Sergey Ghazaryan, GR8 Tech: “We’ve always been very client-centric. Operators pick a partner they can grow with”

GR8 Tech CRO Sergey Ghazaryan spoke to Focus Gaming News about the company’s “Platform for Champions” approach, crypto solutions, and the importance of speed to market for global operators.

Exclusive interview.- Fresh from SiGMA Eurasia, where it won the “Platform Provider of the Year” award, GR8 Tech is doubling down on its positioning as a performance-driven ecosystem rather than a traditional standalone platform. In an exclusive conversation with Focus Gaming News, chief revenue officer Sergey Ghazaryan discusses what the award signals about the company’s real-world delivery for operators, from faster launch cycles and peak-load stability to integrated sportsbook, casino, payments and CRM functionality.

The interview explores how GR8 Tech’s “Platform for Champions” philosophy translates into measurable operational advantages, why speed-to-market directly impacts revenue capture around major sporting events, and how upcoming solutions such as Crypto Turnkey and ULTIM8 Sportsbook are designed to help operators scale efficiently ahead of high-traffic moments like the 2026 World Cup.

You’ve just returned from SiGMA Eurasia with the Platform Provider of the Year award. What does this win really say about where GR8 Tech stands in today’s platform race?

The only “platform race” that matters to us is who can help operators launch faster, run smoother, and scale without surprises.

SiGMA rewarded what operators see day to day: a platform that’s stable under peak load, quick to integrate, and easy to configure for different markets. It also underlines where we’re heading next. With solutions like Crypto Turnkey and native multi-wallet support, we’re making market entry even simpler for operators who want speed without sacrificing control.

Awards signal trust. This one tells us the platform is delivering in the real world, and we’ll keep rolling out the practical advantages operators need to win locally and globally.

“SiGMA rewarded what operators see day to day: a platform that’s stable under peak load, quick to integrate, and easy to configure for different markets.”

Sergey Ghazaryan, CRO at GR8 Tech.

The award recognises your “Platform for Champions” approach. You position it as an ecosystem, not just a platform. For operators, what’s the real difference?

A “platform” usually means a strong core, but you still have to bolt on extra tools and integrations to make everything work. When we say “ecosystem,” we mean the key parts are already connected, so operators spend less time wiring systems together and more time growing.

With the Platform for Champions, sportsbook, casino, payments, CRM and engagement, BI, and the back office are built to run as one setup. Data flows between modules, the player experience stays consistent, and teams don’t have to jump between systems to launch campaigns, manage risk, or troubleshoot.

It means operators can go live faster because setup is streamlined, onboarding is automated where possible, and geo/market presets help with quick localisation. Day to day, there’s less overhead because there are fewer integrations to maintain, and changes can be made quickly with no-code UI tools. And when traffic spikes, the platform stays steady because the whole stack is designed to scale, with proactive monitoring and support behind it.

Last but not least, the Platform for Champions’ ecosystem is not just technology. It’s knowledge sharing, reliable support at each step, and partnership that makes it all more valuable than the sum of its parts.

You talk a lot about speed to market. In practical terms, how much does launch timing actually impact revenue and competitive positioning?

Launch timing has a direct effect on revenue because it decides how much of the peak you actually capture, and how much time you have to optimise before the peak arrives.

If you launch late, you’re paying for traffic when players already have habits somewhere else. Your team also has no time to learn what converts, what markets people bet on, which promos work, and where the funnel breaks, so you go into a big event “blind,” and that costs money.

If you launch earlier, you start earning sooner, and you get a runway to improve. You can test campaigns, build segments, and fix friction before the busiest matchdays. That’s where competitive positioning comes from: not just being live, but being familiar, fast, and trusted when the rush hits.

And speed matters at the player level, too. Today, seconds decide whether a bet gets placed or abandoned. When we make the platform faster (site load, bet acceptance, settlement, deposits/withdrawals), we consistently see the same pattern: retention improves, players come back more often, and bet frequency goes up. Even a 20 per cent frontend performance lift in a region shows up in loyalty and activity.

“Today, seconds decide whether a bet gets placed or abandoned.”

Sergey Ghazaryan, CRO at GR8 Tech.

The platform space is crowded. When you’re in a competitive pitch, what do operators most often get wrong when choosing a provider?

The biggest mistake operators make is picking a provider based on a feature checklist and a nice demo. On a slide, most platforms look similar. The difference shows up after go-live, when you’re trying to launch quickly, run campaigns, handle peak traffic, and fix issues fast.

Another common miss is underestimating speed and reliability. Everyone says “uptime matters,” but they don’t always test what players actually feel: how fast the bet slip responds, whether cashout works smoothly, and how quickly deposits and withdrawals happen. One bad matchday is enough for players to switch apps.

I also see teams treat localisation as nothing more than translation. Market fit is deeper: payments, devices, local habits, and regulation details. If the platform isn’t built to adapt quickly, you’ll always be chasing the market instead of leading it.

And finally, a lot of operators underestimate how painful it is to stitch together lots of separate tools. It looks flexible at first, but it slows teams down and adds cost over time.

The best way to choose is to think past the demo. Pick the platform that gets you live fast, stays stable under pressure, and is easy to improve week after week.

Awards are great for visibility, but the industry moves fast. What’s the next real advantage GR8 Tech is building to keep operators ahead?

Visibility is nice, but you’re right. The big question is what gives operators an edge next.

Two things we’re pushing hard on.

First is Crypto Turnkey. A lot of operators want crypto, but they don’t want to bolt on five different tools and hope it holds together. Our focus is a clean, ready-to-run setup with sportsbook + casino and native multi-wallet support, so operators can launch faster, operate simpler, and scale across markets without extra plumbing.

Second is getting operators World Cup-ready with ULTIM8 Sportsbook. For 2026, timing matters. If you’re late, you miss the build-up, you miss the learning window, and players form habits elsewhere. ULTIM8 gives operators a practical way to move quickly, whether that’s iFrame for a fast launch or API for a deeper custom build, so you can get live early, train your player base, and optimise promos, UX, and segmentation before the first kickoff.

So the next advantage is to make entry easier (Crypto Turnkey) and make peak moments profitable (ULTIM8 for World Cup-level traffic and engagement).

Has the win changed your position in competitive pitches?

It helps, mainly because it builds trust faster. But it doesn’t change our position.

We’ve always been very client-centric. Operators pick a partner they can grow with. So even with the award, the conversation quickly comes back to the same thing: how we’ll help them win their market, launch and scale smoothly, and keep improving performance and results month after month.

The win gets attention. Our focus stays the same: making sure clients are successful once they’re on the platform.