“In a world with plenty of good solutions, what makes you truly stand out? What makes your technology great? This was the question we asked when we launched just over a year ago,” says Evgen Belousov, Chief Executive Officer at GR8 Tech, an iGaming platform provider that offers products and services to operators in the industry – from all-encompassing sportsbook and casino platforms to standalone products such as sportsbook iFrame, feed, casino providers aggregator, CRM, and others.
“Our answer was to offer tailored solutions that cater to industry players’ personalised needs,” he says. “By providing operators with ample access to data, we empower them to optimise their offerings, understand their customers better, and drive more tailored, engaging experiences.
“We also focus on long-term success,” he says. “We provide everything needed to launch and run a successful iGaming business, but we don’t only focus on starting out. We position ourselves as a lifetime partner for our clients, supporting their successful development and scaling up. Our tech is designed to be scalable and flexible to adjust to the operator’s growing needs and can support small- to large-scale operations worldwide.”
Growing ambitions
GR8 Tech launched in January 2023; it has since grown on a global scale, with iGaming clients now present in Africa, Asia, Europe, and beyond. “We’re now looking to branch into Latin America and further expand in Asia,” Evgen says. “Plus, we’re always ready to explore new markets that are of interest to our clients.”
The firm has taken on a number of major clients since its market entrance and, in its first year alone, launched 25 new brands on GR8 Tech’s platform, demonstrating an impressive 99.96 percent uptime. “We also expanded the team, hiring ten C- and V-level leaders, and are proud to have been recognised with several awards – including Best Online Sportsbook Provider 2024 at the SiGMA Eurasia Awards, alongside nominations for prestigious accolades such as the SBC Awards,” says Belousov.
Standout sportsbook offerings
The company now offers more than 50 sports on its sportsbook platform, providing betting options on more than 25,000 daily events. “One of our strengths lies in offering a strong selection of regional favourites, such as cricket, kabaddi, American football, basketball, hockey, volleyball, and others,” says Belousov. “Depending on where they’re located, operators can offer exactly what their local audiences like, gathering more engagement and support from them.”
Belousov says the company can also tailor products to more niche sports and events. “Our proprietary sportsbook feed gathers odds data from best-in-class providers and offers tailor-made content by the GR8 trading team,” he says. “So if an operator wants to offer its players betting on unique events, underground sports, a rare tournament or any other non-sport event, we can bring that vision to life.”
We always have people maintaining platform stability, tech support, and other vital functions
Alongside its extensive event coverage, GR8 Tech’s sportsbook platform also stands out for its ability to manage heavy user loads with real-time anti-fraud processing and advanced margin management capabilities, says Belousov. “This balances the need for attractive player odds with profitability for operators, ensuring a successful sportsbook operation,” he says.
The platform’s “modular nature” is also fundamental to its success, according to Belousov. Depending on business needs, operators can choose a selection of tools in their offering, opting for just the right set – with the ability to flexibly customise it as their business requirements change, tailoring the platform to their unique requirements and delivering bespoke experiences to their end-users.
Tackling perceptions and industry challenges
But GR8 Tech’s sportsbook ambitions go beyond the limits of the company itself; Belousov says the success of its platform is helping to change perceptions around the profitability of sportsbooks more generally. “One of the interesting challenges we’ve seen has come from the idea that sportsbooks aren’t that lucrative,” he says. “Typically, sportsbooks are seen more as an engagement tool, while operators rely more on casinos to make money.
“We’ve tried to change this stereotype with a high-performance sportsbook platform that’s designed to bring tangible financial results for its operators within their first 12 months,” he says. “Transforming the industry’s conventional view of sportsbooks isn’t a trivial thing, but we’re confident in our ability to deliver and change the norm.”
Shifting perceptions isn’t the only challenge the company is taking on. Belousov says the fast-paced, forever-changing nature of the wider iGaming market can be one of the biggest hurdles for platform providers in the industry.
“The global iGaming industry is incredibly dynamic and constantly changing, so the main thing is keeping up with the pace,” he says. “Providers need to factor in emerging technologies, updates in regulations, the evolving preferences of end users, and shifting priorities of the operators, to name just a few of the considerations. It’s crucial to stay tuned to all of these elements and to predict what’s coming next,” he says.
“The accuracy of such predictions and the readiness for change can either give a company its competitive advantage or halt its development,” he continues. “User loads also fluctuate based on numerous factors. Platforms that fail to provide scalability can either lead to wasted resources during low-traffic periods or hinder growth during peak times.
“We’re proud to have been able to navigate this environment and enjoy the ride thanks to our expertise,” he says. “Our high-performance infrastructure is designed to scale organically alongside our clients’ needs. This means that as an operator grows or experiences surges in user activity, our platform adapts in real-time, ensuring that capacity is always aligned with demand without compromising performance or user experience.”
Data issues and regulatory requirements
There are further challenges beyond the ever-evolving nature of the industry, however, according to Belousov – not least around the availability of data. “The limited willingness among providers to share data is a critical challenge,” he explains. “This restraint limits the ability of operators to make informed decisions and stifles the industry’s collective capacity to innovate and enhance player experiences,” he says. “As we progress into 2024 and beyond, this will become increasingly pronounced, as operators demand more transparency and data access to drive their strategic initiatives.”
To help tackle the issue, GR8 Tech aims to “lead by example”, providing data to its clients to help them enhance their offerings. “We believe that open data sharing is fundamental to the advancement of the industry,” Belousov says. “This approach not only benefits our clients but also catalyses broader industry growth by fostering a culture of transparency and cooperation.”
We position ourselves as a lifetime partner for our clients, supporting their successful development and scaling up
Beyond data sharing, another challenge lies around regulation, according to Belousov – and staying on top of differing frameworks in different markets. “Keeping up with the many jurisdictions around the world and ensuring products are flexible enough to adapt to various regulatory requirements can be tricky,” he says. “But we see this as a positive – while it means there are additional considerations when developing new products and improving existing ones, it also pushes us to explore new things, be more creative, and ultimately design more robust solutions.”
A strong company culture
Taking on those challenges requires a talented, motivated team – and GR8 Tech has focused on fostering exactly that, according to Belousov.
“When it comes to company culture, we believe in leading by example,” he says. “Our C-level team are outstanding professionals with a clear vision of where they want the company to be in the future. At the same time, the leadership team is very approachable and open, making sure everyone is on the same page about the company’s progress and next steps.”
Developing that culture has in turn helped GR8 Tech attract a strong talent pool, says Belousov. “We at GR8 Tech offer exciting challenges, growth opportunities, and great people to work alongside with. We focus on creating an excellent working environment backed by strong performance, and this undoubtedly resonates with people.”
We believe that open data sharing is fundamental to the advancement of the industry
He says the company offers a flexible hybrid working policy, where employees can choose to go into the office or work from anywhere in the world. “With the team located in many countries across and beyond Europe, we find that a hybrid remote work environment fits our business best,” he says. “Our main goal is to ensure our clients’ uninterrupted business continuity, meaning we always have people maintaining platform stability, tech support, and other vital functions,” he continues. “Beyond this, we believe our employees should be able to work wherever and however suits them best.”
Future expansion
If GR8 Tech’s success to date is anything to go by, its approach to culture is clearly working – and the company looks set to continue on its rapid growth trajectory in the future. “Our goal is to become the go-to provider for iGaming operators,” says Belousov. “We aim to expand our global presence further, strengthen connections with local operators in markets around the world, and tap into relevant industry discussions in new regions,” he says. “We will continue to sign new clients and build partnerships with them, ensuring the long-term success of their businesses, with tangible results.”
And with its emphasis on adaptation, innovation, and personalised, data-driven solutions, the company is certainly in good stead to deliver on its ambitions. “We believe success depends on whether a business is ready to take advantage of the challenges and opportunities,” says Belousov. “At GR8 Tech, we’re ready to do just that; to enter new markets, perfect our products, and serve our existing and new clients with truly great tech.”