Now that the dust has settled on the 2022 ICE and iGB Affiliate shows in London, it’s the perfect time to take a step back and break down all the important takeaways that were discussed during the event. From April 12th to 14th, the iGaming industry took over the ExCeL London to re-connect and exchange important insights that will help shape the rest of 2022.
With the entire industry on hand, so many concepts were looked at, from new markets to what kind of differences the industry has seen over the last few years, which we’ll break down in this post.
Emerging Markets
Naturally, as a company based in Canada, we fielded a variety of questions from our partners about the emerging market and Ontario finally opening up in early April. The Canadian market is an interesting one, as only Ontario has introduced legal gaming while the rest of the provinces are slowly planning their path.With only one province currently available in Canada, operators and affiliates alike are monitoring the situation and trying to get a lay of the land in the Great White North.
At the same time, the United States remain a big source of conversation, as similarly to Canada the industry is waiting for additional states to open. During this period, both affiliates and operators are in the process of optimizing their content with a view to the upcoming NFL season. The NFL dominates sportsbooks in North America and this period before the NFL reemerges in September is vital for those adjustments.READ MORE: The Everchanging World of NFL iGaming Partnerships
There was also a lot of chatter about the Asian market, with multiple operators and affiliates expressing interest in it. We also attended SiGMA Asia back in March, where interest in the Asian market was high. In particular, India is an exciting market right now, with a strong sports history that should translate well to sportsbooks.Finally, there were a lot of discussions surrounding the exciting Latam market. Similarly to Asia, we recently attended SAGSE Latam, where it was clear that this market is on the rise. While most countries in Latin America came up, Brazil was a large discussion point, as it has the largest population in the continent and strong sports fandoms for a variety of sports.
What Affiliates are Looking For
Being able to attend iGB Affiliate London allowed us to get a firsthand account from affiliates on what topics are most relevant to them. One of the more exciting trends is that affiliates were looking to test out different verticals and discuss these potential opportunities while at the conference. Multiple affiliates we spoke with were asking questions about different verticals and the kind of deals they could make with operators in them. Sportsbook affiliates were curious about testing daily fantasy or casino and vice versa, making it an exciting time to be an affiliate!Another topic that’s come up at past conferences as well and it’s that affiliates are looking for increased transparency from operators in their reports to allow them to optimize further. The goal for affiliates is to send valuable users to operators and any additional info gives them the tools to do that more effectively.
Affiliate Standard Reporting
With the last point in mind, our VP of Marketing, iGaming & Income Access, Erica Anderson, moderated a panel on Affiliate Standard Reporting. This project began back in 2019 and aims to give everyone access to valuable data as a standard across the iGaming industry. The goal is to save time for affiliates on filtering through data, so they can spend that time on optimizing instead. On the other hand, the goal for operators is to improve how they support affiliates, but also make their own process easier. If there is a single standard for reporting, operators won’t need to come up with their own unique models to present their data.There was a lot of excitement around this panel from both operators and affiliates, as both parties could see how it would benefit them and improve some of their pain points.
Final Takeaways
It was a joy for Income Access to return to the 2022 ICE and iGB Affiliate events in London, as it was a great way to reconnect with partners we haven’t seen over the last few years and connect with new ones that we’re excited to grow with further. The iGaming industry continues to evolve and these conferences give us a great chance to get a good sense of those change!
