BetConstruct’s CPO assesses the company’s operations
The BetConstruct team interviewed their new chief product officer Edgar Mkrtchyan to discuss the company’s results and goals.
Armenia.- From the start of this year, Edgar Mkrtchyan will be joining BetConstruct’s executive team as their new chief product officer, driving strategy and innovation across the firm’s extensive suite of products and solutions. He explains (during an interview with BetConstruct’s communications team) about the past year’s achievements, the philosophy of product development and how BetConstruct is adopting two of 2020’s biggest trends.
What were the highlights of 2019 for you and for BetConstruct?
“Another exceptional year has passed which was full of sensational achievements, partnerships, opportunities and events. There has been so much going on at BetConstruct from East to West that it is really hard to list everything, but let me highlight some major accomplishments such as introducing AI powered data scouting tool AJNA, joining Arsenal as their official gaming software partner, providing our fantasy sports product to Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Tribal Gaming Network, launching our gaming and betting virtual assistant Hoory, introducing complete esports betting offering and bringing full autonomy and flexibility for our operators with Spring Pro.
“I should also mention some of the amazing games, certifications and new products that we’ve worked hard on this year. For example, we’ve now added FashionTV-branded tables to our live casino offering, launched several exciting new games – Dragon Tiger, Baccarat Super 6, Bet-on Teen Patti, Double Red Dog – expanded our in house gaming portfolio with Farkle, Keno, Talisman, Big Hi Lo and Blast, acquired UKGC and MGA licenses for our live casino, received our IOM B2B Software Supplier License, provided Virtual Sports under our UKGC Licence, expanded our ever-growing casino portfolio to 100+ providers, and been awarded for our efforts with many prestigious awards like Best Technology Provider, Best Sports Betting Innovation Provider in both Baltic and Nordic regions, Best Online Platform Provider, Innovation of The Year and many others.
“As a personal highlight, I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining BetConstruct’s executive management team as a Chief Product Officer from 2020. I will be managing the company’s entire product portfolio and overseeing the product strategy moving forward with a clear focus on driving innovation, enhancing product scalability and delivering best-in-class products that will further extend our position as the leader in igaming industry.”
This year has seen the release of some groundbreaking sports-betting and odds-feed technology like AJNA from FeedConstruct. What more can we expect to see on from this wing of the business in the New Year?
“AJNA is indeed an amazing and futuristic data collecting tool that takes live scouting service to another level due to the combination of augmented live video streaming and artificial intelligence.
“We expect to cover basic fitness data in real-time, but the most advanced statistics are calculated in the cloud. Utilizing visual and statistical data provided by AJNA, the clubs and federations can gather a huge variety of information without manual live scouting. AJNA can also be a more convenient alternative to wearable devices for sportsmen used during training process and in-game.
“Furthermore, in 2020 we expect to provide an innovative What-If metrics for game analysis. Imagine that you can assess any game episode from the video and objectively suggest few better alternatives – pass to another player, choose a better position or go straight forward. The coach can use these examples and practice them with players, improving their game model and speed of thinking.”
And what projects are you currently working on in the online casino sector?
“As you know BetConstruct provides the most advanced promotional platform to its operators, which includes our Bonus, Jackpot, Tournament and Game Recommendation engines and Loyalty System. The full system works on any game from our enormous games offering, and we are soon to introduce a new promotional tool that will allow our operators to boost their players experience even more by extending the play time and motivating their players to do much more than simply play. Unfortunately, this is all I can say about the new promotional tool at this moment.
“On the games side, we are polishing a set of new releases that will be presented at ICE 2020 including exclusive Fashion TV branded slot game Hot Stuff. In addition to this, a completely upgraded social gaming platform is in development alongside new live casino games and updated native apps for it.”
Could you tell us a bit about your creative process when working on new products and improving your platform, Spring? How important is it to gauge where the industry is moving and try and stay one step ahead?
“When it comes to products, quality over quantity is always a true way of staying ahead of the competition. So is the creative thinking and innovating. These are the traits of a good software provider. However, if the software fails to justify its assignment from a financial viewpoint, the whole creative thinking behind it goes down the drain. At BetConstruct we always say that our success is directly linked to the welfare of the operator under our auspices. So, to be an excellent provider, one needs to have a deep knowledge and understanding of its potential client and its users. That is why knowledge of markets, target audiences and assistance in business strategies is always a part of our creative process.
“Since our advanced gaming platform Spring powers our entire offering, all new products added to it should tell the same story that the platform does and provide the same flexibility and agility as Spring.”
This is the time of year when preparations are ramping up for ICE London. What will you be doing to prepare for the show?
“ICE is the biggest igaming medium of the industry. Everybody will be there and it’s in our best interest to exhibit in full glory. We’ve already revealed our concept for 2020 which is called East&West. The thinking behind it is very clear and simple. Not only BetConstruct’s operations encompass the globe, but we are also ready to assist entrepreneurs with launching their igaming business anywhere in the world, from east to west. Our stand will be fully dedicated to this concept, from the products presented to the show which we planned. So, the days at ICE will definitely be hot.“
Finally, let’s talk a little bit about 2020. Do you have any predictions for next year’s gaming trends?
“2020 will be all about AI-powered products and Blockchain Technology and will continue that way for a number of years. Companies who embrace these technologies will always stay ahead of the competition and those who don’t will be slowly pushed out.
“Artificial Intelligence is being added to almost every aspect of our lives and BetConstruct is one of the first to bring it into the industry. Understanding that it is the most effective way to provide better user experience for our operators and their players we have already introduced these technologies in numerous aspects of our business. The first was Umbrella, the risk management tool that identifies player who may be committing fraud by analysing patterns in their behaviour – effectively automating what has until now been painful manual task for most people. The second was AJNA, which enabled us to take standards of data collection and analysis to a new enhanced level by increasing the accuracy of data scouting, the trust and improving the experience and gamification for players. It goes without saying that BetConstruct will continue to apply this technology to other aspects of its business.
“Meanwhile, blockchain technology is also being implemented in the industry more and more each year, and BetConstruct isn’t lagging behind. On the contrary, we have already taken the steps, both legal and technical in game development, to be able to introduce blockchain-based games in 2020.”
