Alex Leese, CEO at Pronet Gaming, explains why the rest of the year holds plenty of promise for the intrepid platform provider.

In markets across the world, land-based operators are continuing to branch out into online gaming and sports betting as they look to future-proof their businesses.

What was only a couple of years ago a slow but sure push towards digitalisation has evolved into a rush towards establishing an online presence, amid intense competition for the attention of players from a wide range of demographics.

At Pronet Gaming, our deep expertise in the field of online platform provision meant we are best-placed to help operators get online quickly and effectively, so that their customers could continue to experience the sorts of products they previously enjoyed in a land-based environment, while also being presented with the thrill of the ‘new’ offering online.

The positive response of our partners has been both heartening and impressive, helping Pronet Gaming achieve two years featuring unparalleled growth. We managed to be 18 months early in hitting our three-year growth targets and a vital factor within this success was the popularity of our platform solutions in markets around the world, with Africa and LatAm standing out in particular.

With over 35 new clients signed in the space of one-and-a-half years, it is perhaps little wonder that we saw a two-fold rise in turnover for our business during that time. Our product range has been significantly boosted thanks to the additions of Golden Race, EvenBet, UltraPlay and Sportradar across the growing esports and virtual sports verticals, while our partnership with EvenBet Gaming added poker to our platform for the first time. Without exception, all of these products performed strongly during the pandemic, with esports especially going from strength to strength as its popularity increases globally.

The positive impact of our modular solution for our partners has seen operators derive benefits by selecting only the elements they feel will benefit their unique customer base. For example, certain sports might have a particular resonance in one country, while a neighbour might prefer a different discipline entirely. The modular design means operators can differentiate themselves from the competition and strike a chord with the players and bettors they know best.

The combination of speed-to-market and customisation has formed the cornerstone of our success in delivering effective platform solutions to our partners. We also added an innovative new element for operators – Popular Bets and Popular Events – late last year, which allows for the top-10 bets and events in a particular market to be displayed to the customer. Automatic refreshes at five-minute intervals result in a proposition that is dynamic and always relevant, serving to increase customer engagement. As an intuitive, innovative solution necessitating minimal effort on behalf of operators, our partners are able to auto-populate the widgets with events that resonate with the audience they know best. 

In terms of deals struck recently, Tenlot certainly stands out as a major highlight. As the first large-scale, dedicated national and regional lotteries operator we have signed, this partnership served as a gateway in providing a series of new opportunities for business. Canada’s truenorth.bet represented another huge highlight, illustrating our ability to meet the considerable challenge of powering a new brand for an operator that has won a hard-earned reputation as the country’s most legitimate in the face of unregulated competition. 

Looking forward, the remainder of 2022 and the promised return to relative normality continues to offer a set of welcome experiences. The first is the forthcoming return to face-to-face meetings at the first ICE London event for two years. The major aspect we will be introducing to customers old and new for the first time, from our new enlarged two-storey stand at ExCeL London, is our new Managed Services solution Focused. The user-friendly system offers top-level management capabilities, enabling operators to sharpen their approach to the player experience. Within its CRM solution are sophisticated data segmentation and daily, weekly and monthly promotions, all of which can be utilised to communicate effectively with logged-in players. Additionally, Focused boasts a team working on all channels of communications, from phone calls to messaging on WhatsApp, email and SMS, which is also supported by leading AI and BI abilities. As we see it, this is a game-changer for clients looking to gain a competitive advantage in a host of global markets.

ICE London will see us lead strongly on products, across online sportsbook and casino solutions. While a special section of the enlarged 600m² stand is devoted to the potential of Focused, there is again a dedicated area devoted to the retail offering. This year’s ICE presents an opportunity to enhance our offering in emerging markets like LatAm and others – it is not to be missed. 

Looking beyond the first quarter of this year, our focus will be trained on Asia where we believe our products are perfectly designed to enhance the appeal of operators in the region. All sights will soon be set on the World Cup in Qatar, which this year begins in November. Once again, in order to continue exceeding growth expectations, we will be looking to develop new solutions that help operators engage and entertain. As a major tournament that arrives in the midst of the regular season for European club sides and in a country that has big pockets but relatively little in the way of football heritage, this is sure to be a tournament unlike any other we have seen before. 

Expecting the unexpected is something we have become good at, so that is a competition we are very much looking forward to.