Luis De Prat: “LatAm has an unprecedented volume of potential players”

Luis De Prat, Regional Head of Sales at GiG is a well-seasoned industry veteran with 25 years worth of experience from across the iGaming and sports betting industries. He has served in managerial roles and helped guide industry leaders’ strategies for growth and sustainability. Today, De Prat understands key jurisdictions such as the US, Latin America, and Spain, bringing an immense opportunity for GiG to thrive in these markets. From realizing the potential of Latin America to focusing on improving the company’s acquisition and monetization metrics, De Prat makes for an interesting interlocutor as we delve deeper into GiG’s operations. Read our full interview below.

Gaming Innovation Group has been rapidly scaling its global presence with one of your latest moves focusing on Mendoza, Argentina with Bplay. Why is this important for your company?

As an award-winning platform and sportsbook service provider in the online gaming industry, a key differentiator for GiG is powering our partners into regulated markets. We are currently licensed in 30 regulated markets around the world, some of them considered the most complex in the industry, with a further 8 in the development pipeline. Consistent with this strategy, in its most simple terms, we take pride in supporting our clients when they decide to seize the opportunities that are available, and expand into newly regulated markets. Bplay in Mendoza is a perfect example, as we’re expanding on a partnership that is already live in four separate markets, with this addition now making it five in total.

What is the true potential of the Latin American market and is GiG prepared to embrace it?

First off, Latin America has seen a dramatic increase in access to technology, with an almost unprecedented volume of potential players that are embracing digital ways of playing. The sheer size of the continent, and the diversity of the different countries, regions and towns that this type of scale offers up inevitably means there is an enormous amount of unlocked potential. Operators and providers that have the experience and products to deliver proven, resilient and user-centric solutions that can adapt to the localised needs of the players, I believe, are best positioned to embrace the opportunities. Our products are specifically designed to accommodate these specialised and localised needs, through a combination of unrestricted integrations with preferred content and payment providers, at speed, to bespoke and tailored margins with our sports trading team.

It's all about choice. If we offer our partners what they want, when and how they want it, so that they can provide their players with the same, creating value all the way along the chain. Everyone wins.

Regulation is going to be a big part of any future move into the gambling market in Latin America. What specific advantages do partner operators enjoy when trusting you?

I think I touched on it earlier, but we have a really strong track record in regulated markets, not just in LatAm but around the world, with over 60 brands live right now in some of the most robust regulatory frameworks available. Crucially, we also have existing experience in Latin America, with a large percentage of our people native Spanish speakers, helping us remain agile and adaptable to the inevitable changes still to come, as regulation becomes more prevalent.

Our strength is that we are able to lean into that experience and transfer it to our partners. We’ve been very vocal about our commitment to business in regulated markets. We actively embrace it, which helps separate us from the pack.

Do you reckon the GiG platform is a strong ambassador for regulated gambling and how the sector can be directed to strengthen consumer protection, precisely through the deployment of advanced solutions such as yours?

The main objective should always be to protect the players. With previous pedigree as a B2C operator, before concentrating our business as a pure B2B platform and sportsbook specialist, we have a real understanding of how important that is.

We have invested an awful lot in our technology and data solutions to help monitor behavior in real-time, ensuring it is very easy to use and without the need to implement code. It allows our partners to provide their players with the care and protection that prosperous igaming operations are built upon, and we’ll continue to do things the right way.

Using our Managed Services team as an example, we have been employing the services of an independent auditor, Betsmart consulting, to ensure that we are not just offering our partners what is expected from a safer gambling perspective, but as you say, acting as an ambassador to the industry for what should be expected. I'm pleased to be able to say that the feedback we have had is overwhelmingly positive, resulting in them taking the unprecedented step of nominating us for a Vixio compliance award off the back of it.

Where do you see the biggest challenge around the faster adoption of gambling in Latin America? Is it a general mistrust of the sector still and if so - how do you think we can move past this?

The biggest challenges, as I see it, are around the acquisition of players and monetization, and not necessarily a mistrust of the sector as such. For faster adoption I see it more placing the onus on ourselves, as we as an industry need to adapt to cultural preferences to provide the products and services the market wants, creating greater convenience for the players. We know that a large percentage of players play using cash, which provides an additional hurdle for digital operators. The most successful brands have more of a hybrid approach, allowing players to top up their accounts in retail outlets to play online, but that scale of operation is not available to the vast majority. I think the desire to play is there, but we have to supply them with the solutions that allow them to play, which comes back to the importance we place on the value of our relationships with our partners.

The solution lies in truly flexible platforms that have been designed to accommodate integrations, without limitation or restriction and at speed, making it a seamless and hassle-free user experience. Quick integrations of convenient payment solutions, traveling wallets, and omnichannel solutions that can connect the retail and online worlds, they’re are all critical differentiators.

It’s about having the options available and then cherry-picking what creates the most value, understanding the individual needs on a case-by-case basis. We can provide the full package, or just the parts that are needed, scaling up if required.

It's more aligned with the B2C mentality as opposed to what you’d usually associate with a large platform provider, identifying and offering the products and services that are actually wanted and needed, that will create value for Latin America.

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