“If you don’t value compliance then you don’t have a sustainable business model,” said GiG Head of Performance Marketing Jonas Petersen, who explained why GiG Comply is now a crucial companion for gambling operators adapting to the fast-changing compliance landscape.
GiG Comply provides a web application software that allows operators to monitor their affiliate marketing websites for content including links, images and iGaming code red words.
It works by using a rules engine to ‘snapshot’ affiliate marketing campaigns and provides operators with the displayed promotional content that is being used to get punters engaged with their brands.
The magnified interest in this year’s Euro 2020 provides a key example of the importance of marketing compliance for those running various promotional campaigns throughout multiple jurisdictions.
In using software such as GIG Comply, operators can easily identify which sites their promotions are being advertised on so that they can make sure they are in-line with their brand guidelines.
This not only helps them to maintain their reputation but also ensures that they do not fall foul of any breaches at a key promotional time within the industry.
Looking further ahead, Petersen stressed that focusing on compliance ‘now’ is the smart play, especially for those currently operating outside of jurisdictions with the tightest rules.
He said: “If a business doesn’t value compliance then ultimately you don’t have a sustainable model. It’s now more important than ever for operators to ensure that their marketing efforts meet market-specific legislation and advertising standards globally.
“If you don’t, and you’re asked by a regulatory body how you are monitoring and controlling your marketing compliance five years down the line, it’s then much harder to rectify breaches and repair a damaged reputation.
“Even for MGA licensees operating in countries where compliance is not necessarily in force yet, if you place value on it now then you’re going to survive in the long run.”
Two countries where compliance is set to ramp up in 2021 are Germany and the Netherlands. So, why should operators eyeing new opportunities in those markets consider working with GiG Comply?
Most regulating or newly regulated markets will have key compliance criterias set for operators to follow in advance of regulation, which operators will need to ensure they are following from the beginning.
By investing in a compliance solution now, operators can ensure that they remain proactive and in control of their marketing compliance at the time of the roll out, while maintaining their brand position. Ultimately, this will ensure they are in the best possible position to take market share.
Petersen said: “We have already started to see this in both the Netherlands and Germany, where operators who are applying for a licence have increased their monitoring frequency substantially to ensure they are on top of their operators prior to the regulation, which we are confident they won’t ease up on once regulated.
“At GiG, we have invested a lot of time to support our clients in running proper checks and monitoring their criteria to assist their upcoming engagement with the two markets.”
Closing the interview, he shared a key learning for future development of the software based around the rapid recent changes to the compliance landscape, reflecting the fact that compliance will remain ever-changing, mirroring the changes within the industry.
“At GiG Comply, our mantra is to never work with locked roadmaps longer than up to six months. The reason for this is that this industry is still in a rapidly changing state where either new markets can regulate or existing markets swiftly can impose new regulatory initiatives.
“A good example of this is the latest Royal Decree in Spain, which was introduced roughly a month before the rules we’re officially enforced.
“By ensuring we work with an open product roadmap, it allows us to tailor and evolve the product based on the latest requirements worldwide.”