Jonathan Chilton, Managing Director of Aristocrat Interactive iGaming White-Label.

Migrating a gaming platform, particularly in the world of white-label solutions, is a major decision for operators seeking growth or optimization in a fast-paced, competitive industry.

Whether it’s to improve operational efficiencies, reduce costs, or offer a more tailored player experience, a platform migration can be a pivotal turning point. A common trend is operators starting with white-label platforms before transitioning to independent licensing as their businesses evolve.

The flexibility to migrate from white-label to an independent license is crucial. Operators often face challenges like minimizing player attrition and downtime during migration, ensuring seamless regulatory compliance, and managing operational costs. These hurdles make it vital for operators to partner with an experienced provider offering managed services that address these specific issues.

Here, we explore the common challenges operators face during platform migration and how managed services like those offered by Aristocrat Interactive help to simplify the process while minimizing risks.

Managed Services: Reducing Migration Challenges

One of the biggest challenges operators face during a platform migration is player attrition. Operators may expect to lose up to 30% of their player base during a migration due to disruptions in user experience, extended downtime, changes in the interface, or unfamiliarity with the new platform which can cause players to disengage, impacting revenue. Maintaining continuity throughout the migration process is essential to minimizing these disruptions and preserving player engagement.

In addition to player retention, reducing the operational burden during migration is crucial. By maintaining the existing technology stack during migration, operators can ensure a smoother transition with minimal changes beyond rebranding elements. This approach reduces the likelihood of player attrition and helps maintain loyalty. A flexible migration plan also allows operators to choose how and what they want to migrate, ensuring that the process meets their unique business needs.

Delays can further erode customer trust and affect profitability, making it vital for operators to minimize downtime. A streamlined migration, focused primarily on rebranding and regulatory approvals rather than technical overhauls, helps operators get back online quickly while ensuring players experience little disruption.

Transition from White-Label to Independent Licensing

When seeking entering the RMG space, choosing a white-label partner with extensive experience and tailored services is key and the vital first step for operators. By partnering with an expert with deep industry knowledge from the start, operators benefit from lower barriers to entry and reduced costs in licensing, marketing, and infrastructure—making future transitions to independent operations smoother and more cost-effective.

Managed services can handle key functions like customer support, retention management, and payment systems, allowing operators to focus on growth without getting bogged down in the technical details. This scalable support ensures that business operations continue seamlessly throughout the transition. 

Aristocrat Interactive’s iGaming White-Label platform offers a unique opportunity for operators to break into the RMG business with a scalable, cost-effective solution that reduces both the financial and operational burden of managing an online casino. With a combination of front-end and back-end services, regulatory compliance, and ongoing support, operators have everything they need to succeed in an increasingly competitive market. 

On average operators look to move from a white-label solution to their own independent licensing, within one to three years of launching – depending on their ambition or maturity. However, some operators stay on white-label platforms for as long as six or seven years. The time to transition decision often comes down to the scalability and flexibility offered by the white-label solution.  We’ve designed Aristocrat Interactive’s solution to be more of a transition than a would-be migration by removing the risks and maintaining the same tech stack. This flexibility allows operators to scale their business while keeping costs under control and not losing any revenue. For a partner who decides to transition to their own independent license, the unique option of maintaining our managed services provides an easy transition that ensures continuity across all operational functions, from risk management to regulatory compliance.

Reducing Costs and Operational Burden

One of the main value propositions of Aristocrat Interactive’s iGaming White-Label go-to-market segment is its ability to lower the barrier to entry for operators. The cost of licenses, marketing, operations, and infrastructure can be significant, but with our managed services, operators pay a set fee and can scale their business accordingly. This model not only saves on the upfront costs but also eliminates the need for operators to hire large teams to manage the casino, reducing ongoing operational overhead.

Our set-fee structure, tailored managed services, and expertise in managing both slot and lottery games help operators streamline their operations. This ensures they have the infrastructure in place to succeed from day one and supports them when they are ready to operate independently, without the need for significant additional investments.

Post-Migration Support: Ensuring Success

Ensuring success begins with finding a true partner that aligns with your goals and needs. Continuity of relationship and  support for partners is a fundamental element of our service offering. Every partner is assigned a dedicated Partner Success Manager, who is involved throughout the entire journey, from the initial white-label engagement to the post-migration phase. These managers understand the history and specific needs of each business, ensuring that there’s a seamless handover from the migration team to the operational team. They also introduce operators to Aristocrat Interactive’s iGaming & Sports and Content & Aggregation teams, offering additional resources for platform and content development immediately after migration. This level of support ensures that operators have the resources they need to thrive post-migration, whether that’s optimizing the platform, adjusting risk management policies, or scaling up operations.

Conclusion

When operators make the decision to enter iGaming and are looking for a white-label provider, it’s important to partner with the best provider to ensure long-term success – and Aristocrat Interactive is that partner. During the initial stage of thinking about migration, operators face key challenges, including reducing player attrition, minimizing downtime, and managing regulatory requirements. Flexibility in choosing a migration partner who can scale with the business and reduce operational burdens is essential. Aristocrat Interactive’s iGaming White-label solution was created to address these specific needs, supporting operators from initial launch through independent operations.