‘The most important trend is the move from offline to online,’ says Betsson Group’s Jesper Svensson

For Jesper Svensson, the CEO of Betsson Group, Betsson AB's Malta-based operating subsidiary, the key trend in the iGaming industry remains the shift from offline to online betting activities.

Speaking during a brief interview with GamingMalta TV at ICE 2022 in London, Mr Svensson predicted that this would remain the most important trend for the coming years.

"It's all about being able to keep tapping in to the markets where opportunities are coming and get the whole digitalisation focus moving," he explained.

Addressing the other trends, such as the growing esports betting segment, the CEO acknowledged that this sector is experiencing growth, but reiterated, "it will not outgrow the main general trend."

Mr Svensson was speaking alongside Pontus Lindwall, Betsson AB CEO.

Asked about how it felt to be back at the industry leading event, both executives gave overwhelmingly positive responses.

Mr Svensson shared: "It feels great, it's bustling and there's lots of people we haven't seen in a long period of time, so it feels really good."

Similarly, Mr Lindwall described the return to ICE as "fantastic," pointing out that while the iGaming industry has been "cranking on as normal" during the pandemic, people haven't been able to meet each other, making it all the more special to get to meet people now.

Delving further into Betsson's experience during the pandemic, Mr Lindwall addressed that sustainability has become even more important during the pandemic, with some regulatory bodies placing increased pressure on operators to be more careful.

"We have increase our efforts in that area, and as this is such an important part of the industry now, we are going to build even further on this in the future," he said.

He also discussed the situation that faced Betsson's staff during the pandemic, and how the company strived to cultivate its OneBetsson culture.

"This is something we really tired to work on during the pandemic, because when people sit at home without meeting up for years, we really to emphasise the role of OneBetsson in keeping our culture going."

For Mr Lindwall, the various initiatives introduced during the pandemic – like video meetings and virtual team building activities – paid dividends, and he shares how Betsson's staff (Betssonites) consider themselves a "second family."

"Travelling from Stockholm to Malta, or going to any of our offices, you meet the same kind of people – they're all Betssonites, and they're all a part of OneBetsson."