This 2022, Slotegrator celebrates 10 years in the iGaming industry. Given the complexity and ever-changing nature of the sector, a decade in business is no easy task — but that’s exactly what the online gaming solutions provider has accomplished, delivering new and exciting products while also leveraging the latest trends.
“In 10 years, we have grown from a small company to an international one,” Ayvar Gabidullin, Business Development Manager, tells Yogonet in an exclusive interview. The company now boasts a strong team, several offices, over 150 launched projects, and over 200 clients worldwide, with no intentions to slow down. “Our plan is to keep growing as a company, developing innovative products, and helping out clients succeed,” Gabidullin adds.
In conversation with Yogonet, the executive reflects on the company’s latest offerings and how it leverages trends, details what emerging markets offer the most exciting opportunities, and discusses the mobile market boom. Gabidullin also explains the keys behind the Telegram Casino product, what should traditional operators take into account when going online, and more.
Slotegrator has maintained a strong position as a software supplier and aggregator for online casino and sportsbook operators since the company’s launch in 2012. A decade later, how does the company’s team manage to release exciting and interesting products for its partners in a now overloaded market? What are operators in the online segment looking for at the moment?
Given that the company has been operating on the market for more than 10 years, we have enough experience that we can predict upcoming trends. For example, the growth of mobile gaming is leading players to put a premium on accessibility and fast navigation, which is driving the growing popularity of Telegram Casino. This is an alternative way to play, where the backend management system allows you to control all aspects of the casino: notifications and mailings, content, components, etc.
If we talk about the platform, operators are interested in the automation of the processes of the platform itself — the system’s flexibility when it comes to optimization for different markets, the expansion of the fraud module’s capabilities, the segmentation module, etc.
Optimization of the platform for mobile devices is also important. For example, in African markets, there’s a high rate of internet penetration, but the data itself is expensive. Data-heavy pages with long loading times wind up costing players money they’d rather be betting with, so operators need to make their platforms very mobile-friendly.
We continue to provide our customers with interesting products after a decade because the Slotegrator team is constantly evolving. We have a large team of account managers who help clients in the development of the project, process requests, and provide expert information that the operator needs to grow in a particular market.
All this allows us to provide customers with what they are looking for first of all: a stable solution that will be implemented quickly.
The company regularly shares insights on growing markets, including recent reports on markets such as the Balkans, Africa, Asia, and LatAm. In general terms, how would you describe the current iGaming market conditions, and what jurisdictions present the biggest opportunities going forward? How does Slotegrator stand to assist partners in these markets?
Emerging markets in Asia and LatAm are booming right now. They offer tremendous potential to operators who can adapt to the markets’ specific needs. Mobile gambling is popular, and while only two years ago, almost everyone supported only fiat currencies, the growing trend towards the use of electronic wallets and cryptocurrencies is gaining momentum.
Given that we have successful projects in these markets, we have plenty of data about trends and end-user requests. When an operator enters a new market, any tips, insights, and analytics will help. We can always give advice on what to do when entering a particular market, what payment methods can be used, what providers are needed, etc.
Since our last interview with the company, Slotegrator has launched a new, upgraded platform for online casino and sportsbook operators. What are its main features and how do they respond to operators’ needs and demands? How does the product stand out and what new technologies does it introduce?
New tools and improved functional modules are available to the operator — in particular, Casino Builder, the business intelligence module (BI), the KYC module, and the segmentation module. Some of the platform’s features have been retained, but upgraded. For example, the bonus module’s UI has been improved — now it is much easier to create bonuses compared to the first platform.
There are more opportunities for integration with various systems, including game content developers, payment services, and mobile applications.
The iGaming market is booming worldwide. In addition to online-only operators, land-based businesses are now also seeking to enter this space. What should traditional operators take into account when going online, and what opportunities does this move offer them? What new technologies — such as crypto, NFTs, and AI — do you expect to further gain a presence, and how does Slotegrator leverage them?
Land-based operators looking to expand online have to be ready to change their mindset. These are two different businesses. They also have to consider an important question: when a land-based casino operator wants to launch an online project, does he plan to open it in his local region or does he want to go to another target market?
For example, to open an online casino in a local market in Kenya, you can use a license from a land-based gambling establishment. Here, the operator most likely wants the same players who come to his land-based casino to play in an online casino. He needs to create a loyalty program to interest existing customers and motivate them to go online. There should be similar games, game providers that are popular in a land-based casino, and a well-tuned support service. Land-based casino clients receive face-to-face support; when switching to an online casino, they’ll expect to be treated equally well.
Crypto casinos have long been established on the market and the largest online casinos are now focused on crypto. However, while a couple of years ago projects were created that only accepted cryptocurrency, then over the past year and a half the situation has changed quite a lot and payment systems have begun to enable in-game conversion. Cryptocurrency and fiat currency conversion technologies are designed so that any user, regardless of his involvement with crypto, can make deposits and withdraw winnings in crypto.
The iGaming boom is partly driven by the usage of mobile devices. Slotegrator has accompanied this momentum with the launch of Telegram Casino, which features more than 15,000 video slots from international developers. What has the response to this product been like thus far, and what opportunities is it opening for operators?
It is absolutely true that in the near future almost everyone will switch to mobile devices. One of the main trends in the gambling market in 2022 is players’ desire for fast and accessible navigation. In this regard, we developed Telegram Casino — a casino run through a bot in the popular messaging application — which is quickly becoming one of our most popular products. The product has already made a splash in the market, and many customers come only for Telegram Casino.
The solution allows operators not only to improve the gaming experience on mobile devices, but also to attract new audience segments.
Slotegrator consistently adds new games to its partner network month after month through its APIgrator aggregation protocol. What opportunities does this expanding lineup of titles and agreements with game developers offer to Slotegrator’s customers?
Game content is the basis of the site and an effective tool for attracting players. The operator sets himself the task of broadcasting to the user a variety of opportunities, offering as many different games as possible.
In turn, APIgrator allows you to integrate more than 15,000 games from more than 100 licensed industry developers into gambling sites in one click.
The company is powering platforms in a wide variety of markets, such as the launch of RajBet’s online casino platform in India. Why are operators seeking Slotegrator’s solutions at the moment, and how are these solutions adapted to clients’ needs?
Platform functionality requirements depend on the market in which the operator plans to operate. Slotegrator takes them into account and offers an ideal set of mechanics and products that ensure a successful entry into a particular market.
Given the company has now celebrated a decade in business, what is your assessment of its history thus far? And how do you envision the future of Slotegrator and of the iGaming industry at large?
In 10 years, we have grown from a small company to an international one. Slotegrator has a strong team, several offices, over 150 launched projects, and over 200 clients worldwide. Our plan is to keep growing as a company, developing innovative products, and helping out clients succeed!