GMB – First of all, we would like to congratulate you for winning in the category of “Best Game Producer” at recent Brazilian iGaming Awards, and for your participation as speaker during BiS.
Victor Arias – Everything wasreally great for us at BiS. From the quality of the event to the joy of being recognized in the region as the best game producer, an award that we received. And talking about the variety of games for the Brazilian Market, at this important moment it is going through with the upcoming regulation of the activity, is extremely appropriate. Having different types of games, to suit the taste of the entire range of players, is one of the secrets to the success of a company like Pragmatic Play. And showing this at the Brazilian iGaming Summit was essential to reinforce our commitment to this important market that opens up to the world.
How to reach the Brazilian player and offer him games focused on the Brazilian market?
The communication we have with the operator is an important tool for us to offer what the player expects. Listening to the operator is very important as he is the direct interface with the player. In addition to all content localization strategies, working very closely with affiliates through various marketing tools, we listen a lot to operators, as they have this direct communication with the end user of our product. Depending on the operator's need, we develop localized products for specific markets.
Is Brazil very different from other countries where Pragmatic Play works?
When we talk about the entire Latin American continent, each country is a different culture. Some things within the game culture are similar, but if we talk about Brazil, there are specific tastes and there are differences. I don't know if there's much difference, but they involve the Brazilian's own characteristic, always with a contagious joy.
How do you evaluate BiS, where Pragmatic Play was a sponsor, exhibitor and speaker?
It far exceeded my expectations. It was an incredible event after two years without meetings. It is always a joy to meet our friends in the industry, but I was also surprised by the large influx of new people in our industry, which shows that the activity is growing. So, it was a great joy to be at the Brazilian iGaming Summit and see how the sector is developing a successful path in the country.
How is Pragmatic Play's presence in Brazil?
It's been a complete success. Our strategy on the continent is location. And part of that is the formation of a team at the Latin American level, which is in charge of each of the most important markets in the region. And one of them is Brazil. We hired a country manager, who has been with us for a few months and who is in charge of business in the country. So far, the result has been very good and we hope it will continue to do so over time.
How do you see the issue of gambling regulation in Brazil?
What I can say is that Brazil is the country that attracts the most attention, not only in Latin America, but all over the world, in relation to the regulation of gambling in the country. I still don't know what will happen, but I can say with certainty that Pragmatic Play has a lot of anticipation for what will come and I guarantee that we have every intention to compile everything necessary regarding the technical requirements so that we can participate in the regulated market.
What are Pragmatic Play's plans for when the regulation comes out?
Within the localization project, it's about adapting to the market's requirements and needs. It's huge, and if we have to settle down with an office and more people, we'll do it. For the time being, we already have a country manager and in the coming days we will also hire a Brazil account manager, as a way of expanding our presence in the market, adapting to the needs that already existed even before the regulation.
Do you consider that the presence of Pragmatic Play in Brazil is already consolidated, since new partnerships are being signed all the time?
This is the result of good work throughout Latin America on brand exposure and is completed by the excellent user experience. The quality is being recognized by the Latin market and, considering that, operators of all sizes have come to us to say: “I want your product, because I heard that it works well and that people like it and ask us for your game.” This is a source of pride for all of us at Pragmatic Play.
Of course, it's a joint effort that brings together all the brand strengthening that we've been doing in Latin America, the user experience, the feedback from operators and, obviously, the dedication of our country manager in commercial matters.
Pragmatic Play had a tremendous year, marked by many launches, new partnerships and several awards in Latin America. What does this mean for the company in light of an increasing presence in the region?
That's right, the year 2021 marked the establishment of the foundations of our strategy, which aims to consolidate a team fully located in the region, to meet our goals: to offer an increasingly localized product and the formation of a work team to interact with each of our business partners, in their own language and in similar time zones.
All of this resulted in an important expansion in the region, which was a before and an after for our company. We are aware of the potential that the Latin American market presents and the number of companies that are gaining prominence due to their growth and good performance when applying their positioning strategies.
At Pragmatic Play we are very proud to have won four prestigious regional awards in 2021. It is a great motivation for all of us who carefully develop each point that is part of our brand positioning strategy in the market, with commitment, professionalism and hard work. These awards are also the result of the confidence that each of our commercial partners in the region has had in our management and in our service. We dedicate these recognitions to each one of them, because they are the main piece of gear that makes a product the leader in a market like Latin America.
Pragmatic Play got approval for its games in Buenos Aires, one of the most important visiting cards in Latin America in the area of games and which is now opening up even more to the online vertical. How was this certification and what difficulties had to be overcome?
The Argentine territory and its division of provincial jurisdictions represent the biggest challenge for any technology provider intending to offer its services to local operators.
The provinces that currently have a regulatory framework have, in most cases, different requirements. This means that the provider must evaluate and decide which is the commercially viable option, in order to act in accordance with it and thus obtain the relevant entitlement.
Due to the complexity of the territory, I will specifically talk about the Lotba case in the city of Buenos Aires, in which technology providers must first register with the regulatory entity, in this case, the city of Buenos Aires (CABA). After that, the provider has to hold a certification for the products he intends to enter the territory, certifying their integrity with a recognized laboratory. In our case it was GLI. In this process, a flexibility emerged that allowed us to present a certification from another jurisdiction, getting a six-month time permit. During this period, we have to comply with the territory's certification requirements.
Every regulated territory has rules and requirements, which are a challenge for technology providers with an interest in the market, to fulfill the objective of being one of the protagonists in this new jurisdiction.
At Pragmatic Play we have licenses for our products in the main regulated territories in Latin America, and we are fully willing to evaluate new regulated jurisdictions in order to become a participant.
Do you believe this certification will further boost Pragmatic Play in Argentina? How do you see the local market today?
For sure. Every time a market obtains certification and is regulated, for us and for the industry in general, this translates into enormous advantages and many possibilities for growth.
For Pragmatic Play, this regulation is, without a doubt, one of the kicks that we have been waiting for to continue with the expansion project in the Argentine market.
At Pragmatic Play we look forward to seeing how the Argentine market will continue to develop. We are very satisfied with the results obtained in 2021, we have our products in the provinces of Santa Fe, San Luis and Misiones, and, recently, also in the city and province of Buenos Aires. By 2022, we hope to be present across the entire territory.
The year started still in the midst of the health crisis that had already affected 2019, with a terrible scenario of suspension of in-person activities. This allowed for a huge growth of the online market. Do you believe that this growth will continue in 2022?
No doubt. The online market has been experiencing exponential growth for some time, even before the health crisis. The phenomenon of users' adaptation to technological changes has resulted in a greater demand to respond to consumer needs. This meant that companies in the digital environment had to improve their offer; this also led those without a digital presence to go out in search of technological platforms that would help in the transition to the online modality.
What did COVID-19 bring? An extreme acceleration of the digital transformation trend, making the application of technology more urgent.
The main challenge for us was the adaptation of our internal teams to remote management and the application of new communication protocols, to continue with the expansion strategies without forgetting, not even for a second, our focus on offering a product and a quality service, the best user experience and high-performance technology.
I hope that the health crisis does not continue into 2022, because it was a very difficult period with gigantic challenges, which tested the capacity of world powers, but also served as an experience and education for humanity.
What are Pragmatic Play's main plans for 2022 on the continent and which countries, besides Brazil, will be the focus for the company?
The main challenge is to continue offering the highest quality service on the market and a complete location in each of the countries on the continent.
We are currently present in six countries in Latin America and will continue to seek to cover more territories in the region.
Our plans for Brazil were drawn up very seriously, since the beginning of our administration. Today we have a country manager and we are in full establishment of our localized Account Management team, which will be in charge of the daily management with each of our business partners in Brazil, with its own culture, language and time zone.
We are very pleased with this year's results and have high expectations for 2022, continuing in the same direction, positioned as the #1 casino content provider in the region.
Source: Exclusive GMB
