Latest News

Smartico Develops a Rockstar AI Predictive Tool for CRMs

Published

5 years ago

August 13, 2021

Wladimir P.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Knowing me, knowing you … There’s nothing we can do …

Goes the famous ABBA song of the 1970s.

Ironically, this is exactly the conundrum that customer relationship management (CRM) executives face when they design and implement a marketing strategy. Especially those in the gaming and betting industry. They know who their customers are. They know their customers could punt big.

But they don’t know the most ideal time to send a simple email to their customers. Or they don’t know the best time to push a social media post.

Shortcomings of One-size-fits-all Strategy

Oftentimes, CRM executives resort to a one-size-fits-all strategy. Take the email campaign as an example. They push their mails over the night so that the job is done by the next day. That is one neat tick on the box of weekly tasks.

But does it get the job done? The job of making the customers read the mail and follow the call for action?

Well, a no has to be the answer here. Different customers have different reading habits and different routines. The mail, for example, may not reach them at the exact time when a user engages most on the internet.

How would a CRM executive know this? That’s why we are back again to the ABBA song of the seventies: Knowing me, knowing you … There’s nothing we can do.

But not quite so now. This is 2021. And there has to be a way.

Enter Smartico’s AI Model

Smartico’s new AI tool automatically customizes the communication schedule of each and every customer, based on the real-time data on the online habits of the customer.

If X is most active during the mornings for the last six months or so, and is most likely to make a bet on that time on Sunday, it is a no brainer that the CRM executive must push the mail and social media posts on Sunday mornings.

The new module of Smartico CRM does exactly this. The AI tool analyzes the real-time data on customer behavior and predicts the optimum timings for communication.

Let’s look briefly into how it is done.

How It Works

The Smartico AI model relies on machine learning. It can make accurate predictions from large data sets. It will be of great use in customer retention. The model predicts the best time of the day to send email communication to the customers.

The model uses the user data on the existing CRM. It predicts the best time for sending communications to the user. Communications can be

Emails
Push messages
Short messages
Social media posts

The next step is to define the best time. Is it mornings, evenings or later nights? Smartico’s model uses a 24-hour time frame.

The model analyzes the past activities of a customer in the CRM database to predict the best times. Customer activities can be any of the following:

Just being online – opening mails or seeing social media posts
Engaging with the message – reading mails, clicking links on messages or interacting with social media posts
Doing business – making deposit, posting a bet, or signing up

This is not a plug-and-play AI model. It needs active involvement of a CRM operator for best setup. Smartico offers a smooth interface that allows the operator to set up the tool. While it could take some hours to set up the campaign initially, the tool will provide results within much more quickly once perfected.

During the setup, the operator can perform any of the following tasks:

Finding optimum timings for communication – The tool will offer multiple optimum timings during the 24-hour period. Human intervention is required to identify the best timing among them.
For short term campaign – The model will predict the nearest best timing for sending a communication.
For long term campaign – The tool will offer a range of best timings over a week for scheduling a campaign.

Simplifying AI

Smartico’s team spent long hours to create a working AI model that could improve the CRM platform’s customer retention and conversion rate. The team tried and discarded several models, and tried again, found and improved the present prediction model. It has the proven capability to improve the conversion rates.

AI is going to change the way a CRM system works, especially for highly competitive segments like betting and gaming. It is here to stay. It’s like a sweeping wave. The smart way is to harness its power to improve your CRM and enhance customer retention.

The AI systems do not come often with a low entry point. It’s high-end engineering. Smartico’s AI model is perhaps the one with the lowest entry level. It simplifies the human tasks so much so that the user does not need to worry about the architecture or data processing. Just follow the interface and see the results.

Knowing all these things, this is the best you can do – for your CRM that is.

Awards

Esportes Gaming Brasil takes two ClienteSA Awards 2026 wins; exec named Personality of the Year

Published

5 minutes ago

July 15, 2026

Wladimir P.

esportes-gaming-brasil-takes-two-clientesa-awards-2026-wins;-exec-named-personality-of-the-year

Esportes Gaming Brasil (EGB), the group behind the Esportes da Sorte, Onabet and Lottu brands, has won Gold and Silver at the ClienteSA Awards 2026, held during the ClienteSA X-Summit 2026.

EGB said it won Gold in the Customer Success category for its case study, “Customer Success through Responsible Gaming and Intelligent Monitoring”, and Silver in the Customer Service Operations category for its case study, “From Startup to Maturity”.

Maria Neves, Director of Customer Experience, Customer Support and Reputation Channels, was also named Personality of the Year, an award that recognises leaders in customer experience management in Brazil. “This recognition validates the work of many people, built through listening, team development and a commitment to delivering the best possible customer experience. In a constantly evolving market, putting the customer at the centre of every decision is fundamental to the way we operate,” Neves said.

EGB executives also took part in the summit programme. Neves moderated a panel titled “Responsible Gaming as Part of the Customer Experience Journey,” featuring Carol Luna, Head of Compliance at the company, and Ricardo Magri, co-founder of the Brazilian Support Company for Compulsive Gambling (EBAC), which EGB described as a partner organisation.

During the session, the panellists discussed Brazil’s regulated betting market and how customer service, compliance and responsible gaming processes are being positioned as part of a safer customer journey. EGB highlighted initiatives including specialist support teams trained to identify signs of customer vulnerability, self-exclusion tools, platform usage limits and referral processes to specialist partner organisations.

The post Esportes Gaming Brasil takes two ClienteSA Awards 2026 wins; exec named Personality of the Year appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

business development

Games Valley names Robert Dowling Chief Revenue Officer

Published

5 minutes ago

July 15, 2026

Wladimir P.

games-valley-names-robert-dowling-chief-revenue-officer

Games Valley has appointed Robert Dowling as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), effective July 15, 2026. The company said Dowling is joining full-time after working with Games Valley as a strategic consultant since the beginning of 2026.

In the CRO role, Dowling will lead Games Valley’s global commercial and marketing operations, including sales, strategic partnerships and revenue growth. The company said he will also support its expansion into regulated markets alongside the executive team.

Dowling has more than a decade of iGaming experience and has held senior commercial roles at technology providers including Ganapati, Singular and EveryMatrix.

Ariel Reem, CEO of Games Valley, said: “Robert has already made a significant impact on our business over the past six months. His strategic mindset, commercial expertise and deep understanding of the industry have helped strengthen our growth plans, making this a natural next step. We’re delighted to welcome him to the executive team as Chief Revenue Officer as we continue building one of the industry’s most modern aggregation platforms. As we continue expanding into regulated markets, Robert’s experience and commercial leadership will be instrumental in helping us achieve our long-term ambitions.”

Robert Dowling, CRO at Games Valley, added: “Working with Games Valley over the past few months has confirmed what I believed from day one, that this is a company with a clear vision, exceptional technology and an ambitious team. The platform has been built to solve real challenges for operators, while giving suppliers faster and more effective routes to market. I’m excited to officially join the business and help drive the next phase of growth as we continue expanding our global footprint and bringing our platform to more regulated markets.”

The post Games Valley names Robert Dowling Chief Revenue Officer appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Acquisitions/Merger

Merkur Group agrees acquisition of White Hat Studios

Published

5 minutes ago

July 15, 2026

Wladimir P.

merkur-group-agrees-acquisition-of-white-hat-studios

Merkur Group has agreed to acquire U.S. slots provider White Hat Studios, as the company moves to expand its operations in the regulated U.S. iGaming market. The agreement was announced Wednesday 15th July 2026 and is subject to regulatory approvals.

Merkur said the acquisition will support its U.S. expansion and complements its recent acquisition of Gaming Arts, the Nevada-licensed game and machine supplier. The group said it intends to use a combined portfolio spanning online-first and omni-channel games to support operator partners’ growth plans.

White Hat Studios launched in 2021 and the company said it was the first to launch online slots across all seven regulated states. Its portfolio includes the ‘House of Brands’ slot collection, the 7s Fire Blitz game series, and the Jackpot Royale progressive network.

Andy Whitworth, President of White Hat Studios, said: “Joining Merkur Group is an exciting moment for everyone associated with White Hat Studios and, fundamentally, it is the best possible move to realise our ambitions for future growth and product innovation. Working alongside the hugely experienced Merkur team will open new possibilities for us across iGaming and enhance our ability to develop a world-class omni-channel proposition that will benefit both operators and players.”

Lars Felderhoff, Chairman of the Merkur Management Board, commented: “White Hat Studios has delivered impressive growth since its launch. We look forward to working with the team to continue the U.S. success story and, in turn, Merkur’s expansion in regulated iGaming.” Michael Gauselmann, Chairman of the Merkur Supervisory Board, added: “Having made early inroads into the online space in Europe via our Blueprint acquisition in 2012, I am delighted by this latest development and am confident that White Hat Studios will be a great addition to our group.”

Merkur said the White Hat Gaming platform and white label businesses are not part of the transaction and will remain under their current ownership. White Hat Studios was advised by Oakvale Capital, with legal advisors CMS for White Hat Studios and Wiggin for Merkur.

The post Merkur Group agrees acquisition of White Hat Studios appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.