Based on several years of hard work and the offering of the best tools, END2END managed to position as one of the global leaders in Traditional Bingo solutions. How could you achieve this status and what strategies did you establish, both in creating products and in meeting customer needs?
Very recently, I read a post from a friend and great businessman, who talked about a book published in 2004, Blue Ocean Strategy (by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne). The referred strategy is a simultaneous search for differentiation and low costs to open a new market space and create a totally unexplored demand. This allows the advancement on non-colonized market segments, making competition irrelevant. It caught my attention because, without having read the book or knowing about this strategy, I think that, since the very beginning of END2END, we have been executing it or, at least, doing something very similar to it. Of course, the road has been long: we are in the industry for almost 20 years. We were even providers of the most diverse platforms (including Search Engine Pay-per-Click operated by Gambling.com). Also, for many years, we were B2C operators in Spain (YoBingo.es). Since 2005, we started to develop Bingo Multiplayer platforms. Of course, we have been wrong and learned a lot along the way. Going back to Blue Ocean Strategy, what is interesting about this text is that concludes that truly successful companies are the ones that create new niches, or that participate in a niche where the competition has no influence. Bingo is a niche within the iGaming industry. Our strategy has always been to differentiate ourselves through the implementation of very modern, flexible and super innovative technology, incorporating features that the competition has not taken into account. The objective has been fulfilled, leading END2END to be one of the greatest experts in this market segment, as our slogan says: “The Bingo Multiplayer Expert.”
Precisely, based on this growth that you mention, another important company in the sector such as Aspire Global decided to invest in END2END. What value does this operation have for you and which aspects of your company have been enhanced?
This operation has tremendous value to us! Although our main staff has almost 20 years of experience in the industry, END2END is a project that started at the beginning of 2019. So, the fact that, in such a short time, this huge company has noticed us is a great recognition to the products and services that we are building and, at the same time, represents an enormous responsibility. We all know the size and scope of Aspire Global. There is no doubt that this agreement is strategic for both parties. Aspire Global completed the entire iGaming value chain, incorporating Bingo into its range of services, and END2END further strengthened its international presence, having the possibility of accessing markets and operators that, until recently, were not within our reach. Also, it opened the door for us to work more closely with relevant firms such as Pariplay and BtoBet, which are part of Aspire Global.
An essential issue is that your company’s platform is fully omnichannel. How is this expressed in technological terms and what advantages do operators have when providing their services to players?
Until 2018, all our experience had been online and in Europe. We began to see that, in other markets, such as LatAm or Central America, there were different needs to cover. Bingo was not only the classic game of 90 or 75 balls played online in what we call “High Frequency” (one game every certain number of minutes), but it was also a “lottery” game that could be played physically in stores, points of sale, bars or Bingo halls. Thus, we knew that -as we had always thought- the technology was not going to work for that. Retail channel required other structures and functionalities, and greater technological capacity. In an online room, we can have 500/600 players simultaneously, but in a retail game, the number of simultaneous players could be much higher! We set out to solve this and we succeeded. We have developed a technology that can scale without limits, in terms of simultaneous users. In fact, we managed to get the same technology to supply both online and physical operators, as well as mixed operations, achieving a true omnichannel level for our content. The benefits are evident, especially for physical operators with multiple rooms. They will be able to ‘unify’ the Bingo game in all its halls, achieving greater volume and offering more important prizes. They will even be able to link the game in the room with the online game on their websites. There are many more advantages, such as the lack of hardware investment by the physical operator, among others.
What is your perspective on the situation of the gaming market in Latin America, with a special focus on Mexico, in relation to your business segment?
The gaming market in Latin America has grown a lot in recent years, especially the online segment. However, this trend has not been the same with the regulatory processes in the different jurisdictions of the region. Regulations come at a much slower pace and, in some cases, with obstacles and problems. Likewise, I am optimistic that these regulations will arrive sooner or later in all markets because they are really necessary. In reference to Mexico, there is no doubt that it is one of the giants of the region! Additionally, it is a country with a long tradition in Bingo halls and games. Having said this, it is clear that the possibility of supplying new operators and the opportunity to modernize and/or expand the capacities of existing operators generate a lot of expectations for us. From March 9 to 11th, for the G&M News event at Big Bola Casinos Atizapan, we will be in Mexico. It will be an excellent opportunity to show the platform and the contents of END2END to all those interested executives.
Among the most resounding novelties of END2END, we can mention the launch of a modern lottery games platform for points of sale, and the obtaining of a license to offer your solutions to operators in the United Kingdom. Can you comment on what impact these outstanding news have had on your company?
With regard to the UK license we got from the UKGC, we always knew it was ‘mandatory,’ from the moment we first started talking to Aspire Global. Many of their operators are in the UK. Being able to return to one of the most important markets in the industry, in general terms, and also in Bingo, means a great opportunity to us. As for lottery games, we understood that we could take advantage of the Point of Sale platform that we had developed for our Bingo Retail solution, and add various kinds of lottery games to it (some classic, others more particular to each region), thus creating a new business unit for the company.
We are only at the end of February 2022, but, surely, there are many projects on your agenda for this year. What can you tell us about it, including the participation of your company with its products in the next G&M News event in Mexico, on March 10-11th, at Big Bola Casinos Atizapan?
That’s right: there are lots of projects on the agenda for us! Some are releases with operator; others have to do with obtaining licenses or permits in new jurisdictions, and, finally, also the possibility of creating new products and channels. I hope that the end of 2022 will find us with many of these projects completed. In relation to the next events, of course, we will be in Mexico in March. It is a very important market and END2END is going to participate in this event with our Bingo products. Then, on March 30-31st, we will be present at SAGSE Latam in Buenos Aires (Argentina), and immediately after, in London, for the ICE show. I want to thank G&M News for this space, and for the opportunity to present END2END, The Bingo Multiplayer Expert, to dozens of attendees at that meeting at Big Bola Casinos Atizapan. We will be seeing each other very soon in the State of Mexico!