GMB - What is the reasoning behind the Brazilian version of your website?
Victor Arias - As part of our localisation strategy to introduce our brand and products into the Brazilian market, having our corporate image and website content in the Brazilian Portuguese language was a must.
Despite having the site already available in European Portuguese, we decided that we should also have the Brazilian version of it to confirm all Brazilian operators and users how important this market is for us.
Brazil is one of the few Latin-American countries that does not speak Spanish, and we could not just leave this behind; it is the biggest territory in South America and one with the greatest potential for growth.
Browsing the site, we can tell that you made a special Brazilian version rather than only translating the content, how did you do it?
There is a massive difference between translating and localising. We both know we have a local solid team and in order to succeed it was essential to have a native Brazilian speaker in charge, whom not only had the language but also a set of professional skills including iGaming experience and local business know-how to present successfully our wide range of products to the market. We have two newcomers joining our LatAm Hub team: a Brazilian Marketing Coordinator and a local Business Development Manager leading our get-into-the-market strategy.
This Brazilian version of pragmaticplay.com remarks on the importance of this market for your company, how are your games performing there? Bingo, Slots, Live Casino, which vertical do you consider is the favourite for Brazilian players?
We targeted the market with all our verticals, and we have entered the country with some operators who have all of them already live in the region; we are also experiencing acceptance across all of our products having slots as favourite but also seeing our Live Casino and Virtual Sports audiences steadily increasing. We are also looking forward to introducing our bingo multi-player platform soon, as there is a current network constantly expanding and growing with local operators.
We have seen our Slots performing very well, having classics like Sweet Bonanza and Wolf Gold as headliners but also recent titles like the Hand of Midas and Juicy Fruits leading on this vertical. Our diverse and extended Slots catalogue is key and the appealing mechanics and game features are the perfect mix for player engagement. Alongside Slots, we have also seen Scratchcards being trendy and our table games increasing its demand by local users.
Having a single API providing multiple verticals is key, we bring innovation and product diversification with one-time technical effort.
Given the interest in the region, are you considering hiring a local headcount to join your LatAm Hub?
Yes, and in fact we already DID it! as part of the localisation strategy, it is vital to have local assistance. We now have a Brazilian Portuguese team at the LatAm hub servicing the region across marketing, business development and account management expertise to cover every angle required to service the market with excellent professionals.
We take our commitment to the region seriously. We promise, we act, and we deliver TOP user experience for both our commercial partners and local users.
Speaking of other matters aside from localisation, what’s the product's role in the company’s strategy in Latin America? What are the main features demanded by operators in the region?
I have always said that Latin America cannot be seen as a single market, each country has its own particularities, and it is not a secret that Brazil is a market with special demands and characteristics that cannot be missed.
Offering a localised service is vital but efforts would be in vain if there is not a strong product. Having a multi-product offering gives us the competitive advantage of entering a market with not only one but four verticals while offering diversification. We understand that to succeed in Brazil it is important to address its cultural demand which is unique in LatAm. I am proud to say that we have the technology and the capabilities to develop bespoke games for specific markets and specific operators if needed, we have no limits to this.
We have an amazing product; operators are really happy with our service and product performance and we will be following and listening closely to both users and operators to continue providing premium entertainment.
Betplay in Colombia, Aposta365 in Peru, Doncashino in Paraguay, Grupo Cordialito en Venezuela, and AgClub7 in Brazil, are some of the latest Pragmatic deals in Latam, what do you think it’s the key to the success of your verticals and its single API integration?
The key to success is a combination of many key factors but if I had to summarise, I could say:
It’s almost a year since you started your role as VP of LatAm, what’s the most important goal you had set when you started, and what have you achieved of it?
As a VP, I was responsible for establishing the local team and of course bringing our brand and products to the region. Today I am proud to say that I have partially succeeded in both, and I say partially only because both goals are unstoppable, we are experiencing such an acceptance that there would never be a point when I think I’m done with any of them, as they are linked to each other.
I feel happy and proud of the work done so far; I have contributed by bringing a Tier 1 company that is now part of the region’s development and growth.
Have you been affected by the recent spike of the pandemic in LatAm?
Of course, we all got affected in many ways personally and professionally. The world changed and after a year since the beginning of this pandemic, we are still facing challenges but also, we learned a lot, we know now the importance of adapting and reacting quickly in an industry that never sleeps.
Speaking specifically on the business side, a lot of companies were forced to make drastic changes, we saw companies focused on land-based operations quickly mutating to the digital world, having entire teams been migrated to perform their functions remotely from home. We also valued the importance of the face-to-face experience, which changed to virtual business coffees and conferences held by video calls.
Every crisis comes with an opportunity, expanding horizons, exploring new markets and reaching the world through a digital platform.
At Pragmatic Play, we can say that it was a challenging year but also very interesting as the growth we are experiencing is only a consequence of our hard work and commitment to the region. We have not been affected negatively, we have learned to adapt to unforeseen circumstances and keep performing and running the business without major issues.
We have seen on your website that the company will have several new launches for Live Casino and Videoslots coming over, what can we expect from Pragmatic Play in May?
There will be many exciting product launches coming soon! Our Slots catalogue boost continues with up to five new games every month. Users can expect more of our in-house content, as well as updated versions of some classic titles in partnership with brands like Megaways, Reel Kingdom and Wild Streak.
Moreover, the excitement persists with new Live Casino additions including more gameshows and new tables for the traditional games.
There is plenty of content in progress for the upcoming months including many other product features like the recent extension of our Drops & Wins promotion to the Live Casino offering with a new mechanic that does not require any additional development from our existing partners and a monumental monthly prize pool of €1.000.000 across the two verticals: €500.000 for Slots and €500.000 for Live Casino.
Source: Exclusive GMB
