Exclusive interview with Bobby Longhurst, CCO at Pronet Gaming

"More lotteries around the world are looking to broaden their offering with sportsbooks and casinos"

"Both the Copa America and Euro 2020 were significant events for us that yielded some great results for our partners. That was thanks, in no small part, to the preparation we put in before the tournaments," Pronet Gaming's CCO tells Yogonet.
2021-07-20
Reading time 3:56 min
He says that Pronet is pursuing some projects with a number of operator partners in LatAm, highlighting the company's 'specialism' in emerging markets. He says operators want a product that is relevant to them, not coming out of a box solution, and that their retail offering speaks to their online offering in a seamless, joined-up way. New sports betting widgets and sports-themes casino games helped Pronet break records amid Copa America and Euro 2020.

What does the LATAM market represent for Pronet Gaming? What are the company’s plans, goals, and expectations for the region? How does the recent partnership with Vibra Gaming align with said goals and outlooks?

LatAm presents a great opportunity for Pronet Gaming and we are actively pursuing some very interesting projects with a number of operator partners in a variety of jurisdictions there. Many of those are established land-based concerns or media companies that already have a footprint. But others are with well-known European operators who are household names in their home markets, and yet need a tailored, flexible solution that suits the individual needs of Latin American countries and their players. We pride ourselves on the adaptability of the Pronet platform. That, in no small part, is due to the suitability of our third-party integrations. Vibra Gaming has established a strong presence in the region and is a good case in point. We want to offer the best possible content that suits the individual needs of our partners.

Considering that the company offers software for casinos and sportsbooks both retail and online, which jurisdictions and segments of the industry is Pronet Gaming most focused on, and why? As pandemic regulations ease, retail sportsbooks, gaming halls, and casinos reopen, what are the specific demands that Pronet Gaming has observed or received from its customers, partners, players, and operators in general?

If Pronet Gaming has a particular specialism I would say it is emerging markets. These may be countries that have a retail industry and may or may not have had exposure to a grey online market. There are lots of these across LatAm and Africa in particular, who have either introduced regulations or are on the verge of doing so. Brazil is obviously a very good example. Existing operators in markets like that want a couple of things. They want to know that they can take advantage of this online boom by converting their existing customers and attracting new ones with an attractive product. That means a product that is relevant to them; not a cookie-cutter, out of a box solution. They also want to know that their retail offering is fit for purpose and speaks to that online offering in a seamless, joined-up way.

Which effects have Copa América and Euro Cup had in your business areas, and which results have you seen in regards to the recent agreement with Incentive Games to sports-themed content, and your new set of sports betting widgets?

Both the Copa America and Euro 2020 were significant events for us that yielded some great results for our partners. That was thanks, in no small part, to the preparation we put in before the tournaments. For instance, we developed a set of bespoke sports betting widgets that offered ready-made coupons with pre-built accas which were localized for particular markets. Clearly, the user experience is more important than ever around big tournaments, particularly when new customers try things out. It is crucial that operators are able to differentiate themselves from the competition with innovations such as this. I’m delighted to say that it helped us break a host of records in respect of acquisition, FTDs, turnover, and profit. So too did our ability to provide relevant and complementary content on our casino platform, which is where sports-themes games from the likes of Incentive Games come in.

In April, Pronet Gaming announced the launch of its first-ever horse racing solution. Could you share some updates on this matter, initial feedback, and performance? How has it impacted the company, and what are your outlooks for this market?

We secured a partnership with Betmakers that gave us instant access to 250,000 races a year from over 20 different countries, including some of the leading exponents of the sport such as the UK, Ireland, Australia, and the US. And it wasn’t just horseracing either, it also included dog racing and harness racing, giving our partners an incredible overnight boost to their content offering. I’m pleased to say that their customers have responded positively, and we are seeing some great results, and not always in places that we expected. I think there still remains a little bit of trepidation around horseracing, with a misconception that it requires specialist knowledge that puts of the casual customer. But presented the right way, it can be a great source of short-form betting that provides all the thrill and spills of other sports, but in bite-sized chunks. We have high hopes that this type of content will appeal to more and more of our partners.

What is the outcome the strategic agreement with Tenlot Group has brought to the company? What does this partnership represent for the company today, and what are the company’s expectations for the foreseeable future?

The Tenlot Group agreement represents a significant opportunity for Pronet Gaming. It gives their partners, including World Lottery Association members, access to our turnkey omni-channel solution for both online and retail. They are obviously a major name in the industry, and it underlines the quality of our tailored approach, as well as the technology we are able to harness, that they have backed us. More and more lotteries around the world are looking to broaden their offering with sportsbooks and casinos and we are now in a good position to be able to help them. We will start seeing the fruits of the partnership very shortly.

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