In the latest episode of the KambiCast Spotlight, Kambi discusses the evolution and future of betting on the beautiful game with LiveScore, kwiff and former Fanatics SVP Trading Andy Wright
Read More Following a thorough search and hiring process, Kambi has announced that former Interwetten CEO and Sportradar chief Werner Becher will become the new CEO of Kambi, succeeding Kristian Nylén on 25 July. Kambi’s media team caught up with Werner to discuss his appointment and the prospects for Kambi over the coming years.
Kambi: Congratulations on being announced as the new CEO of the Kambi Group – how does it feel?
Werner Becher: Thank you, it feels great. Kambi has been a company I’ve long admired so to have the opportunity to build on the fantastic work carried out by Kristian [Nylén, CEO] over the years is incredibly exciting. Of course, I don’t start for a few weeks yet, but I can’t wait to get started as I believe there are great times ahead for Kambi.
K: What is it about Kambi that you have admired?
WB: I think one of the reasons Kambi has had such success is because it’s almost exclusively been focused on the sportsbook vertical, allowing it to become master of its craft. I think any operator in the world looking for a sportsbook supplier would have Kambi either near top or top of their list. There’s a reason Kambi is known for being the industry’s trusted sports betting partner, and that’s for its record of high-quality delivery over many years.
K: What you will bring to Kambi to drive future success?
WB: I know the sports betting industry very well and bring valuable experiences from both the B2C and B2B sides of the industry. I do believe this sector is like no other and having a good grasp of the product, as well as the technology behind it, will inform my decision making to the benefit of Kambi and our partners. I’ve also successfully led companies and large divisions and therefore understand how important it is to create an environment that gets the best out of people. I alone can’t drive future success; we are dependent on the fantastic people we have across the world so enabling them to perform will be a key focus of mine.
K: What do you see as being the main challenges and opportunities for Kambi?
WB: In recent years the market has evolved somewhat in that larger operators are increasingly in-sourcing their technology, which has meant Kambi has also had to evolve. So, one of my opportunities will be to not only maintain Kambi as the turnkey sportsbook supplier of choice, and there remains a large and important market for the turnkey, but to also establish Kambi as a leader in the provision of modular services. And I think Kambi has a powerful edge in this field with its modular services benefiting from the power of its large global network. For example, its sports and esports odds are already being consumed by millions of players around the globe, providing valuable data insights which then sharpen odds and inform product development. As an operator, the opportunity to take a modular service from Kambi, rather than anyone else, should be an appealing one.
K: How do you view the competitive landscape?
WB: It’s difficult to generalise as competition changes depending on product and geography. I’m excited by the prospects of our esports division Abios and front end entity Shape Games. In both cases I can see them becoming leaders in their respective fields if they’re not already. In terms of our AI-trading division, Tzeract, there are a lot of niche suppliers out in the market so Tzeract’s test will be to develop its offering beyond soccer, and I know the technology has been built in a way which will allow them to do just that. When it comes to the Kambi sportsbook, competition in Europe is different to competition in Latin America, for example, and I know Kambi has successfully taken slightly nuanced approaches to each. However, as mentioned before, Kambi has built a fantastic reputation built on a high-quality product and service and I determined to see that continue to ensure, whatever the market, Kambi is considered the outstanding choice.
