iGaming Business magazine Futures Report 2019 | Page 5

FUTURES REPORT
THE UBERISATION
OF IGAMING
Uberisation, turning traditional ways of working on their head through innovation,
is making its mark on igaming. Alessandro Fried sees the benefits
I
n an era where the tech world is becoming
ever more streamlined and ever less
dependent on legacy technology, it is a wonder
that many still ponder about the benefits that
Uberisation brings to the igaming industry. While
some main operators fear that such a scenario
could disrupt the established igaming pecking
order, many tend to agree that it’s through this
practice that the industry is re-inventing itself. The
truth is that in recent years third-party technology
providers have not only brought about wave
upon wave of innovative updates but more
importantly have made this advanced technology
accessible to all operators, no matter the size of
their operations or market.
Technologies are the foundation of any type of
gaming operation. Today, many long established
organisations in the gaming industry find
themselves operating in a market that is driven
by totally different criteria from the one that
characterised their initial years of operation.
Thus in the immediate future they face
important decisions or risk losing their current
market position. It is largely a matter of fact that
those larger, more established bookmakers who
based their operations on legacy technology
are now finding themselves constrained by the
very technology that they once embraced. Not
only is it unflexible but it is also inappropriate
for todays’ complex and constantly evolving
technological generation.
The factors which drive the market are
changing, while the market itself is continuously
adjusting to this new reality. The prospect of
ALESSANDRO
FRIED
is BtoBet’s chairman
and CEO. Widely
recognised as a
visionary in the
igaming sector, he
is frequently invited
to speak at national
and international
igaming forums. Fried
designed, developed
and launched many
successful products
on the international
market and also
obtained the first
European license
in remote gaming
from Malta Gaming
Authority (MGA).
developing an in-house betting or gaming
platform would dishearten any operator, let
alone a smaller one. The cost is elevated,
success is not guaranteed, and in most cases
operators do not possess the knowledge to
back such decision. However, the advent of
the new generation platforms from third-party
providers has changed this perspective, and
highly advanced yet accessible technology is no
longer considered a chimera. Smaller operators
who, until now, may have limited or focused their
activities on the retail channel, now see a shift
towards the online as a development which is
within their reach.
In an environment where the player is
becoming ever more demanding, the industry
has in recent times rewarded those operators
nimble enough to identify an opportunity, develop
the technology and successfully incorporate this
innovation to their platforms in the shortest span
of time. And under this aspect legacy technology
is not only complex to upgrade but also requires
a lengthy and costly process.
The Uberisation process, through the
committment and achievement of the industry’s
tech visionaries, is constantly pushing the
boundaries as we know them today. Only
such an aggressive development curve could
permit the industry to close the gap to other
entertainment sectors such as Google and
Netflix and put the end-customer at the core of
the operations. This can put you in a position
to truly deliver an outstanding and unique
player experience.
COMPANY PROFILE
•NAME BTOBET •FOUNDED 2015•SECTOR SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
•WEBSITE BTOBET.COM •TWITTER @BTOBET
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2019 • ISSUE 114 • 33