Interviews
Evoplay – Convergence of video games RT
Vladimir Malakchi, CCO at Evoplay
Has the global video game boom influenced the design and development of today’s games? Gamification has been a focus for iGaming developers for some time, has this been driven by the rise in video game popularity?
When it comes to popular culture, the video game industry is no doubt one of the most influential verticals, especially gambling, as both gaming and gambling belong to the same concept of entertainment, where audiences from both worlds intersect with each other. After all – the convergence is obvious – both video game and casino players seek the same goals – fun and gaming. However, those who choose gambling games also want to experience the thrill of betting, which offers a whole new dimension.
From a technological point of view, iGaming companies continue to follow the video game industry and adopt their solutions, such as development, game engines, features, graphics, and sound to create an experience similar to the one seen in the video game world. Casino and video game developers also take a similar approach to storylines – they search for innovative, creative, and exciting themes that can provide a fresh and immersive experience to players. iGaming has also inherited the trend of in-game purchases, such as shops and loot boxes, a vivid example of this is the bonus buy feature you see in several casino titles these days – which again shows how much the verticals are converging.
In general, the video game industry is a trendsetter and a source of ideas and inspiration to those within the iGaming space. It attracts both Millennials and Gen Z players, who share many audiences and demographics with many gambling brands.
Licensed games, chosen correctly, can be valuable investments for studios. We have already seen classic video game IPs feature in some slot titles in the past – is this something that can be leveraged further? Must it be something more than just window dressing?
It’s always exciting when the audiences of two popular brands merge together into one type of entertainment – especially when it comes to something from the wider cultural world being integrated into iGaming.
As well as attracting wider audiences from the outside world, it certainly benefits game providers, giving them a larger media presence and in turn creating wider interest from the outside world, which is especially beneficial if you’re a listed company and as a consequence, as it can directly affect your company’s profitability and volume.
However, alongside the benefits that can be achieved by securing brand rights with third parties, we do need to take costs into account. The average royalty to be paid off to the contractor is 3-15% of the GGR, with joint approval needed from both sides, which can certainly affect the potential for a partnership, and indeed the bottom line.
Saying this though, the benefits usually outweigh the costs, and I’m sure we will see more deals of this type in the future, but considering everything mentioned above, it might not be for everyone, especially those who are just entering and establishing themselves on the market. The key, as always, is identifying your audience and followers and creating a gaming experience that resonates with their values.
Betting on people playing games (esports) has for some time-proven hugely successful. What impact has this had and could have going forward, on traditional gambling as a whole?
Without a doubt, the implementation of gaming-inspired features into casino products can significantly expand what’s on offer, and as a consequence, attract new players. This is especially the case when it comes to the spirit of fixed odds and sports betting, and when incorporated into gaming titles, can help go a long way to reaching sports betting fans who might want to give gaming a try.
In our view, instant games are among the best examples of how this approach can be carried out. Players can choose types of bets, which provides them with a gambling experience similar to betting on sports, which in turn makes them feel right at home without any major learning curve required to start playing a game.
The value of such products was analysed heavily during 2020 when sports events were canceled, and bettors needed to find a substitution for the hobby they used to entertain themselves with. Subsequently the adoption of betting mechanics in casino games’ introduced casino brands to the sports betting market and simultaneously covered its audience’s demand – we’ve seen the success it has had during the last two years, and there’s no reason for that not to continue even with sports back, as we are entering a new era of gaming where such transitions are far easier than before.
A recent study declared that video gamers are up to 4.5 times more likely to participate in betting and igaming. How can this new demographic of potential players be best approached?
As we’ve mentioned, there’s plenty of intersection when it comes to audiences and demographics, as at the end of the day, all users are after one thing – entertainment. This means that everything starts with a product that can both encompass and be adapted to players’ usual patterns of expectations for the gaming experience. It is evident that both video gamers and sports betting fans have their own preference – gamers especially look for a storyline, strong characters, and a clearly-defined challenge – while sports bettors will always gravitate towards ‘live events’ and the thrill of taking on the ‘house’.
In line with this – when robust analytics of audiences and demographics are applied, companies can learn where users can be found and the methods behind attracting them through specific messaging and themes. This requires analytics-based marketing, as well as creative and technological solutions, which will of course vary across product type and the desired outcome.
Online, social gaming is a place where many gamers meet up, forge friendships and communities – to what extent can this be mirrored within iGaming?
Socialisation is an established concept in the video game industry, where multiplayer gaming has almost become a must-have offering and certainly has become an event that players expect when certain games are released. A wide variety of platforms designed for communication between players is key to making this happen – with forums, chats, and online communities allowing gamers to interact with each other.
Steam set the trend for socialisation in the gaming vertical, providing an opportunity for players to discuss games, share their opinions and give recommendations. Twitch has continued this trend, as well as attracting gambling streamers, once again demonstrating how the two audiences often intersect. The content on Twitch attracted fans of casino games, which gave rise to the communication between gamblers.
Today, the social aspect of gambling continues to grow, which will no doubt continue to see growth continue given the demand. The pandemic and insufficient levels of communication due to lockdowns have only enhanced the demand for socialisation within iGaming, as it’s become quite apparent that modern players seek to exchange their playing experience.
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Fast Track, the leading SaaS technology company and CRM provider in the iGaming industry, has unveiled the second instalment of its Inside Out video series.
Titled “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” the interview features CEO and Co-founder Simon Lidzén in a candid, behind-the-scenes discussion about the company’s growth, challenges, and vision for the future.
In the 30-minute video, Simon reflects on Fast Track’s nearly ten-year journey: “Success to me is about setting goals and achieving them. This year has been intense, but incredibly rewarding. From scaling Fast Track to launching groundbreaking products like Rewards, we’re just getting started.”
The conversation explores the launch of Rewards, Fast Track’s promotional ecosystem that integrates CRM with gamification to deliver engaging and personalised player experiences. Simon also discusses the company’s rapid global expansion and the challenges of scaling leadership within a fast-growing organisation. Looking ahead to 2025, he highlights Fast Track’s focus on leveraging AI to redefine CRM and customer engagement.
Simon’s reflections also touch on the company’s culture: “Fast Track is built on relentless innovation and a team that thrives on solving challenges. Seeing how much we’ve grown and how far we’ve come makes this journey so exciting.”
For those unfamiliar with Fast Track, the company is a high-growth SaaS leader, known for pioneering the use of AI to deliver personalised experiences to customers. Its software empowers companies to automate marketing and operational workflows, enabling teams to focus on strategy and innovation. Fast Track is reshaping CRM for iGaming, setting a new standard for customer engagement.
Watch the interview here: https://2ly.link/23JyZ
The post Fast Track CEO Shares Honest Reflections in New Interview: Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
As we enter 2025, what unique opportunities do you see for WA.Technology in the LatAm iGaming market?
The iGaming market in Latin America is experiencing rapid transformation, and this dynamic shift presents considerable opportunities for companies with the right strategy and adaptability.
We are witnessing a shift from informal, semi-professional operations to a growing demand for a formal, structured, and professional gaming industry that can meet the higher expectations emerging from both regulators and consumers.
At WA.Technology, we are perfectly positioned to leverage our extensive local knowledge to achieve just that. Our team has been working across the region for years, from Mexico to Brazil, Colombia, and beyond, which gives us a unique edge in navigating the regulatory complexities and unique behavioural dynamics of this evolving landscape.
This authentic regional understanding not only allows us to stay ahead of market trends but also empowers us to innovate in a way that aligns with global best practices while being sensitive to local cultures, customs, and regulations. As the LatAm gaming market continues to mature, we are ready to support operators in a more structured, regulated, and growth-oriented environment.
How does WA.Technology plan to maintain its progress across the region in 2025?
Our approach to sustained growth in Latin America is driven by the expertise of our team, who bring years of experience from across the region. The team at WA.Technology has collectively worked across a variety of LatAm gaming markets, gaining firsthand knowledge of local regulations and consumer preferences. This wealth of experience enables us to navigate the ever-changing landscape with agility and precision.
As the region continues to evolve, we will continue to integrate global best practices while remaining flexible enough to address the unique needs of each local market. Our strategy at WA.Technology largely focuses on building close relationships with various local stakeholders, refining our offerings based on real-time feedback and ensuring our presence continues to make a long-lasting difference in the region.
We are committed to driving long-term growth, building strong partnerships and providing the best possible value to our clients across Latin America.
For operators looking to enter Latin America in 2025, what are some of the key trends/nuances they need to be aware of? And how is WA.Technology helping them to navigate these?
Entering the Latin American market in 2025 presents a variety of opportunities for growth. However, operators looking to make the most of what this region has to offer must carefully consider local regulations, consumer behaviour, and cultural differences in each country. After all, LatAm is not one homogenous region – each country has its own unique dynamics at play.
Regulatory frameworks continue to evolve rapidly, with each individual regulator in the region setting its own rules, meaning that operators must be highly adaptable and well-prepared for any future legislative changes. But regulations aren’t the only challenge.
Understanding local consumer habits, preferences, and cultural nuances is equally critical to building a successful operation. For example, the products players enjoy in Brazil are likely to be completely different to those favoured by Mexican bettors.
At WA.Technology, we help operators navigate these complexities by offering solutions that are fully compliant with local laws and tailored to meet the diverse needs of Latin American consumers.
We don’t see ourselves as just a technology provider; we want to be a trusted partner, supporting operators in their journey to understand the regulatory environment and local market dynamics, ensuring they’re well-positioned for long-term success.
With Brazil now live, how does WA.Technology plan to gain an edge in what is likely to be a highly competitive market?
Brazil is undoubtedly the flagship market in Latin America, and we’ve been preparing for this moment for some time. With a market of such size and potential, competition is bound to be hard. However, we are confident that our extensive local presence and tailored approach will give us a distinct edge unmatched by any other provider on the market.
We’ve made significant investments in Brazil, building a team that is highly knowledgeable about the local market and deeply embedded in the regulatory landscape. I am proud to say our team has worked extremely hard to ensure we were ready in time for the new regulations in Brazil and that we are in a position now to grow even further in this market as a result. With dedicated local offices, a strong team of regulatory experts and seasoned professionals with operational expertise, we are well-equipped to navigate the complexities of Brazil’s rapidly growing iGaming market.
Our extensive knowledge of the local market and commitment to delivering innovative, market-specific solutions allows us to provide licensed operators with the tools they need to succeed in this competitive space.
How will your approach to Brazil differ from that of the wider LatAm market?
While Brazil is undeniably one of the largest and most significant markets in Latin America, our approach to the region as a whole is both comprehensive and tailored to the unique characteristics of each country.
We recognise that Latin America is a highly diverse and dynamic market where each country presents distinct opportunities, challenges, and regulatory landscapes.
At WA.Technology, we adopt a market-specific strategy across our entire business, ensuring that we provide localised solutions that meet the unique needs of each country while maintaining a strong, responsive presence in all key markets.
Our team brings extensive experience from working in countries such as Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. In fact, we recently expanded our footprint by opening offices in Mexico City, which allows us to stay closely connected to local developments and offer even more tailored support to our partners in this market.
Mexico is particularly important to us in terms of future growth, and we view it as a key focus for WA.Technology alongside Brazil. Our integrated, flexible approach ensures we can remain agile across the entire region, responding effectively to each market’s specific demands while maintaining a cohesive regional strategy.
What are your goals for expanding WA.Technology’s footprint in LatAm over the next 12 months? And how do you plan to achieve these?
Looking ahead to the rest of 2025, our key goals for expanding WA.Technology’s footprint in Latin America is rooted in two fundamental pillars: extensive market knowledge and strong local presence.
As the region evolves at a rapid pace, staying ahead of market shifts requires constant attention. Our strategy is to maintain a physical presence in every major market, fostering relationships with local stakeholders, regulators, and operators. By doing this, we are able to anticipate changes in the wider market and position ourselves as a proactive, solutions-driven partner, ensuring that our partners can retain their competitive edge.
We aim to further solidify our relationships with key players across the region and remain highly engaged in local markets, adapting our solutions in real-time to meet emerging needs.
Our focus on continuous engagement ensures that we’re always in tune with the evolving landscape, positioning WA.Technology to lead the way in driving innovation and delivering value in Latin America.
The post Patricio Molloy: WA.Technology is ready to raise the bar for LatAm in 2025 appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Tom Walton, Director at technology consultancy, Burendo, shares how operators can achieve sustainable profitability with learnings from other sectors
Operators who are merging and acquiring other businesses, launching new products or even integrating third-party technologies, can find themselves navigating complex internal processes. It is a complex large-scale challenge. Where M&As are commonplace, brand consolidation can be critical when securing sustainable profitability while planning for higher returns in the future. Within the emerging LatAm and US markets, acquisition remains a key focus. A common issue, regardless of geography, is the challenges presented by outdated or fragmented platforms and systems, a major obstacle in the growth trajectory.
In many cases, fundamental changes in how the organisation functions: its people, processes and technology holds the key to better value, higher profits, operational efficiency and reduced risk. By addressing these complexities with proven experience, technology consultants can support operators to be successful in their strategic initiatives.
Agility in competitive markets
To remain competitive in an ever-changing market, operators must move fast and with agility to refine their offering. A constant eye on retention, acquisition and regulatory changes is paramount to avoid financial impact. Despite this risk, research conducted by Accenture in 2022 found that 95% of B2B and B2C C-level executives believe their customers are changing faster than they can change their business, indicating most operators risk falling behind. This poses the question of how this can be supported.
The value of technology consultancies is in enabling businesses to extract greater value from existing resources through a confident understanding of what good looks like. Bringing external ideas gathered through experience, exemplary resources from process to people, can demonstrate what good looks like. More importantly, it shortens the timeline to achieving real goals in the organisation. Being under resourced or lacking the skills needed across these challenges makes it difficult to gain an overarching perspective particularly within a siloed approach.
At Burendo, we leverage more than 40 years of cross-sector experience. We are not only working with some of the biggest operators in betting and gaming, but partner with other highly regulated industries including finance and healthcare. We have helped operators across many initiatives helping them to realise cost savings or increased revenue in a matter of weeks. We pride ourselves in ensuring we leave a lasting positive impact on the culture, enabling our partners to be empowered to carry on our work.
The retention battle
Many operators are too busy with day-to-day tasks or overwhelmed with where to start when it comes to transformation and building a cutting-edge user experience. An example of the gap between capacity and demand is the rising popularity of in-play betting. During live sports, the speed in which players can find and place their bet is critical. Here, streamlined processes that allow for quick innovation will correlate with customer satisfaction, resulting in higher retention rates.
A fresh perspective for lasting change
A successful approach to optimisation requires taking the challenge and viewing it from an experienced and innovative angle. Our partners truly benefit from best practice and valuable lessons derived from other sectors. Through experience we have found that these challenges are not exclusive to betting & gaming and so the ability to apply these learnings drive success.
Managing complex systems and large volumes of data is a common obstacle. By applying these cross-sector principles through working with technology consultants, operators can gain valuable insight into re-engineering platforms and the skills needed, to meet both current and future demands.
Building exceptional, scalable and adaptable architectures ensures that businesses can continue to grow and evolve as the industry changes. This forward-thinking approach positions operators ahead of the curve, meaning they are poised for success in the years to come and have the agility to address any challenges or opportunities that arise.
Creating lasting change requires more than just solving immediate problems. Our goal for our clients is to maintain high levels of efficiency long after an initial transformation is complete. By empowering teams to implement and sustain improvements, operators can maintain continuous growth and unlock growth worth tens of millions of pounds, far outweighing their cost of delivery.
The focus must now shift to building stronger, more Agile organisations that can adapt to changing market conditions. Sustainable efficiency enables operators to optimise time-to-market, improve platform performance, and manage resources more effectively, creating a foundation for long-term growth.
About Burendo
Founded in 2018 and with offices in Leeds and London, Burendo is an award-winning, consultancy delivering stand-out products and services through technology. We partner with organisations to accelerate organisational value delivery and transform customer experiences.
We are pragmatic thinkers and doers who understand the operational world of organisations and customer demands. We work as a partner to give our clients the latest ideas, tools and techniques to deliver effective results that build long-term value.
For more information, you can visit the Burendo website: www.burendo.com
If you have any questions, please contact Kate Smith, Senior Digital Marketing Executive by email: [email protected]
The post Consolidating brands efficiently to achieve high growth appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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