Dave Hickey, WA.Technology's Director of Sports: SoloAzar International Exclusive Interview

Our Director of sports, Dave Hickey, recently sat down for a chat with SoloAzar International to talk about the company's SiGMA Europe success and what the future holds for the award-winning B2B iGaming solutions provider.

What motivated you to participate as exhibitors in SiGMA Europe 2024, and what were your objectives at this event? 

SiGMA Europe has always been a firm fixture in WA.Technology’s event calendar given its heritage in the industry. This event brings together the brightest minds from across iGaming, giving us a golden opportunity to meet with partners and engage in insightful discussions with other industry leaders. 

I see how events such as these allow us to stay attuned to the new innovations and developments taking place while also offering a great platform to introduce some of our latest products to the market. It has been great to see this event grow over the last few years, and we’re confident that the move to Milan will make the event even bigger and better! 

What are the key innovations or products that you presented in this edition? 

Of course, our full spectrum of iGaming solutions took centre stage: our flagship, newly-refurbished WA.Platform attracted much attention, while our vertical-specific products, such as WA.Sports, WA.Casino, WA.Affiliates, and WA.Fantasy continued to be a firm focus of many of our meetings. However, I was most excited about our big unveiling of ‘Pick‘Em Player Props’ – a cutting-edge player proposition product that blends the best of fantasy sports and sports betting. I think that this is very different from other products on the market. Firstly, it’s an iFrame solution that can be easily integrated into the front end of an operator’s website.   

Secondly, it’s a standalone product, meaning it can complement an operator’s existing product suite. Most importantly, it boasts an unparalleled level of flexibility and customisation. We have also ensured that we can offer a wide range of markets across a whole host of sports, giving players much more opportunity to personalise their own betting experience. 

For many other props products on the market, players cannot combine related contingencies, but we wanted to buck that trend. For example, players could build a bet slip which combines bets on target with the number of saves. We factor this into our industry-leading pricing model, giving our partners the range of markets that they need to deliver exciting products to their players.  

How does SiGMA help strengthen your brand and connect with audiences and strategic partners? 

Events like SiGMA Europe can help us position our brands among the industry leaders, allowing us to showcase why we’re the industry’s go-to B2B platform provider for the LatAm and African markets.  

Over the event’s three days, we had a jam-packed schedule filled with productive business meetings, networking and showcasing our brand to delegates. Now that we’re back at the office, we’re diving into a lot of follow-up work and preparing for some big things to come in 2025!    

What are the biggest challenges you face in the industry today, and how are you addressing them? 

For me, we have both a challenge and an opportunity to showcase why we’re one of the best on the market. It’s all about creating products that ensure you stand out from the crowd. This is essential for operators, and as a result, many are turning their attention towards personalisation and localisation as a means of gaining a competitive edge. But as brands continue to expand into new markets, delivering a truly local experience is much easier said than done. 

At WA.Technology, delivering products that are customisable and localised to each market, is central to our company ethos. Collectively, our team has extensive experience in the gaming space. We understand local player trends and regulatory conditions, which gives us in-depth knowledge of how to adapt our product suite to meet the unique needs of our partners. 

Our solutions are meticulously designed to seamlessly adapt to regional preferences, helping operators stay ahead in a competitive environment. We maintain daily contact with partners to ensure that we fully understand their operational needs and that we can provide ongoing support. By doing this, we can build solid and long-lasting relationships with each of our partners and gain unique insights into how we can create a more curated experience. 

What importance do you give to advances in BI or other technologies in your product portfolio? 

We consistently see innovations and developments in technology, which, I believe, are continuing to reshape the iGaming industry as we know it. At every industry conference, panel sessions discuss where technology is heading, what will be the next ‘game changer’, and, most importantly, how we as an industry can keep pace with these new developments.  

Innovation is hugely important for us at WA.Technology. With our Business Intelligence (BI) and analytics software, we are giving our partners the tools they need to collect, analyse and interpret data on market trends and player behaviours.  

These data insights can give our partners a unique, in-depth view of each market they operate in and allow them to evolve their products to deliver the best possible experience for their audiences. As many gaming markets worldwide continue to become more competitive, this can help define who becomes a leader in the space and who fades into the background. 

Read the full interview at SoloAzar International.

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WA.Technology is committed to Responsible Gaming practices. Read our Responsible Gaming Statement to learn more.