Exclusive Interview with Andrei Andronic (Playson)

European Gaming caught up with Playson’s Andrei Andronic who talks European expansion, regulated markets, and why the ever-evolving nature of compliance is the perfect partner for innovation and a stepping stone to opportunity.

European Gaming: Is increased compliance and stricter regulation stifling innovation in betting and gaming, or should it be seen as an opportunity for more creative solutions?

Andrei Andronic (AA): It really depends on how one sees and understands compliance and regulations. Personally, I am of the opinion that the days when compliance was considered a constraint on a business’ development or innovation are now gone and this view is quite outdated.

For a business to thrive in an industry where regulations are evolving at such a pace, the key to success is flexibility. Though some companies see compliance as something that needs to be weathered, the pace setters view them as an opportunity to prosper. To reap the rewards of industry developments, companies must adapt.

With more countries regulating and competition intensifying, operators are under more pressure than ever to secure an advantage. Companies should be able to adapt deftly and swiftly, meaning the evolution of compliance, regulation and the industry as a whole should be welcomed as an opportunity to flourish.

European Gaming: What are the particular challenges for operators and suppliers in Central and Eastern Europe at the moment?

AA: At the moment, operators face significant challenges. The regulatory regimes are so dynamic that it is a real struggle to keep up with new and ever-changing requirements or occasionally completely new licensing regimes. These processes can take years and be a very busy period for compliance specialists. With the lack of homogeny in Central and Eastern European regions, what works in one area is completely different in another. Playson recently secured a Class II Licence from the Romanian regulators (ONJN), a licence I had been working on right from the start, and one that meant a lot with Romania being my home country. Yet, even knowing the gambling infrastructure well, the process still took a long time, and inevitably would be a completely different experience if you compared it to other regulations.

Operators are also scrutinised more by the relevant authorities than suppliers, but on the other hand, suppliers face more legal challenges. Though the competition in these markets, especially in relation to compliance, can be used as a unique tool to gain an advantage.

Many companies are embracing and implementing compliance as potential boost to their success in Central and Eastern Europe as it mitigates the risk of regulatory actions. Ultimately it presents a company as solid, reliable and trustworthy partner.

European Gaming: What products and services are Playson putting in place to ensure they are both innovative and compliant at the same time?

AA: Our development/engineering, product and integration teams are doing a fantastic job and always creating interesting and unique products. We target regulated markets and ensure technical compliance with the help of our test lab.

When facilitating the evolution of compliance, innovation is an inherent by-product of staying ahead of the curve. At Playson, we are constantly training, be it in-house or utlisiing external workshops. All of our employees are kept up to date on the latest levels of compliance. There’s a truly cohesive structure here at Playson whereby those in all divisions are kept abreast of any changes in compliance, and training sessions can be suggested by any department in house to make sure we observe any updates to the social responsibility aspects and other regulatory requirements imposed to us through our licensing conditions.

European Gaming: How important are Central and Eastern European markets to Playson?

AA: Central and Eastern Europe is a big focus for us at the moment and we have made some prominent commercial advances into these areas over recent months. It’s a market that collectively we have a wealth of experience dealing with, and that as company, we see a huge amount of potential in. We’ve enhanced our position in markets such as Lithuania, Latvia, Italy with partnership deals and we recently obtained a Class II Romanian license by the ONJN.

These partnerships are not only a fantastic opportunity for us to have our games released to as many players as possible, but with each new market we enter we acquire more knowledge about regulations and territories. This makes us greater equipped to dealing with possible issues in a variety of regions should they arise, and ultimately makes us a more robust potential commercial partner.