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TECH AND INNOVATION
A FOCUS ON NORTH AMERICA Crucially , the Strive platform was built for the North American market . It ’ s a product designed to solve the nuances and challenges of regulatory demands , player journeys and a player experience unique to the region . Its management team of Xuereb , Meltzer and CMO Jamie Shea will not lose focus as opportunities emerge in other jurisdictions .
“ We won ’ t get distracted by other regulations ,” Xuereb says . “ We ’ re not chasing the regulated market in Brazil , we ’ re not chasing the Dutch or German markets .
“ That means our business and our product will continually evolve around the North American player experience .”
That positions Strive for North America ’ s product-focused evolution . “ Players do mature , player experiences do change , and it is the operators ’ responsibility to ensure they engage their players with meaningful experiences .”
“ We are seeing a trend of new , non-traditional enterprises enter the gaming space as well as major brands moving into sports betting and igaming , including those with backgrounds in broadcasting and merchandising as well as businesses with complementary assets ,” he says . “ The new age of PAM is to extend outside of conventional gaming verticals and to unify the operators ’ assets , creating an intelligent ecosystem built around player behaviour .
“ Consumers shop a brand , not a channel . As a technology provider it is our responsibility to ensure a consistent experience for the players .”
THREE YEARS , EIGHT CLIENTS Xuereb prides himself on the diversity of partners Strive launched over the past three years . It started out launching Desert Diamond and Golden Nugget Online Gaming – part of DraftKings – in Arizona . There ’ s also Betsson ’ s Betsafe ,
PointsBet in Canada and , most recently , the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians ’ Four Winds . Further clients are signed up , and yet to be announced .
Its roster ranges from locally established tribal operators to international competitors , with a US market-leading client thrown in for good measure . In each case this requires a migration ; PointsBet , for example , is supplementing its own tech . Four Winds is replacing another PAM . Why go through the process to extricate themselves from a platform and move to another , with all the inherent risks ?
“ We ’ re seeing our operators gain meaningful market share ,” Xuereb says . “ Desert Diamond in Arizona is a local tribal operator , and they ’ re really mixing in with the big hitters in the space , beating out some of the national guys . With the right technology behind a brand , local operators can compete .”
Single-state operators have struggled to compete with the market leaders , but Xuereb argues this is exactly what Strive aims to help them do .
“ We want to enable operators to compete at that level ,” he says . “ It ’ s not just about earning a sliver of market share . Small operators deserve a bigger slice of the pie , especially when they can offer a local flair and an equally player-friendly experience .
“ We know not all customers are going to have the marketing budgets of the big guys ,” he continues . “ That means we need to do more as a platform provider . We need to work harder , smarter . We need to provide our operators with all the tools that enable them to really compete .”
DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT This could be through real-time bonusing , deep integrations with sportsbooks , cross-selling from different verticals , or running unique promotions in partnership with local brands .
“ We won ’ t get distracted by other regulations . We ’ re not chasing the regulated market in Brazil , we ’ re not chasing the Dutch or German markets ”
Damian Xuereb , Strive Gaming
16 • ISSUE 135 • ICE LONDON 2024