Ahead of SBC Summit Americas, we sat down with Izabela Słodkowska-Popiel, Head of Account Management for North America and Latin America at Wazdan, a platinum headline sponsor of the event.
What elements of SBC Summit Americas work so well for your organization, and why is it important for you to be there this year?
The SBC Summit Americas presents a fantastic opportunity for Wazdan to connect with key players, including operators, aggregators, and regulatory bodies across North and South America. The event is an excellent way to enhance our brand visibility while bringing together a diverse group of attendees. It serves as an ideal platform for showcasing our latest products and engaging in meaningful conversations, helping us build stronger relationships in two of our fastest-growing markets. As we aim to expand our presence on both continents, being visible and approachable at such a significant event demonstrates our commitment to providing innovative and relevant content.
What would you highlight as the biggest opportunity in the betting and gaming industry over the next couple of years?
The pace of regulatory expansion across North and Latin America remains a significant opportunity, opening doors for suppliers with strong compliance frameworks and local insight. Alongside this, the growing demand for personalized, mobile-first experiences reshapes how content is developed and delivered. There is an increasing focus on making games more engaging and interactive, which helps players stick around and fosters brand loyalty. Wazdan is in a great position to offer valuable solutions in these areas.
What elements of your business do you feel are best placed to take advantage of that opportunity?
We believe that flexibility is the key to great game development, and this approach has become one of our biggest strengths. With features like Chance Level™, Volatility Levels™, and customizable mechanics, we can craft games that resonate with players in different regions, considering their unique cultures and regulations. We are all about listening, whether it is player feedback or operator insights; we believe this input drives our development journey. Our track record speaks for itself, and we have a stellar portfolio of mobile-optimized slots that perform exceptionally well. We take localization seriously and have various games certified across multiple jurisdictions, which puts us in a strong position to adapt as market trends evolve.
What areas of the business should we be looking to for innovation in the next 12 months?
In the year ahead, we are placing particular emphasis on enhancing promotional mechanics and exploring new content formats. On the operational side, tools that streamline game management, such as our Game Manager Client, which simplifies game management and accelerates time-to-market, providing partners quick access to all game-related files and making management and integration faster and simpler, will continue to evolve, offering even greater efficiency and visibility to our partners.
What new technology do you feel will have the biggest impact on stakeholders?
Technology is constantly evolving, making things smoother for both players and operators. The ability to analyze real-time data and utilize reporting tools for faster decision-making is helping operators make smarter, more efficient choices. There is also exciting potential in using artificial intelligence for personalization, which means tailoring player preferences to offer content that resonates with each individual. Additionally, cloud-based solutions are crucial, especially for companies that must scale up and stay compliant in different markets.
What core challenges do you help solve for your customers/partners?
At Wazdan, we are passionate about helping our partners overcome their challenges in today’s competitive gaming industry. One of our main goals is to boost player engagement and retention. We accomplish this with innovative game mechanics and engaging promotional tools that keep players excited and returning for more. We understand the importance of providing content that is fun and meets local regulations. This way, our partners can confidently launch our games in various markets. On top of that, we pride ourselves on offering seamless integration and comprehensive promotional support, making it easier for our partners to bring their products to market effectively while maximizing visibility and performance.
Who have you especially enjoyed working with over the past year (partner/client) and why?
Over the past 12 months, we have had the pleasure of working with several leading names in the industry, each offering something unique to the partnership. Our collaboration with Light & Wonder has been particularly rewarding, thanks to their expansive content market, Infinity™, which has helped us reach new audiences across the Americas. We have also enjoyed a strong strategic partnership with Betsson, especially across Latin America. Their insight into local markets has enabled us to launch tailored content that resonates with players in Colombia and Argentina. Our collaboration with DraftKings in North America has sparked some exciting innovations. Together, we have launched new game titles and enhanced our strategies by focusing on data-driven development.
Can you tell us more specifically how you worked with that partner and how the relationship is developing?
We have expanded our reach by teaming up with Light & Wonder. Their content marketplace integration and joint promotional efforts have boosted our visibility in important markets. Thanks to their support, we can now share our content with a much larger player base across both continents. In Latin America, our collaboration with Betsson has focused on adjusting our offerings to fit local cultures and launching exclusive games designed specifically for places like Colombia and Argentina. These tailored strategies have worked well and have opened the door for similar initiatives in Brazil and Peru. When it comes to DraftKings, we are working together to create a strategic plan that uses player data and market insights. This has helped us fine-tune our game releases to keep players engaged. We are excited about the innovation this partnership brings and look forward to continuing to grow it.
What are you hoping to learn from the conference at the SBC Summit Americas and which elements of the agenda will you be focusing on the most?
We are excited to gain deeper insight into the evolving regulatory environment across both North and South America, especially as we prepare to enter new markets. The conference presents an opportunity to discuss emerging trends in player behavior and game monetization, which will help us shape future projects. More than anything, we look forward to networking and exchanging ideas with peers across the industry.
