Geolocation, LOCATION, location

mkodo is no stranger to the province of Ontario, having already entered the lottery market there with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation in 2021. Managing Director STUART GODFREE talks us through the experience so far and his hopes for the firm’s GeoLocs compliance platform.

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by CHRIS MURPHY

Q.SBC: FIRST OFF, HOW HAS 2023 SHAPED UP SO FAR FOR MKODO AND WHAT HAVE BEEN THE KEY DEVELOPMENTS FOR THE COMPANY?

SG: We officially launched GeoLocs, our geolocation compliance platform, in January of this year and have since become the largest geolocation service in Ontario with over 50% of the total market share of daily geolocation “lookups” in the province.

Not only that but the service is also now being used in Arizona with other states soon to follow across North America.

We’re really pleased with the success of GeoLocs since its official launch as it’s been used exclusively with our clients now for over 10 years. So it’s great to see it as a standalone product being offered to operators as they expand across North America.

We’ve also seen some pretty big developments with our frontend app services, working with White Hat Gaming to launch the new WynnBet sportsbook app in Massachusetts and, more recently, their casino and sportsbook app in West Virginia. We’ve also developed and launched the new Irish Lottery website.

It’s been an exciting first half to the year and these three examples show mkodo’s breadth for providing innovative geolocation technology, best-in-class iGaming apps and market-leading regulated lottery websites.

I’m looking forward to seeing what the next six months bring for us as a company, but also for the industry as a whole.

SBC: TURNING TO THE JANUARY LAUNCH OF GEOLOCS IN THE ONTARIO PROVINCE, CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT HOW IT WORKS IN PRACTICE AND ITS KEY FEATURES?

SG: GeoLocs advanced technology uses the device’s latitude and longitude to verify location, which is much more accurate and secure than using IP. We still use IP location, but purely as a secondary validation to optimise the geolocation checks.

The service is integrated into our clients’ Android, iOS and web platforms through a seamless Software Development Kit (SDK). The SDK associates information received with a ‘trust score’ which needs to pass a threshold in order to verify device location for compliance.

We’ve developed all our technology in-house, with the core offering enabling players to verify their location directly within the app or website without the need for companion apps or additional downloads - providing them with a much-enhanced geolocation user experience.

Another feature we’re proud of when it comes to GeoLocs is the fact that it’s an entirely selfmanageable platform. Our clients can customise their own geoboundaries and activity maps, as well as review real-time statistics, event monitoring and, crucially, facilitate access for testing (often called whitelisting).

SBC: MORE GENERALLY, WHAT DOES GEOLOCS BRING TO THE CANADIAN MARKET AND HOW CAN IT HELP DRIVE PLAYERS TOWARDS A REGULATED GAMING EXPERIENCE?

SG: GeoLocs brings proven, secure and seamless geolocation verification technology to the Canadian market. We were the first geolocation provider to go live in Ontario with the largest operator in the region and, as it stands, over half of the geolocation requests across Ontario come through GeoLocs platforms each day.

Using a geolocation verification service like GeoLocs enables online gambling operators to adhere to regulatory requirements, promote responsible gambling practices, and enhance player protection.

By leveraging geolocation, players have confidence in accessing regulated platforms, and the industry as a whole can foster a safer and more transparent online gambling experience - which will in turn help drive more players to regulated gaming.

SBC: WE’RE NOW WELL INTO H2 2023, MEANING YOU’VE HAD SEVERAL MONTHS TO ASSESS GEOLOCS’ CANADIAN PERFORMANCE. HOW HAS IT BEEN RECEIVED BY THE MARKETPLACE AND WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED DURING THAT PERIOD?

SG: It’s been really well received by the North American market. We’ve had a lot of interest and have signed over a dozen new clients since launching in January of this year.

I’ve particularly noticed that operators have been extremely interested in new and alternative geolocation verification service providers. It’s exciting to have new players in a once verymonopolised market.

SBC: CLEARLY, MKODO HAS ENJOYED SOMETHING OF A HEAD START IN CANADA THANKS TO THE PARTNERSHIP IT FORMED WITH THE ONTARIO LOTTERY AND GAMING CORPORATION (OLG) IN 2021. HOW HELPFUL HAS THIS EXPERIENCE BEEN IN GETTING GEOLOCS ESTABLISHED IN ONTARIO?

SG: Our partnership with OLG, the largest operator in Ontario, as well as our relationship with the AGCO, as a licenced solutions provider, has definitely been helpful in getting GeoLocs established. However, the service itself is the primary force for establishing the brand.

We’re offering operators choice and expertise when it comes to geolocation. GeoLocs offers a robust, easy-to-use, and reliable geolocation verification service that’s entirely self-manageable, easy to integrate through a seamless SDK and without the need for companion apps or additional downloads.

The features, our partnership with OLG and the fact it’s a proven service - having been used for over 10 years with our clients - are some of the key reasons it’s been so wellestablished and sought after in just the first six months of launching.

SBC: LOOKING TO THE REST OF THE YEAR, WHAT PLANS ARE IN PLACE FOR MKODO AND, MORE SPECIFICALLY, WHAT’S YOUR APPROACH GOING TO BE AT THIS YEAR’S SBC SUMMIT BARCELONA WHERE YOU’RE EXHIBITING?

SG: We have an even bigger and better stand at this year’s event! We’re looking forward to continuing to establish the GeoLocs brand and talk to some new and familiar faces about everything from how it works to new features we’re implementing.

There’s of course always a focus on our front-end offering too. We’ve been providing front-end services to sportsbooks, casino and lottery operators across the globe for over 20 years and we’re always looking for operators to partner with.