Getting to know: Vigen Badalyan
GIO gets cosy with BetConstruct’s CEO & Founder.
GIO: Can you tell us a little about your background in igaming?
VB: BetConstruct’s global supply business has its roots in bookmaking. Our first steps in igaming – with a bookmaking company called Vivaro – date back to 2003 when myself and Vahe Badalyans started Vivaro: a company with four people in a small office in Yerevan. [The name Vivaro was the first two letters of Vigen, Vahe and father, Roman].
Since there was a lack of good gaming software and platforms in the market to use, the igaming sector remained underdeveloped in the local market until Vivaro became the first operator in the country. It was also thanks to the fact that the we preferred to make everything themselves.
Progress kept on building up little by little. Soon we’d grown our offering to a scale that could compete on the international level. That is how BetConstruct was founded. Now we have over 300 partners all over the world who use our solutions.
GIO: How different was it moving from B2C to B2B?
VB: What comes to being an operator… there is one major challenge – to understand what the player expects. Then it all boils down to living up to the expectations and exceeding them, as well as providing a safe and responsible gaming experience.
Providing to the B2B sector has many more intricacies. One should investigate regulations in the region, the player base, the existing competition of operators within the state and, first and foremost, the future operator’s requirements.
Because we started as a B2C provider we have a great business sense – already an intuitive knowledge of which tools or solutions to offer to our partner operators to help them thrive. Needless to say, such knowledge came after years of being nose-deep into igaming.
Having once had a desire to stand out in the B2C market, now BetConstruct – a software provider for igaming – removes barriers for its partners who seek uniqueness, simultaneously saving time and resources, both ours and our partners.
GIO: What were the defining principles that drove you when you set up BetConstruct?
VB: After learning all the challenges and opportunities that come from operating online, we have grown both mentally and product-wise enough to deliver the solutions we would use ourselves. That is why our founding principles are freedom of choice, transparent policies and personal approach.
Pioneering the company, we wanted to learn and experience the igaming business from the ground up. To know what the player wants, we needed to be that player. To know what an operator wants, we had to start off as an operator. Investigating all challenges from the lowest echelons we learnt and pursued the opportunities to firmly enter the B2B sector.
A one-fit-all model is not a solution that BetConstruct would put forward. Today, we create the products we would use ourselves. We deliver tools and services which help operators to be different. Most importantly, all our operating models are focused on giving freedom of choice to our partners and a greater access to industry services and tools like with SpringBME.
GIO: What do you look for when deciding who to do business with?
VB: Regardless of the size and scale of operation of our partners, we treat them all with the same respect, attention and care. Every partner, small or big, has a value to us and we support them on all the stages on their way to success.
Identifying ourselves as a full-service company, BetConstruct provides absolutely everything the operator needs to succeed. With custom requests and advisory from us, operators find models which fit their businesses the best with an opportunity to add up and customize their offerings.
GIO: Are there any limitations that come with being an industry giant?
VB: BetConstruct is surely distinguished in the industry with its products and policy towards its partners. We never stop learning and growing. Reaching a scale of a global provider with hundreds of partners carries a great deal of responsibility.
We must know where our partners are going to operate and what they need for running a safe and legal business. If their requirements go against our principles, we have to decline. Otherwise, we eagerly take a special care for our partners with our solutions and advisory until they get both their feet firmly on the ground.
GIO: What have been some of your favourite achievements since forming BetConstruct?
VB: Our biggest achievement is being the well-established company that we are today
GIO: After 16 years, what are the key changes that you’ve witnessed?
VVB: The most changes come from legislative field. Opening more markets results in more business opportunities and industry growth. Every market is important, and we believe that gradually most of the countries will adopt regulations. Otherwise – by keeping the markets closed – they deprive their citizens from safe gaming experiences as well as shutting down multiple economic opportunities.
Tech development sky-rocketed at the beginning of the century. The internet and mobile devices are accessible from almost every corner of the world. Players demand more from their gaming experience – more bonuses, more visuals, more social interactions. Operators expect that a provider will come up with solutions to cover such demands. Naturally, the chain reaction is triggered, and providers are ignited to push the boundaries and think outside the box. Otherwise they would simply be left out of the race.
As for BetConstruct, we have already established our style of working. We do our job the best we can, create the solutions and services that we would use ourselves and make sure to always fully support our partner operators.
