Welcome to the second edition of the Locker Room Labs Sports Technology Spotlight. We sit down with industry partners and experts to discuss the evolving world of sports tech including the incredible innovations being developed in the space. The next professional featured in this series is sports technology expert, Angelo Andre. We recently partnered with Angelo to bring Fractional CTO services to startups, or early-stage companies, preparing to build sports technology software. We sat down with Angelo to discuss his perspective on topics that are trending in this industry.
Let’s start with a fun one. How did you get into the online gaming industry and what excites you about this space?
I started my journey in the industry back in 2002 with a small company based in Vancouver. At that time I wasn’t specifically looking at getting into the online gaming space but a friend told me about a new opportunity and it got me interested. The role was a junior position within the company’s Quality Assurance department and primarily focused on the latest version of their iGaming platform. I was introduced to the industry and its different facets and challenged. I was hooked and I have never looked back.
The gaming industry is always evolving with new products, features, and new ways of customer interaction. As you can imagine, all these exciting features come with their own set of new technical and non-technical challenges. These challenges and excitement of creating new, innovative experiences for customers keep me captivated in the space.
As a leader in the sports technology industry, how do you stay informed about emerging technologies and industry trends?
There is a multitude of options to keep on top of what is happening in the sports tech space. I currently listen to Eliers & Krejcik’s podcast, Zero Latency, and read all the new letters that they release. Another podcast that is a must-listen is SBC Media’s iGaming Daily with Jessica Welman. To stay on top of the Canadian market I listen to Steve McAllister’s Gaming New Canada show and read his new letter as well.
For technology and future trends, there are so many options that can be found on the web, but I always revert to my colleagues and peers in the industry. Reaching out over a coffee or lunch and discussing what they are seeing as emerging technology trends and what challenges these technologies are trying to resolve.
The new year is set to bring major innovations and collaborations. Can you share your perspective on the current trends and innovations in sports technology that you find most exciting going into 2024?
As with 2023, AI/ML will have a bigger presence in sports tech in aiding in the creation of custom customer product offerings. This will be seen in custom customer menus and UI’s and different betting offerings and bonus programs. With these new offerings, micro markets will be key for success with more innovation in live betting both for sports as well as table live dealer games.
iGaming technology is expanding across the world and has an unprecedented reach. Can you share your insights on the global landscape of iGaming apps and the challenges and opportunities it presents for industry growth?
IGaming is growing rapidly both here in North America as well as the rest of the world, with Latin America being a large growth market. There lies the biggest opportunity for growth and increasing reach of an app/brand. Unfortunately, this growth opportunity can come with challenges regarding regionalization, regulatory differences, and market acquisition. All these need to be managed well for any organization to be successful in a new market. We have seen the outcome in North America when these challenges are not managed, and several operators have unfortunately left the market being unsuccessful.
What do you believe are the most significant barriers to entry for new startups in the iGaming space?
The biggest struggle for startups is figuring out how to compete with the big boys in the industry. Yes, there is no doubt that FanDuel and DraftKings are the market leaders that have a large portion of today’s market share but there is always room for a newcomer. The key is to find your niche or market segment and what ultimately makes your company different. The next struggle for most startups is how to turn their idea into reality, the “Now what?” question. Finding and partnering with the right development group is a significant step forward and allows companies to develop their product. The right development company can assist with many aspects of the process including navigating the regulatory environment that will be present.
We would love to hear any advice you might have for companies in their early stages. Do you have any recommendations for startups in the iGaming industry?
I would say to any startup that is getting into the iGaming industry to not give up, don’t get discouraged by what they are seeing in the industry. The iGaming space is large in North America and there is lots of room for growth and opportunity. Find a development team that shares your vision and enthusiasm and can bring it to fruition. Having a great idea is one thing, bringing it to life and successfully launching it onto the market is something else.
The Value of Knowlege & Expertise Within Sports Technology
Angelo Andre has over 20 years of experience as a seasoned software development leader in the online gambling industry. He has built, led, and scaled high-performance tech teams that have delivered cutting-edge iGaming and sportsbook platforms. He has a strong background in project management and scrum methodologies.
Most recently, Angelo was the Senior Director of Software Development at Bally’s Interactive, where he oversaw the entire engineering department and successfully grew it from 30 to 100+ engineers in less than two years.
Angelo’s knowledge and expertise will bring instant value to the sports technology industry and any upcoming projects on the horizon and that’s why he has partnered with us here at Locker Room Labs.
We are a US-based and software engineer-owned development team specializing in sports, betting, fantasy, and iGaming apps. From UX Design and MVP Development to Custom App Development and Staff Augmentation, we are tailored to bring sports software to life. A testament to our innovation is “The Locker Room Labs Playbook” a proprietary sports platform-as-a-service that accelerates development time to market and curtails custom software build costs for clients.
Interested in learning more about our services? Contact us here.
