iGB@ICE: Werner Becher on the first six months of his Kambi tenure
Werner Becher had a tough act to follow, taking charge of Kambi from Kristian Nylen, but he says it’s been a case of refining an ongoing transformation process to build out a modular product range from a turnkey business.
Speaking in the iGB@ICE studio, he reflects on the first six months of his tenure, including launching for clients in Brazil on 1 January, when the market opened.
Going forward he aims to change the perception of Kambi from a turnkey specialist to a premium sportsbook solutions provider. This increases the supplier’s addressable market, Becher explains
Flexibility is key to the renewed and refreshed Kambi, Becher says. And he admits that Kambi was perhaps too reliant on a small number of partners previously. By offering solutions that allow the sportsbook technology provider to tap into a wider range of clients, there is scope to add far more customers.
Kambi remains a premium proposition
However it remains a premium sports betting product, meaning it’s not looking to add hundreds of customers in the coming years, rather regulated and high quality partners. “We focus on the top 150 to 200 companies, who are either one of the leading companies today, or want to become one of the leading companies.”
And after Kambi was the first to accept a bet in New Jersey, it was the first to launch in Brazil with Rei do Pitaco, Stake and BetMGM. “But we should be careful about expecting too much too quickly from Brazil,” Becher warns. It’s going to be highly competitive and customers will have to adjust to more onerous KYC processes.
But it’s a first step in the regulated Latin American region, he continues. There’s growing momentum behind regulation across multiple markets and those that localise their offering will ultimately win he says.