By Damian Martinez, journalist at G&M News.
In October 2023, you co-founded The Power Plugin. How did the idea of the company originate?
Officially, The Power Plugin was founded last October, but I have been working on the project for over a year. The company’s main idea was to create a gamification of sports betting where the player had the opportunity to win authentic sports collectibles. In the beginning, it was an idea more designed for football fans than for bettors, but when I saw the dynamics of the sector and analyzed the regulations, I realized that carrying out my project was going to be a bit expensive, so I made the decision to go from being an operator to a service provider. Consequently, I modified my idea, respecting its bases, and developed a solution that enhances loyalty or acquisition of users through authentic sports collectible items. When I talk about these elements, I am referring to objects related to the history of football, such as Diego Maradona or Pele’s jerseys that they wore in iconic matches.
What are the main objectives of the company?
I have seen that the gaming sector, in recent years, has become a bit “relax”, in terms of there being no difference between operators. Furthermore, it is very difficult to retain users or acquire them since, at the end of the day, they are not being given any added value. Nowadays, the same slot can be played on all platforms because most online casinos have third-party suppliers. For this reason, I thought it would be interesting to provide a bit of differentiation, not so much in terms of technology, but with a product that is creative. After analyzing that the betting industry is closely related to football and that most regular bettors are men, I came up with the idea of intersecting sports collecting with gaming in general. The goal is to give casinos a tool to differentiate themselves and have a fresher marketing strategy. In addition, the user is provided with a financial asset that will actually grow in value since we are talking about historical pieces.
During BiS SiGMA Americas, The Power Plugin held a charity auction of an authentic Pele’s jersey at the GiG stand. Can you tell me more about the initiative?
For the Brazilian event, we had a shirt signed by Pele and we held an auction during the BiS Awards ceremony. We managed to raise USD 16,500 which were donated to a hospital that treats cancer patients. I felt proud to carry out this auction because we were able to do a good deed and help people who need it and, furthermore, it is an issue that touches me closely because two years ago I was able to defeat this disease.
What is your assessment of the Brazilian gathering? What do you think is the potential of the country’s gaming industry?
The tradeshow was excellent. Normally, at large events like the San Pablo gathering, it is difficult to network because there is a lot of dispersion, but this event was different because there were many C-Level executives, so it was very easy to connect with decision makers or CEOs. It was also very important that operators exhibited at the fair, which is not common, so it was easy to get to my target clients. The Brazilian market is going to be crazy. It is going to be the number one territory for the next 10 years, and there is a business opportunity for brutal growth. If you think about it, the country has the same number of inhabitants as Europe, and they all speak the same language and have the same culture. It is a country that, at a scalability level, gives you an incredible possibility of growing and prospering.
What are the most effective marketing and engagement tools that online operators can implement to reward and retain their customers?
The traditional marketing that casinos have always done, for example, providing bonuses, free spins or free bets, has fallen a bit short over time; not only from an operational point of view, but also with the regulations that are going to come into force in Brazil. These types of incentives will become obsolete because they will not be allowed. This means that a tool that was essential for operators is lost. Nowadays, influencer marketing is very important because it can have a lot of impact on players. The same is the case with streamers. Streamers who make live plays generate more engagement than traditional advertising because they don’t want to sell you something, but rather they do it in an entertainment format. When you don’t want to sell something to your target audience, you can get closer to them. Afterwards, the purchase comes automatically when they don’t feel it’s direct marketing. On the other hand, the next trend in the market will be to create betting platforms that are personalized. By this I mean the website’s algorithm will try to create the “Netflix effect” to give the player what is most suitable for him/her based on his/her behavior in the casino. The ideal scenario will be to suggest what may work best for them according to their preferences.