Digitain Live Casino The Story Begins
More than 50 live casino operators deliver their services to the iGaming industry.
I know 20, and of those, I regularly play at the tables of about four.
Live casino is a competitive and expensive business. Only a few operators manage to turn a profit – which is something that’s surprised me.
So when Matthew Charlesworth invited me to visit him and discuss his latest project, a live casino startup at Digitain, I jumped at the chance.
It meant a trip to Yerevan in Armenia, somewhere I’d never been.
It was a chance for me to understand better what it takes to start a live casino operation in a market dominated by suppliers like Evolution, Playtech and Pragmatic Play.
Who Are Digitain?
Digitain was founded in 2015 by a successful businessman and Vinter, Vardges Vardanyan. Starting with a lottery business in 1999, he established a B2C operation in 2004 with TotoGaming, which ultimately laid the foundations for beginning Digitain as a B2B operator in 2015.
After 12 months of research, the Live Casino product was incepted in 2020, with Mikayel Aznauryan (CPO) and Davit Ayvazyan Gagik (Live Casino Art & Technical Manager) responsible for the product development, building the team and Studio launch before Matthew joined the team in Dec 2021 as Managing Director.
What I learnt
I spent two days in December with Matthew and his team. We discussed everything, from data, player behaviours, games, operator requirements, licensing and innovation.
At the core was Matthew’s vision for a live casino product that would not only claim innovation but truly deliver it and put the player experience at the centre.
The core games would come first, but that will change as Matthew and his team rolls out their three-year roadmap.
Experience is Key
Matthew has 35 yrs experience in gaming, starting, like most of his peers, as a croupier in land-based casinos.
Since 2010 he has worked almost exclusively in online live casinos for brands like Bet365, Betfair, Paddy Power, NetEnt and Entain. In 2021 he was approached by Digitain to head up the new live casino operation.
Bold Strategy
Matthew has put together a strategy based on his years of experience, backed by vast amounts of game and player data.
It’s controversial in places and exciting in others.
He has the financial backing to deliver a compelling product for his online clients and players, which will officially launch as a new brand in early 2023.
To quote Vardges Vardanyan: “You cannot ever succeed with cheap products or by taking shortcuts. The key to success is a strong product and the best service”.
Matthew has quite a standard to reach!
Revealing the Challenges
In January, I’ll share Matthew’s insights on the challenges facing a live casino start-up.
I’ll reveal the product innovations and the outline strategy roadmap for 2023.
In February, you’ll get to see a few showcase items at ICE, and Matthew is bravely claiming that one of their showcase ‘items’ at ICE will be the talk of the expo.
Giving Player-centric Feedback
I had a great time with Matthew and the team, who shared far more than I expected.
For me, it was a busman’s holiday, talking and chatting about all things to do with Live Casino.
As a player, I could provide feedback about what I like and don’t like about live casinos.
More importantly, I shared some future innovations and games I think should be considered, which they received with some knowing smirks. I’m excited to see what transpires.
More to Come
Be sure to bookmark this page as I update it with links to the articles as they are published.
11th January 2023 – Interview with Matthew Charlesworth – Challenges Facing a Live Casino Start-up.