Clued up: How MrQ is investing in data empowerment and a North Star rebrand concept

The question of whether ‘operators are providers of gambling services or technology companies that operate within the gambling sector’ was posed by Lindar founder Savvas Fellas in an opinion piece he wrote for EGR in January 2020. It’s a debate which has led not only to Lindar’s main product, MrQ, enjoying a record-breaking 2021, but also culminating in its slots operator win at the EGR Operator Awards 2021.

Fellas believes the continuing growth of MrQ is down to adopting the philosophy of the latter in his question asked back in January 2020. Coming from a background in performance marketing and then moving into affiliate marketing, Fellas eventually found himself working in online bingo. He started off building an affiliate portal in 2008, but soon realised he wanted to be more than just a signpost. Six years later, Lindar was set up to run an affiliate and white-label business, but the next logical step was to move into owning something outright. In August 2018, MrQ was born.

“It came from a place of frustration. We were so frustrated dealing with all of these white-label suppliers saying, ‘good idea, it will take 9-12 months to implement’. We wanted to be masters of our own destiny, so that spurred us on. We set off on that journey and we haven’t looked back since,” explains Fellas.

At the time of its launch, MrQ billed itself as the first new bingo site to launch on an in-house developed software platform for more than five years. Speaking to EGR from Lindar’s office in St Albans, Hertfordshire, Fellas explains how his peers were sceptical about his plan to go it alone on the technology front. “When we were building it, everyone was saying ‘you’re crazy, you’re just going to lose a lot of money’ and I get why they’d say that. But our outlook was always, well, if we build it in a really sophisticated and modern way, we should be fine. The UK is a mature market and people still seek out this sort of entertainment online. So, there might be a place for us here,” he reminisces.

Fellas attributes the success of its in-house technology software to how Lindar built and future-proofed the MrQ platform to deal with KYC and AML issues. “That’s not to say operators are consciously making mistakes. They’re running into problems because they were built at a time when the regulation wasn’t as demanding and the technology wasn’t that mature. We have the advantage of having a little bit of an eye on that. There’s certainly something to be said for first-to-market, but in some instances, being late or last is ok too.”

Be nimble

Being a lean and nimble operator is one of the key advantages MrQ’s founder believes has helped his firm weather the regulatory storm. Having built its technology with data in mind, MrQ has a real-time data feed with information on deposits, wagers and wins, as well as about 150 other data points streaming in via a real-time data feed, all of which can then be used to build triggers, actions and events. Fellas believes this data stream gives his company an edge as well as empowering the RG, CS, acquisition, retention, product, data and development teams.

Nevertheless, the former Ministry of Sound DJ remains realistic about how difficult it is to stay ahead of the technological curve. “And that’s not to say that we’re not going to have problems where we’re legacy, old and clunky in the future. So, we have to stay ahead of that thinking, and as you grow that’s incredibly hard. I see and sympathise with how other operators have to navigate around a changing landscape like the one we’re in. I’m sure they all have the same outlook,” he remarks.

Fellas holds the firm belief that as long as you have a strategic approach focused on tech and data, this can be used to your advantage to solve problems. He goes on to say: “If you think like a casino, you will end up with casino problems. Those same problems can be dealt with very differently if you think like a technologist or a data scientist. You start to automate processes and rely on the engineering to do the heavy lifting. You also reduce the amount of exposure your business has to human error.”

The emphasis on data within MrQ is echoed by the recent single customer view (SCV) discussion, which the Information Commissioner’s Office has stated does not breach existing data laws. The SCV is being designed to create a holistic view of a gambling customer across multiple operators to help the industry tackle gambling-related harm among those players that set up several accounts with different operators.

As an advocate of the importance of data, Fellas believes the SCV is something that can work technologically but still has a lot of unanswered aspects to it. He also highlights concerns around driving customers to the black market if the process becomes too onerous. The CEO likens it to the GAMSTOP technology and believes it is a concept that will work. “If everything is really nicely balanced, it could work really effectively. And if anything, it could actually make us think about product, technology and data more,” he points out.

However, one stumbling block could be those operators that are larger and more established but may not have access to the data in real time. “I know we could supply that data in real time, but I’d be worried about other operators not being able to adhere to this utopian technology in order for this to work, because a lot of it is blue-sky thinking. And you have to have a real-world view of it.

“Try to tell the Titanic to turn around really quickly, they’ll struggle. Tell the speedboat to turn around quickly, they can do it. That might hold the project up and it also might create problems,” Fellas warns.

One of the benefits he sees coming out of the SCV is that customers may be less inclined to jump around between different operators. However, when it comes to establishing loyalty with an operator, product, branding and customer service will play a big part. Fellas notes: “If you look at our Trustpilot reviews, I’ve not seen a Trustpilot page with that many positive reviews, they’re usually really negative. They’re a really good indicator to understand what operators are doing well and where their shortcomings are.

“One of the things we seem to be doing really well comparatively is withdrawals. We’re able to get the withdrawals out very quickly and it’s a retention mechanic. The SCV will amplify an operator’s weakness on the service they offer. They will work to your advantage if you’re doing them right.”

Pieces of the tech puzzle

In addition to the data focus, MrQ is also making an investment in technology. The operator is currently building native iOS and Android apps, which are expected to be available in January 2022.

Tied in with the data piece is Fellas’ ambition to pivot the brand to be the “Netflix of the casino space whereby we have a data-led suggestion engine on recommended games”. However, he highlights that this is only possible if the data and tech houses are in order first.

In May this year, another development on the tech side was the addition of open banking to MrQ’s list of payment options. Open banking allows customers to quickly make deposits and withdrawals into bank accounts, with minimal waiting times. The technology eliminates the need for payment gateways, card details and bank-led checks. It can also be authorised using biometrics.

Working with Ecospend, Fellas explains that the operator specifically chose a supplier that was small and nimble, like itself, allowing it to shape their business to suit MrQ’s needs. However, adopting a new payment solution such as open banking, which was only regulated in the UK in January 2018, has not been an easy ride.

One of the first hurdles the operator faced was the fact that open banking isn’t overly advanced in the UK. Fellas elaborates: “It’s not really ingrained in us in British society to make a payment over open banking. We’re really galvanised with card payments, PayPal, etc. We’re not that progressive on this front, but open banking technology is super, super powerful. And making deposits is just the start of it.”

With the rollout, the challenge was not to be too aggressive and risk cannibalising MrQ’s normal users. Instead of going “hell for leather with something that is so progressive,” the casino and bingo brand rolled it out to two large segments of users instead. The solution has since been tweaked and is going through an iterative approach to make it better and stronger.

This was further enhanced by the appointment of former LeoVegas payments and verification manager Paul Nicholson, who joined MrQ in August 2021. His expertise from his time at LeoVegas working with TrueLayer for open banking payments has proved invaluable. The next step for MrQ is to deploy open banking fully by the end of this year.

Core values

On the marketing front, MrQ has just completed a rebrand project with a brand consultancy, which has helped shape and define the future product vision. The brand project involved creative exercises and larger group discussions with MrQ employees about the market as it stands and where other operators fit in.

One aspect to come out of the rebrand process was for everything to be front and centre, including the withdrawal button, which Fellas says most casinos tend to bury. This will be moved to sit next to the deposit button. The operator also wants to use machine learning to build on its withdrawal mechanics as well as using it for KYC and registration. Machine learning can also be applied to understand actions before they even happen, such as a customer who is at risk of churning or whether withdrawals are permitted. Fellas hopes to have this live by mid-2022.

Tied in with this and the SCV concept is empowering users with their data. “The regulation that came out two months ago around in-game data on what a customer has wagered, what they have lost and how long their session lasted, was kind of forced on us as an industry. No one’s really done that off their own back. So, we want to run with that. And ultimately, this rebrand and the change in product will put all of that front and centre,” he adds.

The first stage of the rebrand will be a reskin in early January 2022. “From there, we’ll take an iterative approach towards what we classify as product 2.0. And that will come with a lot of enhancements, where the user is empowered with their data and there is a complete shift in the product side,” says the CEO.

“Our aim is to make our product and platform more transparent, more informative and ‘caring by design’ for our players. The brand piece gave us our set of values that we can draw from, our North Star, where acquisition, design, product and retention can all be drawn from these values.”

The North Star concept has been incorporated across the business in terms of how it sits within the company’s values as well as in its internal culture. “It has to translate across every facet of the business, not just the consumer-facing side of things. Now it’s concluded, we need to execute and own it,” Fellas says.

The rebrand will involve a complete change in the tone of voice, logo and colour palette, as well as the product changes and player dashboards. The well-known MrQ bowler hat will also be no more. This will be complemented with a refreshed TV campaign in January 2022, following on from the operator’s first ever TV ad in July 2021.

As well as the native apps, machine learning and rebrand project, MrQ will also start producing its own content next year through its Goosicorn studio. For MrQ’s founder, the biggest task ahead is product 2.0. “Product 2.0 is a completely new innovative approach towards a casino and bingo platform, as well as some big enhancements that will come with our bingo mechanics. We can package all these things next year guided by our new vision. As a 60-person team, we would have achieved something pretty impressive,” explains Fellas.

Defining MrQ’s brand values and its identity has no doubt helped the operator to determine its purpose and mission as well as focusing on product enhancements and customer empowerment. Achieving all of this through its rebrand project could very well pave the way for Fellas’ next goal of applying for the EGR operator of the year award in 2022. Watch this space.