Interviews
Riding the winds of change
With the iGaming industry currently experiencing a perfect storm of evolving technology, progressive regulation and increased internet penetration, we sat down with BETBAZAR’s Chief Operating Officer, Max Sevostianov, to get his take on the latest emerging trends for operators to keep an eye on and how they could potentially alter the gambling landscape in the next few years.
You’ve previously spoken about the increased adoption of AI being one of the most notable recent developments in iGaming, but outside of this technology are there any other notable emerging trends that you think will play a major role in shaping the future of the industry?
From my perspective the growing prevalence of mobile gaming continues to have a major impact on how the iGaming industry is evolving. Driven by the increased availability of smartphones/tablets and greater internet penetration, mobile gaming offers unparalleled accessibility and convenience, which in turn enables users to enjoy their favourite games anytime, anywhere. Somewhat related to that, I think we’re also seeing live streaming platforms become much more popular and channels like Twitch – which is now the go-to medium for esports coverage – are becoming an essential part of operators’ toolkits. Finally on a more personal note, I’m a big believer in the potential of VR and AR technology. With recent games like No Man’s Sky providing immersive VR experiences where players can really feel the emotion of what it might be like to command their own spaceship, I really think the entertainment they provide will be key to the future of iGaming.
Looking specifically at the changing gaming preferences of customers, it seems that player interaction and community involvement are becoming increasingly important to operators looking to generate sustained user engagement. Do you expect products like crash games and bet-behind slots that offer these social aspects to become even more popular in future?
Definitely. Whether it’s having multi-player compatibility or providing social aspects that allow users to engage with each other and share the betting experience, any product feature that promotes unity will play an important role in increasing audience engagement. You only need to look at recent high-quality titles like Helldivers 2 to see how effective these gameplay elements can be. Here, the developers have created a co-operative third-person shooter where players compete in teams, invite their friends and socialise with one another to create a more immersive experience. I think when analysing this type of game, you have to make a distinction between the gambling side of things and the entertainment aspect – and I’m a big believer in the value of the latter, as this is what will ultimately provide the user experience that keeps players coming back.
Likewise, when it comes to sportsbooks, live streaming and in-play betting – especially micro-betting – seem to be major focus areas for operators these days. Does the availability of better technology for higher-quality streams, more accurate live data and real time interaction now make it even easier for operators to provide a more immersive experience?
I believe at this moment in time, having the capability to supply fast gaming and fast betting is one of the biggest priorities for sportsbook operators. Advances in technology have made it possible to provide better quality live streams and more accurate live data feeds, which in turn enable bettors to make more informed decisions in real time. This of course goes hand-in-hand with live betting and micro betting, as having this up-to-the-second information available gives bettors more confidence in what they’re doing and empowers them to make quick bets on the fly. I think from the operators’ side of things, having access to official data providers has also made a big difference, as they are now able to work with reliable data that not only helps them provide a fairer and more enjoyable experience to users, but also assists them in analysing their business as well.
Finally, in terms of how new iGaming trends are formed, what is it that you think drives change in the industry? Is it shifting regulations, the emergence of new technologies or evolving player preferences/demographics that mainly informs how operators will respond?
The formation of new iGaming trends is driven by a combination of factors – and while in the long term I think the three you’ve mentioned are pretty much parallel, at this precise moment in time I’d put regulation in first place. All countries are trying to provide a healthy environment in which iGaming businesses can grow while also ensuring that player safety remains a key consideration. This is great, because it means that in regulated markets there are clear and understandable rules about what businesses can and can’t do, so they’re all starting from a level playing field. This obviously has a knock-on effect on how technology develops, as once these parameters have been set, your aim is to provide the best product you can within the constraints of that framework. Of course, player preferences also play an big part and regulators are often slow to cotton on to things like the popularity of esports, but over time they’re usually able to adapt to public demand.
The post Riding the winds of change appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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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