‘If I can make it there. I’ll make it anywhere’. Words often associated with a certain Frank Sinatra classic, but a mantra that all too often befalls the iGaming ecosystem when it comes to European territories.
Often thought of as the hotbed of the global landscape, it could be argued that regulatory headwinds witnessed of late has curtailed the appeal of the continent. However, that is certainly not the case for Yggdrasil.
For Head of Region for Europe, Phil Taylor, Europe forms the foundation from which the supplier’s global ambitions will ultimately be achieved.
The keys to European iGaming success
The competition evident across the continent has arguably never been more intense. From legacy brands aiming to strengthen their position to new entrants striving to make their mark, optimism reigns among studios of all shapes and sizes.
Assessing Yggdrasil’s position within the region, Taylor pulls no punches in detailing the company’s current standing, but stands firm that the sky’s the limit.
“I wouldn’t go out and say we’re the number one supplier across Europe, but so we offer a strong portfolio, with strong IPs,” he begins.
“We’ve been recognised for IP over recent years with regards to innovation, for the likes of the Viking series, Vikings Go Berzerk, Raptor, MultiFly, and Valley of the Gods.
“It builds us up into a position where we’re a trusted supplier across Europe, which is obviously very important.
“We also offer a very strong Masters solution as well through the aggregation side.”
Building on this, Taylor sees a multitude of opportunities available for Yggdrasil to deepen its roots across European iGaming.
While enhancing its footprint in currently occupied territories remains a priority, equally so does carving out future opportunities with the group focused on developing connections with every operator within Europe.
“We’ve got to keep building on our strong portfolio within Europe,” he says. “Then there’s the business outside of Europe looking towards South America and the US side of things. I think that’s probably where our focus will be as well.”
The challenge of changing regulations
Achieving expansion ambitions within any global geography is far from a simple process in the current climate. The tide of public opinion is firmly flowing in one direction, and regulators are taking notice.
A clampdown is taking place far and wide, and the path to progression has become somewhat murkier. With this in mind, Taylor continues by touching on the difficulty of managing such broad and differing regulations across numerous countries?
“Of course it’s difficult because regulations change all the time,” he says. “You’ve got to be able to adapt.
“I think that’s part and parcel when you are so broadly spread across Europe and you’ve got a wide range of operators that you work with every day.
“But it’s also about being compliance first, developing the products, making sure you can adapt to any changes that come with that.”
In addition to this, player preferences can also vary wildly from country to country, which makes it essential to stay on top of the latest trends to maximise what’s going on in any given geography.
This has led to Yggdrasi undertaking a restructure to become more regionalised. A tactic that permits the company to focus on operator and the player performance across any specific region of target.
Competing for attention
A plea to ramp up the entertainment factor has become commonplace across the industry. This is especially the case when looking at the immediacy craved by players, in addition to the vast competition faced by the likes of Netflix, TikTok etc.
With attention spans at an all time low. how do you satisfy that gratification amongst the player base when it comes to iGaming amid such headwinds.
“I don’t think it’s a silver bullet answer,” Taylor concludes. “There’s not one shoe that fits all. We’ve obviously got to keep developing our product.
“We have our strong engagement tools that we’re looking at, and we’ve seen massive uplift in recent months through our gamification tools to keep the players there and to obviously keep the operators involved as well.
“We’re also developing the Game in a Box product, which allows us to be more agile within the industry and to be able to develop the product that way as well.”
