The SBC Summit Rio 2024 hosted a captivating debate on artificial intelligence and its impact on the gaming and betting industry

Distinguished speakers participated in this conference, including: Hugo Llanos (Regional Director Americas, Altenar), Mateo Lenoble (Regional Sales Director - Latam, Sportradar), Tommy Kearns (CEO and Co-founder, Xtremepush) and Ignacio Iturraspe (Director of Sales - LATAM, Stats Perform)

João Sobreira, CEO and Co-founder of Tipspace and Advolve AI, opened the conference by exploring the diverse perspectives on artificial intelligence held by participants and how it impacts their respective businesses.

Hugo Llanos, the first speaker, praised the beauty of Rio de Janeiro before delving into his discourse. He emphasized that AI has myriad applications, and we are only scratching the surface of understanding how to utilize it effectively. Llanos highlighted that each attendee brings a unique perspective on AI. “It’s all about the data and how we use it,” he asserted. From Altenar’s standpoint as a sports betting provider, their goal is to leverage data to enhance the customer experience while considering risk management and customer segmentation.

For Altenar, improving user experience is crucial. In fact, when asked if they are already using AI within the company, Llanos confirmed that they are indeed utilizing it internally. They have a significant data repository, which they leverage to enhance user experiences. The goal is to achieve continuous improvement based on customer expectations.

Next, Mateo Lenoble, Regional Sales Director for Latam at Sportradar, took the floor. He discussed the investment dedicated to AI and emphasized the significant role this cutting-edge technology plays. Lenoble described it as a hot topic, stating, ‘We are investing heavily in AI.’ He emphasized that achieving high-quality AI requires a mixture of technology, human resources, and substantial financial investment.

Lenoble also highlighted Sportradar’s pride in having high-quality data. AI assists their clients in quickly understanding betting preferences and interests.

Following Lenoble, Tommy Kearns (CEO and Co-founder of Xtremepush) shared insights. Xtremepush is a unified CRM and loyalty platform, powered by Powerway AI. They support around 220 operators worldwide. Kearns emphasized their mission to help operators understand visitors and players, enabling relevant communication across various channels. Their personalized approach aims to provide users with the best possible experience. And this is where artificial intelligence comes into play. Kearns explained that AI has been around for 30 years, but recent advancements, have brought it into the spotlight over the last 18 months. With large language models entering the scene, there has been a renewed impetus. Additionally, it was emphasized that at the heart of the artificial intelligence debate in this market lies the prevention of churn, VIP prediction, and cross-selling value predictions. Understanding and predicting when a player may be declining or exhausting their payment capacity, and intervening with messages to essentially transition them to the ‘free-to-pay’ mode at the right moment, is crucial.

Kearns agreed with Hugo that data is the key to this matter. He stated, ‘Using that specific set of unique data to give players an advantage is where AI will take the next step.’ Furthermore, he highlighted that besides automation, flexibility in bringing those specific unique data points to gain an edge will be central going forward.

Finally, Ignacio Iturraspe (Director of Sales - LATAM, Stats Perform) took the floor. He explained that they primarily provide content to various industries and offer data and streaming services to their clients. He also mentioned that through the use of AI, they can enhance customer experiences across multiple areas. For instance, in the training department, they leverage AI to obtain additional insights. Furthermore, he pointed out that everyone talks about AI, and for him, the most crucial aspect is being aware of obtaining precise results from the input. ‘We have been working with Opta in software form for many years, collaborating with a team of data scientists to create a consistent way of collecting data. This process helps us model everything that will lead to an outcome and supports us in that regard,’ he explained. He also agreed with other speakers who aim to personalize their posts using AI to assist and enhance the experience for each developer.

In the second part of this report, we will delve into the key concepts related to artificial intelligence and its impact on the gaming industry. The speakers addressed questions from the audience at the SBC Summit Rio 2024, including discussions on high-quality data, the relationship between AI and customer risk factors, and AI’s role in security.