The INTRALOT Group announces the signing of a Share Purchase Agreement to acquire, via INTRALOT Global Holdings BV, the remaining 65% of Bit8, a gaming technology company in Malta, in which INTRALOT first invested in 2015. Bit8 is an established gaming company with market-tested, award winning gaming platforms, stand-alone and hosted solutions and a large portfolio of international clients.

In the past two years of INTRALOT’s strategic cooperation with Bit8 the technology teams of the two companies worked closely for the development of INTRALOT’s novel CRM (Customer Relationship Management), platform PULSE, available in Retailer and Player versions that work seamlessly to enhance the value delivered to both Operators and Players.

INTRALOT GROUP CEO Antonios Kerastaris stated: “I am very excited to complete the acquisition of Bit8 by INTRALOT at the end of a two-year joint product development partnership that has secured for INTRALOT, among other benefits, PULSE, a world-class CRM system. PULSE has become a major pillar of our Digital Transformation strategy for Lottery Modernization and a strategic asset in our product portfolio. Bit8 today becomes a full member of the INTRALOT family, carrying enormous promise for future growth and product development by playing an important role in the successful deployment of our “All About the Player“ product design strategy.”

Bit8 Founder Angelo Dalli, who remains in the Board of Directors of Bit8 offering strategic advice for further development stated: “I am thrilled for the success of our cooperation with INTRALOT and today’s development that promises to bring a new cycle of growth, portfolio enhancement, and international recognition for Bit8. Like every Founder who has worked hard for the creation of a successful company I am proud about the company’s evolution and look forward to our future cooperation to reach new targets.”

About INTRALOT

INTRALOT, a public listed company established in 1992, is a leading gaming solutions supplier and operator active in 55 regulated jurisdictions around the globe. With €1.32 billion turnover and a global workforce of approximately 5,300 employees (3,450 of which in subsidiaries and 1,850 in associates) in 2016, INTRALOT is an innovation – driven corporation focusing its product development on the customer experience. The company is uniquely positioned to offer to lottery and gaming organizations across geographies market-tested solutions and retail operational expertise. Through the use of a dynamic and omni-channel approach, INTRALOT offers an integrated portfolio of best-in-class gaming systems and product solutions & services addressing all gaming verticals (Lottery, Betting, Interactive, VLT). Players can enjoy a seamless and personalized experience through exciting games and premium content across multiple delivery channels, both retail and interactive. INTRALOT has been awarded with the prestigious WLA Responsible Gaming Framework Certification by the World Lottery Association (WLA) for its global lottery operations.

Hi Angelo, first of all let me congratulate you for the recent award you received with Bit8. Best B2B application award at the Malta Communication Authority eBusiness Awards, sounds good! What’s the feeling you got? We’ve seen the photo, you seem really happy! We were delighted to receive the award. It’s always nice to be recognised for all the hard work that we have put in, but it is even more special on my home island of Malta. I also hope that it means we know what we’re doing and are good at helping our clients! Could you fill us in on the details regarding your platform? As I know you have added an AI to the software to help with behavioral segmentation. Does this help operators in their retention campaigns?

We’ve been using AI for some time and think it’s very important and very cost-effective. It can make your operations more efficient, as well as making players happier. It allows the automatic triggering of communications in a timely manner and ensures bonuses are sent at exactly the right time. It can also match players to the right incentives, without requiring an army of customer support people gathering intelligence behind the scenes. It recognises the game play of current players and similar ones and makes recommendations for complementary products within vertical to aid retention. It can also cross sell into more profitable verticals, which again keeps hold of the player.

Since our interest is developing the gambling industry in Eastern and Central Europe, some of our partners are looking for geo-located support.  Does your platform support that? 

Of course, geo-location is very important and it is very much part of our platform offer. It is capable of blocking a player according to his IP address or his registered address. It also tracks current IPs of players and supports segmentation of those players according to location. This allows us to segment acquisition and retention offers, but also tailor compliance messaging. We’re very keen to expand in Eastern Europe and realise geo-locating is important. As a result, we’ve recently set up an office in Sofia to improve our offering here.

Is the Bit8 CRM system available as a standalone system as well, or just on the Bit8 platform? How about land-based casinos?

Our CRM account management is for online and is available as part of the Bit8 platform. We offer a standalone system for land-based lotteries through our partnership with Intralot. Having a standalone one for online wouldn’t make sense for us at the moment. We do offer support for land-based casinos who make the switch over to online, however. This allows them to take advantage of our omni-channel loyalty scheme which offers player incentives and points, etc.

Many of our clients are asking about the managing of multiple brands under one system. Does the Bit8 platform have that? 

The Bi8 platform can be deployed across multiple data centres and sites, with our Global View system aggregating data from multiple deployments in one unified global consolidated view. Multiple jurisdictions are supported via jurisdiction-specific extension modules, utilising the same core everywhere in the world. We support multiple jurisdictions in an extremely flexible manner, where the core remains the same and jurisdiction specific extension packs/modules are provided containing specific functions and/or tools that are specific towards a Regulatory Authority. Compliance tools supported are specific towards different jurisdictions, and may include encrypted data vaults, electronic signatures, centralised self-exclusion registers, data archives and audit trails, etc.  The newest issue in the industry is related to emerging markets that include a separate jurisdiction for software suppliers.

Is Bit8 licensed to operate in Eastern and Central European countries? How about “White Label” solutions for multiple jurisdictions?

We work together with partners all over the world and are very aware about jurisdictional difference from country to country.  We use the operator’s licence in each different country rather than our own. We have signed up major operators in Eastern European countries, with a big announcement on the way. It works much more smoothly using an operator’s licence.  At the moment don’t offer white label services for multiple jurisdictions. We do offer a hosted service, however, if brands want to host and use our technical infrastructure.

All right, I think I’ve picked your brain, here comes the fun part. As I know you are quite a marathon runner. How does that work out with your demanding job?

I try to find time wherever I am. Running is easy to do anywhere in the world – you just need a pair of trainers, shorts and a t-shirt. I find it helps with the stresses and strains of the job. It keeps me fit and healthy, and helps me be disciplined, which is also good for business. Who is your favorite celebrity? I’m not much of a celebrity type of person, if I’m honest. I think people who want me to say Kim Kardashian here are going to be disappointed! I think the person I identify with most is Isaac Newton. He was a genius too….only joking!

How do you rate the chances of Eastern Europe becoming a potential gaming hotspot of the future? Where do you think the region must improve upon?

Eastern Europe definitely has the opportunity to become a real hotpsot. In many respects it already is, in the land-based environment. Online is waiting in the wings to do the same thing. In order to improve, I think there are still some fraud issues which the industry over here can address better. If payment system were better this would be easier to control. In some places internet connections could be a lot better too.

You have probably been to many place, where would you like to travel in Eastern Europe, some part of the region maybe that you haven’t visited yet?

I’ve actually been lucky enough to travel extensively throughout Eastern Europe. I speak a number of different Slavic languages which gives me a bit of an advantage.  My wife is also Ukrainian so I have a lot of personal connections to this part of the world. I’d like to think all of that gives me a social and cultural understanding of the region and gives Bit8 and I a certain advantage. I don’t think everybody ‘gets’ Eastern Europe, particularly at first. We do.

Where wouldn’t you want to travel in Eastern Europe?

Wow that’s a loaded question! This sounds like a diplomatic answer, but I genuinely find all of Eastern Europe fascinating. There are so many similarities, yet so many differences between the countries too. It’s a great place to travel and, increasingly, a good place to do business.

What is your opinion about EEG (Eastern European Gaming – eegaming.org)?

It’s a very Innovative and certainly has a lot of potential. It is great for gaming industry in Eastern Europe, obviously, but it also provides suppliers and operators from outside Eastern Europe with a forum to come and do business.