Matej Filipančič, Bragg Gaming Group: “Our products and services are robust and innovative enough to make real strides in regulated markets”

Recently appointed Global Sales Director Matej Filipančič spoke to Focus Gaming News and shared his vision to accelerate Bragg Gaming Group’s growth across regulated markets.

Exclusive interview.- Following his recent appointment as global sales director at Bragg Gaming Group, Matej Filipančič sat down with Focus Gaming News to discuss his vision for driving the company’s international expansion.

Filipančič, who previously served as regional head of sales and then as business development director at Gaming Innovation Group (GiG), shared insights into the company’s growth priorities in the Americas, the potential of AI in enhancing player engagement and responsible gambling, and his strategy for building collaborative, data-driven partnerships with operators worldwide.

You’ve previously played a key role at Bragg in adapting the PAM platform for regulated markets like the Netherlands. How will that hands-on product and market experience shape your approach to leading global sales?

Great question, expanding the PAM product into the Netherlands in order to be ready for day one of the regulated market was a challenge, but a hugely successful experience in the understanding it gave me of the processes involved. It helped my understanding of the types of customer Bragg as a business might encounter, the demands of consumers in the market, how to respond to those demands in an efficient way, and lastly, the potential demands of regulators in newly regulated markets. In terms of sales, this knowledge allows me to pitch our products at the right level in which to make a lasting impact, while at the same time giving me the confidence to know, whatever the demand, that our products and services are robust and innovative enough to make real strides in regulated markets.

Bragg is live in more than 30 regulated iCasino markets. Which regions or verticals do you see as the biggest opportunities for sales expansion in the next 12–18 months?

Every market we are operating in has opportunities and avenues for potential expansion, the trick is to tap those veins and deliver growth for the business. In terms of immediate sales expansion over the next 12-18 months, we’ll continue to concentrate on the Americas, both North America, where we’ve continuously grown our proprietary content footprint, expanding to also offer bespoke content, and LatAm, where we’ve recently launched in Brazil, and are aggressively expanding our operations. We’re also working to expand to the rest of LatAm, in places like Peru, where conditions permit. Circling back to the North American market, we’re working with tier one operators like Caesars and Hard Rock Digital to deliver unique and bespoke online casino content, which is driving a real competitive advantage for these, and we hope many more operators in the future. In Brazil, we’ve partnered with local operators to provide them with the latest content, as well as recruiting studio partners like RapidPlay to deliver slots which are uniquely tailored to the demands of Brazilian players. In both markets, we’re using our innovative and game-changing online casino content as a conversation starter to cross-sell our technology products, which have already proven to be successful in Europe.

Beyond Fuze™, how do you see AI shaping player engagement and operator partnerships in the next 3–5 years?    

In the next few years, I believe AI will become a fundamental pillar of igaming, moving from a novel concept to an absolute requirement for staying competitive and operationally scalable. It will be as essential to operations as a secure payment system. Companies that fail to fully integrate AI capabilities into their core business will struggle to keep pace with the rest of the market. AI’s ability to drive player engagement is remarkable. We anticipate a significant boost, potentially 30-50 per cent in key metrics, as the technology matures. It achieves this by creating more dynamic and personalised experiences across a full player journey.

Beyond engagement, AI is a game-changer for responsible gambling. It allows us to shift from a reactive to a proactive approach. AI-driven systems can continuously analyse behavioural patterns—like increases in deposit frequency or session length—to spot early indicators of potential risk. The scale at which it can identify these patterns is unmatched by human analysis. This powerful capability in player protection is often overlooked, but it’s a crucial element in building trust with players, regulators, and the broader public.

For operators, AI provides the intelligence needed to maximise growth. For years, the industry has collected vast amounts of data, and now is the time to leverage that data to create new value. AI can optimise everything from fraud detection to operational efficiencies, ensuring that our operator partners can grow their businesses while promoting a safe and ethical environment.

Our ultimate goal is to become an AI-first organisation. We’re working on a comprehensive strategy that integrates AI across all aspects of our business—from product design and user experience to internal processes and communication. This holistic approach will drive both growth and efficiency, ensuring we continue to lead the market.

“In the next few years, I believe AI will become a fundamental pillar of igaming, moving from a novel concept to an absolute requirement for staying competitive and operationally scalable.”

Matej Filipancic, global sales director, Bragg Gaming Group.

You mentioned wanting to work closely with partners to help them succeed. What does a “must-have supplier” look like in today’s competitive igaming landscape, and how will Bragg ensure it stays in that category?  

For me, a “must-have supplier” in igaming today means far more than being just a content or technology provider, it requires deep, collaborative partnerships. These partnerships must work together through things like localised content for key markets and using data to drive decision-making in terms of the player journey to drive the success of your operator partner. To do that, we’re concentrating on a few key things.

First, we’re all about proprietary and exclusive content. We’re pouring a lot of resources into our own game development studios and getting exclusive third-party content. The idea is to give our partners unique games they can’t find anywhere else, which gives them a real edge.

Then there’s our advanced gamification tools. Our Fuze™ platform is a perfect example. We’re using AI and cool features like leaderboards, quests, and “bonanzas” to help our partners turn their players into a real community. It’s about way more than just a list of users.

We also put a huge emphasis on data-driven insights. We give our partners the detailed data they need to understand what their players are doing. This lets them fine-tune their strategies for maximum impact, and it changes our relationship from just a transaction to a true partnership.

And we’re always thinking about market expansion. Our strategy is to be proactive about entering newly regulated markets. That way, as our operator partners grow and look to expand, we’re already there with the licensed content and compliant platform they need.

Finally, we’re dedicated to remaining the most stable PAM in the industry. Our tech is built to be super scalable and easy to integrate. It’s so flexible that it can either stand on its own or just enhance an operator’s existing systems. This versatility makes us an essential component for our partners, no matter their size or what tech they’re using.

“Our strategy is to be proactive about entering newly regulated markets.”

Matej Filipancic, global sales director, Bragg Gaming Group.

What’s your long-term vision for the global sales team, and how will you measure success both for your team and for Bragg’s partners? 

My long-term vision is to build a globally integrated sales team that acts as a strategic partner to our clients, not just a vendor. We need to have a perfect understanding of the evolving needs, strategy and potential obstacles on our partner’s way to success. 

Under the approach, we will be a lean, high-performing group of igaming experts who are focused on proactive, consultative selling rather than of reactive order taking, because in our industry there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all proposal, instead we have very unique clients with very specific requirements for each of their target audiences.

In respect of measuring the success of the team and our partners, there are many metrics which can be used, and we need to ensure that we present results in a way that is relevant to the stakeholder group concerned, as each will have different yardsticks for success.

For the sales team, we’ll measure success through tangible results like new business growth, the growth of existing accounts, adding new product verticals and increasing the overall profitability, focusing on sealing and prolonging successful long-term partnerships with tier 1 and tier 2 operators. We’ll also track our ability to help our partners succeed in terms of clearly showing the benefit of our other range of products, like our Managed Services and Fuze Gamification platform, both of which are key propellers of the growth of many of our partners.

For our partners, we’ll measure success by how our products directly impact their KPIs, specifically how our approach to complete personalisation of the player journey and increased player engagement affects revenue growth. We’ll show them this value through data and analytics, proving that we are a core part of their success story.

Players’ expectations are evolving quickly. What insights are you seeing in player behaviour that Bragg’s sales strategy must address? 

The simplest way to answer this is to talk about supply and demand, however, in today’s saturated global igaming market, it’s increasingly about uniqueness and creating quality content and products.

It’s something that Bragg understands very well and is responding to proactively. We’ve partnered with many recognisable brands with a fantastic pedigree and experience in both igaming and land-based like Gamomat, King Show Games, Sega Sammy Creation, Bluberi, as well as working with new kids on the block like 4Leaf Gaming, who bring innovative ideas and new ways of thinking to slots design and development.

In our own production of games, Bragg has grown its understanding of the market, working with operator partners to create bespoke games which cater to their unique needs (logos, specific ideas, player demographics, etc.). This emphasis allows the operator to get closer to their players and provide on an ongoing basis, what those players are looking for. We’ve created unique mathematical models which cater to different player types and preferences. Where other brands only try to create mega success over the short term, Bragg focuses on repeat business, where the true value of every game is revealed over time. Having a repertoire of proven and successful math models enables us to pair them with the latest on-demand themes, audio and visuals which resonate with audiences across multiple markets globally.