Simon Westbury: “Despite the challenges of 2021, we have had a record year in terms of new partnerships”

Simon Westbury, Chief Business Officer at Digitain, spoke with Focus Gaming News about the achievements that the company had throughout 2021 and what he hopes for next year.

Exclusive interview.- 2021 has been a challenging year. However, Digitain could expand its brand through new partnerships and it has also been awarded Best Land-Based Industry Supplier at the Ukrainian Gaming Week Awards.

Simon Westbury, Chief Business Officer at Digitain, sat down with Focus Gaming News to talk about the results of the year, the return to in-person events and what are the plans of the company for the next year.

How has this year been for you?

Despite the challenges of 2021, we have had a record year in terms of new partnerships. Revenues across sportsbooks and casinos have shown healthy growth. 

Our Fast Games performance has been exceptional with operators keen to take up our free integration offer for this product. Our eSports have continued to outperform expectations, attracting a different type of customer to our platform.

It’s been a long and difficult year signed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite this, Digitain achieved important agreements and also received the MGA licence. What does this mean for you and what challenges does this licence imply for the future?

Indeed, a difficult period for the industry, which I’m glad to say that, through the hard work and enthusiasm of teams across our business, we managed to continue our positive trajectory.

We were very pleased to receive the MGA licence for our Fast Games products. This opens the door for us in a number of new markets and we underpin this with additional licenses and certifications in the new year, as we expand into new territories.

Are you thinking of new alliances for the near future?

We are always seeking new alliances and partnerships. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait until the new year before we can say more. 

“We definitely will have some product announcements of interest around ICE 2022.”

Simon Westbury, Chief Business Officer at Digitain.

Digitain returned to the land-based events and was awarded at SiGMA and at the Ukrainian Gaming Week Awards. What are the main aspects you can highlight from these events?

I don’t believe you can underestimate the benefits of in-person trade shows such as Sigma and the UGW. Both these expos, as well as Amsterdam, had a genuine buzz, with lots of quality visitors attending. 

People came to buy and also to catch up with colleagues. Virtual expos were valuable and necessary at the time, but, in sales, you can’t beat face-to-face conversations. 

Do you think that despite technological advances, face-to-face events are still important? 

I do, as stated above. There is an important place for technology for virtual communications – and these have been of great benefit this year and will continue to be going forward. 

However, sales are based on relationships, and relationships grow through meeting in person.

How do you prepare for the next year and what are the challenges you see in the short term?

As you will guess, preparations for next year have been underway for a long time already.  

We will have an impressive stand at ICE with a great range of Digitain colleagues from across the business attending, from sales, technology, product, marketing and account management. 

We’ll be showcasing a number of new products there too – with a very big announcement to come.

As our international footprint increases, we’ll be building sales teams in new locations across the world in order to support the business growth we’re seeing currently.