eGaming Review January 2015 | Page 5

F E AT U R E / B I G D ATA ISSUE 128 ISSUE 118 EDITORIAL TEAM Editor Tom Washington T: [phone] E: [email protected] News editor Gerard Starkey T: [phone] E: [email protected] Reporter Andy Roocroft T: [phone] E: [email protected] Reporter Liam Stoker T: [phone] E: [email protected] Head of Content, Pageant Gaming Media Alun Bowden T: [phone] E: [email protected] PRODUCTION Head of production Claudia Honerjager E: [email protected] Art Director, eGR Toni Giddings E: [email protected] Sub-editors Eleanor Stanley Luke Tuchscherer Mary Cooch COMMERCIAL Group commercial manager Sam Compagnoni T: [phone] E: [email protected] Publishing account manager Debbie Robson T: [phone] E: [email protected] Publishing account manager Charlie Robson T: [phone] E: [email protected] Group head of content Gwyn Roberts CEO Charlie Kerr Circulation manager Fay Muddle Content sales T: [phone] E: [email protected] eGaming Review is published monthly by Pageant Media, Thavies Inn House, 3-4 Holborn Circus, London, EC1N 2HA ISSN 1742-2450 Printed by The Manson Group © 2014 all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used without the prior permission from the publisher W W W. E G R M A G A Z I N E . C O M EDITOR'S LETTER M aking predictions is never an easy task, especially when you are talking about an industry as unpredictable as online gambling. But as we head into the New Year, this month’s cover story attempts to give some insight into the biggest opportunities for growth, which are surely top of any CEO’s New Year’s resolution list for 2015. In many respects the opportunities are common sense. Newly regulating markets will be a key focus for the majority of operators, investment in improving product and particularly mobile, and making more use of datadriven marketing, will all be more vital than ever. But applying common sense to a market like this will never be enough, and the unpredictability I mentioned before means operators will need to keep adjusting to an ever-shifting environment. Not least because one of the other big opportunities remains in M&A and this sector continues to throw up its share of surprises. Just when you thought the egaming industry was winding down for the festive break, a cluster of major news stories arrived just as we were putting this issue to bed. The purchase of Sky Bet by private equity firm CVC, and Intertain’s interest in a major Gamesys asset, will no doubt have repercussions on various markets in the future. We patiently await news on bwin. party’s potential sale and what Playtech could do with its growing cash pile, and there’s plenty of money floating around at other firms for more game-changing deals to occur early next year. So while now is the time for operators to set out and implement their strategies for 2015, they will do well to also keep one eye on the changes which are out of their control. Whatever happens, 2015 is sure to be one to remember. And from all of us at eGR I’d like to wish our readers a fantastic festive season and a prosperous New Year. EDITOR Tom Washington T: [phone] E: [email protected] 3