Alex Leese, Pronet Gaming: “The Asian market will become increasingly personalised and increasingly local”

Alex Leese, CEO of Pronet Gaming, discusses the evolution of Asia’s igaming and sports betting landscape, highlighting the growing importance of localisation, AI, live betting, and personalised experiences as operators seek to adapt to increasingly sophisticated players across the region.

Exclusive interview.- Asia continues to emerge as one of the key growth regions for the global igaming industry, with operators facing increasingly diverse player expectations and a growing demand for localised experiences. In this exclusive interview with Focus Gaming News, Alex Leese, CEO of Pronet Gaming, explores the trends shaping the Asian market, from the rise of exchange betting and in-play wagering to player props, Bet Builders and AI-driven personalisation. 

Leese also discusses the company’s expansion in Southeast Asia and explains why flexibility, scalability, and a deeper understanding of local player behaviour will be critical for operators looking to succeed in the region.

Pronet Gaming has been expanding its footprint in Asia. From a strategic perspective, which specific jurisdictions or emerging markets in the region are currently presenting the highest growth potential for your localised solutions?

Asia remains one of the most exciting growth regions for our business. We continue to see strong opportunities across Southeast Asia, particularly in markets where digital adoption is accelerating and operators are increasingly seeking localised, flexible solutions. Our recent expansion in the Philippines through Claymore Solutions, a PAGCOR-accredited Special Class BPO, reflects our long-term commitment to the region and gives us a stronger operational presence within one of Asia’s most important gaming hubs. Operators are looking for partners that understand local market nuances, can adapt quickly, and provide products tailored to regional player behaviour rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach. Ultimately, the opportunity isn’t simply entering more markets; it’s helping operators adapt successfully within them.

Looking ahead, where do you see the Asian igaming industry heading over the next 3 to 5 years? What will be the defining factor that separates the leading platforms from the rest?

The Asian market will become increasingly personalised and increasingly local. The days of offering a standardised product across multiple markets are ending, and the operators that lead over the next three to five years will be those that can combine AI, localisation, and speed of execution. The ability to adapt continuously to player behaviour will become a major competitive advantage.

We are seeing a noticeable surge in demand for Exchange Betting across Asian markets. Why is this model becoming so attractive for players right now, and how can operators leverage it effectively to boost long-term retention?

Players are becoming more informed and increasingly value control, transparency, and pricing flexibility. Exchange betting caters to this demand by creating a more strategic experience where players can both back and lay outcomes. For operators, products like BetX Pro represent an opportunity to diversify their offering, attract sophisticated bettors, and build stronger long-term engagement.

The next generation of sports betting operators in Asia is facing a changing audience. What are the core product features and localised trends that you believe are mandatory for a new sportsbook operator to succeed in the region today?

Mobile-first experiences are now a given. Beyond that, operators need localisation at every level: language, payments, content, promotions, and player journeys. One of Pronet Gaming’s strengths is that many of our team members come from operator backgrounds themselves, so we understand first-hand the challenges around acquisition, retention, and engagement. Asian players increasingly expect more dynamic experiences, whether through live betting, player props, or more personalised content. The expectation is shifting from simply having markets available to delivering experiences that feel timely and relevant. It’s no longer enough to simply offer markets; operators need to deliver experiences that feel relevant in the moment.

“One of Pronet Gaming’s strengths is that many of our team members come from operator backgrounds themselves, so we understand first-hand the challenges around acquisition, retention, and engagement.”

Alex Leese, CEO of Pronet Gaming.

The World Cup is traditionally a turning point for global volume. How did you see player behaviour shift during the tournament compared to previous editions?

We saw a shift towards more interactive and player-centric experiences. Fans increasingly engaged with individual players as much as teams, where star players attracted significant attention. We also saw users become more comfortable with shorter-cycle betting opportunities and staying active throughout the match rather than simply placing a pre-match bet and waiting for the result. This World Cup reinforced the industry’s broader move towards more dynamic and continuous betting experiences. We saw stronger interest in player-focused markets, continued growth in in-play betting, and more sustained activity deeper into matches, with extended stoppage time and tournament drama creating additional betting opportunities.

Within the tournament’s ecosystem, features like In-Play betting and Bet Builders took centre stage. Have those tools become the main drivers of engagement in Asia, or is there still a strong preference for traditional pre-match markets?

Pre-match betting remains extremely important, but the growth in in-play engagement is undeniable. The way users interact with live betting is also evolving. Matches increasingly have more natural pauses, longer conclusions, and more moments where players reassess their positions. This creates opportunities for operators to surface more relevant markets and deliver more contextual experiences. At the same time, products such as Bet Builders and player-focused markets continue to perform strongly because users increasingly want greater control and personalisation.

Micro-betting and player props (such as individual player performance) are dominating modern sportsbook setups. How is Pronet Gaming tailoring its platform to meet this demand for hyper-personalised, fast-paced content during massive sporting events?

The demand for faster and more personalised content is only increasing. We are seeing growing interest in player props, short-cycle markets, and more contextual betting experiences. The challenge for operators is not simply offering more markets, but offering the right markets at the right moment. As live betting becomes more structured and data-driven, the ability to surface relevant content in real time will become a major differentiator. This is where AI, analytics, and intelligent recommendation capabilities can play an increasingly important role.

“The challenge for operators is not simply offering more markets, but offering the right markets at the right moment.”

Alex Leese, CEO of Pronet Gaming.

Scaling a platform provider to support these massive spikes in traffic during global events requires massive resilience. From a leadership standpoint, what has been your main priority to ensure Pronet Gaming remains flexible and robust under high-demand environments?

Preparation and scalability have been our key priorities. Major sporting events place enormous pressure on infrastructure, so operators need absolute confidence that their platform will perform when it matters most. We have focused on building technology that is designed for scale, resilience, and flexibility, with continuous monitoring, robust security, and infrastructure capable of handling significant spikes in users and transactions while maintaining performance. Ultimately, reliability becomes a competitive advantage during the industry’s biggest moments.