GMB - What trends in technological advances do you think we will see this year in the industry?
Bart Esposito - The gaming industry is constantly changing. Trends change and evolve very quickly thanks to the help of technological advances. Players are always interested in experiencing something new, both in terms of the offer and the quality of the gaming experience. The trends of 2022 will focus on the production and distribution of games that are always more attractive with new functions, speed of usability, ever more refined graphics and high performance that are not limited to terminals and PCs, but are designed most of all for mobile devices that are renewed annually. Most users spend much of their time on their mobile phones, today they are almost an extension of our own body.
Where do you see the customs and demands of the player to satisfy in 2022?
eSports continue to gain ground among younger gamers. If 2020 was the year in which eSports, coinciding with confinement, seized the present, 2021 has been a course of maturation for the sector. However, it is not difficult to foresee that in 2022 there will be a growing demand for this specific product. In fact, Sirplay, which always pays special attention to present and future market trends, has already been providing eSports to its clients for two years and continues to work in this direction to expand and improve its offer.
How do you think the pandemic will affect business results in 2022?
The last two years have been difficult for the global economy and the job market in general, but in the gaming industry, the acceleration of the transition from live gaming to online gaming has created new opportunities. Our business results have been and continue to be very encouraging.
We have worked alongside our clients, focusing all our efforts on marketing activities, integration of new game providers and incorporation of new online payment gateways to speed up the spread of online gaming. All this has turned out to be decisive in attracting new market segments as well. The results exceeded our expectations.
Which markets and/or countries do you see as more attractive, with more possibilities for progress and growth opportunities?
For Latin America, our interest in markets such as Argentina, our flagship, Peru, Brazil and Ecuador continues to grow.
In Peru we are already present with operators that have many years of experience both in the hotel and tourism industry as well as in game rooms and physical casinos.
Expectations for Brazil continue to rise compared to past years. We registered a very high interest in our product, although some aspects of the regulatory framework remain on standby and this situation somewhat discourages companies that are thinking of setting up a business in this industry.
For Ecuador our interest is totally for the online modality. In the country something is starting to move in terms of granting licenses. We are in the good way. In addition to the Latin American market, Sirplay offers its services to many operators in Africa, Central America and has recently signed an agreement with a US company, a market that today generates US$ 40 billion annual sales in bets.
Do you think advertising restrictions on the gaming sector will deepen globally?
It is difficult to foresee, but surely these restrictions come at a very delicate moment and have the normal consequence of reducing the capital dedicated to advertising investment, affecting an industry already badly damaged during the pandemic.
What do you envision for the Brazilian market in terms of gaming legislation and regulation?
We hope that in February something will be defined. Certainly the task of legislating a complex and articulated sector such as gaming is not easy in a country of more than 300 million inhabitants and the pandemic situation of recent years has not helped. 2022 could be a decisive year.
What are the main objectives of your company for the year?
Sirplay in this period is very focused on the world of cryptocurrencies. Our betting platform is integrated with all major cryptocurrencies, we can also integrate any gaming token our clients require and allow their players to bet directly with their own cryptocurrency. The goal in this direction is to continue to support our customers in defining a gaming token and creating their custom crypto currency and then publishing it on Smart Contract on the Blockchain and on major exchanges.
Do you plan more launches and investments than last year?
Sirplay has recently invested to open a new headquarters in the United States. The project of an important partnership in North America has already been underway for several months, we have signed an agreement with a company that will soon operate with our software in said market and we have also located what will be our operational headquarters in New York. A dream that comes true.
Source: Exclusive GMB
