With an educational background in electrical engineering and computer science, Isidoros Siderakis is a product manager who has held a range of project and product manager related roles. In 2021, Isidoros joined Altenar as Product Manager, quickly working his way up the ranks until he was appointed the company’s Product Operations Manager in February 2024.
Renato Almeida grew up in São Paulo, Brazil and, after finishing his academic path, pursued an internship at NEC Brasil. He continued his professional journey at a bank automation company. In 1995, he joined Fabrica Brasileira de Máquinas Automáticas (FABAMA) as an Electronics Technician and worked at FABAMA for several years. After this experience, it was time to embrace a challenge at FBM® as a Technical Director, being later promoted to Vice President. Today, he is part of the Board of Directors and takes part in decisive matters that define the future of FBM® as a global gaming brand.
What are the differences in regulation between online and land-based and how can a company navigate both?
RA: The land-based and online regulation requirements are different and have their specificities. Consequently, land-based regulation focuses more on physical security concerns, while online regulation focus more on mechanisms that ensure proper player verification to avoid fraud and money laundering. In this reflection, we must add another layer of analysis, reminding that regulatory landscapes vary from country to country.
Based on the daily challenges we face in the FBM® group, with the global operations of the FBM® and FBMDS brands, a company shall navigate both landscapes with a robust compliance team. These professionals shall have the necessary expertise to understand the complexity explained above, and respect the requirements of each jurisdiction in the land-based and online universes. Additionally, this team shall address predictable regulatory updates proactively and develop actions that allow companies to constantly monitor and comply with changing laws.
IS: Regulation for online and land-based sports betting can vary significantly depending on the region or country. First of all, both online and land-based sports betting operations typically require licensing or permits from regulatory authorities. The process, requirements and fees for obtaining these licences can differ. At the same time, tax rates on sports betting revenue can vary between online and land-based operations, or even between different jurisdictions and regions in the same country.
Other than that, regulation for online sports betting implies the implementation of geolocation technology to ensure that users are within the legal jurisdiction where betting is permitted. Obviously, this is not a concern for land-based operations in physical betting shops, but there might be other restrictions relating to the operating hours.
Last but not least, online betting operators are usually required to implement measures to protect consumers, such as responsible gambling tools, KYC and age verification procedures, while on the other hand, land-based operations might only need to verify the player’s age in physical shops. In conclusion, navigating these differences requires a thorough understanding of the regulatory landscape in each jurisdiction where a company operates or intends to operate.
Should an omnichannel strategy focus more on land-based offerings or digital?RA: With a generic approach, I would say a good omnichannel strategy should balance land-based and digital offerings, exploring their complementarity. However, the starting point for this answer is one of FBM®'s distinctive characteristics as a global casino gaming supplier: knowing your target market.
First, companies must know their audiences to find the recipe that works. The digital platforms expand the range of accessibility and bring innovative possibilities to engage clients, while the land-based casinos offer an irreplaceable tactile and social experience, The companies shall monitor their customer data and understand where their clients are to adjust their focus.
If they pursue a perfect balance between online and offline, they can work on integrating experiences with gaming offers or initiatives that stimulate a better synergy between both segments. For example, they can offer physical perks to players that complete online achievements favouring the connection between both mediums.
IS:
An omnichannel strategy aims to provide a seamless experience across all channels, whether online or retail.
The focus of such a strategy depends on the company's target market, competitive landscape and resources. Therefore, in markets where digital adoption is high and online sports betting is legal and popular, a company may prioritise its digital offerings. Conversely, in regions where land-based gambling is more prevalent or where regulations favour physical locations, a focus on land-based offerings may be more advantageous. Ideally, an omnichannel strategy should balance both digital and land-based channels to cater to a diverse customer base, maximise market reach and strengthen the sports betting brand.
How can engagement improve between operators and customers with an omnichannel approach?
RA: There are several ways to achieve this goal. The basic premise to reach it is to create a seamless and consistent user experience across platforms, allowing players to switch between online and land-based environments without friction points. In a perfect omnichannel strategy, players shall leave the land-based casino and join the online platform, keeping their user experience, rewards and customer service level.
Additionally, they shall get tailored product or promotion recommendations based on the product preferences they have shown. To complement this use of data and technology, operators can create connection points between platforms, organising offline and online dynamics to build a sense of community around the brand. Besides these solutions, one of the most important ways of increasing engagement is to have the feedback channels permanently open on both universes to refine offerings and platforms according to the direct inputs from customers.
IS: An omnichannel approach allows operators to interact with customers across multiple touchpoints, enhancing engagement and fostering loyalty. By integrating online and offline experiences, operators can offer personalised promotions, rewards, and experiences tailored to individual preferences and behaviour. For instance, a player who frequently visits a land-based sportsbook may receive targeted offers via a native mobile app to encourage online betting during off-peak hours. Similarly, online customers may be incentivised to visit physical locations for exclusive events or promotions. At Altenar, our commitment is to continuously improve our services and provide our customers with the best possible experience. In this framework, the full portfolio of vertical products such as the native mobile application and full retail solution with self-service betting terminals could give a great advantage to the operators; not only by providing a superior betting experience through which sportsbook operators are able to attract and retain players, but also by increasing and scaling their market share in the competitive betting market landscape.
What role does AI play in the omnichannel process and what more can it do in the future?
RA:
Artificial Intelligence can have a huge impact on the omnichannel process.
This technology is already useful for several areas of gaming companies' operations, such as security, communication, product performance, customer service or risk management. If companies feed platforms with the right context information, they can create algorithms ready to analyse, organise and leverage customer data. The chatbots are a tangible example of this application since they are covering more request types due to the AI application.
We are exploring this technology only for a few years, so Artificial Intelligence will certainly expand its usability in the casino industry in the future. The algorithms refinement will allow companies to avoid fraud or predict players' behaviours more precisely, creating conditions to improve game offerings.
IS: When it comes to AI, this can play a crucial role in the omnichannel process by enabling operators to automate tasks, analyse vast amounts of data and deliver personalised experiences at scale. In the present, AI algorithms can be used to analyse customer data and behaviour to predict preferences, detect fraud, and optimise marketing strategies. For example, AI-powered recommendation engines can suggest relevant bets or promotions based on a customer' sbetting history and preferences.
Looking to the future, AI advancements hold the potential to further enhance the omnichannel experience. This includes more sophisticated personalisation algorithms, real-time predictive analytics, and the integration of emerging technologies such as natural language processing, and computer vision to improve customer interactions and streamline operations.
Overall, AI will continue to be a driving force behind the evolution of omnichannel strategies, enabling operators to deliver seamless, personalised experiences that drive engagement and loyalty.
