Andrea Giuliani, Head of Commercial at WA.Technology, iGaming Express Exclusive Interview

What does it take to stand out in emerging markets? Andrea Giuliani has all the answers. Speaking to iGaming Express, our Head of Commercial highlights Africa, LatAm and Brazil as he reveals how WA.Technology has become the most sought-after provider in these markets, and why in-depth local expertise is what separates the market leaders from the crowd.

What motivated you to join WA.Technology, and how does this role differ from your previous positions?  

It’s a great company to be with! I started out in the startup world and have since worked at some of the biggest companies in the industry, including Sportradar and SBTech, the latter of which was then acquired by DraftKings in 2019 for close to $1bn.

Working in these roles not only taught me a lot about different regions, such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America, but also gave me experience of going from a small start-up company and building a company from the ground up.  Even more importantly, working with Sportradar proved to be a major part of my learning experience and one of the major factors that led me to choose WA.Technology.

We all know about Sportradar’s dominance in the data space, but there’s another element that’s often overlooked: the platform element. We worked with over 200 platform providers, which taught me how essential it is to have a strong and reliable partner – which is a rare quality!  

WA.Technology was one of the few of these that could do that – as well as being one of the only ones that could achieve a true level of personalisation needed to dominate markets such as LatAm and the likes of Mexico and Colombia, where you need to capitalise across the entire omnichannel.

So, when the opportunity came to join WA.Technology – I jumped at the chance because I knew they were one of the few platform providers that understood each market's actual needs. Of course, the expertise of the WA.Technology team was a major selling point for me, too; they have ambitious plans to disrupt the market and deliver a truly unique product. It really was the perfect match!

WA.Technology has been particularly successful in emerging markets like Brazil and Africa. What are the key strategies that have driven this success, and how do you plan to expand further in these regions?

With the global iGaming industry becoming increasingly competitive, an ‘off the shelf’ solution is no longer sufficient if you want to stand out from the crowd. That is why we work alongside our partners to identify key player trends and tailor our solutions accordingly.

We fully understand the importance of localisation and creating bespoke solutions for each of our partners. It goes back to the point that every market is different; to meet the unique demands of each market, you need to personalise your offering accordingly. No other platform provider on the market can achieve this as we can.

Our in-depth knowledge of local markets combined with our team’s expertise has certainly put us in good stead to expand our global footprint. WA.Technology fully understands that no two markets are the same. We know that many factors influence the growth of iGaming—from mobile penetration to internet availability, player preferences, and regulations.

However, the only way that you can understand those dynamics is through local expertise, something that WA.Technology excels in. Having that in-depth knowledge is something that I truly believe has helped us become the industry’s most sought-after providers across emerging regions. If we take Africa as an example, betting operators must optimise their products to be suitable for mobile devices. Products must also be data-lite so that bettors can enjoy a wide variety of games without relying on a strong internet connection.

From a player behaviour perspective, bettors also tend to prefer ‘low stakes, big win’ type games – so Instant Win, lottery, and crash games have all proven to be very popular with bettors. This is entirely different from Europe or the US, where bettors prefer sports betting and table games. Players tend to place fewer bets but at a higher transaction value.

We have huge plans for the market here, as well as solidifying our dominance further in LatAm and Brazil, so watch this space!

The Brazilian market has been a significant focus for WA.Technology. What challenges have you encountered with the recent regulatory changes, and how have you adapted your strategy to meet these challenges?

The opportunity that Brazil presents is huge. I would estimate that more than 1,000 operators are live in the pre-regulated market. There is no doubt that this market will become a major battleground for operators in the next twelve months – the anticipation is already growing, and after so much waiting, there are now only a few months to go until the market actually launches. Of course, with that, there is going to be plenty of investment. The compliance process, for example, costs upwards of five million USD.

So, what are the regulatory challenges, and how have we adapted? First up is our major edge of localisation. We understand the regulatory process better than anyone else. We already have offices in Sao Paulo and Recife, with multiple local experts ready to support our newly regulated partners’ operations.

I can say with full confidence that we deliver an unparalleled level of expertise across the market that no one else can match – delivered via local round-the-clock technical support, dedicated account management teams and a full range of managed services across sportsbook and casino. In short, we’re here and ready to take each of our partners.

I’m incredibly proud of how unique we are here. There are plenty of iGaming solutions providers out there who claim to be local experts – but how many actually have teams on the ground and offices already set up?

The second way we’re meeting these challenges is via our flexibility. While the market is set to go live at the start of 2025, much of the regulatory regime is yet to be defined. Operators will have wholly different platform and product requirements regarding both flexibility and knowledge of local regulation rather than being able to deploy off-the-shelf products.

Given our local expertise, WA.Technology will be a major solution to this problem. iGaming is a great example of this. I anticipate we’ll see different verticals approved over time, so operators will need a platform partner that can instantly adapt and evolve as new elements become available. Given our extensive understanding of the market, this is an area where we’ll have a major edge over other suppliers.

You’ve highlighted localisation in your products. Could you provide examples of how WA.Technology tailors its solutions to meet the unique needs of different markets?

For us, localisation means tapping into the expertise of the most knowledgeable people in those specific markets. It means opening local offices, understanding the culture, and getting to grips with what works and, more importantly, what doesn’t while also remaining compliant.

Brazil is a great case study for how we’ve achieved this. We have opened offices in Sao Paulo and Recife, and we have multiple teams on the ground that understand player trends and how to translate them to our product suite. As a B2B provider, you must have that presence in the market to fully understand the mentality of your partners. That has helped us develop products that are localised to our individual partners.

In too many cases, industry providers claim to be a ‘market leader’ without having a presence in that country. We are also bucking that trend by investing in the markets we target. We have offices in Costa Rica and Mexico and plan to open a new hub in South Africa, too. This puts us in a unique position to deliver exceptional results for our partners, and I can genuinely say that we’re the best iGaming solutions provider across the world's emerging regions. 

With many iGaming platforms on the market, what makes WA.Technology’s offerings, particularly WA.Platform, stand out from the competition?

As market leaders, there are times when you may be working with partners who are not all too familiar with how to navigate particular challenges. Be it player engagement, compliance, or the introduction of new technologies. As a B2B provider, you support your operator partners' overall growth strategy.

WA.Technology is very fortunate because our team collectively has extensive experience within the iGaming space. We know how best to support our partners with promotions and marketing tools or incorporate new solutions into their offerings.

Think of it as a Formula One team. Our clients are the fast car, and we are the pit crew – supporting them in every way to achieve the best performance and navigate the winding road of compliance. And, like a Formula One team, we strive to achieve perfect synergy.

What do you see as the future of iGaming, and how is WA.Technology positioning itself to stay ahead of these trends? 

You don’t need to be an expert in iGaming to know that the future of this industry is in the hands of artificial intelligence!

As an industry, we are starting to wake up to the growing potential of AI and data analytics and how this can be used to create more personalised experiences for our players.

If you take the likes of Netflix or Amazon, they know what you want from their site before you even get a chance to browse. That’s because, as a user, we have fed them data over the years, which is now being used to tailor their products better.

Players no longer want to be scrolling through a casino lobby.  Operators will be able to offer games from thousands of providers but use AI to create a bespoke games lobby that is tailored to each individual player.

From a sports betting perspective, AI algorithms can create bet suggestions or display different betting markets. If I support Juventus, I don’t want to see markets for Real Madrid and so forth. The companies that will succeed in 2025 and beyond will be those that tap into the potential of AI. This will be a massive space to watch – and we plan on being one of the best out there!

Read the full interview at iGaming Express.

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