A LOOK BACK Champion Sports Simon Noble, Head of Champion Sports
people working for Champion Sports. We’d planned to do this back in 2019/2020 but then Covid hit, and it quickly become clear that we’d face travel and relocation issues. This year, the shackles were removed so we’ve recruited at pace and at scale. Another big change has been getting back on the conference circuit. ICE was different this year, but it turned out to be incredibly productive – those that attended were committed to the cause and ultimately were buyers and decision markers. Generally, betting has been back with a vengeance, and this includes esports betting which surged in popularity during the pandemic and, for us at least, has remained a signifi cant vertical. Recruitment has been our biggest challenge. Like many, we’ve had to overcome the global talent/skills shortage. Initially, we thought we’d have to create a satellite offi ce in Manchester and use it as a hybrid operation for our development teams. But in the end, we worked with a local recruitment agency on the Isle of Man that
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e were able to kick-start our long-awaited recruitment drive and over the past 12 months have tripled the number of
personalised player experience. Another key trend has been the rise in interest from operators looking to launch in Africa and in particular Kenya. I think this is because recent tax changes have made the market more viable and the greater awareness among operators of the potential the region has to offer. The biggest change has to be the rise and stall (some may say fall) of cryptocurrencies.
specialises in iGaming and sourcing talent from afar. They helped us to fi ll more than 50 roles with employees coming from the likes of South Africa, India, Asia, and Eastern Europe.
The importance that operators now place on having a bet builder product that comes with all the bells and whistles. This is quickly becoming an absolute must for sportsbooks in any market, especially those looking to offer a highly
Our biggest goal for the year was to upgrade our platform to consume more data feeds and to make it faster, more responsive, and ultimately easier to use. It’s been designed as a standalone platform for mobile, and this really shows in the user experience offered on smartphone. The team is proud of it, and so they should be. It’s a giant leap forwards for us and ensures that our product can compete with other major players in the market.
For me, it was launching version four of the platform. We gave ourselves an incredibly aggressive summer deadline and the team did a phenomenal job as we ultimately went live in July. It really is a game changer for Champion Sports and for our partners.
1X2 Network Kevin Reid, CEO
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he biggest change was being able to welcome people back to the offi ce, which has been great. Working from home has its upsides, but there’s nothing better than having the team together in our offi ces and the creative atmosphere that fosters. Of course, we still allow employees to work from home as well, so we’ve adapted to a hybrid working model. This has come at a time when we have added top talent to the team, growing our workforce in line with the demand for our games in an increasing number of global markets. In recent years, we’ve really cracked the code when it comes to the process of game development so for 2022, we had a strong product roadmap that we knew we could deliver on. The other big change at 1X2 Network was my appointment as CEO. Our outgoing CEO, Sean St John, had been with the company since its inception so I felt like I had very big shoes to fi ll. I also wanted to bring my own management style to 1X2 Network, which seems to have gone down well with the team and is driving us into the
14 DECEMBER 2022 GIO
next chapter of our success story. The evolving landscape of RNG lobbies has been notable in our business. Arcade and Crash Games obtain an ever more prevalent position on online casino game lobbies, and this has become a notable change trend from the past 12 months. These fast-paced, rapid-action games are taking the market by storm and no wonder – they are perfect for mobile, offer short game rounds and with a social aspect, provide a fulfi lling gaming experience. To help operators capitalise on this, we have developed a series of Arcade Games that take a range of formats including instant wins and mines.
Our main goal was to invest in our people and transition the organisation to the point where it was easily scalable. As part of this, we wanted to become one of the most widely distributed suppliers despite our relatively small operational size and to also put in the groundwork for launch in the US. I can happily say that all these things and more have been ticked off in 2022.
It has been a big year for 1X2 Network with plenty of highlights but here are the top three – the launch of Crashout - Fireworks, Wolf Strike becoming our huge commercial success, and Alex Ratcliffe joining as Chief Product Offi cer.
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