Industry News

Managing the ‘Invisible’ client is key to iGaming’s future, states Imovo’s CO

Published

5 years ago

September 4, 2019

Managing the ‘Invisible’ client is key to iGaming’s future, states Imovo’s CO

Reading Time: 4 minutes

At a time where traditional businesses are struggling to keep pace with an ‘invisible’ customer, and when digital communication is the new norm, the online gaming industry is faring better than most. But this is no time to rest on its laurels, claims Hadrian Sammut, Chief Officer Advisory and Projects at Malta-based data experts iMovo Limited.

The Malta-based company, which is an international leader in the fields of Customer Experience Management (CEM), Business Intelligence (BI) and Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence and Workforce Management, has been building up its experience and client list across a number of sectors in recent years but Sammut believes iGaming is the frontrunner in terms of digital adoption and embracing digital natives. As the first partner in the EMEA region to achieve Zendesk Premier Implementation Partner status and with KYC driving online betting’s future prospects, he explains why managing the ‘invisible’ client is key to capitalising on the digital revolution.

“The European iGaming industry has always been at the forefront of the application of technology to meet the requirements of the ‘invisible’ client,” he advised. “With tighter compliance and AML requirements proposed across European iGaming we are already seeing various initiatives that address the increasing and stringent statutory requirements necessary for better customer protection. In a way, we view these tighter requirements as part and parcel of the overall customer experience within a rational regulatory framework. One thing is very clear; the emphasis should not be overtly on the tightening regulatory requirements as much as the higher need to know and understand the ‘invisible’ client and place this understanding within a context of improved customer experience.”

“The industry has always faced new challenges and the current compliance and AML requirements were clearly envisaged. However, we are discussing an industry that has unfailingly promoted technological advances and innovation, evidenced by the steady growth that is continues to experience year on year.”

As we hurtle towards 2020, for Sammut, we are living in a ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ as technology continues to evolve at a rate that is astounding. Focusing on how advancements in tech are subverting more traditional ways of doing business, and sometimes even rendering them redundant, he is concerned that most organisations are finding issues with dealing with an ‘invisible’ customer; one they never meet face-to-face but only recognise through online behaviour.

“We are experiencing rapid advances in the way we live, work and, more importantly within the context of this discussion, the way we relate to one another. With the advent of this digital revolution many analysts used to talk about the importance on implementing a reasonable technology balance that was often defined as ‘high-tech, high-touch.’

“But this very advancement has had an impact on the interaction between people, as more and more employees turn to email and social media to communicate with their clients. So, it is not surprising to discover that the traditional forms of communications are on a sharp decline. We can extrapolate the same concept to the business world and find that the very same phenomenon is taking place; the traditional ways of doing business has become more impersonal, at a distance and, very often, with an ‘invisible’ client. But has customer service always adapted to this new reality?”

“Undoubtedly, the ‘invisible’ client is becoming the norm,” he continued. “Over the last few years we have been in discussions with clients and asked them for the ratios of traditional vs. invisible. As recently as 2013 the balance was largely in favour of the traditional, but over the last few years the scale has been tipping largely on the other side. I would dare say that today the balance is largely in favour of the ‘invisible’ customer.”

The unseen presence of this new demographic brings with it the adoption of new tech and uses of data to meet the demands of online clients. Sammut believes there is a balance to be struck when measuring up face-to-face interactions in contrast to a wholly digital one. “With the tech-savvy, sophisticated customer of today, we cannot aim to just successfully attain good service, it is just as important to consider how that service was delivered, the ‘experience’ if you will,” he proposes. “Take the use of A.I., very often we highlight this experience in terms of its efficacy and value within an organisation, with little thought to the customers’ perspective. Various studies indicate that when A.I. is applied with little thought to the customer, this tends to have an adverse effect on the organisation, as customers start to feel more and more detached from the very organisation. This is one situation where it is important to maintain the ‘high-tech, high-touch’ model; it is good to apply high-tech solutions but not at the detriment of the contact with the client.”

New tech and the prevalence of big data are driving business onto unknown paths, following the recent Cambridge Analytica and Google Home Start scandals, the issue of customer protection is one reason online interaction is still met with scepticism from more traditional clients. “As more and more business organisations become data-driven, the issue of data governance will become more and more critical and acute. To achieve such a future-looking analysis companies will need to gather ever fragment of customer data as part of an overall data discovery process. They will also need to garner massive amounts of accurate and relevant data as part of the corporate objective.”

Fortunately for gaming as an industry, data shows it as one of the global pioneers in terms of communicating with and responding to this modern phenomenon of tech-savvy, unseen customers often referred to as digital natives and made up currently of predominantly millennials. “Gaming is traditionally a very cash rich sector which invests in futuristic solutions whereas other sectors can be more conservative. As a forward-thinking industry there is an advantage, especially as iGaming was born online so is already well equipped to working within a digital landscape. However, it’s important not to be complacent and lose sight of what keeps an industry competitive. The key to future proofing industries going forward will be the ability to know and predict what the invisible customer will do. The iGaming industry is largely targeting millennials, but it’s starting to recognise there is growth in educating and building relationships with older generations, or digital migrants, and that’s where CEM, BI and Big Data Analytics come into play.”

As a leader in these three fields and with its office based in the hub of European online gaming, iMovo understands the need for a strong self-service focus and client engagement strategy across as many channels of communication as technically possible. “At iMovo we have always prided ourselves as being the ‘Know Your Client’ company,” Sammut added. “In other words, we seek to make the modern-day ‘invisible’ client as ‘visible’ as technology today allows us. In fact, our services have consistently reflected this critical requirement. Our strategy has consistently been based at being at the forefront of exploiting technology across self-service, engagement and omni-channel support, and our recent appointment as the first partner in the EMEA region to achieve Zendesk Premier Implementation Partner status will help drive this.”

Industry News

Maximising Your Cross-Market Appeal

Published

1 day ago

November 14, 2024

George Miller

Reading Time: 3 minutes

With Bitblox introducing an entirely new breed of crypto-based price prediction games to the iGaming industry, we talked to CEO, Brandt Page, to discover how combining elements of both chance and skill with lightning-fast betting rounds has helped improve their cross-market appeal.

When Bitblox was first established, our core concept was relatively simple; we didn’t just want to provide players with a new twist on an existing format like slots or casino games, but instead sought to create an entirely new vertical that combined elements of chance and elements of skill.

One of the main drivers behind this decision was the fact that we wanted our releases to appeal to as broad an audience as possible – and I think from the figures we’ve seen so far, we’ve already had some notable success on that front in terms of the players that are engaging with our games.

Funnily enough, I was recently talking to the Head of Marketing from one of the operators that we work with and they told me they were struggling to place our games optimally. Initially, they’d put them in with crash and instant win content, but they soon discovered a lot of their in-game traffic was coming from sports bettors. A move to the sports betting tab followed, but the exact same-thing happened with casino players, leading to the games eventually winding up on the front page.

As this was going on, our games were continuing to post solid numbers with the customers who bet on both sports and casino – and all of this engagement was coming without there being any additional promotion from us or the operator. So why was it that our games were performing so well across these different player segments? I believe there are a number of contributing factors.

First and foremost, having this hybrid model of games of chance and games of skill that I’ve already mentioned has placed us in a fairly unique position within the iGaming industry. On the one hand, the simple premise of our Bitcoin-based titles – coupled with their attractive designs and intuitive UI – makes them highly accessible to casino players who are just looking to have fun.

On the other, the fact that Bitblox games aren’t based on RNG and are instead pinned to the real-time movements of the Bitcoin market certainly resonates with a sports betting audience. As they have the ability to follow the charts and use this information to inform their decisions, they definitely feel they have more control over the outcome than if they were playing a traditional slot.

Another key aspect of our cross-market appeal is the fast-paced nature of all Bitblox releases. With casino players being accustomed to the quick wins and instant gratification of slots and crash games and sports bettors also showing a growing preference for in-play wagering, we’ve ensured each game round is resolved quickly and that there are multiple opportunities for betting.

When we first launched Up or Down?, which features one-minute betting rounds, we soon learned that even this timeframe is too long for some players. This resulted in us developing Up or Down? Turbo – a game which kept the same mechanics as its predecessor but reduced the betting window to 20 seconds – and this has gone on to become one of our most successful titles.

Keeping all this in mind, one of the things I’m most excited about is the upcoming release of our latest game, 3 in a Row, as I think this is a title that really ties everything I’ve talked about so far together. Designed to look like a slot machine, 3 in a Row challenges players to correctly predict how the Bitcoin price will move over three separate 20-second windows for even bigger payouts.

Intended to appeal to casual users and serious sports bettors alike, players can elect to either spin the reels for fun and select a random price sequence or use the bet builder feature to put together their own custom prediction. With the latter essentially functioning like an accumulator bet, players can select up to three possible combinations – i.e. Up/Up/Up, Up/Up/Down etc – and only one result needs to land for them to win, ensuring they stay engaged until the final seconds.

I believe that 3 in a Row can help build on the strong foundations we’ve laid down with casino and sports bettors and provide operators with another popular option that offers significant cross-market appeal. Based on what we’ve seen from previous Bitblox releases, the audience for titles that combine elements of chance and elements of skill is definitely out there – and I’m looking forward to our unique brand of crypto-based games being enjoyed by even more players in future.

Industry News

Gaming Corps to launch with lotteries in the USA via EQL games deal

Published

3 days ago

November 12, 2024

Peter Tolan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

In-demand content provider extends reach into largest iGaming market in the world with its full suite of games made available via iLottery aggregation platform

Gaming Corps, a publicly-listed game studio based in Sweden renowned for creating industry-leading games, has made its debut in the US market through a breakthrough agreement with leading lottery provider, EQL Games.

The distribution agreement will see Gaming Corps’ full suite of games made available to EQL Games’ powerful iLottery Aggregation Platform, developed to provide lottery operators across America with direct access to a portfolio of proprietary and third-party games.

Following the integration, EQL Games’ lottery operator partners will be offered proven Slots, Table Games, Multiplier Games, Mine Games and Plinko Games, as well as titles under Gaming Corps’ innovative and trademarked Smash4Cash™ series.

The deal and integration come at a time of growing demand among online lottery operators in the US for non-traditional content, a format that Gaming Corps has excelled in, especially with its Smash4Cash™ games, which have been a hit with players in global markets.

EQL’s aggregation platform has been developed to allow online lottery operators to quickly and easily access content from multiple game studios simultaneously through one integration and one commercial agreement.

Its iLottery Aggregation platform simplifies the process of adding new games to an online lottery brand across regulated states. In addition to the third-party content provided via its aggregator platform, EQL Games has a portfolio of in-house titles.

This includes games produced under licence with Team USA which were rolled out by several state lotteries for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris this year, with new titles being planned ahead of the Winter Games in Milan (2026) and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles (2028).

Juha Kauppinen, CEO of Gaming Corps, said: “The USA has always been somewhat of the holy grail for game developers like us, which has been further emphasised as markets in several states have become regulated. The potential in the American market is enormous, and the impact for us is a bit difficult to assess, but we have great hopes for the collaboration with EQL Games, which has an impressive platform towards U.S. lotteries.

“We believe it will have a significantly positive impact on our revenues. I would like to personally take the opportunity to thank EQL Games and Brad Cummings for the collaboration, and we are now working hard to complete the integration so that all our games will be offered to EQL’s customers via their platform.”

Brad Cummings, CEO of EQL Games, added: “Including Gaming Corps as a supplier to the EQL Games iLottery Aggregator is an exciting step forward in our mission to offer unique, high-quality content to state lotteries. Gaming Corps’ expertise in iGaming, along with their unique game portfolio, fits perfectly with our vision of enhancing the lottery experience through dynamic and engaging content.”

Industry News

Public Voting Starts for Ortak x B.F.T.H. Arena Awards 3.0

Published

3 days ago

November 12, 2024

Niji Narayan

Reading Time: < 1 minute

The highly anticipated Ortak x B.F.T.H. Arena Awards 3.0 has officially entered the public voting phase as submissions are closed.

More than 70 game providers have turned in over 160 submissions, including Tom Horn Gaming, Pragmatic Play and RubyPlay. Public voting involves enthusiasts casting their votes to pick the winner of the Game of Public Choice category.

The Public voting phase ends on December 1st 23:59 GMT+4.

Concurrent to public voting, the first phase of private voting also starts during which all participants who have submitted entries get the chance to vote for one favourite in each category. An international auditing company oversees this phase to eliminate duplicate votes and self-votes. This phase ends on November 19, 23:59 GMT+4.

The second phase of private voting will also take place with a jury of industry experts making their decisions based on the shortlist picked by participants during the first phase.