Opinion: Don't gamble when it comes to data regulations

The EU online gambling industry is really bringing home the bacon. It’s estimated to be worth up to €84.9 billion a year with around 6.8 million customers across Europe. Investment in technology is being ramped up in order to deliver the secure, fast connectivity customers have come to expect and to compete with the big gaming brands emerging from the US, Japan and South Korea.

One of the biggest challenges these organisations are facing is patchwork gaming regulations, even just across Europe. This is unlikely to change any time soon with the European Parliament keen to avoid a single EU-wide gambling market, citing risk of fraud and corruption. Anyone caught flouting the rules will be swiftly picked up by the European Commission, which has already cracked down on a number of member states.

Unfortunately gaming businesses have to contend with an ever changing landscape. In the last year alone, Northern Ireland has announced that it intends to update its gambling laws in line with those in the UK, new laws for online gambling have been proposed in the Netherlands and Singapore is reported to be moving to a single state-owned operator model. Things are likely to stay up in the air until the completion of Conservative MEP, Ashley Fox’s report on online gambling policies in Europe.

Being up to date and adhering to legislation has never been more important and gambling operators are turning to technology to ensure they stay within the end zone. Customers expect instant access to their favourite sites and assume that their data will be kept safe.

The traditional DIY approach to building out infrastructure gives the customer control but isn’t that dynamic in its ability to move, which doesn’t help when gaming organisations are faced with constantly changing legislation. Putting one foot wrong can result in penalties, downtime or unhappy customers.

The good news is that the new Network Cloud Computing architectures give gaming companies real data centre control but are totally dynamic. With a bit of forethought, you can launch in new markets in minutes, change data residency and bring up new services. The combination of accredited infrastructure across every major market in Europe and fully on-demand real-time control combines to revolutionise the cost base and capability for gaming companies.

With a platform across the entirety of the market gaming organisations will be able to meet customer demands while providing a secure, high performance gaming platform. So when thinking about selecting a provider there are a number things you should ask:

· Do you have an international presence? Data residency is becoming an essential attribute when it comes to data protection. With a different set of laws in each country and a complete ban in some, can your provider ensure you get a choice over where your data is stored, in a place where you have complete control and only you have access?

· Can you provide ultra-low latency? Everything is time sensitive in sport and gaming. Because customers expect to be able to instantly access a gambling website or portal, any delays are going to push them to a competitor who can. Ensure your network provider can match your customer footprint and overcome user location to provide instant connectivity whether your users are connecting from home or on the go. It’s best to find one that offers a wide-reaching network, given that these are the guys who also are directly connected to the broadband networks your customers are linked up to.

· Security accreditations? Ensure your supplier has the right security accreditation and works in compliance with local regulations and laws.

With a rapidly growing user base and regulation compliance to contend with, the savvy gaming organisations will be opting for unified IT to simplify the process as much as possible and get the best performance out of their gaming platform.