A LOOK FORWARD
GameOn Marketing Andy Blackburn, chief operating operator
I
n the year where we expect to see a number of regulatory changes in the UK, especially surrounding affordability and enhanced checks for those under 25, the rocky responsibility road shows no sign of being resurfaced. Additional costs on operators will continue to squeeze profi ts, which when coupled with record breaking fi nes issued in 2023 by the UK Gambling Commission, means even more effort will be needed from operators to ensure a smooth ride in the UK. However, little seems to have been learned by the powers that be, that history has a tendency to repeat itself. As much as prohibition led to more American’s drinking in dubious, underground clubs in the 1920s, continued checks on players and demands on fi nancial information, will drive more and more punters to the gaming equivalent in the 2020s.
The meteoric rise of web, app and even Telegram/Chat-based Crypto Casinos will no doubt continue during 2024, with more and more Crypto-focused operators looking to legitimise themselves via M&A of more traditional outfi ts.
ProgressPlay 2
024 promises to be a fl urry of activity for standalone platform and white-label provider ProgressPlay.
ProgressPlay aims to keep the
momentum and the strategy focused on the latest business plan during their 12th year of operations with a further improved technology infrastructure that has the company in the running for a place amongst the Top 10 Casino Tech Solutions Providers in Europe 2024 recognition. The exciting launch of an upgraded platform has already been tipped for success, being shortlisted by CIO Applications Europe. ProgressPlay will be on the awards trail for 2024 and seeking additional formal recognition for the great strides made in the last couple of years. The platform has seen signifi cant enhancements with a powerful real-time AI-driven proprietary fl ow tool for optimising the performance of an online casino in a dynamic data ecosystem.
Real-time player interaction provides compliance teams with the information to manage and interact with players, a feature that is highly differentiated within the marketplace and is experiencing a high-level of demand given the tightening international compliance environment. The company will be on-the-road throughout the year attending major exhibitions to showcase its innovations and multitude of services to operators not yet within the cluster of over 150 who form part of ProgressPlay’s iGaming community.
Throw AI into the mix and the technology sector of our industry will certainly see a lot more innovation this year.
Away from operations, will we fi nally see the acquisition/merger of one or more of the big exhibition players? Rumours have been rife for a number of years now that one or more of the event’s organisers have been in talks. I, for one, don’t think it’ll happen in the next 12 months, but happy to be proven wrong, as one thing I think most of the industry can agree on is that there are too many “big, must-attend shows” on the calendar now.
Finally, responsibility should not just cover responsible gaming. The outcome of the COP28 meeting in Dubai in October should be in the forefront of companies’ ESG policy. For the fi rst time there was direct reference to the phasing out, rather than down, of fossil fuels. Not enough has been done since the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015, and I’d hope with the current climate issues we’re seeing globally, that 2024 could be the year for change.
ProgressPlay sales manager, Marina Nahhas, said: “We started last year with a bang and we’re looking to leverage our strengths even further in 2024. Our casino cluster has been built with patience and relentless investment, so in that sense 2024 will be more of the same.” At the end of the year, the company boosted its sportsbook offering with the introduction of UK horse and dog racing, giving operators signifi cant new market segments to target with their offerings. ProgressPlay’s combo sportsbook and comprehensive turnkey solution, including casino platform, player management, payments
module, and affi liate software are designed to boost operators seeking to effectively drive both revenue and effi ciency with the latest cutting- edge technology.
ProgressPlay CEO, Itai Loewenstein, added: “Our plans for 2024 are to reap the rewards of the capacity-building exercise we started back in 2022 and launched to the market during 2023. After a year of unprecedented commercial success, we feel even more committed to continuing to provide our operators and casinos with a superior world-class offering that pushes the boundaries within our industry.”
GIO JANUARY 2024 9
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