5 ways to scale your iGaming operations sensibly, securely, and successfully

The gambling industry handles volumes of transactions which very few others can match. Plus, with North and South America, the Middle East, and other areas around the world introducing regulations to increase participation, they are bound to rise even further.

Nevertheless, due to working with loads around the world, we know that gambling outfits are ambitious enterprises which continuously rally to raise the bar even higher. As such, growing volumes are nothing new to the industry but sometimes a revised strategy for scaling is in need; something which means that growth can be achieved sensibly, securely, and still successfully.  

Read on to discover some top tips on how to achieve all of that.

Build with room for growth

First and foremost, before any scaling of any strategy takes place, a secure foundation is needed within your financial back-office. Without this, scaling operations will swiftly go from being a success story into a cautionary tale.

After all, gambling operators have a responsibility to reconcile every single transaction. Player deposits and withdrawals must be reconciled to guarantee the security of funds; bank movements must be reconciled so that profits are declared to the likes of the UK Gambling Commission; deposit values must be reconciled so that AML limits are alerted, etc.  

Ultimately, to continue to meet these important requirements whilst scaling, operators require the means to reconcile on time. Unsurprisingly, scalability within their financial setup is therefore an essential ingredient. In terms of reconciliation, this means that it will complete on time no matter how many transactions must be matched.

That's why time and time again operators worldwide turn to Aurum. With a powerful matching engine and end-to-end automation, Aurum guarantees that the entire reconciliation process is completed in seconds, allowing gambling outfits the breathing room to scale even further with no worries about their operational resilience.

Look ahead and abroad

Scaling your gambling operations can result in many other factors coming into play aside from higher transaction volumes. For example, a popular method within iGaming to grow business is by expanding into new geographies. Plus, with more countries legalising online gambling, this becomes even more inviting for existing operators.

However, whilst existing outfits are bound to have experience which will help them succeed anywhere in the world, they will still face challenges when scaling via this method:

• FX reconciliation – if an outfit wishes to enter markets in different countries, they are likely to handle transactions with different currencies, making them subject to fluctuating exchanging rates. Consequently, reconciliation instantly becomes more difficult, demanding that the correct FX rate is applied to every reconciled transaction.
  

• Time zones – even across the EU where most countries use the same currency, there is an alternative factor which differs – time zones. As a result, when reconciliation takes place manually, it is easy enough to think that two transactions which are recorded at different times do not correspond despite this actually being the case.  
  

• Different regulations – even across states in America which are legalising iGaming activities, there are differences, this time in the form of regulations. Flexibility in reporting is therefore fundamental for operators who wish to scale via this method.

Geographical expansion therefore demands reconciliation capabilities which can do more than simply handle higher volumes of transactions. Why? Because reconciliation across borders, time zones, and nations is anything but simple. Instead, sophistication such as automated reconciliation supported by a live stream of FX rates and detection of time zones, plus flexibility like fully customisable reports are a must.  

Fortunately, for the likes of Throne Entertainment, Campeón Gaming, and more, all these features can be found in Aurum, helping them scale their operations successfully across the world.

Crystal clear

Scaling can feel like a great success – more transactions, new client-bases, greater profits, all of which are bound to impress shareholders. However, one group of people will be unmoved by scaling unless there is rigorous financial best practice alongside it – auditors.  

For your scaling to be legit and not fall at the last hurdle – the time of your annual audit – it is therefore important that scaling is married with transparent financial best practice. After all, having the capabilities to reconcile faster thanks to the power of automation is great but still meaningless to auditors who operate on the basis of clear evidence.  

It is therefore sensible to choose an automated reconciliation platform which will not only match transactions at scale but also create a comprehensive audit trail of all actions. Mindful of the importance of audits, Aurum therefore automatically creates an audit trail as it reconciles whilst also tracking other actions such as reconciliation sign-off and data loading to make passing audits a breeze for scaling operations.

Make mergers & acquisitions achieve their potential

Considerations such as scalability, FX rates, and the demands of auditors across geographies can be overwhelming for a single gambling outfit to manage. However, within the industry, mergers and acquisitions are becoming more common. For those who decided to go down this path to scale, they therefore have the luxury of two operations, rather than one, handling their future.

Yet one potential sticking point remains – how do they consolidate their operations? After all, to have their finance functions continue to operate separately would defeat the point of a merger or acquisition. More often than not, the answer to this question comes from deciding upon which company has the superior method already in place.

This method should be able to accommodate the unique aspects of both operations, deal with increased volumes due to the merger, and the increased likelihood of working with more PSPs. When 39.4% of PlayStar got acquired by Glitnor Group there was therefore only going to be one outcome considering that the Senior Financial Controller of the group recognised that “PlayStar has a strong finance function thanks to systems like Aurum”.  

Ultimately, with mergers and acquisitions being extremely sensitive activities, it is always best to go with a tried and tested reconciliation method to ensure that their promise of growth is realised rather than sabotaged. Aurum fulfilled this for Glitnor Group and with their acquiring of OneCasino imminent, they are now set to deploy Aurum again.  

Partnership, partnership, partnership

Partnering with operators to scale has been a fruitful endeavour for the likes of Glitnor Group; however, working with Aurum Solutions has meant that another partnership has also played a role in their growth. After all, one of our core values is partnership, so much so that we use the term ‘partners’ instead of ‘clients’.

Finding a company who will do more than simply provide software can feel rare these days but taking the time to find them is worth it when seeking to scale. This can be seen by how our collaborative approach:

• Has resulted in us accumulating the largest library of APIs in the industry. By developing a positive relationship with banks, PSPs, ERPs, and more, we act as middlemen to make data suddenly easily accessible for finance teams at gaming operators. No matter how you might develop your financial tech stack or what your audience might prefer in terms of payment options, we give you the flexibility to adapt.
  

• Means that as your processes evolve, you can count on us to offer our expertise on how to finesse them, so you deliver the greatest value to your company. Working with the likes of DraftKings, Momentum, LeoVegas, Ladbrokes, and World Poker Tour, we have a wealth of experience ready to offer you direction.  
  

• Offers a support team which will go above and beyond to make sure your operations stay on track. After all, as operations scale, the risk of issues becomes larger meaning that the importance of quality support service also proportionally grows.  

With scaling meaning that any number of changes could come along, having as many adaptable and robust resources at hand is always a benefit. For this to be the case, collaboration is key. It offers you access to knowledge, APIs, and support which you might not have on your own, all of which will be crucial to your ambitions for scaling.

Scaling new heights

Scaling is no doubt the ultimate long-term aim of any finance team. However, it isn’t always destined to be an easy journey.  

To make successfully scaling a safe and secure bet it is always wise to do it alongside those who have been there and done it before. Best of all though, is to do it alongside those who also enjoy proactively supporting others, something which we at Aurum Solutions relish.  

Scale new heights together by booking your demo today with iGaming’s no.1 reconciliation software.