player engagement tools (Bonus Points, Tournaments, Jackpots). Could you briefly describe how do these tools help operators to meet their goals?
Our Live Casino isn’t Live yet. It’s a work in progress, but we are betting big on it. Keep an eye on its development! About the Engagement Tools, we have got Bonus Coins, Tournaments, Must Win Jackpot, Progressive Jackpots, and Free Spins. It’s a varied set of tools for all tastes and levels of betting. Probably, the Must Win Jackpots and our Bonus Coins are the best nowadays. We have seen such a great acceptance from all players. It has been really amazing.
Although Skywind has offices and studios in Europe, it has developed an aggressive policy of global expansion. What is the company’s presence in the Latin American market? What do you think about the progress of iGaming in this region?
For the ones that already know me, I’m a big fan of LatAm. It represents a huge percentage of our revenue, and it’s not a mature market yet, so there’s great future for the continent. I do love the region. I lived in Costa Rica most of my life. I started in gaming there in 1997. I’ve seen the slow development of betting since, and with more and more countries regulating the activity, betting there can only go one way: UP! I’m representing Skywind in the region. I recently moderated a great G&M News’ webinar about betting in Central America and the Caribbean. Our company in increasingly closing deals with operators in the different countries of LatAm. Of course, we have localized and themed slots for all, even a slot called Jogo do Bicho for Brazil, inspired in their famous game, played all over the country.
A B2B software provider that is not engaged with the players directly, however, the company considers responsible gaming as a top priority. How to focus on safety and harm prevention in times when there is a rise in the number of players, who are also getting younger and younger?
As you mentioned, we do believe in Player Safety and Responsible Gaming and we work close with operators and authorities to prevent compulsive behavior. Gaming and betting have to be fun and entertaining. All parties involved must work together to have the right tools to prevent fun turn into addiction.
What do you imagine future demands of players will be, especially in relation to mobile gaming, and how will your company help operators to be at the forefront of their content offering in this competitive environment?
Innovation and mobile are always key elements to stay ahead of the competition. Sometimes, the simplest game can be your next big hit, while a title with top design, beautiful graphics and complicated math might look good in theory, but fails to make it a hit. We have to think of the youngest generation habits, what they consume in terms of games and devices, since they are the future of this industry.