“In a world with plenty of good solutions, what makes you truly stand out? What makes your technology great? This was the question we asked when we entered the B2B market,” says Evgen Belousov, CEO at GR8 Tech, an iGaming platform provider that offers products and services to operators in the industry – from an all-encompassing sportsbook and casino platform to various other standalone products.
“Our answer was to offer tailored solutions that cater to industry players’ personalised needs,” he says. “We provide everything needed to launch and run a successful iGaming business, positioning ourselves as a lifetime partner for our clients. We support their successful development and scaling up, with flexible technology that can adjust to the operator’s needs as they grow.”
Sportsbook success
At the core of GR8 Tech’s products is its GR8 Sportsbook – a long-standing and well-known platform with a stellar reputation, designed to provide operators with the chance to tailor their offerings to local audiences.
“One of our strengths lies in offering a strong selection of regional favourites, such as cricket, kabaddi, American football, basketball, hockey, volleyball, and others,” says Belousov. “Depending on where they are located, operators can offer exactly what their local audiences like, gathering more engagement and support from them.”
“The platform can also manage heavy user loads with real-time anti-fraud processing, balancing the need for attractive player odds with profitability for operators,” Belousov continues. “Its modular nature means operators can flexibly customise their offering as business requirements change.”
Changing perceptions
The success of the platform to date has seen the company recognised with several accolades – including Best Online Sportsbook Provider 2024 at the SiGMA Eurasia Awards – and it isn’t just benefitting GR8 Tech’s clients and their users; it is also helping to change perceptions around the profitability of sportsbooks more generally, according to Belousov.
“One of the interesting challenges we have seen has come from the idea that sportsbooks aren’t that lucrative,” he says. “Typically, sportsbooks are seen more as an engagement tool, while operators rely more on casinos to make money. We have tried to change this stereotype with a high-performance sportsbook platform that is designed to bring tangible financial results for its operators within their first 12 months,” he says.
“Transforming the industry’s conventional view of sportsbooks isn’t a trivial thing, but we are confident in our ability to deliver and change the norm.”
Addressing the challenges
Shifting perceptions around sportsbook platforms isn’t the only challenge the company is taking on. Belousov says the fast-paced, forever-changing nature of the wider iGaming market can be one of the biggest hurdles for platform providers in the industry, but that the company has been able to “navigate the environment and enjoy the ride” through its expertise.
“The global iGaming industry is incredibly dynamic and constantly changing, so the main thing is keeping up with the pace,” he says. “Providers need to factor in emerging technologies, updates in regulations, the evolving preferences of end users, and shifting priorities of the operators, to name just a few of the considerations.”
We believe that open data sharing is fundamental to the advancement of the industry
He believes another key issue lies around the availability of data. “The limited willingness among providers to share data is a critical challenge,” he explains. “This restraint limits the ability of operators to make informed decisions and stifles the industry’s collective capacity to innovate and enhance player experiences,” he says. “As we progress into 2024 and beyond, this will become increasingly pronounced, as operators demand more transparency and data access to drive their strategic initiatives.”
To help tackle the data issue, GR8 Tech aims to “lead by example,” providing data to its clients to help them enhance their offerings. “We believe that open data sharing is fundamental to the advancement of the industry,” says Belousov. “This approach not only benefits our clients but also catalyses broader industry growth by fostering a culture of transparency and co-operation.”
Finding opportunities
Beyond data sharing, another challenge lies around regulation, according to Belousov. “Keeping up with the many jurisdictions around the world and ensuring products are flexible enough to adapt to various regulatory requirements can be tricky,” he says.
But the company knows how to turn a challenge into an opportunity. “We see these challenges as a positive,” he continues. “While it means there are additional considerations when developing new products and improving existing ones, it also pushes us to explore new things, be more creative, and ultimately design more robust solutions.”
That nimble approach appears to be working. With a goal to become the “go-to provider for iGaming operators,” GR8 Tech has lofty ambitions – but if its rapid growth over the past year is anything to go by, the company looks set for a promising future.
