Promoted feature: GiG going for growth in 2023

Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) is an industry-leading igaming platform and sportsbook provider. Its mission is to drive sustainable growth and profitability for its partners through product innovation, scalable technology, and quality of service. Here, Nicola Fitton, COO at GiG, talks to EGR North America about regulated markets, which platform features are the most important to operators, and how the provider works with its partners to find the best-fitting solutions for long-term success.

EGR North America (EGR NA): As an igaming platform and sportsbook provider, what is GiG’s overall vision and what have been your most pivotal moments in the industry to date?

Nicola Fitton (NF): At GiG our vision is simple, clear and concise: to be the industry-leading platform and sportsbook provider delivering world-class solutions to our igaming partners and their customers.

In terms of pivotal moments, from a platform perspective, we’re fortunate that there have been many. Being one of the first third-party platforms operating in the US with Hard Rock in New Jersey; delivering the entire end-to-end online offering on behalf of the SkyCity brand; and most recently signing an end-to-end deal with the UK-focused retail brand Aspers, to name a few. These retail to online end-to-end opportunities are where we see increasing levels of growth in the market, and we can truly deliver digital transformation on behalf of these traditional retail brands.

EGR NA: What were your main objectives in 2022 and were they achieved?

NF: Firstly, one of our main objectives was to integrate the Sportnco sportsbook into our platform following our acquisition at the start of 2022, which has been a huge success. During the year, we increased our geographical footprint among regulated markets, which now sees us active in 29 jurisdictions with another eight in the pipeline for 2023 and 2024. Ultimately, our goal was to successfully onboard new partners, and in 2022 we signed 20 new deals, launching 12 new brands in that period. We’re very pleased with the momentum we’ve been building and, with our strengthened position in the market, we’ll continue to see exciting opportunities to develop the business.

EGR NA: What will GiG’s main focus be in 2023 for continued growth of the business?

NF: We’ll continue to deliver superior product innovation and new market entries, driving continuous growth on behalf of our partners and their needs. We successfully re-entered the US market in 2022, with the intention to expand our influence in North America with further client signings both in existing and new states and provinces.

EGR NA: Which markets are you looking to as key drivers of the business in 2023?

NF: As we’ve mentioned, we are currently operating in 29 jurisdictions around the globe, with eight more in the pipeline across our platform. This year we’ll continue to focus on the regulated markets we have already established ourselves in, like Ontario, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania in North America, as well as our portfolio across Latam. For new markets, Maryland will be a key focus with our partner CrabSports, signed in 2022, launching their sportsbook shortly, and markets such as Switzerland will be important to us for increased growth in the European market.

EGR NA: As a provider of solutions, what’s the question you are most asked by partners and how do you answer it?

NF: Outside of market readiness for each territory, in terms of games and payment solutions we get a lot of questions around our end-to-end turnkey and omnichannel solutions, as well as our managed services offering.  As the market matures, we understand that such options for personalization are key to growth and success. Gone are the days where the entire focus is on acquisition channels. The customer experience is quickly becoming an important factor in driving engagement and value. It is essential to our partners to have the ability to entirely be able to control their own destiny as an operator. It is a fundamental consideration for operators when partnering with a platform and sportsbook provider like GiG.

EGR NA: What are GiG’s most important platform features and what do they bring to your partners?

NF: Our most prominent feature is the ability to deliver a localized and customized experience for each of the brands we power. We’ve reformed and matured our approach so that our solutions are among the quickest and easiest to release into new markets, integrating quickly and seamlessly with existing technology and third-party providers. It is this personalization and adaptability that propels the development of our technology, which then allows for our partners to leverage the opportunities and market share they’ve projected from the offset of the project. It also helps produce very strong relationships that drive partner-led conversations, solving the challenges of daily complexity in our industry together.

EGR NA: How does GiG work with partners to provide them with the best-fitting solutions?

NF: GiG works extremely closely with our partners, and we have dedicated teams to guide them through the whole pre- and post-sales processes. We also place a huge importance on supporting our partners past the go-live, ensuring our clients are set up for long-term success. At GiG, we’re all about making sure our partners’ visions are listened to and acknowledged throughout the whole process, collaborating with them at every step to ensure we find the best possible solutions for their respective business needs.

EGR NA: Do you have any predictions for how the industry will develop in the next few years?

NF: The industry will undoubtedly continue to regulate exponentially and, with that, the more mature jurisdictions will begin to take measures to increase their share of the market from the grey and black markets. Indeed, we are already seeing this in markets like Sweden, for example. From a tech perspective, and for the short-to-mid-term, solutions that can deliver growth to operators in terms of new jurisdictions in a quick and timely manner will certainly have an advantage. The macroeconomic climate that currently exists makes it tough to acquire or invest in proprietary technology, so the best third-party solutions available will have an opportunity to prosper.

EGR NA: What can customers of GiG expect in the way of innovation in this timeframe?

NF: At GiG, innovation is always a key consideration as offering market-leading technology has always been in our DNA. Consequently, we are consistently working to improve our overall offering such as shortening time to market, providing rapid third-party integrations, and policy driven technology to be able to adjust to regulatory changes. Indeed, we want to enable our customers to go in the direction they believe is pertinent for their brand, and we want to deliver a solution that will allow them to do that within their own capabilities and timelines.

EGR NA: What can we expect to see from GiG over the next 12 months?

NF: You can expect to see us continue the development of our technology and expand our geographical footprint, further enhancing our end-to-end turnkey solutions to ensure our partners’ operational success. We’ve worked hard to position ourselves as a leading igaming platform and sportsbook provider across regulated markets globally, something which we’re very proud of, and we’ll continue to expand on that momentum throughout the forthcoming year.

Nicola Fitton joined Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) in 2019 and was promoted to her current role as chief operating officer in 2022. Fitton has over 17 years of extensive experience working in the global gaming sector in leading and directorial roles at GVC, NetEnt, Betsafe, and Sportingbet, to mention a few, across sports, poker, and casino products.