How to Keep Up with the Ever-Changing iGaming Market

Pragmatic Solutions CEO Ashley Lang provides Gambling Insider with the supplier's latest updates, discussing how operators can overcome current challenges in the iGaming market

Interview for Gambling Insider Magazine, Nov-Dec 2024 Issue.

What have been some recent developments from Pragmatic Solutions?

Recently, Pragmatic Solutions has seen significant growth, positioning the company to compete for Tier-1 and fast-growing operators seeking to migrate and upgrade their technology platforms.

We have onboarded big clients, such as EstrelaBet, one of Brazil’s market leaders, and supported our licensees in new brand launches in numerous regulated markets.

Our teams have also grown, accordingly, to ensure we are fully equipped to meet our clients' needs. We view each client as a vital business partner, which is why we are committed to delivering not only modern and robust core technology but also the services essential to achieving their unique business goals.

In the last quarter, we have been focused on communicating more actively to the industry how our platform addresses the current challenges operators face in today's market. One of our key recent developments is the publication of a white paper, which is available for download on our website. This document is designed to help leadership teams evaluate their platform strategy and determine if it aligns with their future business goals. It also provides guidance on navigating the potential transition from their existing technology to a solution like ours, explaining why we believe our approach is well-suited to the market's evolving needs.

Could you explain how the integration of the MAP™ "Refer-A-Friend" module helps to maximise player acquisition and retention for operators?

This integration is one of many examples of how we partner with the best-in-breed vendors in the industry to offer the most convenient solutions according to our clients’ business needs.

Our platform is pre-integrated with more than 1,500 premium providers of content (iGaming and sportsbook) and services (payment providers, CRM, marketing and affiliate services, compliance, KYC, Data/BI, and geolocation), available to all platform licensees via a simple configuration. Our PAM platform also allows for easy integration with any third-party product or service available in the market.

MAP is a long-standing integrated supplier to Pragmatic Solutions licensees and we have recently upgraded the integration to support additional functionality developed by the MAP team. The “Refer-A-Friend" module from the MAP™ affiliate platform, in particular, allows our licensees to create and manage referral schemes, where they can incentivise existing players to refer friends to their brands. This is an effective way for operators to expand their customer base organically by leveraging the power of word-of-mouth marketing and structure attractive reward models for new player referral.

What are some of the challenges operators are facing in the iGaming market at the moment?

The current, dynamic market environment is marked by fierce competition and strict regulatory requirements, which present major challenges to operators and impose new operational and technological demands.

This is particularly true for newer or challenger brands. Established brands built their reputation during a time of fewer regulations and more diverse marketing channels. In contrast, today’s operators must navigate stricter rules and find new ways to gain and sustain market share and brand loyalty in an increasingly competitive space. Achieving this often requires innovation in both strategy and technology.

These challenges are causing many operators to reconsider their original platform technology strategy. They are seeking alternatives because their current platform's performance falls short of expectations, leading to delays, quality issues, and ultimately hindering business growth.

Are there any complications staying on top of an ever-changing iGaming regulatory environment?

Entering regulated regions involves carefully evaluating the business commercial viability, since it may face restrictions such as taxation changes, deposit limits, and operational constraints. As a result, operators must continuously adjust their business models, marketing strategies, and overall operations to stay competitive.

Regulatory demands also lead to technical challenges. Operators need platforms capable of supporting new compliance requirements, which puts pressure on technology providers to help streamline processes and reduce costs. This includes optimising operations through technology to minimise manual processes, which can slow down business growth.

That is why we encourage operators to ensure that their technological solutions align with long-term business objectives. The focus should be on defining clear goals—whether they are commercial expansion, launching new products, or entering new markets—and then selecting technology that supports these ambitions.

Pragmatic Solutions supports operators in several markets, but which other markets are you looking to cater for next?

We have been live for a year in Brazil with one of its leading brands, EstrelaBet, and we are currently getting ready to support new and existing licensees as they transition to the country’s new online gaming regulation.

In addition, we are expanding our presence in the Spanish market, where our platform is fully compliant, and we bring several years of experience as a platform technology provider.

We are also getting ready to enter additional European markets with major operators. And we are focusing on certifications and compliance measures for markets such as Finland, which is set to introduce regulation in 2026.

As we come to the end of the year, what are Pragmatic Solutions' aims for 2025?

In 2025, we’ll continue onboarding new customers while supporting our current licensees as they expand into markets with evolving regulatory frameworks.

As new regulations emerge, we will adapt both our platform and our clients' businesses to ensure compliance. Our goal is to provide a platform with broad regulatory coverage, allowing operators with expansion strategies to seamlessly enter new regulated markets. This is achieved through configuration and leveraging our existing capabilities, offering operators a smooth path into these regions.

We are also committed to maintaining compliance in heavily regulated markets like the UK, Spain, and Germany, which continue to evolve. Our platform will stay at the forefront of these changes to ensure our clients can operate without disruption.

Our platform is continually evolving. We consistently develop new features and enhancements to meet our customers' needs, ensuring that their business goals are supported by the technology they use. And we will surely continue to engage with operators who may find their current platforms limiting, showing them how we can help them achieve their business objectives and boost their growth.

About Pragmatic Solutions

Pragmatic Solutions provides proprietary core platform technology for gaming and sports betting operators that seek to perform at scale in a fast-paced, highly complex regulated environment. The key component of the Pragmatic Solutions offering is a Player Account Management (PAM) platform that is modern, modular, scalable, and connected due to an open API approach, enabling its partners to have complete control over their gaming business roadmap and operations. The platform provides a comprehensive and user-friendly set of back-office tools to ensure regulatory compliance, handle risk, and manage brands, promotions and player experiences with extensive flexibility. Pre-integrated with over a thousand providers of third-party content, payments and services, the platform also supports rapid integration of new services of the operators’ choosing. Pragmatic Solutions, sister company of Pragmatic Play, was founded in 2014. Its expert development teams focus on functionality innovation and expansion, while efficiently providing customised services to meet the needs of the most demanding iGaming operators. Headquartered in Gibraltar, the company holds B2B licences by the MGA, UKGC, Romania's ONJN, Sweden’s Spelinspektionen, and Ontario’s AGCO and supports live operators in many locally regulated markets including the U.K., Spain, Germany, Ontario, Brazil, Romania, Hungary, Estonia and more. The Pragmatic Platform holds certifications by ISO/IEC 27001, PCI and GLI, while being compliant with numerous regulated European jurisdictions.