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Interviews

Responsible Gaming Education Month roundtable

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Responsible Gaming Education Month roundtable

 

As Responsible Gaming Education Month (RGEM) rounds to a close in the US, Dr Michael Auer, Managing Director of OpenBet’s Neccton, and Joann Pierce, Chief Commercial Officer at Games Global USA, share their insights into the biggest responsible gaming and player protection challenges currently facing operators in America’s regulated states and the tools needed to secure a sustainable and safer future for the industry.

 

What are the key player protection challenges faced by operators and suppliers in 2024?

MA: Evolving global gaming markets, such as the US and LatAm, demand operators have in-depth insights into their players’ behaviour. With high player volumes, this can pose a challenge for those without up-to-date technology. Operators have the responsibility to take proactive steps to protect players from harm, but in new jurisdictions such as Brazil and Peru, it is vital for them to win the trust of their customers and promote responsible gaming from the off. In a recent Hibou survey, of 2,839 Brazilian respondents, 16% reported experiencing financial issues due to their gambling, which should make combating harm and effectively tracking their player base a core priority for operators.

For suppliers, developing responsible gaming tools that meet the needs of the market is essential. By achieving this, they can take positive steps towards building a sustainable and safer industry. Of course, to be confident their tools are up-to-date and will have a notable impact on reducing potentially harmful behaviours, they must be informed by the richest data available from real players. Peer reviewed research that uses datasets from operators themselves is the best way to do this.

JP: There are very different player protection challenges for operators who are directly accepting wagers from the player vs suppliers who are typically offering their products to the operators – to offer to the player. The main difference is complete oversight of a player’s activity vs partial. An operator can join the dots and see all of a player’s conduct across every wager and vertical, whereas a supplier will typically only see the fraction of that play which occurs on their products. Working together, suppliers can help operators with contextualising to help fulfil their duty of care.

Suppliers will typically operate across numerous states, so where state-by-state, game design and safer gambling requirement variations exist it can pose a challenge. In this regard, continued moves towards harmonisation across states would be beneficial for all stakeholders.

 

What tools and resources can be provided to help operators implement effective responsible gaming measures?

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JP: We have mentioned that harmonised standards assist players, operators, suppliers and regulators. However, measures should be evidence based to ensure that we are putting in place solutions which we know are going to be effective and which help all parties target their resources to maximum effect. From an operator’s perspective, access to any player data that can help build an accurate picture undoubtedly helps in delivering that duty of care. Following the lead of other countries, the UK is seeing the implementation of centralised industry-led exclusion registration via the GamProtect system.

Results from the pilot stage looks promising and with some US focussed operators having been involved in that pilot, it would be interesting to see if the US states could come together to replicate such a register to protect the most vulnerable players when for example they physically relocate between states.

MA: Operators looking to succeed in their respective markets must demonstrate superior responsible gaming capabilities and may turn to technology to support their efforts. OpenBet’s Neccton empowers operators to effectively track player behaviour in real-time, offer limit setting and pop-up messaging functions, and integrate anti-money laundering and fraud detection tools.

My research in this sphere has shown that real-time interventions, such as reality checks, improve the effectiveness of player protection efforts. Our software, which is informed by academic research and adapted in line with the latest insights, is supported by a dedicated compliance consultancy service which gives operators the confidence to fulfil their responsible gaming responsibilities.

 

What are the key priorities for suppliers in promoting responsible gaming in the years to come?

MA: Suppliers must keep up with the latest developments in responsible gaming tools and research as markets evolve. I have published more than 50 peer reviewed studies in academic journals related to safer gaming and continue to conduct contemporaneous research into player protection. Utilising real player data and insights from experts will help suppliers evolve their offerings to match the changing needs of operators and their customers.

Additionally, staying on the pulse of recent regulatory developments must also be a priority, as shortcomings can delay the production of much-needed software that instils confidence in operators and regulators alike and meets the needs of the market.

JP: The main focus for suppliers around safer gambling relates to game design. There isn’t that direct contact with the players, so the scope of direct interaction is removed. In this regard, harmonisation of standards and requirements around game design is hugely beneficial to all stakeholders.

We would love to see some of the excellent academic work being undertaken in this field being picked up, endorsed and incorporated into formal standards by regulators.

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All suppliers are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure their products help keep players safe but we want to ensure changes are going to achieve the desired outcome and the best way to do this is to take the evidence based approach.

Interviews

Patricio Molloy: WA.Technology is ready to raise the bar for LatAm in 2025

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Patricio Molloy: WA.Technology is ready to raise the bar for LatAm in 2025

 

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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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Interviews

Building a company culture from the ground up

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Building a company culture from the ground up

 

David Natroshvili, Founder of SPRIBE, talks about company culture and why office working is the key to communication for any organisation

 

Home working, office working or hybrid working. What’s best when it comes to fostering a successful company culture?

SPRIBE started off as a hybrid working company with our employees having a lot of flexibility over where they worked from and the schedules they worked to. This served us well during the pandemic when companies were forced to send staff home during the height of lockdowns. But since then, and given the rapid growth we have experienced, we have opted to gradually switch to a full-time office set-up for our employees. Why? Because there are so many benefits to having employees working from the office, for both the organisation and those working for it. We’ve tried to make the transition as seamless as possible by creating comfortable and inspiring workspaces, offering regular team-building activities and ensuring we run plenty of social events each month, including poker tournaments and Happy Friday which brings together all team members to round off the week.

 

Can you talk through some of the benefits of office-based working?

The biggest benefit is the connection that forms between team members and the different teams that make up the organisation. Communication is key to a business – and individuals – achieving objectives and reaching its/their full potential, and communication is so much easier when everyone is under the same roof and can speak face to face. It allows for deeper collaboration, faster problem-solving and more cohesive processes. I think there are serious mental health benefits, too – by working from an office, people feel part of a community and don’t become isolated from their team and the wider organisation. Without its people, company culture is little more than a document of ideas and processes but when you bring the people that make up the organisation under the same roof, it comes to life.

 

What does SPRIBE’s company culture look like?

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We have always focused on helping our employees strike a good work/life balance, and we go to great lengths to support their well-being and mental health. This includes fun activities like our weekly Happy Friday and regular social events but also ensuring that each team member feels valued and that they are supported and encouraged by senior management and team leaders. Personal development is a big part of employee well-being, so we offer plenty of opportunities for personal and professional development. This, combined with providing the right environment for our employees to work in, ensures each member of the team can thrive, develop and grow, which in turn makes them feel like they have a long future with SPRIBE and that their position within the company is valued and secure.

 

How will you ensure your company culture evolves alongside changing employee expectations and wider working trends?

The way I see it, talented people want to contribute to a successful business so long as their involvement is valued and rewarded. This has always been the case and won’t change anytime soon. At SPRIBE, we want to attract the best talent in the business and so long as we ensure this talent feels valued and is given the environment and opportunities to reach its full potential, while striking the right work/life balance, we will remain a highly attractive organisation to join regardless of the latest company culture trends and employee expectations.

 

When you founded SPRIBE, did you expect it to become the success that it is today?

Yes and no. I knew that we had an incredibly strong founding team and that when we came up with the concept for Aviator, the original iGaming crash game, that we’d come up with something big. But no, I couldn’t have seen it becoming the phenomenon that it has – Aviator is now live with more than 4,500 online casinos and has 42 million active players a month. This has allowed us to continue to innovate and be pioneers, especially when it comes to our marketing deals with the UFC and A.C. Milan. It’s this that ultimately makes SPRIBE such a great place to work – we are doing things that other companies could only ever dream of.

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Fantasy Sports

Will Booth: blending the best of fantasy and sports with Pick’Em Player Props

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Will Booth: blending the best of fantasy and sports with Pick’Em Player Props

 

For those that might not know, can you give us a brief overview of Pick’Em Player Props?

In simple terms, the new Pick’Em Player Props product from WA.Technology is almost like a hybrid between fantasy sports and sports betting. In the same vein as traditional player props products that you see in traditional sports, players can select markets on individual players – we have just taken that model and elevated it.

During the game, players can make between two and six bet selections. For example, will Erling Haaland score more or less than 2.5 shots? The number of bet selections the player makes then determines their multiplier. By allowing bettors to unleash their sporting knowledge and provide engaging games for them to play, we are helping our operator partners to not only engage with a wider player base but also to fuel long-term retention. It really is a one-of-a-kind product and one we’re incredibly excited about. It’s already proving to be a top performer in LatAm.

 

Why has now been the right time to unveil Pick’Em Player Props?

Over the last few years, we’ve seen significant growth in the number of player proposition products. There are several reasons for that. Sports fans have shown a growing affinity for individual players rather than a team. They follow players on social media and engage with content featuring that player.

This reflects the wider trend we’re seeing: the new generation of fans is more in love with the players than the team itself. A great example of this is both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Bettors worldwide would wager on either of those players and engage with their content regardless of which team they played for or what club they supported.

The appetite for player-driven betting is increasing dramatically, resulting in a greater demand for products specifically tailored to individual athletes.

With more traditional sportsbooks, however, we’ve found that there isn’t as much depth of product regarding player propositions – aside from goal scorer markets. We wanted to change that – we wanted to deliver a fun, engaging product that helps build a sense of community among players.

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Since Pick’Em Player Props is also a hybrid of fantasy and sports, it can act as an attractive tool to facilitate new market entries, as fantasy sports are not regulated like sportsbooks or iGaming. Take the US for example. In most states, operators do not need a licence to offer a fantasy sports product. This is the case for many markets around the world, too. I believe this will be an attractive proposition for operators looking to expand their international footprint, and as a truly global provider, we’re here to make that happen.

 

In your view, what differentiates WA.Technology’s Pick’Em Player Props from other player props products on the market?

Currently, we are the only B2B provider to offer a player propositions product that combines sports and fantasy. A handful of companies in the US offer something similar, but they are all B2C companies – we are bringing something totally unique to the B2B space.

Fantasy Sports have always been popular in the US. But over the last 18 months, we’ve seen a meteoric rise in the demand for player proposition markets; we wanted to develop a product that caters to that growth in demand and delivers something unique for our partners.

For other player props products on the market, something that is worth noting is that the design and UX are doing little to engage Millennial/Gen Z bettors. This audience demands a streamlined UX that is easy to use. Our Pick’Em version has been specifically designed with this demographic in mind, although we have been careful not to disenfranchise other age groups. We have kept the design sleek, streamlined and easy to use to deliver that. It’s extremely well-designed compared to what you might see in a more traditional sportsbook.

The game is straightforward to understand because we have fixed multipliers. This decision differentiates us from more traditional products, where the multipliers vary depending on how many bets you place. It also makes the product much more accessible for players who might otherwise not be familiar with fantasy or player props.

Another major defining factor is that we have ensured players can add multiple bets from different markets together. On most sports betting sites out there, you cannot combine player props markets. You couldn’t, for example, have a bet slip combining Erling Haaland’s Over/Under Shots and Kevin De Bruyne’s Shots on Target. We know this is frustrating for many bettors. We wanted to eliminate that barrier and elevate sports fans’ experience.

 

How does the level of data granularity influence the design and effectiveness of player proposition betting products, particularly in terms of player engagement and personalised betting options?

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We are very fortunate that the data feed we use for our player props markets is the best. We have a wide range of insights and data analytics available, giving us an edge over other companies within the space – this is a serious differentiator.

The enhanced data range means we can deliver many more bespoke, personalised betting options to players while also getting more granular with the markets we can offer.

Our Managed Services Team, which oversees all things trading, also closely monitors the markets that are most popular with players. For example, if we see an influx in bets on ‘shots on target’, we know how to create more promotions around this particular market. We can tailor the CMS to engage better with players and create a more personalised experience.

Players can also ‘favourite’ particular players and clubs. Any market featuring that player will automatically appear when the Pick’Em Player Props application loads up.

 

Are there any markets where you believe Pick’Em Player Props will prove to be particularly popular? If so, why?

In all honesty, I can’t think of a market where this won’t be popular! Regions such as LatAm present an enormous opportunity for the growth of player proposition markets. I believe we can really plug a gap in the products currently offered to bettors.

Across the continent, we’ve seen players show a real passion for player-focused markets, and we’re here to capitalise on that. In Brazil, for example, if we were to create markets on Neymar, I’d anticipate this would gain much traction!

The real selling point for Pick’Em Player Props here is that we offer an extensive range of sports and markets that cater to a broad audience – but within that, we can personalise sports and bet selections not to overwhelm the player. I’d expect that markets on football will perform exceptionally well across Africa and LatAm, while countries such as South Africa may have a stronger preference for Rugby or Cricket.

Ultimately, it’s about understanding the unique preferences of players within each jurisdiction our partners operate in and tailoring the product accordingly. With teams based in various markets worldwide, we can get to grips with the local knowledge and fully understand what resonates with bettors.

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In your view, what are some of the factors behind the growth of player props products in the last 12 months?  

Most definitely shows how sports media companies are incorporating more player-specific content into their roster. This already has a huge impact, and I can’t see it changing anytime soon.

Whether it’s interviews with specific players, post-match analytics on performance or even the inherent growth of social media, the balance is undoubtedly tipping more towards the player rather than the team.

Personalisation will also have a considerable knock-on effect on the growth of player propositions. Bettors want more bespoke offers, specific bet suggestions and more instant content tailored to their unique playing habits. With a product like Pick’Em Player Props, you can personalise that betting experience to your heart’s content.

It also becomes much easier for sportsbooks to align with a specific user’s interests when we deliver unmatched data analytics and levels of personalisation that are available via WA.Technology’s product suite.

In short, Pick’Em Player Props gives operators the tools they need to create wide-ranging engagement opportunities without sticking to the rigid sporting calendar, where sometimes you might have to wait several days between a game. By incorporating fantasy sports, we can deliver round-the-clock content much faster, therefore meeting the demands of players. If you want to find out more – make sure to stop by Stand 1095 at SiGMA!

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