We provide genuine innovation, Dr Angelo Dalli, CEO of Bit8, says.

When was Bit8 launched and with what aims?

The company was founded six years ago in July 2010. The aim was to equip betting and gaming operators with the best technology platforms with which to engage their customers. We wanted to make sure it was innovative and scalable so that our partners knew we were at the cutting edge and could keep up with their ambitions. We were also keen to make these platforms work hard by bringing artificial intelligence tools on board which saved cost through automation and maximised player life-time values.

We are not resting on our laurels, but we feel we have now achieved our dream of providing the most outstanding and reliable gaming platform on the market.

What niche in the market did you seek to address?

We think there is a great opportunity to provide operators with a risk-free lottery product which will be compelling to their players. That product will include high frequency jackpots which keep players involved and ensure they don’t have to wait days for another draw. In fact, our intention is to offer an extremely attractive jackpot with an appealing twist that makes it the first of its kind anywhere in gaming. We think that this will really shake the market up and builds upon our experience of providing platform solutions to online and land-based operators.

Bit8 is now considered to be a market leader, both on a national and international level. What elements have led you to achieve and retain this status?

We have always been dedicated to combining an excellent product with meticulous attention to detail to ensure our customers get great service.

We have an experienced team of consultants who are very experienced in the industry – however, they are not complacent and don’t rely on tried and tested ways. Instead, we always try to stay ahead of the technology curve, as evidenced by our use of artificial intelligence which we have been using for the past six years, earlier than any other mainstream gaming industry provider in the world.

Operators these days are not short of content, but it is how you deliver that content and engage with their players that makes the difference.

In what ways do you attract and retain human talent?

We now have a team of over 70 developers, analysts, and service delivery staff in place located in two countries. Among them are people who have joined us from leading companies in gaming, finance, and enterprise software industries. We attract these people and retain them by empowering them and giving them ownership, which results in pride and job satisfaction.

In addition, we sponsor a number of community initiatives that our employees feel we should support. These include Hospice Malta, the Inspire Foundation, Lifecycle Bicycle Marathon, as well as various IT student organisations such as ICTSA and MCAST.

We also believe in a healthy work-life balance and encourage our employees to lead a healthy life by providing them with a sport allowance and by organising regular sports and social events. Our team is expected to grow to over 100 people and span four countries by the end of the year as we grow at a fast pace.

What unique selling propositions do your solutions offer?

We offer an all-inclusive casino, sportsbook and lottery platform that includes functionalities such as player account management, eWallet, advanced artificial intelligence player segmentation, real-time analytical tools, automated rules and a bonus engine that works with little need for human interaction. This results in lower promotional and labour costs, solving a long-term issue that has plagued the gaming industry for some time now. Many operators have been saddled by legacy systems that have been cumbersome and expensive to run. Our main unique selling point is that we offer the exact opposite. We like to think that we can provide genuine innovation rather than talking about it, as some of our competitors do.

What competitive advantage do your solutions give to your customers?

Artificial intelligence tools allow our operating partners to work smarter, not harder. They are also far more cost-effective than employing a large workforce to do the same job. This frees up human resources to be far more creative and productive, concentrating on acquiring and retaining players by providing them with the best content and customer relationship management.

Our solutions are completely omni-channel and provide upgrade paths for land-based operators seeking to go online, including both private operators and large national and state operators.

As well as having great products, we provide great service too. We make sure our employees all have a customer-centric, can do attitude, which makes us stand out. We love what we do and I think that is reflected in the great relationship we have with our customers.

What are your short- to mid-term plans?

In the last six years we’ve moved from being a start-up to being a highly respected supplier in the global i-gaming arena. Along the way we’ve had three funding rounds and picked up a number of industry awards, and we are continuing to grow as a business in over 50 countries worldwide. Our strategic alliance with Intralot also allows us to have a global reach.

Our plan now is to continue the growth and development of our platform solutions, while really making a splash with our new lottery products. We think there is a great opportunity to deliver an excellent online lottery product, with exciting and high frequency jackpots, to a number of markets around the world. The product is the perfect complement to sportsbook and casino products, and the Bit8 platform is the perfect combination to deliver it.

This article first appeared in the Zest supplement carried in The Sunday Times of Malta.

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