As the year comes to an end, the gambling industry looks back at its journey through the calendar and its recovery after the pandemic. Maria Bashkevich, Uplatform’s Head of Marketing, spoke with Yogonet about the gaming platform provider’s trajectory during 2022 and assured that she hopes the major difficulties are nearing an end, as the company is on its way “to better and brighter times.”
“The industry has faced many challenges and has been in very uncertain times in recent years, and I’m not just talking about the pandemic. I’m not sure how long the impacts of everything will be felt,” she said.
To reduce the impacts of COVID-19 on its clients’ losses, the company continued working on improving its sportsbook, particularly the Esports section, and casino offerings as soon as the pandemic hit.
“We were able to stop the negative dynamic and reduce losses within two months as a result of this,” Bashkevich explains. “We are very flexible and can react to all changes quickly because we have our own bookmakers and a deep understanding of the players.”
She also stated that the company’s unique selling proposition (USP) is the means through which Uplatform builds relationships with operators, along with the firm’s interest in their growth. “By working with them to increase their results, we’ve helped them attract new players and shown remarkable results across various regions,” Bashkevich explains.
2022 also brought back unrestricted access to in-person industry events that are key for its development. “The pandemic’s echo was loud at the first events this year, like ICE. However, the expos in Amsterdam, Barcelona and Malta were the same as we were used to,” Bashkevich noted.
“Of course, there are still limitations because safety comes first. We should remember how the pandemic affected people and be careful. But, in general, we’ve restored that channel,” she pointed out.
As Uplatform was created right before the pandemic, expos are a very valuable marketing channel for the brand, “as they help us boost brand recognition, communicate more about who and what Uplatform represents and offers, make new connections and showcase our team,” says the Head of Marketing.
To Bashkevich, the pandemic was eye-opening in many ways. However, from a business standpoint, the main takeaway seems to have been the importance of having an online presence, flexibility and diversification.
“It applies to any aspect of the business. Everything from internal processes and HR policies to marketing strategies and overall operations must be adaptable. The pandemic, on the one hand, forced us to develop new marketing channels, adapt to the situation, find new ways of promotion, and be more creative,” she said.
It also demonstrated the value and importance of in-person communication in increasing loyalty and building stronger relationships. “When we lose something, we appreciate it the most,” she said.
For the Uplatform’s Head of Product, post-pandemic trends point to new technologies that are still under development. “Web 3.0 is a real trend but it’s still a long way off. For the time being, it is in the R&D stage, so the real discussion and some valuable movements will occur in a few years,” she considers. “I believe it is on the right track and will increase web technologies’ safety and efficiency.”
When it comes to the executive’s predictions for Uplatform’s 2023, she assured the company has “a lot to come next year.”
“We have a lot planned for the year, including important platform updates, expansion of our team, the acquisition of new licenses and certifications, expansion into new markets, attending all crucial industry events, and giving back to the community,” Bashkevich points out.
“We will launch a new product, our own casino aggregator. We’ll also have important updates to our solutions, tools, and platform in general. And we’re constantly working on improving our sportsbook,” she added.
“Next year, we’ll expand the list of markets and tournaments, especially in esports, as well as add new features. As they say, there’s no limit to perfection, but we’re chasing it,” she said. “So, we anticipate that 2023 will be a very fruitful year for Uplatform, with remarkable achievements, profitable partnerships, and massive growth.”
