Looking Back To An iGamingFuture
2020.
Few could dispute that it’s been an extraordinary year. Europe has been the hub of Brexit machinations. Globally, the Covid-19 pandemic has spread unprecedented change, confusion, even chaos.
But—looking on the bright side—it’s also been the year of the launch of iGaming Future — our new, on-the-button, online publication that aims to give readers a unique insight and future-focus into the very latest trends and moves in the world’s betting industries.
As events have shown, iGaming Future has been—and remains—ahead of the curve.
Even before Covid, we saw the emerging change in the international gambling scene. The future is digital. The future, we predict, is bright. The future, we believe, unequivocally, is iGaming.
Events throughout 2020 have accelerated gambling’s transformation. Waves of international lockdowns have closed casinos and shuttered bricks-and-mortar bookies. Traditional across-the-counter betting has been hammered.
But simultaneously there has been a positive and spectacular growth of iGaming.
Online betting numbers, both physical and fiscal, grew exponentially through 2020. And—significantly—the numbers either rescued the finances or ameliorated the losses of many gaming operators.
Since our launch in April, in the midst of the first lockdown, iGaming Future has been with you — bringing you the very latest news, sought-after insight and expert commentary.
At the start of the New Year 2021 and on the cusp of a new dawn for the world’s betting industry, we thought it a good idea to once again share with you the big stories, the big ideas and the big interviews that shaped 2020, a year we are unlikely to ever forget.
No.1
The impact of Industry M&A activity
The acquisition of William Hill UK by Ceasars Entertainment was a great indication of the potential our online industry still has. Mergers and acquisitions are constantly changing the iGaming landscape we’re operating in, but what does this mean for the future? For this article, we were able to benefit from the invaluable experience of Ralph Topping, ex CEO of William Hill who was largely responsible for the company’s digital transformation in the first place.
No. 2
In this interview, ex CEO of SBTech, Itai Zak compared Covid-19 to a punch in the mouth from Mike Tyson for obvious reasons. But as we all know, it’s not about avoiding punches but rather learning how to recover from them and keep going. This piece gives some great insight into the resilience of our industry and how we as an industry can continue to grow going forward despite the huge blow we’ve taken.
No.3
The Evolution of Online Lottery
We caught up with Elicia Bravo, Chief Strategy Officer for Lottoland and Chairman of European Lotto Betting Association as she talked us through the future Online Lottery landscape. Looking at how the discipline has evolved to facilitate innovation, player protection and social responsibility.
No. 4
Live Casino: Our industry saviour?
One of the few verticals to actually prosper through the last few months. We sat down with Jeremy Taylor, MD of Genting Online to understand why Live Casino products have performed so well and the true growth opportunities that it has to offer for iGaming Operators. Look out for the iGF Live Casino eBook coming soon!
No.5
Italy is a major market generating one of the biggest national GGR’s in Europe. Industry commentators were surprised to see that gaming revenues during lockdown were still kept high despite the suspension of live sport and strict advertising bans. Alexander Martin, CEO of SK365, one of the biggest operators in this jurisdiction shared his thoughts on what makes this region so resilient and how the recent change in player behaviour will impact the fortunes of Italian iGaming.
From the William Hill-Caesars Entertainment take-over of the year, to the saviour that is Live Casino; from the emerging importance of online sports betting in the mega lucrative US market, to a renewed push in so many countries to make betting safer for all punters; from the eastern promise of relatively untapped territories, such as India, to exclusive Q&A’s with legendary industry movers, shakers and rainmakers, iGamingFuture has brought you the very best.
We’d love to hear from you. We welcome your feedback.
Together, let’s look to the future for a better and safer 2021.
Rory Niblock-Stuart, Managing Director, iGamingFuture
