Interviews
Elevating Atlas-IAC: Transforming sportsbook with AI and automation
Miloslav Ivanov has recently joined Atlas-IAC as its new Chief Sales Officer, and with a proven track record in the industry, he is excited to help elevate the Atlas-IAC brand and he shares his motivation for joining the company as well as plans for the future.
EG: Congratulations on your appointment as Chief Sales Officer at Atlas-IAC! Can you talk us through your first month at the company and your exciting plans for Atlas-IAC?
MI: Thank you. I am thrilled to be working with such a fantastic team here. It has been exciting for me to see the passion and productivity of Atlas-IAC’s employees first hand and how everyone is focused in delivering the company’s vision and their dedication to the modern trends within the global sports betting industry.
The vision here is to provide automation and remove the manual labour within data feeds and algorithmic pricing models, which is one of many things that makes Atlas-IAC unique. This has been the driving force behind the very impressive expansion that the company has recently experienced.
We have a unique sportsbook with automation at its core and the risk management capabilities are particularly strong, as we are able to identify potential risks early and it is highly beneficial for us and our partners.
With regards to future plans, we are looking to expand into new regulated markets like Peru, whilst still maintaining a big focus in Europe, Latin America, and Africa where we want to make an impact.
EG: You have some very impressive names on your list of companies, including Delasport, DraftKings and SBTech. What was the driving force behind you choosing Atlas-IAC as your next challenge?
MI: It was the company’s clear vision and commitment to modernising the sports betting industry. This is Atlas-IAC’s mission and I do believe we share the same vision as to what the future of the betting industry looks like.
I believe that automation, which is at the heart of our product, is the future of the betting industry and the cutting-edge technology offering resonated with me. The company also has a forward-thinking team that has created a strong reputation throughout the industry and, with numerous experiences from across the globe, it is clear that we all share the same vision, and this was a key factor in my decision.
EG: Looking to European markets and your Bulgarian heritage, where in Europe do you see as the most exciting growth opportunities?
MI: The Balkans is a key growth market and, with many land-based properties available across the region, people are now shifting from retail to online, and the mindset and culture is changing. People are understanding the ease and convenience that online betting provides and, whether you are at home or out and about with friends, players can have instant access with sports betting platforms and be a part of the betting experience.
A number of countries in the Balkans including Serbia, Romania, Croatia and Bulgaria are creating a lot of buzz with their growth, however, it is important to not lose sight of other countries and keep your finger on the pulse as new opportunities could pop up at any time.
EG: There’s been plenty of talk about how much potential the Balkans has, especially Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria and Croatia, how do you rank these markets in terms of potential?
MI: It is tricky to rank them in order as they all present unique opportunities and different challenges with audiences that have different interests. Romania has shown very significant growth and regulatory stability which has resulted in a very impressive market. Serbia and Bulgaria are growing steadily where we do have an advantage of tapping into customer engagement habits via a variety of gamification tools. Croatia is still very much an evolving market, which presents a lot of opportunities, it’s also the richest of the lot, which presents a wealth of opportunities in itself given higher player spend.
EG: Looking at the Atlas-IAC platform, tell us about your technology – how does it differentiate you from the competition?
MI: The platform’s modern technology is a clear differentiator from our competitors, delivering excellence throughout all processes. Cutting edge trading tools combined with a fantastic team of top experts gives us leading B2B gambling solutions. Our risk management is one of our strengths too, with outstanding capabilities to protect operators and players. Sportsbook that can run automatically with customized limits, margins and delays depending on a type of event or the timeline or both. A fully automated CRM solution allows operators to manage customer marketing and communication activity seamlessly and efficiently.
Our retail system is also impressive, allowing us to manage various properties from one central hub and we want to invest more in the retail side of the business in the coming months and years. Our retail offering has proven to be incredibly popular in Latin America but that certainly doesn’t limit us in other markets around the globe, as we focus on Europe too. As a company, I believe we are optimising the workflow for our employees, and this has resulted in our impressive expansion. I truly believe our overall sportsbook is one of the strongest I have seen in the last five years.
EG: Last but not least, where we can we look forward to seeing Atlas-IAC in terms of industry events and also new market entries?
MI: We always look forward to exhibiting at the top industry events to really showcase our brand and the products we can supply. SBC Barcelona will present a terrific opportunity to connect with industry stakeholders to share our vision for what we believe the future of sports betting will be and expand into new territories, wherever they may be.