Slotegrator Business Development Manager Ayvar Gabidullin talks to Website Planet
In an interview titled “Slotegrator — Leading the Way in iGaming,” Slotegrator Business Development Manager Ayvar Gabidullin talked with Website Planet about the history of the company, what sets Slotegrator apart, and the future of the iGaming industry.
How has Slotegrator evolved since the company was founded, and how did the company deal with COVID-19? How does the company plan to stay ahead of the iGaming curve, and how does the company work to ensure its clients’ security?
Find out all this and more in the interview below.
Can you tell us about the history of Slotegrator and how the company has evolved over time?
Slotegrator is a provider of omnichannel products for various verticals in the iGaming industry. Our company was small when it was founded in 2012, but today Slotegrator is one of the iGaming industry’s leading software and business solution providers for online casino and sportsbook operators. We have over 300 employees worldwide, 2 offices across Europe and the CIS, over 100 partners and 250 clients around the globe, and more than 150 successfully launched projects.
The company’s main focus is software development and support for online casino platforms, as well as the integration of game content and payment systems. We work with licensed game developers and offer a vast portfolio of casino content: slots, live casino games, poker, virtual sports, table games, lotteries, casual games, and data feeds for betting. Slotegrator also provides consulting services in gambling license acquisition and business incorporation.
Slotegrator is a leading provider of iGaming solutions. What do you think sets Slotegrator apart from other companies in the industry?
I think our great advantage is our passion for innovation. We embrace new ideas. I can name our team of gambling geeks, which is comprised of young and determined individuals with an undying thirst for knowledge and a massive appetite for new experiences.
We’re not afraid of technology — we adore it. We strive to integrate innovation into all our products, and create something more competitive and effective for our partners and clients.
We’re constantly developing new solutions so our clients can grow their businesses. Our top products: Turnkey online casino solution, our solution for the successful management of a gambling business; Telegram Casino, our solution for mobile gambling using a bot; and APIgrator, our solution for easy integration of a variety of games. It was certified in Georgia. In 2022, APIgrator was certified by authorities in Lithuania and also in Sweden. In 2022, we completed the licensing process in Romania – our new platform now has a B2B license from Romanian regulator ONJN.
Our mission is to break down any barrier that stands between iGaming operators and the success they’re aiming for, and our enthusiasm for innovation helps us to do it successfully.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the online gaming industry, and what changes have you seen in user behavior as a result?
In the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we decided to get through it by doing what we do best – our work. And this period was something of a breakthrough period for us. During the pandemic, we created products that we developed even further in 2022, specifically our improved turnkey platform and Telegram Casino solution. We strengthened our market position and entered new regions. The overall strategy was to continue to grow the gambling industry by doing what we know how to do, and we’ve managed to accomplish that.
Even after the pandemic, players have continued to appreciate innovations for mobile gambling, and games with live dealers. But during the pandemic, new game rules were formed: we were online every day in 2020, and today it is our part of life. And we understand that point, and I can say that the pandemic has made standards for online much higher than they were in 2018 or 2019.
The new format of this year is a hybrid form of games. Our research has shown that players really appreciate the combination of online and offline modes of games, because they can choose which is more convenient for them at any moment. Even live dealer games are played online, so players have the ability to choose for themselves the most convenient way to play.
What do you think the future of the online gaming industry looks like, and how is Slotegrator positioning itself to stay ahead of the curve?
According to our market forecast for the next 5 years, we expect to see 5 main trends:
- Casinos in the metaverse. I’ve also seen some ratings of these casinos (dated to 2023), and it is a very interesting direction for iGaming to develop in.
- The launch of VR products, which are already of great interest in the gambling industry. The market is beginning to move in this direction, because these technologies are becoming more and more available.
- The emergence of new types of games. In order to stay competitive, providers will continue to create completely new types of games. These will include NFT integration or opportunities for players to be creative, as Aviatrix did, for example, by introducing its crash game with a customizable NFT token to the market in October 2022. Gaming providers who bet on NFT, KYC verification, first-person table games, and crypto bonuses will be the leaders of the next several years.
- Expanding interest in stream betting. Industry experts predict that this trend has a bright future. Such a solution has the potential to increase players’ confidence in esports in general, as well as to make the format of stream games more popular.
- Digitalization will be a catalyst not only for the emerging markets like Latin America, Asia, and India, but for the European market as well. I recommend watching our overview, below, about gambling industry trends in 2023. It’s like a roadmap for our market today.
Security is a top concern for online gaming operators and their customers. How does Slotegrator address these concerns and ensure the safety and security of its clients?
Security is one of the most important criteria in our industry. Online security is the same thing as choosing who has access to your personal space. People appreciate having control over their privacy in all aspects of life, and games are no different. We know it and certainly include it in our products. For example, our turnkey online solution has an improved KYC module. This module is responsible for smooth and consistent user verification. The process is as simple as this: management sets a list of required documents for each player segment and for different stages of player activity, including registration and verification, as well as ongoing monitoring of player activity. Each KYC check must be completed at a different stage, and operators decide which documents it is necessary to verify. Operators can also set a black list with denial of access for specific IP addresses of risky or excluded users, if this is necessary for project security.
The KYC parameters are developed in compliance with the requirements of two gambling licensing bodies, the Curaçao Gaming Control Board (CGCB) and the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), which means that casinos are able to set the verification process in accordance with the rules of their chosen jurisdiction.
The security of our products is our responsibility, and we take all of our responsibilities very seriously. You can keep up with Slotegrator on our YouTube channel and the news section of the Slotegrator website. The Academy section of the site provides educational material and covers the latest updates in the iGaming industry.