This is a guest contribution by Thomas Byrne of Digitain. If you would like to submit a contribution please contact Bill Beatty for submission details. Thank you.
There’s a popular expression in Armenia – The sun won’t stay behind the cloud. As in most parts of the world now, Armenia is experiencing a national shutdown, with all but essential businesses closed. From my position on the ground, I think Armenians are approaching this crisis with calmness and co-operation, while maintaining their optimism for the country’s future.
Our approach, like many other companies in the industry, reflects these priorities – putting the health of employees first by instituting a remote working policy within 24 hours of the outbreak. Since the change, we have been delighted with the focus and dedication from our staff in pulling together. We’ve also seen a surge in collaborative dialogue, which has ensured our ability to seamlessly adapt our services to our 70+ partners worldwide.
This event will surely be the biggest challenge of our time. Never before has our industry seen the perfect storm of a global pandemic, financial crash, social distancing and the shutting down of numerous retail networks – all while fearing for the safety of our loved ones. It also goes without saying that our industry has been affected the postponement of popular sports – professional, amateur and recreational. Add to the mix an increasing scrutiny from regulators and media commentators, and we’re also likely to see tighter controls on deposits and marketing activities.
Of course, we are all searching for the best short-term strategy to deal with this unprecedented challenge. We, as an entertainment industry, can help fill the void of sport with fun and creative ways to engage our partners’ customers, but it is imperative we do so with a principal focus on social responsibility, with profit coming second.
Now is the time to build brand identity and loyalty for the future, just as much as we need to fill the sports void for financial sustainability. Social engagement and entertainment should be the priority, as well as retaining and supporting our customers. The companies who can best capture the public’s imagination during this time will be best positioned after the crisis.
The imperative for our industry to produce consistent, high-quality mobile content is therefore heightened. Although many in the iGaming community have been emphasising the importance of omni-channel solutions for a number of years, these solutions take on an even greater significance as people spend more time at home.
However, the fact that online and mobile gaming have not been as adversely affected as land-based or retail betting only strengthens the need for multi-channel providers to act responsibly. Digitain has always viewed player protection as paramount, and operators and suppliers alike must bear it in mind now more than ever.
While we are encouraging our customers to engage with e-sports, v-sports, poker promotions, deposit bonuses, and new games, we also need to consider the scrutiny that will come after this crisis passes; and we urge our industry peers to remember the same. Our players, the public, and the regulators will remember how we acted – and our industry’s future will be impacted by the actions we undertook, and how seriously we adhered to the guidance given.
So, keep calm, act responsibly and remember that the sun won’t stay behind the cloud. Brighter days lie ahead.
About the author:
Thomas Byrne, Chief Strategy Officer, Digitain.
