Former GiG CEO Robin Reed to launch Asia-facing casino operator
Reed talks to EGR about the gambling industry "feeling flat" and his new B2C gaming start-up Ichiban
Former GiG chief executive Robin Reed will return to the igaming industry this year with the launch of a new South East Asia-facing B2C online casino firm, EGR Intel can reveal.
The start-up is called Ichiban, which means number one in Japanese, and will begin life as a B2C casino brand with a focus on emerging markets.
“South East Asia is massively exciting,” Reed told EGR. “This market is ahead in general when you look at consumers on the digital scene. They are ahead of the curve and ahead of us in the west.”
Ichiban is nearing testing, although no official launch date has been set. The operator has closed deals with most top-tier providers and is involved in discussions with marketing partners.
The operator’s platform and payment gateway is outsourced, while the front-end is proprietary.
Robin Reed
“I think the industry has gone flat,” Reed told EGR Intel. “There is a lot of compliance, a lot of administration and all sorts of work that is frankly not necessary to efficiently deliver the world’s premier igaming service.
“We have built really solid tech, everything is automated, all staff are quality people and we don’t have any overheads and therefore we will provide much better value for users, affiliates, and shareholders.
“We are fully licensed and we are also building our own middleware and front-end so we can maintain integrity and achieve differentiation for the players,” he added.
Ichiban will be managed by staff and consultants in Malta, Marbella and several remote locations in Europe.
Reed spent more than 10 years as CEO of Malta-based Gaming Innovation Group before the supplier appointed Richard Brown back in September 2019.
“I’ve been in the gaming industry for essentially my entire professional career and have developed a network of people that also become your friends, so we are very pleased with the support from the industry” Reed told EGR Intel.
“It is called Ichiban the igaming company because I wanted to create a company as a tribute to the industry and its players. What I always wanted to do was to make the best casino in the world.”