Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1055420
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 25 NOVEMBER 2018 GAMING G12 Keith Camilleri THIS is the first time that Pragmatic Solutions will be participating at one of the landmark iGaming shows, Sigma. We are very excited that after years of hard work and refinement to develop our platform, we can finally showcase it to the industry. The reason behind this excitement is that our iGaming platform has been specifically built for the current online gaming climate. It is agile enough to handle regulatory compliance across multiple markets and it has best-in- class blend of speed, flexibility, secu- rity, scalability and value. The beginning of Pragmatic Solutions Pragmatic Solutions was formed by forward thinking entrepreneurs with extensive industry knowledge who in- vested wisely (and significantly!) in a team of highly-skilled professionals to deliver, what we believe, is an iGam- ing platform that does what it's sup- posed to do. By that I mean that we want to deliver an extremely powerful yet flexible platform which is 3rd par- ty agnostic and gives operators peace of mind that they can execute on their business goals without any limitations on the technology. And importantly, can cater to their needs as their busi- ness grows, changes and evolves. Platform issues operators face in the industry today I have been in the industry for the last 15 years in a variety of senior po- sitions within both B2B and B2C envi- ronments. One of the tasks in my pre- vious roles was to find a best of breed iGaming platform to fit the company's needs and growth demands. Having a technical background myself, I was critical of the products I was evaluat- ing and found it a lot more challeng- ing to find a suitable platform than I first thought, which is surprising, giv- en there is no shortage of suppliers in the market. Some of the main issues operators face today is that many platforms are not built on current technologies, which will ultimately lead to restric- tions or the inability to execute their goals. Another issue is that many platforms today were originally built for a dif- ferent purpose, for example starting off as a B2C brand or catering to very grey markets. So, combining old tech- nology and incorrect fundamentals reflect in the available features, speed of delivery, stability and scalability of the platform. Other issues faced by operators in- clude the lack of true customisation possibilities, for example customised UI/UX and the inability to provide really in-depth, real time back office data analytics and segmentation. Offering a tailor-made product We have addressed these issues by building a highly modular system, us- ing the latest technologies specifically suited for the needs of today's gaming operators. Our setup also makes us competitive in different markets be- cause we can cater for any specific op- erator and technology requirements, including licensing and compliance needs for new regulated markets. Our advantage is that we can offer clients flexibility and functionality that other platforms may struggle to offer or take a very long time to de- liver. Effectively, we can build a cus- tom-made bespoke solution for each operator, which historically would be unheard of and prohibitive due to cost and time constraints. One example is that an operator can build a custom front-end using our extensive API's according to the market they wish to operate in. This can include specific gamification fea- tures, automatic CRM protocols and player conversion funnels to enhance customer lifetime values and player loyalty which can really differentiate operators apart. Multiple vertical products are also part of the solution, so if a state-of- the-art sportsbook is a focal point or the latest bingo product is needed then the best possible products availa- ble for each particular jurisdiction can be easily integrated. As our platform was designed from the beginning as an integration hub, operators can offer a unique combination of 3rd party con- tent and technologies, tailored to their target markets. Clear strategy with customers at the centre of what we do We built our company on three pil- lars: technology, focus and a flexible business approach. Put simply, we invested heavily in technology. Our strength is in the core product since it was built for the right purpose from the beginning. If you build a platform or use technol- ogy for a particular purpose and then over time the business model severely changes, or it's utilised for something other than what it was intended for, you end up with legacy issues because the core is simply not built for what you are trying to do now. There are many platforms out there today which started out with a completely different purpose. These businesses morphed over time into a platform provider and this is one of the reasons why so many issues, limitations and delivery problems occur today. Platform issues can make or break an operator's busi- ness, so we take that very seriously. We want to deliver a product that al- lows our clients to evolve and grow their business without worrying about technology limitations. Focus is big part of our work ethos and is in line with our core product. As a B2B only iGaming platform, we don't allow ourselves to get distracted by venturing into other products or services that are already readily avail- able by industry peers who specialise in their field. For example sport bet- ting platforms, casino content or af- filiate platforms, which can be easily integrated into our platform. Instead, we focus on making sure our platform can be the best it can be and spend all our time and energy only on develop- ing and enhancing that. Having a flexible business approach is important as it allows us to build trust and invest in long term business relationships with our clients. We don't want to build barriers or restric- tions, like pushing certain products over others or constantly imposing fees for basic development needs as we understand the long-term value of flexible business-oriented partner- ships. We believe that a more flexible ap- proach will build trust with our cli- ents, leading to more investment and growth over time. Keith Camilleri is Managing Director of Pragmatic Solutions A pragmatic approach