What were the expectations and objectives of the firm for iGB Live in Amsterdam?

For us, it was all about getting the brand out and showcasing our global success. We have really made a name for ourselves in LatAm and we are now bringing that back to our home continent. Our core focus is on clients, suppliers and branding, with those important points vital to how we operate as a business, all of which we focused on strongly at iGB Live.

Now, given our LatAm success, the key for us is to begin building our pipeline and show that we’re one of the best out there when it comes to automation and AI in sportsbook. Events like these are fantastic as Amsterdam’s biggest iGaming event brings together some of the industry’s best names from across the continent. I believe we achieved all our goals excellently and it will provide a fantastic platform for future success here now that we’ve been able to highlight so many case studies of success in recent years.

 Which were the main products that the company exhibited at this fair?

At IGB Live, we exhibited our world-renowned platform solutions - sportsbook, turnkey and white label. Our platform offers some of the most advanced technology on the market, and after three years of phenomenal growth, it’s all about taking that success and creating a sustainable model. Over 70 operators across the globe already deploy our market-leading platform and couldn’t be more happier according to the feedback.

At Atlas-IAC, we really focus on the core of the sportsbook and the aim is to make the product easier to understand for everyone, not just the tech section of the company. As mentioned, the automation tools and AI tech we have is some of the best in the industry – with customer feedback being phenomenal. We can boast a fully automated CRM solution which allows operators to manage marketing activity seamlessly, while our powerful retail system enables partners to manage central office, branches, betting shops and cash desks within a strict hierarchy with limited authorized accesses that minimizes risks of a human factor. We are well aware that retail betting is hugely popular in Europe.

Of course, our mission is to provide some of the best end-to-end trading and risk management services – and this is where we really stand out – the ability to really drive profit and margin like no other. Just as we exhibited at IGB Live, and looking at SBC Barcelona now especially, our key goal at exhibitions like iGB is to communicate what makes us special and what are the main advantages of working with us.

 How was the public feedback on the products you presented?

I always believe the best feedback comes from happy customers and we have plenty of that – this is especially the case when it comes to referrals, so much of our new business coming in now comes via recommendations, and I really believe that highlights what great products and services we offer.

The tech guys in the industry already know we are one of the best – especially when it comes to risk management and automated services. Atlas-IAC has a fantastic team to improve the platform and thanks to a strong development unit, the platform is truly pioneering the automation space in the industry and setting a benchmark for other providers to follow. With that in view, we need to demonstrate the core factors that make us special, as well as our unique proposition that can save operators serious amounts of money thanks to the latest in risk management tools.

What is your opinion on the progress of iGaming across Europe compared to land-based gaming?

That’s a tough one! We’re already becoming a leader across Africa and LatAm, where retail is much bigger. Looking at Europe; it’s a different case. Online is much more dominant and far more advanced.

The impact of the Covid pandemic has had a big effect on the industry in that for a while online was becoming increasingly dominant, but land-based / retail is now making quite a big return so we can’t discard these areas. Also, if we look at margins, online is always going to be inherently more competitive, with retail offering many more advantages that the hyper-competitive nature of online ever can.

Of course, there will also always be a big geographical split. Spain, Italy and the Balkans especially have a significant retail heritage, and I don’t believe this is going to change anytime soon. Once again, COVID reshaped the market in that a lot of retail operations were forced to close and have sadly not come back.

We also need to take economic factors into account – no doubt iGaming is going to become far more heavily regulated given the recession Europe is in right now. So, the effect on that will potentially fuel an increase in retail, especially with intrusive affordability checks online, which many customers feel are far too excessive. The UK is a particularly good example to look at, with retail currently experiencing a significant resurgence as a result of over-regulation.

I believe this trend will continue given the current political and economic climate – so despite the boom we’ve seen in iGaming in recent years – there’s plenty of reasons to bet on seeing a shift in the iGaming market dynamics if we continue down this path. It will certainly be interesting to see how this situation develops.

 What is the company's presence in this local market?

Our legacy of success since being established three years ago has been focused on core growth opportunities in LatAm, where we’ve proven ourselves as a true market leader. Our job now is to take our success and make it global. Of course, iGB Live played a role in being that first stepping stone, and I’m very excited to see how the next couple of years pans out as we begin to roll out our services in the continent.

We have been getting great feedback in the Latin America and as a result – are seeing so much of our new business come from referrals via happy customers. Of course, thanks to this and what we’ve established, we are now also gaining a reputation, which is great for everyone at Atlas-IAC, and testament to all the amazing work everyone at the company has put in.

 Post-event reflection: could you comment on the demands of the sector within the local market and its difference compared to markets in other latitudes/LATAM?

It goes without saying that retail is definitely stronger in LatAm, taking up over 90% of the market. Europe is a much more mature market than LatAm, with online being the dominant force there. LatAm is also much more sensitive towards pricing (odds) as well as front-end features, such as the way it is presented to the customer – so without a doubt, all these need to be taken into account to succeed. Looking at regulation, the market in LatAm is also much more liberal in terms of marketing via media – which offers operators a host of greater opportunities for marketing themselves to players. So, in short – we can say the continent is much more focused on the front end, while our European friends are more orientated towards the back-end.

However, due to limitations of each market in terms of turnover, and indeed even exchange rate fluctuations, the financial potential of LatAm is still much lower than Europe if we look at marginal output per player. That, however, could change faster than we think in the years to come!  

What final results did the company achieve in terms of business opportunities during the four days of the fair?

We’ve packed so much into four days, and the opportunities generated have been fantastic. Looking at the attendance, it was a truly international show, with delegates from all four corners of the globe. We had excellent leads generated across Africa and LatAm, all of which we’ll be announcing soon enough. On the supply side, we’ve also closed some really interesting new deals with supplier partners, especially when it comes to building out the iGaming element of our platform – as well as tools and features that can greatly improve the UX.

All in all, it was a fantastic event, and I have no doubt that all the news that we’ll have hitting the headlines in the next few months will be down to an excellent four days of business. Do stay tuned and make sure to catch us at SBC Barcelona in September!