Discovering new frontiers: Aspire Global CEO on a transformative 2021, and the road ahead

The past year has been a ride for Aspire Global. Transformative and full of a variety of headline-hitting successes, the rapid progress made by the platform provider was encapsulated in the deal the company’s BtoBet recently struck with FanDuel to supply it with its cutting-edge Player Account Management services in Brazil. If the South American giant really is poised to become iGaming’s next great frontier, as has been promised by industry experts, then the Aspire Global group is keen to position itself as a leading supplier of B2B platform services for operators there.

“It is inevitable that Brazil will ultimately regulate its gambling market,” said CEO Tsachi Maimon. “Exactly when that will happen is another question, but we are currently working on deals that will see us take a firm grip when it is eventually open for business.”

As well as within the strategically important LatAm region, where Aspire has already established a strong foothold in Colombia, 2021 has been a year of growth all around the world. In the third quarter of 2021, Aspire Global increased its year-on-year revenues by 46 per cent to €58.6 million, while earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) were up by 38 per cent to €9.1m.

Strong financial results are testament to significant product development which has strengthened the offering of Aspire’s operator partners. The AspireCore platform has been enhanced with the integration of the company’s new CRM system AspireEngage, which offers AI-based, real-time marketing capabilities to help operators improve their approach to bonus management, personalised messaging, segmentation and more.

Further innovation was evident in the development of the BuyWin tool, which helped create better returns for players in the regulated German market, while also effectively lowering the tax burden for operators. Aspire Global also successfully integrated leading game aggregator Pariplay and sportsbook provider BtoBet onto its platform in 2021. UK and Ireland-focused Bettarget.com became the first brand to operate on Aspire’s PAM with the BtoBet sports solution, boasting a relative 200 per cent increase in average revenue per customer only three months after launch. 10 more partners have been moved by Aspire Global to its proprietary sports solution since the first brand went live.

This year also saw Aspire Global agree to sell its B2C segment, including the booming Karamba brand, to US-based Esports Technologies for around €65m. That deal meant the group could shape its strategy as a streamlined, purely B2B company with a strong focus on profitable growth and a global outlook.

It is no secret that both Brazil and the US are seen as key markets for Aspire to strengthen its position as we head into 2022. The overall gambling market in the US was worth $119bn in 2020, increasing by 21 per cent on the previous year, and online gaming is starting to gain serious momentum. Aspire Global sees its AspireEngage CRM solution as a key differentiator for potential partners, in an environment where many operators are using a variety of third-party plug-ins. The CRM suite encompasses all platforms, allowing for efficient sports betting and iGaming-specific promotions to be rolled out to attract players in a relatively untapped, nascent but potentially huge market.

“Around 70 per cent of the US market is dominated by tier-one corporate operators,” Mr Maimon added. “Our focus is on the huge opportunities that lie within the remaining 30 per cent. Tribal operators have built their brands and player loyalty within their communities and have an opportunity to accelerate growth state-wide. We see tribal operators as ideal partners based on our B2C heritage and pure B2B focus today. We know what it takes to create the right omnichannel experience for the player and have crafted our entire ecosystem to efficiently achieve the best results. They might be running on legacy technology and searching for the sort of intuitive, localized solutions that we have built our growing reputation on.”

Aspire Global sees its PAM, CRM and Managed Services solutions as addressing key issues for operators in the US. Indeed, the technology has been developed with the operator in mind, from the ground up, owing to the company’s own B2C beginnings. It is clear that the provider, which appointed Quincy Raven as its new US Managing Director, has major plans across the Atlantic.

“We have seen some providers take small, tentative steps into the US market,” said Mr Maimon. “That is not what we are about. Our goal is to have a major impact as the go-to partner and to help our operators grow strongly by our side and execute their great potential in the future US market.”