JUE 28 DE MARZO DE 2024 - 16:55hs.
Ian Balchin, firm’s Head of Sportsbook

“GreySnow Group will apply for retail and online operations license in Brazil”

GreySnow Group provides several online services ranging from B2B, B2C, Tribe to Tribe and White Label, Poker or Sportsbook Partnerships and retail solutions. Operating in Brazil since 2019, the company has plans to legally establish itself in the country after the regulation of sports betting. In an exclusive conversation with GMB, GreySnow Group's Chief Sportsbook, Ian Balchin, tolked about his professional career, the countries where the firm operates and what he expects from the government regarding betting legislation.

GMB - Tell us a little about your professional career in the gaming industry…
Ian Balchin - I spent the last 12 years working for some of the top brands in igaming. I started as a night shift customer service representative and then switched to the sportsbook department. I then made career steps with different companies, to develop and acquire sportsbook knowledge, which allowed me to gain experience in a number of sportsbook roles and work with some brilliant traders and managers, who I have learnt so much from. 

This traditional trading experience, combined with schooling as a Computer Analyst, has given me a unique advantage, as most of the industry has switched from odds compiling in-house and switched to automated sports data suppliers.

As Head of Sportsbook for GreySnow Group, my main job duties are creation, configuration, and product management of online sportsbooks for clients and retail products for land-based customers. I also work closely with my CTO (Ex Poker Stars) and his team of developers and design team, as I assist with product developmental for our partners brands.  

What services does GreySnowGroup.com guard? Tell us about the company's history…
GreySnow Group is operated by the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma, USA (via Ioway Internet Gaming Enterprise Ltd) and governed by the Iowa Tribe Business Committee, which oversees the business interests of the Iowa Tribe.

Ioway Internet Gaming Enterprise Ltd is based on the Isle of Man and licensed and regulated under their Gambling Supervision Commission. We offer unique and flexible business options for all our partners, as we do not focus on how much money we can squeeze from you for shareholders (we have none!). We are 100% NON-PROFIT (All revenue earned from this enterprise is invested into the Iowa Tribe to fund programs and projects for local communities).
GreySnow Group operation team possess iGaming experience gained from Senior positions at PokerStars, FullTilt Poker, Bettson and Unibet and we provide online services ranging from B2B, B2C, Tribe to Tribe and White Label, to Poker or Sportsbook Partnerships and Retail solutions. Our products are customized and aimed at existing online businesses looking to enhance their current product, or new operators wanting to enter the iGaming market.

In which countries does the company operate and for how long?
Ioway Internet Gaming Enterprise Limited was established in 2017 and we are regulated & licensed by Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission.

Our Key markets are North and South America and Eastern Europe. The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma also owns and operates two land-based casinos and a travel plaza with slot machines, all located in Oklahoma, USA.

How long ago did the company arrive in Brazil? What are the strategies to enter the local market and reach the Brazilian public?
We entered the Brazilian market in 2019, creating partnerships with local affiliates to promote our brand and introduce ourselves to Brazilian customers.

Now in 2020, we are taking a small step back until we have clarity from the Brazilian government on the direction and regulations they are going to introduce. As soon as they release this information, we will apply for a Brazilian operating license for retail and online operations. We will then be able to legally operate and create new jobs in Brazil.

Did you manage to draw a profile of the Brazilian player? Is it very different from the players in the countries that already play before they get here?
At the moment, there is a very small pocket of experienced bettors in the Brazilian market. Typically, they are favoring South, North American and European top leagues. Once the market opens, then there will be a period where the new wave of Brazilian customers will be introduced to iGaming. They will want to explore betting sites and need to be taught how to deposit, navigate and how to place bets on a betting website. I have seen this pattern occur in a number of previous countries.

 What are the company's plans to establish and stand out in the Brazilian market, which is still in the process of regulating sports betting and legalizing gambling in general?
As I mentioned earlier, once the Brazilian market opens, the vast majority of website traffic to your site will be first time users who will have very little or no experience of iGaming.

In general, users often leave web pages after 10-20 seconds, so your website front end (this is the part that customers interact with) needs to be designed, so it is engaging and will hold attention spans for longer. The site needs to be clear, easy to use and designed with the novice user in mind. A large number of deposit methods will need to be integrated to give the Brazilian customer choices. Trust needs to be earned from customers, so site and promotion translations also need to be perfect.

GreySnow Group and its partners websites are all created with these points in mind. We also plan to offer weekly bonus schemes and market high sportsbook event prices which will keep Brazilian customers, very happy week after week. 

Have you followed the fixed odds betting process in Brazil? What to change or add to the draft released by SECAP for operators, customers, and the state that everyone wins?
We at GreySnow Group hope that the Brazilian Government creates the iGaming market to be open, to all licensed operators, as Brazil is a large country.

This allows space for many legalized operators to work in and gives the choice to the Brazilian public, to decide which companies they want to play and bet with. Closed markets and monopolies favor the big corporations only, not the general public.

 Faced with the global pandemic scenario, such as GreySnowGroup.com, was it done to adapt the changes due to quarantine?
The lack of sports affected the whole industry in some way, but our partner www.Greysnowpoker.com, has a solid customer base of poker and casino players and was not affected at all. In fact, the partners revenue increased during this period.

The sportsbook was already configured for esports and virtual games, so with a little marketing the customer base was informed and switched across to these betting options. Even now, after sports have restarted, our virtual events turnover is growing month on month.

 Believing that a crisis caused by a virus, causing countries to close their medical businesses to prevent the spread of viruses, will drastically change how gambling services are offered? What do you think the gaming industry will look like after a pandemic?
The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma also owns and operates two land-based casinos and a travel plaza with slot machines, all located in Oklahoma, USA. Due to safety concerns, the tribe closed the retail business and have only recently reopened with strict safety rules.

All visitors are required to wear PPE and submit to a temperature check prior to entering the casinos. These measures are being taken to provide the safest possible environment for all visitors and staff.  This will now be the standard operating procedures for retail business worldwide.

The fallout from Covid19 will last a long time and there are some hard times ahead. The gaming industry needs to keep evolving and we feel that the next step is to integrate social gaming and gambling together.

Led by our CTO and working with a provider, our development team have created a new social gaming app for all clients to play and enjoy whilst they are away from the tribe’s land-based casinos. These games on the app give the users chance to earn reward points which are exchangeable, in the tribe land-based casinos in Oklahoma, for various vouchers and discounts. This allows customers to enjoy the casino experience even when they are away from the casino buildings. This is only the first step with this social gaming app as we are also integrating sports to be a feature in this app.

Source: Exclusive GMB