Exclusive interview with Focus Gaming News and Steven Valentine
Comtrade Gaming’s chief commercial officer spoke about the company’s participation in the upcoming edition of SiGMA Americas and the challenges facing the region.
Exclusive Interview – Steven Valentine, chief commercial officer of Comtrade Gaming, spoke to Focus Gaming News about the upcoming SiGMA Americas, which will take place in São Paulo, Brazil, from April 7-10.
In an exclusive interview, Valentine shared his expectations for the event, detailed the company’s future developments and partnerships, gave his thoughts on the licensing process in Brazil and discussed the challenges in the region, among other topics.
Comtrade Gaming will be participating in the SiGMA Americas in Brazil. What are your expectations for the event, and what do you think visitors will be looking for?
We attended SiGMA Brazil last year and were blown away by how good the event was. This is our first year exhibiting and given the amount of focus operators now have on that market we think it will huge. The new regulation in Brazil has brought a lot of excitement to the market but also created issues for both new and existing operators. Local operators now face tougher competition from highly experienced European operators. The experienced operators typically have larger resource pools and are able to implement changes much faster. They also typically have larger marketing budgets. This means that local operators need to have the best partners to be able to compete. The platform they choose will play a critical role in their success, and we expect many operators to be searching for the right platform partner.
What can we expect from Comtrade Gaming in terms of future developments for the platform or strategic partnerships within the iGaming sector?
We have already launched our first client in Brazil and signed contracts for our second. We are expecting Brazil to be a big market for us.
Regarding actual platform features we have been developing AI tools around player behaviours and prediction. A few companies are doing this, but from what we have see,n these are rule-based rather than true AI. We’re confident that what we have developed will really make a difference to lifetime player values.
We also have a lot of gamification features that will be released. The Brazilian market is dominated by sports betting, and we can see there will be huge growth on the casino side, and our platform is well-positioned to support that expansion.
What’s your opinion about the ongoing uncertainty around the operational procedures regarding licensing in Brazil?
No doubt licensing is complex, and the need to have local shareholders complicates things further for non-local operators. However, the fact that each license can operate three brands has created a re-sale market for some of these extra slots, making it easier for other brands to enter the market.
There are also complexities around the actual regulation, having certified technology and then each individual integration certified.
How an operator/platform provider manages the KYC process is one of the most important aspects and having streamlined process can make a significant difference.
No doubt licensing is complex, and the need to have local shareholders complicates things further for non-local operators.
You have said that the company is building its Portuguese-speaking technical team and has hired a head of sales for LatAm who is based in Brazil, why do you think it’s important to take these steps?
It’s absolutely critical. Take Brazil, for example, where only 5 per cent of people speak English. It’s unrealistic to expect to do any serious business without local people.
We’ve also noticed significant cultural differences, and having people who understand and can relate to these nuances is essential.
It’s perhaps easier if you are just selling games, but Platforms are extremely complex, and a partnership only works well with daily communication across a wide range of people within an operator. This level of collaboration is simply not possible without a Portuguese-speaking team.
What do you think are the main challenges the industry will face in the region in 2025?
The demands from local operators are high and they expect things to be done faster than any other market. The multi-brand approach means many operators are also taking a multi-platform approach. This gives them the opportunity to try different suppliers and then consolidate later. We have already seen a lot of switching from both local suppliers and international ones, and those decisions are taken quickly. In this competitive environment, good service will be key to ensuring that deals stand the test of time.
Editorial published in Steven Valentine, Comtrade Gaming: “We are expecting Brazil to be a big market for us”