Our trifecta: the safe bet
Viadex teams up with leading technology partners to provide end-to-end solutions for the gambling industry.
by Andrew Mudge
Online gambling is one of the fastest-growing global markets.
According to Statista, the U.S. global online gambling market size reached almost 59 billion U.S. dollars in 2019 and is predicted to grow further. Sports betting and fantasy sports are the most popular types of online gambling: the market size of the U.S. fantasy sports sector accounted for 8 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. 1
In August 2020, the American Gambling Association released a report showing a jump in earnings, with US online gambling revenue tripling in 2020’s second quarter when compared to 2019. 2
Since the repeal of PASPA in 2018, 16 of the 52 states are now regulated to offer some form of online gambling. And it would be hard to bet against more states coming to the party, considering the tax revenues that states can earn.
New markets are appearing every year in Europe with the likes of the Netherlands due to regulate fully in 2021. Further afield, India accounts for some 365 million online gamblers.
For online gambling companies, this growth has translated into higher data centre requirements, and a greater need for security and disaster recovery. Online gambling companies need IT partners who can navigate the ever-changing landscape, to ensure large-scale systems that are reliable, responsive, and secure.
A recent trend saw operators sold on cloud technology, moving their apps and data to hyperscale cloud services. Unfortunately, due to latency and data gravity, the public cloud has not lived up to the hype, and most of these operators are now moving to a hybrid cloud model. They are also looking for vendors who understand the demands of their industry.
With the growth of opportunities in the U.S., online gambling operators are exploring ways to expand their footprint. Due to the nature of the regulatory environment, online gambling services prefer to have their data centres in the same state as the target market, which also allows for reduced latency.
Global IT service provider, Viadex, has made strategic partnerships with Continent8 and Pure Storage, to provide the total solution of managed, on-premises hybrid cloud – a winning trifecta for the gambling industry.
With 18 years of experience in specialised IT services, Viadex understands this sector’s particular needs, which are more demanding than the average e-commerce requirement. Viadex’s chosen solution for an online gambling operator is a Pure Storage all-flash system. Flash, or SSD, has far quicker access time and lower latency than spinning disks, and now, thanks to compression and deduplication techniques, can compete on price against hard-disk drives, when taking all factors like lifecycle into account.
Pure Storage provides a high level of end-user experience, with simplicity as a key component. Together with Pure Storage, we have built infrastructure in such out-of-the-way places as Malta, the Isle of Mann, Gibraltar and Dublin. These locations may not mean a lot to the layperson, but for anyone in the industry, these places are instantly recognisable. Pure Storage is built on their proprietary Evergreen technology, which makes for a seamless, rapid upgrade and expansion experience. For our online gambling services customers, it’s critical to be up and running 24 hours a day: any disruption would be an immediate loss of revenue. Pure Storage Evergreen promises six nines (99.9999%) of availability, including during upgrades.
Viadex, together with Pure Storage, can offer online gambling companies a solution that provides on-premises storage, with a pay-per-use, cloud-style payment model. The cloud experience doesn’t stop there. Managed services are a rising trend in the industry because they enable outsourcing of essential I.T. services, in terms of backup and disaster recovery, cybersecurity and intrusion detection, and hardware monitoring.
Viadex and Continent8 team up to provide a set of products and services that work together for the online gambling industry, including colocation, internet connectivity, cybersecurity, and all the services that overlay these. Continent8 has extensive experience in setting up online gambling systems in all the states where digital gaming is legal and have specialised in ensuring legislative compliance in these markets – each of which has its own legal framework.
Viadex is equally at home in the E.U., with experience in several key locations. The partnership with Continent8 means that online gambling operators can depend on us for speed of service, consistency, and reliability. We understand that the industry revolves around dates that are set in stone such as product launches, so we offer an assurance that we will give our full attention to bringing them to a timeline that works – as we are fond of saying, “We help you get there fast, first and cost-effectively.”
Our aim is always to have a long-term relationship with our customers, so we focus on cost and quality that always delivers what you need.
The U.S. online gambling industry is experiencing a gold rush right now, and technology accelerates this. By leaning hard into the trusted partnerships of Viadex, Continent8 and Pure Storage, online gambling operators can be assured of the consistent customer service that grows revenues.
1 https://www.statista.com/topics/1368/gambling/
2 https://www.bestuscasinos.org/news/us-online-gambling-revenue-surging-2020/
