GAMING1 recently embarked upon a joint venture with Delaware North, a global hospitality company with a portfolio of regional casinos, allowing GAMING1 to deliver solutions to operators in North America. 

The provider’s Chief Business Development Officer, Victor Araneda, took us through the ins and outs of the deal as well as its next steps in the US and LatAm’s growing potential.

With GAMING1’s recent deal you’ve now debuted in North America! Congratulations – can you tell us about the deal?

Thank you! We’re thrilled with our exclusive partnership with Delaware North, and it has, in all respects they are the ideal partner for us. They share our land-based DNA, operate in multiple jurisdictions, understand the challenge of maintaining a relationship with the communities we serve and the importance that reputation has for our patrons. Our groups share the same philosophy in terms of business with being both family-owned and having built the businesses through long-term partnerships. This is at the core of our B2B division and something we all take pride in and look forward to expanding through our joint venture, Gamewise.

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In terms of the next few months – give us a snapshot of how rollout will look and how you’ll be executing your plans for the US?

It’s a uniquely exciting time to be operating sports betting and iGaming in the US and it’s easy to get distracted with some of the seismic shifts we are seeing in the market. That said, our group has significant experience with similar dynamics in other markets, so our plans remain unchanged. Our rollout will focus on those states where our partners are active and operational. Creating a fully omnichannel experience and enhancing the relationships we have with our land-based partners is the core of our technology as we’ve demonstrated in counties like Belgium, Portugal and France.

What potential does GAMING1 see stateside and how much further expansion should we expect to see on the continent?

We understand that every state is different, and the individual legislations reflect this. The competitive environment will be different depending on the make-up of each opportunity and this will influence how we position our product and brand. In terms of potential, both GAMING1 and Delaware North have been champions of iGaming and believe more states will follow in the steps of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Michigan in adding this vertical. We are also closely monitoring the opportunity in Canada which is part of our scope with Gamewise.

Moving further south to LatAm, GAMING1 has been active for quite a while in Colombia via your Zamba joint venture – what can you tell us about your operations there?

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Zamba was the third operation to be licensed in Colombia and was the first operation outside the European Union for GAMING1. We’ve grown in leaps and bounds since 2018 and today boast the best casino product in the country. While our land-based casino partners faced very difficult times during the pandemic, we are now rolling out our most ambitious marketing plan yet and look forward to the continued growth in that market.

You were the first to take live casino online in the Colombian market with Evolution – how much potential do you see for this vertical in LatAm?

We were proud to be the first to bring live casino to Colombia which is a testament to the long-term relationship we have with Evolution Gaming. The result has been as predictable as the rest of this answer will be. The product bridges the major gap that exists in emerging markets, so it seems to be tailor-made for the region. Our results in Colombia have been extraordinary and we expect this trend to continue in other markets.

Aside from Live Casino, which other verticals do you see as key in LatAm and how is GAMING1 personalising its delivery for regional audiences?

The cutting edge of eSports will dominate the conversation very soon, especially in markets like Brazil. In terms of slots, we are working to address the glaring lack of local games. GAMING1 has also put a lot of effort into improving our loyalty program in order to cater to local tastes and this is proving to be the right decision.

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Further afield, and looking at the likes of Argentina, Peru and Chile – where do you see potential for LatAm growth given your extensive experience?

These are three markets with untapped potential that have been slowed down by a lack of legislative goodwill. I’m happy for Argentina finally being able to transition Buenos Aires into a solid framework. Peru has a working model, but the bill MINCETUR has been eager to pass for years is by far superior to the current model. Chile, on the other hand, has been a complete disappointment. The most connected and tech-savvy country in the region has stalled. They could have protected their land-based operators and benefitted from the increased tax, but instead they are simply letting illegal operators run rampant.

Last but not least – any parting thoughts to share with our readers on the development of the Americas for the rest of the year?

Keep an eye out for more iGaming/mobile casino to come to more states in the US and expect GAMING1 to be present in all of them.