Interview with Eman Pulis, CEO at SiGMA

"Alpha Boot Camp's goal is to build and foster connections in LatAm"

"It’s a good approach for us to take established suppliers into markets where there is very little competition," he summarized.
2018-08-31
Reading time 3:16 min
Organizers SiGMA and SAGSE have joined forces to offer 150 Latin American operators the opportunity to gather together with some of the major European online gambling suppliers, during the first edition of Alpha Boot Camp. In an exclusive interview with Yogonet, Eman Pulis assured that this modality will eventually become a series and they have plans to land in Africa and the U.S.

Alpha Boot Camp will debut at SAGSE Buenos Aires. The main goal of this initiative is to provide a framework for European suppliers to interact, meet and do business with Latin American operators.

What will Alpha Boot Camp offer?

The idea behind Alpha Boot Camp is to give a chance to suppliers from the European market to interact, meet, and negotiate with LatAm operators. We feel like this event has great potential, and is ideally placed to contribute to the momentum that’s been building up in the region.

What are your expectations for the two-day event, both with respect to your interests and for the industry?

There has been a lot of hype recently about the LatAm market as the next big thing in iGaming. LatAm is a new market for SiGMA, but the goal is to build and foster connections in the region through the Alpha Boot Camp. We believe in the market and think that it could benefit from greater integration. We’re actively looking to do more in the region, and are planning accordingly. As you know, we always love to be the catalyst in making connections and helping forge new deals.

Have you already filled the quota for 150 operators and 9 providers?

The sheer number of applications more than meets the quota we set out. We’re working diligently to vet these applications to make sure that the event is populated with the right people, and to make sure we have a well-balanced attendance.

Which are the priorities, upcoming trends and even concerns you consider the industry will try to approach during the event? 

We’re looking at where the LatAam market is going. At first glance it feels similar to the early days of gaming in Europe. We aim to show the quality of what Europe has done through its suppliers and bring that to a different emerging market. We’d love to help integrate the two markets, as so far we feel that hasn’t happened nearly enough.

Blockchain, AI and Big Data technologies, and iGaming and sports betting sectors seem to be quite in vogue in the industry. Will Alpha Boot Camp address these topics in particular? 

We’re still deciding on the content for our conference, but our primary goal is to integrate European platform suppliers into the LatAm market. We’re considering all relevant topics, but we don’t want to skip any steps. And the first step is definitely integration. The operators at the event will be there to really connect. Obviously the content is important, and we won’t neglect it – but we feel it’s really important to achieve the first step before taking the next ones.

The organizers had to move the date earlier this year because of G20 meetings in the area. How do you think it could affect your activities, considering G2E Las Vegas will be taking place one month later?

I don’t think it really affects us, because it’s a different market. The fact that G2E is happening a month after us shouldn’t really have a huge impact on our Alpha Boot Camp – at least not a negative one.

Sweden and Malta have recently re-regulated their gaming market. Do you see those or any other new and potential markets and regions from Europe that could be the focal point for providers and even operators looking for new partnerships?

Sweden is regulated, which is going to change how people approach that market. Malta has streamlined the process, reduced administrative burden on companies. Those licences are globally recognised and can be utilised to approach any market currently unregulated. I don’t see it greatly affecting the LatAm market, although we do want to go out there and tell businesses that Malta is a great place to get a licence. However, there is a huge distance between the two locations. Will it work? That’s what we’re about to find out.

Will we see Alpha Boot Camp taking place any other time in the short or long term?

ABC is going to become a series. What we’re looking to do is target opening markets. This time its LatAm because we know it’s established and working. Next time it’s probably going to be Africa or the United States. Africa is emerging and the US is starting to legalise – giving us an open window. It’s a good approach for us to take established suppliers into markets where there is very little competition. That’s the point of ABC – that’s what we’re doing in LatAm and that’s what we’ll do in Africa and the United States in coming years.

Leave your comment
Subscribe to our newsletter
Enter your email to receive the latest news
By entering your email address, you agree to Yogonet's Condiciones de uso and Privacy Policies. You understand Yogonet may use your address to send updates and marketing emails. Use the Unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.
Unsubscribe
EVENTS CALENDAR