“SAGSE is always a good show for Pentasia”

What expectations did you have for SAGSE and what did you see in the end?
SAGSE is always a good show for us; it is the largest attended  event in Latin America and the goals this year has been to visit traditional customers and, due to the fact that there are several customers that will regulate online gaming such as Colombia, Peru and Mexico, we had petitions from international companies that are starting to consider Latin America, and I want to know which companies are more focused on the region and interested to invest in the future. Although many companies did not have a booth here, several representatives are trying to make a path in the region and come to seek for local partners, if necessary. I think it will be a slow process, but in the end, Europe is already a very mature market and all the online companies have to grow via Asia or Latin America. Step by step, this region will be more relevant and we try to support our customers in the growth of new operations from the beginning, because it is where we can contribute with our knowledge, based on other operations we have already performed with other customers in more mature markets.

Do you think iGaming can be developed in Latin America in the same manner as in Europe?
Yes, but it needs more infrastructure. Logically, to reach those levels, Internet penetration has to improve, because it doesn’t have the same level as in Europe; e-commerce must grow and payment methods have to develop more.

I also think it is a cultural issue because in Argentina or in any other country, as it happened in Spain, too, players are not accustomed to have their data online;they are not accustomed to  bringing their banking information to purchase or gamble. I think there is a long educational process ahead, but the market potential is big because there is a players culture which is very involved in a leisure mentality that uses other types of payment methods like: prepaid, credit card, mobile, etc. If the infrastructure, Internet and telecommunication part is covered, no doubt there is a great market.

With regard to customer requests, Which are the areas that companies are seeking to develop?
Sales, because, in the end, they need someone to commercialize their products, and then people dedicated to the products, because there is a need to create a specific product for each country.

From the development point of view, there is a quite high demand of software engineers. And every time there are more marketing searches because the companies feel that each time they have to have more control on their customers, and positions such as the Business Manager become more important, because the companies want to identify what type of customer they have and the  customers and games life cycle. The analytic part is more and more important to anticipate to the players’ consumption and to develop customer-tailored products, too.

What is new about Pentasia? 
We have been evolving and adapting the products to the market needs. Our core business is the recruitment process, but we also launched a strategic consultancy service for new markets. We are launching the training part; we used to offer  training courses on presentation in Malta and Gibraltar, and we are launching it online. It is addressed both to professionals that do not belong to this sector as well as  to our customers. We are also designing customized training courses, for example, for Betfair, which wants to bring training on risk and fraud. We created a customized distance online course for all their employees.

We are organizing courses in Asia as well as with Las Vegas University, because the industry evolves faster than the professional training  courses.

On the other hand, we opened a news website, where we place content for our customers with the aim to bring them something extra. Although we are not dedicated to that field, it is a gateway for customers that want to advertise.

With regard to the training service, Which  areas are in more demand?
First of all, at a legislative level. That means, they want to know what is the legislation in force in each country, t more about fraud prevention and risks, and also about security and social responsibility with players. And  on the other hand, they want to learn about products such as poker, casino and betting.