EvenBet Gaming: The trends and challenges shaping the industry’s future growth

We are in the midst of what is traditionally the busiest month of the year, with all roads leading to ICE London. The saying goes that a successful ICE sets the platform for a strong year ahead.

Resolving some of the key challenges operators and vendors face will largely dominate the multitude of meetings taking place at the ExCeL London in a few weeks’ time, from understanding the latest developments in regulation to exploring the new products that will help differentiate offerings within a competitive marketplace.

These insights shared between companies at major trade events is exactly why we frequently travel the globe for various conferences. From a personal point of view, I gather so much insight from my in-person meetings with customers and fellow peers, yet feel more could be done to share the trends and concerns we are facing in order to help the industry grow.  

It is for this reason that we at EvenBet Gaming set out to conduct research into the igaming sector, delivering first-hand insight into the challenges and trends that fellow industry leaders are experiencing. The results we have gathered shed light on which business areas are of most concern to C-suite executives. Read more here.

Recruitment headache

While January is dominated by ICE preparations, it is also the month where recruitment becomes top of the agenda again as a result of the ‘new year, new me’ mentality that some will inevitably adopt. Finding the right talent is not a new challenge for the industry, but findings from our research suggests it remains a major challenge for most.

Alongside regulation and competition, recruitment was ranked among the top three concerns from CEOs we recently interviewed. In fact, the issue of staff acquisition and retention is three times bigger than among the whole interviewed audience.

Ultimately, while market expansion and improved product offerings provide an opportunity for business growth, challenges in recruitment are proving to be a massive barrier. In particular, these are hurdles being faced by companies entering new markets and opening local offices, with an apparent limited pool of talent available to truly kick-start operations and meet ambitious plans.

Amplifying social media marketing

The growing influence of LinkedIn in spreading brand visibility is reflected in how CEOs consider the channel equally as important as ranking highly on Google searches. Both channels accounted for 24% of the vote with CEOs as priority forms of marketing tools, with trade events following closely at 22%.

We are fortunate to operate within an industry that values close, personal relationships and LinkedIn provides the perfect platform to engage with peers. We can share company and personal developments seamlessly and remain in close dialogue with contacts based all over the world with ease.

Additionally, CEOs who are active on social media are benefiting from the way in which posts can instil trust, credibility and industry expertise, attracting and influencing potential customers and investors.

Interestingly, companies from across Europe and Asia are using social media marketing tools in different ways. We found that Asian companies prefer using Facebook, TikTok and YouTube while European firms identify LinkedIn and Instagram as the main channels of choice.

Future trends

From our recent research into the igaming sector, we have a better understanding as to what the main focus areas are for companies over the coming year.

Market expansion remains a top priority for organisations looking to fast track growth. Regulation is evolving across key regions, most notably Brazil, where positive steps are being made to open up the country to legalised sports betting and igaming later this year. Stricter restrictions are likely to be enforced in the UK following the white paper into the Gambling Act review that was published in April 2023.

Black-market concerns remain in countries such as India and Germany, but more positive movements have been made within Curaçao’s gambling landscape, which has issued stricter licensing rules that have been largely welcomed.

From a technology perspective, the demands for new products and features remain the same. With the typical attention span of an adult internet user being 8.25 seconds, the need for quicker gaming experiences is apparent and reflected by the growth of crash games worldwide.

So as the industry prepares to descend onto ExCeL for the final time before ICE moves to Barcelona, the insights we share are invaluable in taking our industry forward.

To read EvenBet Gaming’s ebook Core iGaming Trends and Challenges in 2023 in full, download the PDF at https://evenbetgaming.com/igaming-trends-and-challenges-2023/

CEO Dmitry Starostenkov has been leading EvenBet Gaming since the company’s foundation in 2001, from a local custom development startup to a worldwide renowned online poker software brand with a team of more than 150 developers. He has over 15 years of expertise in the online poker market and is regarded as an expert at industry conferences, summits and in the media.

Outside of EvenBet Gaming, Starostenkov has participated as a founder and business angel in several high-tech startups, including software vendors, developers and payment processing companies. His main business goal is to gain the leader position for EvenBet Gaming globally while maintaining sustainable company development.