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Technologies That Will Change the iGaming Industry

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The online gambling market continues to grow steadily. According to European Gaming, the size of the global casino market was estimated at almost $546 billion in 2021. The CAGR over the forecast period is expected to be 5.79%, reaching almost $765 billion by 2027. But industry growth is measured in more than just dollars and cents; you can also see the vitality of iGaming in the introduction of new technologies. Dmytro Taran, COO of Slotegrator, gives a rundown of what technologies are already in use and which ones could radically change the industry in the near future.

Blockchain Technologies

Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies have had an exceptional impact on the evolution of the iGaming industry. There’s no denying the growing popularity of bitcoin casinos. Supporting cryptocurrency payments on gambling platforms opens up new advantages: no personal data is needed, the amount of payments is not limited and transactions are carried out without commissions and intermediaries, which guarantees fast deposits and payouts. It comes as no surprise that sites like joystickgames.com have embraced blockchain.

While fiat currencies are supported by the state that issues them, cryptocurrencies are backed by a decentralised registry that tracks every transaction, which is distributed over a large database with a million copies. This has several implications: first, anyone with access to the network can verify the transaction, and second, the history of bitcoin cannot be faked; any attempt to falsify a block will affect every block in the network.

Decentralised public records are characterised by security and transparency, which is especially appreciated by privacy-conscious players. And a significant advantage for operators is protection against chargebacks, which are impossible with cryptocurrencies.

Blockchain technologies can also be used to record transactions between the user and the casino — all bets, deposit amounts and payouts on winnings are recorded in encrypted form. General statistics on payout percentage is displayed for each game. Thus, gambling platforms can prove that players really receive the payout percentage declared by the providers. There are not many casinos with blockchain reporting on the global online gambling market, but this mechanic is gaining momentum and will scale as a trend in the near future.

PWA Features

Recently, online casinos are increasingly using Progressive Web Applications, browser-based applications that have become an alternative to native mobile applications. PWAs are launched as a regular web page of a gambling site; i.e., a player can install the application he is interested in directly via Chrome or Safari, without using online stores. By clicking the “Add to home screen” button, an Android user can add the casino to their mobile phone. For IOS devices, one more quick additional step is needed.

PWA technology has three key features:

  • Speed: progressive loading of games, fast scrolling and smooth animations provide a good user experience.
  • Reliability: PWA download speed does not change depending on the quality of the connection.
  • Engagement: Engage users with push notifications, home screen icons and full screen mode.

“Given the growing popularity of mobile applications and the desire of the user to get the result at the lowest cost — and with PWA the player can enjoy their favorite games on their mobile phone by simply pressing the download button — it can be said that the tool works effectively to attract new users and retain existing ones,” Dmitro Taran said.

Big Data in iGaming

Sifting through mountains of data is as difficult as it is important, but there are a number of concrete benefits to sorting data. Online casinos use Big Data technology for a few different purposes:

  • Personalisation. With each visit to the gambling site, players provide more and more information about themselves. Activity tracking using Big Data technologies allows you to find out user interests. Operators use these data to set their strategies, thereby increasing the overall efficiency of the business.
  • The fight against fraud. Unscrupulous players and organisations can use VPNs and other tools to abuse bonuses. New methods for analysing the behaviour of players and their patterns help to identify cheaters.
  • Combat problem gambling. In order to preserve the reputation of the industry, its participants pay significant attention to the safety of end users. Data analysis is used to prevent problem gambling. Certain behavioural characteristics of players may indicate the development of addiction. By setting up the alert system, the operator can identify and correct the problem before it occurs.
  • Data-driven KPIs. In the iGaming industry, various metrics are used to evaluate business performance — some of these include gross gaming revenue (GGR), net gaming revenue (NGR), average revenue per user (ARPU), first-time depositors (FTDs) and churn rate (CR). Continuous analysis of these indicators across different time periods allows the operator to identify shortcomings and make informed decisions about how to correct them.

Customer relationship management (CRM) systems allow you to competently manage data. The CRM system included in the functionality of the new platform from Slotegrator is equipped with reporting tools that make it possible to track user behaviour and, based on this analysis, target certain player segments, which helps the operator improve player retention.

VR/AR Technologies

The use of VR/AR technologies in gambling has not yet become as widespread as in some other industries. Nevertheless, the potential of virtual reality in gambling is huge, and some brands have already launched casinos in the metaverses. Interested participants in the iGaming market expect that in the near future, leading game content developers will develop products specifically tailored for VR/AR experiences.

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The Nomination Committee’s Proposal of Catena Media’s Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting 2024

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The Nomination Committee’s Proposal of Catena Media’s Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting 2024
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The Nomination Committee of Catena Media proposed re-election of the following members of the Board of Directors:

Øystein Engebretsen

Theodore Bergquist

Adam Krejcik

Sean Hurley

The Nomination Committee proposed that Erik Flinck and Dan Castillo be elected as new members of the Board of Directors.

Göran Blomberg, Esther Teixeira-Boucher and Austin Malcomb have declined re-election as board members.

The Nomination Committee proposed that there will be six (6) members of the Board of Directors, changed from seven (7).

The Nomination Committee also proposed Erik Flinck to be elected as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Erik Flinck, born in 1980, currently provides high end business consulting combined with serving as Chairman for the digital health startup, dr HUD. Mr Flinck previously served as Head of BCG Sweden and has extensive experience from corporate management, growth and turnarounds from nearly 20 years of Management Consulting and serving as Head of Group Strategy and M&A at Sandvik AB. He has a Masters Degree in Engineering (Software development and Financial Mathematics) from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and a Masters Degree in Business and Administration from Stockholm University and Stockholm School of Business.

Born in 1980, Dan Castillo has accumulated over 20 years of experience across startups, growth companies and turnarounds. Since 2015, Castillo has invested in Catena Media, maintaining a close watch on its progression, especially after its IPO in 2016. He has previous experience of listed board work in Kotipizza which Orkla acquired in 2018. He currently serves on the boards of five companies in different sectors, including Quartr.com in Fintech and Hope Studios in movie production. His academic background includes studies in Finance and Economics at Linköping University.

The Nomination Committee of Catena Media consists of:

Nicklas Paulson, representing Investment AB Öresund (chair of the nomination committee)

Marianne Stenberg, representing Second Swedish National Pension Fund

Martin Zetterlund, representing Niklas Karlsson

Göran Blomberg, chairman of the board of Catena Media.

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Industry News

IGT Announces Executive and Board Leadership Changes

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IGT Announces Executive and Board Leadership Changes
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International Game Technology PLC (IGT) announced that on March 21, 2024, its Board of Directors implemented changes to the Company’s Board and executive team.

Marco Drago announced that he will step down from his role as a non-executive director of the IGT Board of Directors. He will carry out his remaining term and depart from the Board at the conclusion of the Company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on May 14, 2024.

Enrico Drago has been appointed by the IGT Board of Directors as a non-executive director of the IGT Board. In addition, Enrico Drago will resign from his current role of CEO of IGT PlayDigital, and Gil Rotem, who is currently IGT PlayDigital President of iGaming, will expand his role to become IGT PlayDigital President and report directly to Vince Sadusky, CEO of IGT. These changes will be effective April 1, 2024. Enrico Drago will continue in his role as vice chairman of De Agostini S.p.A.

“As Marco Drago prepares to step down from his position on the IGT Board of Directors, I’d like to thank him for his many years of service and his unwavering commitment to driving results and creating value for all IGT stakeholders. Enrico Drago joining the Board and leaving his executive leadership position at IGT is a natural evolution that supports the Company’s vision for its next era of growth and transformation. Enrico’s value-creation mindset and understanding of global growth opportunities will enhance the Board and align with IGT’s strategic priorities,” said Marco Sala, IGT Executive Chair of the Board.

“Watching and guiding IGT through its evolution from a collection of companies that started with Lottomatica and GTECH grow into a unified global gaming leader has been very gratifying. We have been fortunate to have a great group of board members and business unit leaders that have helped drive IGT’s growth during this time. I thank them for their contributions and am certain that IGT is positioned for continued growth as we go forward with the bold initiatives we have undertaken,” said Marco Drago, IGT Non-Executive Director.

“Over the last five-plus years, IGT PlayDigital has established leadership positions in the global iGaming and North American sports betting sectors that will be foundational to the Company’s future successes. I thank the entire IGT PlayDigital team for all that we have accomplished in this time, and I look forward to supporting IGT in a new capacity and further helping the Company define its vision and strategy,” said Enrico Drago, CEO of IGT PlayDigital.

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Bidstack Executive Team Acquires Bidstack Limited and all its Subsidiaries

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Bidstack Executive Team Acquires Bidstack Limited and all its Subsidiaries
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The executive team of Bidstack has acquired Bidstack Limited and all the operating entities of the Group, from the administrators of Bidstack Group PLC. The deal sees James Draper, Founder & CEO, and the executive team of Bidstack Ltd become significant majority shareholders.

All contracts and client relationships will continue within the new ownership structure – safeguarding jobs for the UK and European-based staff.

Bidstack, the multi award-winning in-game middleware technology provider that initially set about bringing programmatic advertising revenue to the most renowned sports gaming franchises in the world, has diversified into a broader offering, taking advantage of the most advanced off-engine content management system in gaming.

Following the announcement of a partnership with the Washington Commanders, where the NFL franchise became the first-ever sports team to utilise a platform to control advertising within their virtual stadium, across official NFL games, from multiple studios and developers, the management team has been focusing on sports rights holders as a key customer type.

The executive team has the support of the world’s leading rights-holder professionals in the sports industry. It will continue to execute from its position as the leading technology for the sports industry, for fan engagement and brand activations, in video games.

The executive management consists of James Draper continuing as Chief Executive Officer, with Lisa Hau stepping up to Chief Financial Officer, Dave Garvey continuing as Chief Legal Officer, Will Stewart moving to Chief Product Officer and Daniel Barrigas to Chief Technology Officer.

James Draper, Bidstack’s Founder & CEO, said: “The acquisition is a pivotal moment for the next phase of growth for the business. Our technology is at the forefront of sports technology, and I couldn’t be more excited. I am proud that we are able to reward our ambitious and industry-pioneering team and have them as shareholders alongside myself.”

“I want to thank the staff and customers for standing by us during this strategic review, which has obviously been an uncertain period. For all of our customers to have stood strong alongside us is testament to the relationships we’ve built over the years, as well as the incredible staff we have here who have fostered those connections.

“The company can now focus on the enormous potential we have, to enable sports teams to get closer to their fans and improve the player experience by bringing their virtual IP to life, with real-time messaging, rewards and engagements.

“Thank you to the management team who have invested to protect the incredible work our talented group has produced. It’s extremely motivating to see the unwavering belief we collectively have in our vision and product. Sadly, the public market is an uncertain place currently, and it’s a challenging environment for growth businesses such as ours.

“The interest and support we’ve had from some of the leading players in the sports industry has given our team great confidence and motivation as we work with some of the world’s largest sporting franchises and leagues.

“Thank you to everyone’s support and to our Board of Directors, who have assisted myself and management throughout.”

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