In this interview with Gaming Eminence, Shelley Hannah, Chief Product Officer at Relax Gaming, provides a focused analysis of how technological advancements, particularly in automation and AI, are transforming operations in the iGaming sector. She discusses the introduction of the Relax Vantage® platform as a response to industry demands for greater efficiency, with automation reducing manual tasks and enabling a shift toward strategic growth.
Hannah also explores the challenges associated with scaling in heavily regulated markets, emphasising the need to balance rapid expansion with maintaining high standards of quality and compliance. While discussing Relax Gaming's approach, she offers broader insights into how the iGaming industry as a whole is addressing these challenges through innovation and customer feedback.
Gaming Eminence: In your two decades of experience across various industries, how have you seen the role of product innovation evolve, particularly in the iGaming sector? With the introduction of platforms like Relax Vantage®, how do you foresee technological advancements reshaping the landscape of B2B content delivery in the next five years?
SH) "Consumer options were limited back then, but now we’re living in an age in which choice is paramount. Product innovation now demands speed to market due to fast-paced technological and regulatory changes, being agile and adaptable is essential for staying competitive.
As a veteran in the aggregation business, I believe organisation is critical to managing its inherent chaos. My vision for Relax Vantage was to streamline game selection as effortlessly as shopping on Amazon, whilst reducing manual effort for all parties. Automation is set to become standard in B2B, shifting focus to more strategic areas of product development, with AI and machine learning becoming increasingly influential."
Gaming Eminence: Relax Gaming has a strong reputation for its speed-to-market and innovation in aggregation services. Can you walk us through the strategic considerations and challenges you faced in scaling the Powered By Relax and Silver Bullet programs? How do you balance the demands of rapid expansion with maintaining high standards in quality and compliance?
SH) "I was fortunate to join Relax with experience in aggregation, fully aware of the expectations from both suppliers and operators. While many aspects of aggregation can be repetitive, they are often complex. Establishing a clear structure from the beginning to handle each aspect by automating or streamlining common tasks was crucial. Additionally, it is important to remain adaptable around compliance and expansion, as not everything adheres to the same model. These scenarios are the most challenging to scale, but encountering more unknowns helps you manage them better over time.
Quality and speed should always be at the core of any aggregation service, so we implemented clear quality checkpoints at various stages from the beginning. Aggregation goes beyond merely creating or providing games; it involves a journey and partnership from both commercial and operational perspectives. Maintaining successful partnerships is crucial and, although it is less scalable, it is a worthwhile investment!"
Gaming Eminence: As someone who has spearheaded product development in various regulated markets, what are the most critical factors to consider when navigating the complexities of global regulatory environments in iGaming? How does Relax Gaming’s approach to compliance differ from others, and what role does technology play in this?
SH) "First and foremost, the most critical factor is not to panic! The toughest challenge is usually in handling tight deadlines to changes in regulated markets rather than new market entries. From a product perspective, creating technology with a mindset of “this might change so make it a parameter” is one of the most important ways to be best set up to handle regulatory movements. Be proactive with technology.
More challenging is the scenario where the industry as a whole is unsure of how to handle a certain change. We often hold workshops with our suppliers and operators to talk through our plans and gain feedback so we can refine the solution which has proven hugely beneficial."
Gaming Eminence: The introduction of Relax Vantage® is described as an "operational game-changer." Could you delve deeper into the specific pain points this platform addresses for both operators and suppliers? What feedback have you received from early users during beta testing, and how do you plan to evolve the platform based on their experiences?
SH) "We developed Relax Vantage as an answer to fast growth and scalability challenges, with smart automations between all the technical and business components of the Relax casino offering.
The vision is for it to become a single location our customers can visit to for all aspects of how they interact with the Relax aggregation ecosystem, transparently, non-stop and from any location. The platforms allows access tailored to suppliers and a games catalogue based on matching markets. Browse through in-depth analytics, express interest, see legal and compliance agreements, download certificates, configure games exposure and more.
In the future all currently separate systems like: client area, service desk, DocuSign, invoicing or raising any activation request will be accessible in Relax Vantage. Single login, long email threads or proxy between our B2B and B2C customers will be reduced.
The roadmap is ambitious, we’re planning to introduce certain AI aspects as well, every couple of months our partners can expect new service to be made available.
Our first batch of feedback read like this: ‘Finally!’, ‘No one else offers this level of access’, ‘Amazing!’, ‘Vantage is going to rock!’ and ‘This is powerful!’. When you’re getting messages like that you know you’ve got a game changer on your hands."
Gaming Eminence: Given your extensive experience in leading multidisciplinary teams, how do you foster a culture of innovation within Relax Gaming? In an industry that’s constantly evolving, how do you ensure your teams are not just keeping up with trends but also setting new standards in product development and delivery?
SH) "The automation of BAU processes and AI innovations allows us to save a lot of time for repetitive technical tasks and configuration deployments, instead the teams can go into deep focus.
We are also believers in strong communication and product ownership. In my eyes they’re the key to multidisciplinary cooperation, especially when, like Relax, the team is distributed across different offices worldwide.
Naturally, customer feedback also has a huge role to play in setting standards here at Relax. It helps motivate our teams to perform at a certain level and it’s quite common that we hear our partners say that they have learned what ‘real standards’ are from Relax as we strive to do things right."