Tag: Interviews

Here we have with us Gianfranco Capozzi, the Head of Esports at Catena Media. He’s had one of the amazing careers you’ll ever find in this industry. An avid gamer from the childhood, he had worked five years in the Italian Army before finding his true niche in gaming and esports.

Jump straight to the interview to read his insightful commentary on the present trends and technologies in esports and the role of cryptocurrencies, blockchain and artificial intelligence in this sector.

Q. Let’s begin with a quick introduction. It would be great if you briefly tell our readers about yourself and your career.

A. I had one of those atypical careers, I wore different hats and spent some time chasing after different opportunities: I spent 5 years in the Italian Army within the Engineer Corps, then I moved to the sunny island of Malta where I started working in HR and recruitment- before entering the world of gaming and esports.

That is where I’ve found my real vocation. I am adopting digital marketing channels and building digital products from scratch for an audience similar to myself.

I’ve been an avid gamer for all my life, I started playing with my uncle’s Commodore 64 when I was 10, and eventually moved from PC to console gaming. Age of Empires and Dark Age of Camelot were my first online multiplayer games where I spent uncountable hours.

Q. We shall talk about esports now. How would you define the esports market? Is it a media product or a niche betting market? Enlighten our readers.

A.Esports are without a doubt a media opportunity for all brands and companies, even for those that are galaxies away from the gaming industry.

All you need to do is look at the different sponsors that have shown up at the leagues and tournaments: from BMW to McDonald’s, marketers have understood that if they want to attract the new generations, traditional advertising channels are no longer enough. TV advertising, magazines, and other legacy media are part of history.

As we grow older and our responsibilities grow, the time available for playing games (especially competitively) decreases. For those who want to stay connected with gaming, watching esports is a nice option.

Even if you can’t play, you can always place a bet on esports. It’ll definitely make the match even more thrilling.

Q. What are the growth rate and new trends in the esports sector?

A. We’re seeing an unprecedented growth rate in the esports sector. As has been shown in various reports from Newzoo, Statista and even BusinessInsider, the esports market is growing rapidly with projections of a value over $1.5 billion by 2023.

Aside from the statistics, which are typically interesting for investors or professionals in the industry, a shift in mindset is becoming more and more prominent.

Originally set as a subsection of sport, or of the larger gaming sector, esports are now becoming a full industry with a vivid ecosystem and a strong presence in all 5 continents.

The major driving force, in my opinion, will be the release of new games which are oriented towards generating new leagues and competitive teams. We have been closely watching the rise and glory of the battle royale games (such as Fortnite, PUBG), to the second Riot title which encountered immediate success, VALORANT, and even mobile gaming which is constantly on the rise.

I think it’s difficult to predict what will happen next, what game will be the top-notch in the market, or which revolutionary game genre or feature will disrupt the growing ecosystem. What we can do is follow the scene, contribute to it with our interests, and work on its development.

Q. How do you think the Covid 19 outbreak affected the growth of esports, especially after a number of outdoor sports events were cancelled?

A. I believe that Covid-19 accelerated the growing trend of esports. We moved on from asking ourselves if “Esports is considered a sport” to the 2020 statement “Esports is the only sport available”.

People who never had any interest or knowledge in esports suddenly became interested, as that was mainly the only option. We’re pretty confident that many liked it after the first dip, and even stayed interested in esports following the pandemic.

Q. What are the new esports betting technologies and innovation that you would like to witness the iGaming industry?

A. We’ve already seen some great and innovative products being built and constantly upgraded in recent years, especially in relation to esports betting technologies. With more operators being attracted to the industry, we can be sure that we will see even more products being reinvented or actually created for the needs of esports betting.

You only need to look at the opportunities to Bet on Streamers (pioneers like Unikrn, GG.bet and Rivalry have been advancing on these), or Virtual Esports- where you bet on the outcome of AI-driven games, making it available 24-7 and more similar to a Casino product, rather than the traditional sportsbooks.

These and similar products are the next game-changers, as Millennials and GenZ are becoming the main customers of the online betting industry.

Q. What is your take on the combined growth of esports and cryptocurrencies? Why these two new-age elements are ideally placed to coexist and flourish together?

A. I am a great supporter of the cryptocurrency  movement and I believe that Betting on esports with crypto will soon become the norm.

The combination of these two new-age elements is ideally placed to coexist and flourish together, because it’s easy for anyone anywhere in the world to make a bet using cryptocurrency at odds which are better than ever before.

The esports and crypto industries have a lot in common, as their audiences are both highly engaged, with a decentralised mind-set and thirst for innovation.

Moreover, the vast majority of esports audiences are young and tech savvy – which makes them perfect candidates for crypto enthusiasts as well.

Q. How are blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies going to impact the esports betting industry?

A. I believe blockchain technology and cryptocurrency can revolutionize the esports betting industry, it will allow for a more transparent betting experience, lower transaction fees and an easier way to identify underaged users. This is particularly important for our young and emerging industry.

Blockchain technology is already starting to be implemented in the esports industry, not only for the betting contract-security component, but even through the release of NFTs and assets that can be adopted and boosted by small or large enterprises at any level. Adopting blockchain technology and cryptocurrency in this day and age is a step toward the future that we’re building – especially for the upcoming generations.

Q. How will AI and machine learning affect the online marketing for betting and gambling? Do you foresee a takeover by machines?

A. AI and machine learning are already being used in online marketing, with programs that automatically optimize the website design and other aspects of a company’s marketing campaign.

But nope! The human element is what makes betting fun – it can’t be automated to make decisions for you (unless we’re talking about blackjack). What AI can improve, in my view will be the gaming experience, as it allows you to collect and analyse huge volumes of data, and generate feedback and suggestions for further improvements.

Gaming providers and esports betting operators can implement AI and machine learning solutions to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their services in different departments: from customer support -via Chatbots for example, to odds trading, digital marketing campaigns and so on.

Q. Finally on to Catena Media. What makes Catena special from the other companies in the vertical of lead generation?

In Catena Media, and in particular when it comes to our esports betting division where we operate specialist products like EsportsBets.com, we’re after innovation and creativity. We have the customer acquisition tools, the analytical insights and the understanding of how to use them for maximum effect. That is invaluable in this industry.

And it’s not just about our own products either – we work with partners too, ensuring they get to market as quickly and efficiently as possible, irrespective of whether it’s a world-famous brand or a new start-up which is just about to get started within the sector.

The proposition of Bitcoin lotteries is simple. If you go to a casino, you have to buy chips from the cashier to play. When you finish playing, you can cash your chips in for money, or keep them for next time. With a digital lottery, you play with a digital currency. In the case of Crypto Millions Lotto it’s Bitcoin. Think of bitcoin as the chips you have to buy to play Crypto Millions Lotto. Players deposit bitcoin to play, and if they win, they get paid in bitcoin. One exception is that if you’re lucky enough to win the jackpot, this innovative digital lotto gives you the option to take your winnings in bitcoin or a local currency of your choice.

There are some really strong arguments for considering bitcoin lotteries vs traditional ones. There are two major reasons. The first is that if you play games across borders using a credit card or any other traditional form of payment, then there are complications and frustrations around whether the payment can be made or if it will be blocked, the exchange rate, and payment periods. Using bitcoin removes all of that because it knows no borders. 

The second reason is that by operating digitally using bitcoin companies like Crypto Millions Lotto can avoid a lot of infrastructure costs, including payment processing charges. According to Sulim Malook “Having a low cost base allows us to offer bigger jackpots. Our jackpots are bigger than the majority of state-run lotteries and bigger than any of our online competitors.”

How Does a Digital Lottery like Sulim’s work? 

“We allow people to play the numbers of eight of the world’s biggest lotteries on our website. Although they choose the numbers on our site, they’re actually betting on the numbers of a state lottery, so numbers are drawn by each of the underlying lotteries. That way we remain completely independent.

This means people can play every time one of those eight lotteries has a draw, in total 14 times a week.

In case people don’t see the live draw, we announce all of the winning numbers on our website, and we notify all winners by email immediately. Payment of winnings is made within minutes of the lottery ending.”

Bitcoin lotteries are the natural progression from digital lotteries

The first big shift was from offline to online, but all that really changed was how we bought and received tickets for a single lottery.

The next shift was allowing people to play many different lotteries online, and for that people needed a better way to buy tickets and to receive winnings. Sulim says “That’s where bitcoin came in. So, we haven’t adopted bitcoin just because it’s a digital currency. We’ve done it because it’s the best currency for the job.”

Covid’s Effect on The Lottery

Contrary to what you might imagine, historically, the lottery performs well in downturns and recessions, as people try to generate fast money for themselves. Covid, of course, has put a lot of the world into recession, so the lotto industry as a whole as well as the gaming sector has performed well. 

But more significant than that, Covid has exposed the flaws and tensions in the traditional lottery model. Specifically, that it relies on a network of small retailers to sell tickets, most of which have now been closed and certainly were not contactless anyway.

The result, according to Sulim, is that people have gone online. “So not just us, the whole online lottery industry has seen a big uplift, while the traditional lotteries have seen a negative impact.”

And yet the lifting of COVID restrictions has not impacted this sector negatively. Sulim was clear that “On the contrary, the effect has been positive. With some state lotteries closing down for months, playing online was the only option. In our view, this is a good thing for an industry that has been living in the dark ages.

I’d liken it to working from home. Covid has opened many people’s eyes to the benefits of home working. Some people might go back to the office after Covid restrictions are lifted. But for many others, they’ve discovered a new way of doing things and will stick with it. It’s the same with the digital lottery. We introduced it to many people who now prefer it and who won’t go back to the old way.”

Business is booming at Crypto Millions Lotto and the team has a lot in the pipeline. So what comes next for a business of this ilk? 

“We have lots of exciting things in our pipeline. We’ve recently added six new lotteries, and we’re planning to add more. We also plan to add more games, as well as offering players the ability to get bitcoin using their credit cards directly on our site.

As our user base expands into more countries, we want to offer Crypto Millions Lotto in multiple languages.

We have also just launched an affiliate program, which we believe offers a more attractive proposition than other affiliate programs already out there.”

Are big summer events the most important part of the year, or just an added benefit to day-to-day activity?

Summer sporting events are a big deal for global sportsbook suppliers as they present endless opportunities to boost engagement and deliver unique promotions, but I see it as a bit of both.

After a prolonged period without any major football tournaments and over a season’s worth of fixtures being played behind closed doors, the European Championships and the Copa America have arrived at the perfect time for sport lovers around the world.

The spike of growth in the number of users around these events is very much influenced by the market and depends on many factors, like whether a local team is playing in the tournament and what sources the operator gets its traffic through.

We see a similar number of bets placed on a given day of the European Championships as we do on the night of the Champions League final, with the latter stages of the tournament only attracting more users. This is a testament to the popularity and appeal of summer sporting competitions.

How can sportsbook suppliers prepare for these huge events, which should see significantly increased traffic?

Betby prides itself on the flexibility of its products and ability to pivot its platform to suit specific requirements. Preparation for tournaments of this size is key due to the huge spike in user activity during the games.

Work schedules around the time of major events are changed to facilitate the increased number of bets being placed before games, as well as requests from clients to run campaigns in the build up to the tournament.  We also tend to increase the number of markets of bets ahead of these competitions to set it apart from regular sporting events.

Are regional sporting events, such as the European Championships or Copa America, popular globally or only within those regions where the games are being played?

For the most part, there is little interest in the Copa America in Europe, and the same can be said for interest in the European Championships in Latin America, but there are always sport enthusiasts and other outliers that must be catered to.

For example, the Argentina-Brazil clash will undoubtedly see some interest around the globe thanks to the prominence of superstars like Lionel Messi and Neymar. That said, when you consider the time difference and abundance of smaller ties, global figures will always be smaller in comparison.

This problem is not specific to football; we see the same issue in the NBA where European followers are expected to sacrifice sleep and brave the early hours of the morning just to watch their team play.

Can the Olympics ever become a major betting event?

This is a very complex question. There’s a feeling that the Olympics is slowly losing relevance in the sporting community.

Perhaps we should not talk about the Olympics as a whole, and rather focus on the separate events that make up the competition. The tennis is always interesting to watch from the start due to the ‘knock-out’ nature of the ties, whereas football in the Olympics only becomes a knock-out once teams pass the group stages.

The dedicated following that we see at club and international level in football, rugby and other global sports audiences is just incomparable to the following that Olympic sports like rowing or fencing get throughout the year.

How has Betby approached the bumper sporting summer of 2021?

Without going into too much detail on our plans for the upcoming summer, I can confirm that we have changed our priorities to assist the launch of a host of additional football markets for the European Championships.

We recently reimagined the ‘classic’ sportsbook in the design of our site’s new layout, so it now boasts a fully responsive user interface, easy site navigation and swift betting placement, which addresses feedback we received from our users.

With a brand-new sidebar, high-quality widgets and more markets than ever before, we have done everything in our power to make this summer as enjoyable as possible for our audiences. After all, there has been so little to celebrate over the past 18 months that a touch excitement is long overdue.

Exclusive Q&A with GoodLuckMate CEO and Founder Nerijus Grenda

With responsible gaming ever at the forefront of discussions around gambling and with all eyes on the UK as it conducts its once-in-a-generation review of its gambling laws, there could be big changes coming to the industry as a whole.

GoodLuckMate CEO and Founder Nerijus Grenda makes the case for the iGaming industry going even further in its efforts to protect vulnerable players. And he believes that technology holds the key to removing cases of human error that can lead to costly lawsuits and fines.

European Gaming catches up with Grenda to explore how the industry might adapt over the coming years, whether that’s via changes to the law or by mutually beneficial cooperation.

First off, how has the industry changed its stance on responsible gaming? Do you feel that things are heading in the right direction?

I must say that responsible gaming has made great strides over the last decade or so. There is far more awareness about the issues on the part of the industry, the staff working within it, and the players themselves. All this can only be regarded as a good thing. Nowadays, many players around the world have access to free online tests for gambling addiction, tools to limit playing time, deposit amounts, and overall losses, and there is the opportunity to self-exclude from gambling altogether. Add to this the fact that it’s much easier to get help from free professional help via a wealth of links and advice articles and you can see that we’ve come a very long way.

From my experience of working within the industry for many years, I can also see how staff training programs have benefitted all parts of organizations, especially when it comes to spotting the negative behavioral patterns exhibited by some gambling addicts. And this training is usually extended to all parts of the business, from the C-level staff to the customer support teams that act as the first line of defense against gambling addiction. So, yes, I can honestly say that things have been and are continuing to move in the right direction. But now it’s time to go even further!

Do you think more can be done by online casinos and sports betting sites to protect vulnerable players? Can technology play a major role in this?

Absolutely yes to both questions. Without a doubt, there is always more the industry can do to help vulnerable players before problems get out of hand. And in addition to the training I mentioned above, technology has to play the leading role in tackling the problem. From some of the cases I have read about players suing online casinos, it seems like there is either not enough technology being used to detect issues in the first place or that these processes are being overridden by staff wanting to keep a player on the hook. For example, there should be no way that source of funds checks aren’t carried out as soon as a player crosses a certain threshold for depositing and/or losing significant amounts – with no exceptions. Somewhere in the chain, some of these things are being missed or ignored and that really needs to change.

Another way in which technology should be employed is in spotting sudden changes in betting behavior. I have no doubt that some companies are already doing this, but it should become the default across the entire industry. For example, if a player suddenly goes from betting a couple of hundred per month to thousands, there should be technological mechanisms for flagging the behavior and for an additional source of funds check to be carried out. By doing this, any potential gambling addiction cases or illegal sources of money are nipped in the bud. The same goes for employing technology to help staff spot fake IDs and other supporting documents in the case of underage players, for example. There are many ways in which technology can help us.

Will the UK Review of the Gambling Act 2005 shake up the wider industry? What changes do you see being on the cards once it has concluded?

While I am not based in the United Kingdom, I have been keeping a close eye on the reports coming out and the rather negative media attention being focused on the once-in-a-generation review – as I’m sure many others within the industry are doing. From what I’ve been reading lately, I think there will be further restrictions on the advertising of gambling products on TV, particularly at times when there are a lot of teenagers and young adults watching. For example, I believe that the ban on all gambling advertising before the 9 PM watershed might extend to all major sporting events where young adults are watching. Additionally, I’ve seen a lot of concern being expressed about the Premier League’s reliance on gambling companies as commercial partners. So, it might be the case that teams will soon need to change their shirt sponsors, too.

There is also intense media scrutiny on FOBTs (fixed odds betting terminals, otherwise known as slots). Because of this, betting limits have been put in place and I expect that some of these same ideas for limiting player losses to make the leap over to online slots, too. And another related area I see mentioned in media reports is the practice of cross-selling from one gambling product to another. With the UK being a huge market for sports betting, there is a natural tendency within the industry to move these players from relatively low-profit sports betting over to the far more profitable game types such as slots. However, there could be recommendations to limit cross-selling. Alternatively, players may need to have a separate account for each game type – hence making it more difficult for online casinos to convince players to make the switch.

Do you feel that media attention on cases involving gambling addicts negatively affects the entire industry? And do these cases shape public opinion?

One hundred percent! Major cases are usually reported fairly high up in the news running order simply because the numbers make for an interesting read. People have a natural tendency to find out how a single person was able to not only bet but also lose hundreds of thousands, or even millions in some cases. And the way pretty much all of these cases are reported casts a negative shadow over the entire gaming industry. Almost invariably, we are made to see the online casino in question as the bad guy (and their statements are usually reserved for the very end of the article), with much of the focus being on how the source of funds checks were not carried out properly, or how the player was targeted with numerous offers and enticements over a sustained period of time, for example. All of this undoubtedly shapes public opinion negatively.

Finally, is there enough will within the casino industry to continue to push responsible gaming, or is the profit motive always going to supersede player protection?

While profit is and always will be the main motive behind choosing to set up and run an online casino or sportsbook site, I think a little more focus on responsible gaming would help avoid very costly lawsuits and/or fines later down the line. Furthermore, even if these costs can easily be factored in as a necessary part of the business, the negative press attention that comes along with these cases simply isn’t justifiable in the long run. By getting things right in the first place, there’s more opportunity to build a respectable brand that will endure for many years to come – and with that comes long-term profit, of course. I also think that if the industry works as a whole, shares data on any potential loopholes they’ve spotted, and continues to focus on responsible gaming as an entirely positive aspect of the gambling industry, then everyone wins. 

Having proven itself as one of 2020’s standout industry performers, BetGames has not been one to rest on its laurels in the first six months of 2021, launching a host revamped games, as well as establishing its Malta hub with plans to expand the company by 100+ members by the end of the year.

We caught up with BetGames’ Head of Sales, Thomas Aigner, to talk through the studio’s latest moves and plans for continued global expansion.

Looking back at the last six months for European markets, how can we assess performance and what we’ve seen as an industry? 

There’s been two main stand-outs that we’ve witnessed: the increasing player preference for low-stakes entertainment and the popularity of live gaming generally as a remedy for quarantine. As lockdowns have continued in the first half of this year, our games have retained a wealth of players since we intrinsically attract a lower spend with far more regular play – as well a fixed-odds betting format that has ensured we’re a welcome home for sportsbook customers looking to try something new.

In light of what has been effectively an ongoing recession, we’ve also learned that the key to player engagement is a low-spend proposition without the risk of big losses, combined with simplicity in gameplay and the high-frequency in sessions. Given that the majority of players the world over have been observing social isolation, this makes perfect sense – with a strong preference for pick-up-and-play products that offer live entertainment for hours without emptying their wallet. The live experience has been a well-placed antidote to the seclusion that many have experienced over the last 12 months or so.

I think one of the biggest lessons learned has been that diversification is imperative. Pre-Covid, we’d expect operators to be focusing up to 70% of their spend on promoting sports and little else. Those who continued with that approach through 2020 and indeed, the first six months of this year, given the lack of retail environments in Europe, have really felt the pinch.

Moving forward, there needs to be far more focus on alternatives such as ours, as we’ve clearly learned that sports fans are unaccustomed to the majority of casino, or indeed the playing format available, even with Live Casino. It is essential that suppliers take onboard the lessons learned from betting activity, especially when it comes to providing the low-spend, extended sessions that have proven to work so well, and adapt accordingly.

When it comes to BetGames, what regions have been key in Europe so far? Where have you been focusing your energy?

Europe is an incredibly diverse continent when it comes to playing styles, and the BetGames customer certainly varies between markets. On the whole, we attract sports bettors, which is particularly the case in Eastern Europe, where we know that 70-80% of our returning customers are sports fans – and this is one way we really differentiate ourselves as a supplier against our competitors.

For mature markets, such as Scandinavia and the UK, products such as Bet on Poker have performed particularly well, as they offer a playing format that resonates very strongly with players, delivering a winning combination of both poker, which is a continental favourite, alongside the fixed-odds betting format we are famous for.

Looking to new entrances, expansion in Greece, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Ukraine and Georgia are top of the agenda for us, with this summer’s sporting calendar likely to give a welcome boost for all. Having said that, we’re aware that is hard to bring in new game types that can resonate with established players – this requires significant time and resources. We’ve revamped our commercial department accordingly to handle both expansion and our existing partners, which means we have close to triple the resources from last year to have the helping hands in place to support the day-to-day.

As has been evident from many of our recently agreed partnerships, We’re set to work together on pushing and promoting our products with the operator group, dedicating a separate category for our games. This kind of approach will be particularly effective as we differ from traditional Live Dealer and Live Casino Games – which means our target demographic is different. This means that together we can focus on particular player segments that we can engage and retain.

Tell us about the launch of your Malta Hub – that’s certainly big news for BetGames – that must be big news for your recruitment plans?

To keep pace with our rapid recent growth, we realised that we had to expand our capacity and we’re planning to greatly increase our headcount. Opening the Malta office was a logical step in that roadmap, not only to cater for the extra bodies but also to position ourselves closer to the heart of the igaming industry.

Looking at the numbers, we have incredibly ambitious plans to increase our 200-strong team by more than 50%, with our Malta hub ready to provide a platform for attracting the best of the industry’s talent. It will also be a hugely convenient place to meet our clients and friends, and while we understand the way that businesses and people have evolved in the last 12 months, we recognise the need to have that base where our colleagues can be inspired and productive – offering a home, a meeting place, and a space where we can collaborate and innovate.

The long-term strategy we’re currently on course with is set to change our operations as we know them. By planting our flag in Malta, I see it as an excellent chance to transform the company to a new level of growth that will help us to increase in size and revolutionise the way we deliver service to our partners.

When looking at Europe – how would summarise the changing trends of player demand? What products do you plan to offer accordingly? 

Increased regulation in Europe is also going to have plenty of influence on shaping player demand over the year ahead. In my view, the key to success if going to be offering regulation-friendly, low-stakes, simple and easy extended entertainment that can keep players engaged without emptying their wallet.

Economic circumstances (as well as lockdowns) demand this – and players want an easily accessible experience that can be enjoyed in a low-spend format. This is especially going to be the case this summer – and our approach is to always offer complementary products that can boost engagement and sportsbook spend, rather than drain it.

BetGames is a great acquisition tool for new players – while also broadening the target group for live content because of the simplicity and availability of content, odds and betslip format, attracting sports bettors. Accordingly, our partners need content that can fit in seamlessly alongside a sports betting offering, and we’ve specifically designed our catalogue to work in this way. Sports betting margins will always be inherently higher for operators as they don’t carry the cost of using a third-party, making us one of the few suppliers globally that can truly offer a partnership that can boost both sides of the coin.

Last but not least – where are the key markets in Europe for growth our readers should be watching over the next 12 months? Where has BetGames got its eye on? 

We’ve got our eye firmly fixed on Greece at the moment, as already mentioned, but looking further afield, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Brazil, Ukraine and Georgia are other territories that we see plenty of potential in, as I’m sure most of our fellow European suppliers and operators see too.

In evaluating where’s best for us, there’s a host of regulated markets available and we’ve got to make sure that we’re entering the regions best suited to us and our portfolio. We’ve significantly changed our assessment criteria to make it a far more comprehensive process to apply due diligence. This means that we’ve now got our own taskforce dedicated to performing key market analysis with a criteria that encompasses both qualitative and quantitative data. This now totals 14 different key factors that we analyse to work out where our products will work best – and we’re very excited for the bringing our unique catalogue to more players than ever before!

With lockdown restrictions being eased across Europe, businesses have a big decision to make on whether to force a return to the office or keep a culture of remote working.

Hyperion Tech Chief Business Development Officer, Ori Zilbershtein, believes it is an easy call – remote working is here to stay. Productivity has increased during the pandemic and businesses are embracing the hybrid model that provides greater flexibility and perks to employees.

European Gaming caught up with Zilbershtein to understand how remote working has influenced product development and why the traditional office model is dead.

How have working practices in iGaming changed since Covid and do you expect these to remain in the future?

Before the pandemic, iGaming CTOs were fixated on the idea that developers had to work alongside each other in the same office to create new products. It was common that companies would refuse to hire candidates who wanted to work remotely – a puzzling approach given the well-documented skill shortages in Malta, one of the industry’s main hubs. However, Covid-19 has completely transformed the office setup and how organisations interact with colleagues and recruit new staff. Businesses are taking full advantage of the wealth of overseas talent available, realising the benefits of recruitment without being restricted to a certain geographic location.

The advent of remote working has reassured senior executives that allowing employees to work from home does not impact productivity. In fact, we have found the opposite with output actually increasing as staff feel more comfortable in their own surroundings and are not distracted by constant meetings.

How big an impact has Covid had on tech with people working remotely? Has innovation suffered because of this?

Far from it, instead we have seen projects completed more efficiently since developers have worked from home. Meetings and discussions have become more succinct and operational efficiency has increased as a result.

Simply put, time is wasted when developers spend every day in the office. Rather than finding themselves in endless face-to-face discussions between stakeholders, which often yield no real solutions, developers working from home are now able to spend more time writing the code that creates world-class products.

Many people claim to be more stressed since Covid because there of a lack of downtime, how can iGaming companies address these issues to ensure their workforce is engaged and efficient yet also happy?

That is a responsibility that should be shared between teams and managers at all organisations. At Hyperion Tech, we do not ask staff to respond to professional enquiries outside of working hours, unless it is a matter of urgent importance. Clients do not generally contact us out of hours, and of course there are instances when we can make exceptions. The key is to develop an open relationship with your partners based on trust and courteousness, communicating honestly throughout the process.

For example, when we do receive an out of office hours enquiry which is not urgent, we reply at the earliest opportunity when we are back working, which is never a problem. Of course, in those exceptional circumstances where a pressing matter needs addressing, then we are more than happy to do so outside of working hours. That approach brings tremendous mental health benefits, reducing stress by ensuring that staff do not feel obliged to spend every waking hour glued to their phone or laptop.

What does the future hold for offices post-pandemic? Is the traditional office model dead?

Working habits have fundamentally changed and the office setup that was previously the norm is unlikely to return. People often enjoy working from home and save time by cutting out their daily commute, with output increasing as a result.

Giving people greater responsibility to achieve their goals is almost always a positive thing for businesses looking to expand, and doing this remotely is no different. Showing your employees that you trust them to work from home will in most cases see them repay you by going the extra mile to help the company grow. This is having a positive influence on staff turnover too, with fewer people leaving their jobs and HR saving on significant costs.

Our office will still be in use for certain meetings and training sessions once the pandemic is over, as well as providing a space for those who cannot comfortably work from home, but the hybrid model is very much the future. Companies that insist on making staff use the office on a full-time basis will be at a significant disadvantage in the job market, playing second fiddle to those who offer a flexible model of some kind. Making people sit in an office for 40 hours a week will only make your business a less desirable place to work – and hiring top talent will be more difficult as a consequence.

How is Hyperion Tech supporting iGaming companies in a post-Covid environment?

As an iGaming technology services provider, Hyperion Tech is here to support companies that are looking to build their teams with the right talent. Working with a range of clients in the iGaming, Fintech and other tech sectors, we create hybrid teams of internal and external developers that take a business’ operations to the next level.

Malta’s tech talent shortage has been well documented, but with remote working we now have a solution to this key issue. Malta-based businesses often tell us how hard they have found it to recruit and retain top talent, but now they are in a position to embrace the hybrid model and employ staff from across Europe. That is where we come in, as we take great pride in building successful teams for our clients by tapping into a huge pool of tech talent.