Continent 8 Technologies: unlocking new opportunities in North America

With the repeal of PASPA and the opening up of the Ontario igaming market, North America really is the place to be for companies looking to expand their international footprint. Continent 8 Technologies is already familiar with the practice, having previously launched in New Jersey, Ontario and Pennsylvania among other markets.

Nick Nally, Managing Director for Americas at Continent 8, speaks to SBC Americas about the company’s ambitions for the Canadian and US markets before outlining some of the benefits that the Public Gaming Cloud can bring to operators in the region. 

SBC Americas: Continent 8 has made clear its ambitions for the North American market and recently you launched your regulated Public Gaming Cloud solution in Ontario. Can you tell us more about this? 

NN: Canada is a significant market and forms an important part of our plans in North America where we continue to deploy our first to market approach so that our customers can enter these fast-growth jurisdictions from day one. 

You just have to look at the response to Ontario opening its doors to legal online gambling to see there is a tremendous appetite among operators to immediately get in on the action. 

There was a particular surge in demand for our regulated Public Cloud solution after the province confirmed that it would be regulating online gambling. Our customers can be assured that in Continent 8 they have an infrastructure partner that can support them in any location they need and from day one launch. 

SBC Americas: How does your regulated Public Gaming Cloud benefit operators in Ontario and across the other North American markets where it is available? 

NN: Our regulated Public Gaming Cloud platform offers customers a multi-tenanted, scalable and resilient IaaS platform that allows them to host infrastructure as virtual machines. Key features of the platform include a self-service portal with template-based provisioning, feature-rich Edge devices, the ability to integrate with Continent 8’s Co-Location, MPLS network and Cloud Connect services, plus DDoS protection and access to other cyber security safeguards. 

A key benefit to customers using the cloud is that it removes the need for ongoing hardware investment which, in turn, provides the flexibility to pay for resources based on consumption. We also fully manage the cloud environment, removing the need for customers to maintain and support infrastructure. Instead, they can focus on growing their business. 

Our Public Cloud solutions are also in several other North American markets including New Jersey’s Atlantic City where we have been live since 2015. 

SBC Americas: Is this the same Public Gaming Cloud solution that you recently launched in Pennsylvania? 

NN: In April 2022, we were given the green light by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) to launch our Public Gaming Cloud to operators and suppliers in the state, the first regulated public cloud offering in Pennsylvania. 

We work closely with regulators across the US and further afield to ensure that our full suite of solutions, which include managed hosting, connectivity and security, are fully compliant from the get-go so that our customers can leverage the first-mover advantage in each state as and when it opens up. 

Our regulated Public Gaming Cloud offering adds to our existing services in Pennsylvania, which today comprises three data centers and points of presence, with a fully regulated hosting environment under our PGCB interactive Gaming Service Provider authorization. 

SBC Americas: The global igaming industry is one that is always pushing for new and exciting innovations. We recently covered the launch of your Gaming Exchange but what makes this such a breakthrough solution? 

NN: The Continent 8 Gaming Exchange is a powerful private internet and an exclusive community exchange for igaming businesses in North America and beyond. It allows all customers to connect faster and more securely than over the standard internet, but also directly to one another. This is done via a VPN across our backbone network. It provides unrivalled levels of security by being out of the reach of DDoS attacks.

In addition, customers connected on the Gaming Exchange gain access to a Premium Portal, an analytical dashboard that allows them to view and monitor traffic flows within and outside of Continent 8 to other gaming partners. This is a fantastic tool that really sets us apart in the industry. 

SBC Americas: Earlier in the year, you were approved as an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Advanced Consulting Partner. Why was this such a milestone moment for Continent 8? 

NN: Over the past few years, we have been hard at work assisting customers with AWS deployments and especially in North America where we are supporting big players such as FanDuel and Esports Entertainment Group. 

From this, we have been able to generate the positive customer feedback required to satisfy AWS’ requirements and to progress from being a Select Consulting Partner to an Advanced Consulting Partner. 

Since achieving Select Consulting Partner status in February 2021 we have continued to build out our capabilities and team to help customers accelerate the adoption of cloud technologies, supporting tens of Outpost location deployments as well as providing even more direct private cloud connectivity to our customers. Advanced tier status is reserved for partners at the top of their game, so we are really thrilled to achieve it. 

This supports our mission to be the multi-cloud provider for the global online gambling industry. 

Continent 8 will be exhibiting at the upcoming SBC Summit North America,, which takes place on 12 – 14 July at Meadowlands Exposition Center, New Jersey. They will be at booth #221.