and The ugly

Insight
Gli euroPe inTerview
James Illingworth
“When we discuss the details of a
client’s needs, we offer support and
advice on technical aspects and
compliance from the outset. We
don’t do that remotely, but work
with them hand-in-hand through
the processes, whether that’s in the
UK or Malta or South Africa. We
bring our experts to work with
clients on a full-time basis,
wherever they are based, or
wherever they’re looking to do
business. Our clients benefit from
the pool of knowledge and years of
expertise that we’ve gathered within
this organisation.”
GLI expends a huge amount of energy in order
to add extra value as part of its client
relationship, supplementing its service in terms
of the time given by GLI to support its clients.
The face-to-face meetings with clients,
technical managers hitting the road to meet with
clients directly, and the ability of the GLI team to
engage with customers one-to-one. Speaking to
Margit about the maths department, you’d
expect mathematicians to break down the
algorithms and talk about RNGs, but not to
speak directly with the client, to understand the
commercial aspects of time to market and
consider their work from the client’s
perspective. It’s that extra service, the additional
client contact, which shows that GLI is not
afraid to connect any part of its team with its
clients. In most companies there’s a very
defined line between customer-facing and the
backroom staff, and never the twain shall meet.
GLI takes the opposite stance, actively
promoting staff interaction with clients at all
levels.
“When we discuss the details of a client’s needs,
we offer support and advice on technical
aspects and compliance from the outset,”
underlines James. “We show that we’re willing
to support them and go on that journey together.
We don’t do that remotely, but work with them
hand-in-hand through the processes, whether
that’s in the UK or Malta or South Africa. We
bring our experts to work with clients on a fulltime
basis, wherever they are based, or
wherever they’re looking to do business. The
expertise at our disposal isn’t just in the
Netherlands, it isn’t just Europe; it’s Asia, it’s
Australia, it’s Canada and its the US. Our clients
benefit from the pool of knowledge and years of
expertise that we’ve gathered within this
organisation.”
The key message James and his Client Services
team want to convey is that GLI is approachable,
knowledgeable, professional and reachable.
Having worked so hard to build its brand, to
build its relationships with clients, operators
and regulators, GLI is not some quasigovernmental
body that’s aloof, unapproachable
and uncompetitive. The opposite is the case.
“When we speak to new clients, they have the
perception that it will be a high price before
they’ve spoken to us,” says James. “Not only is
that not the case, but they also appreciate that
the level of service from GLI can’t be matched
anywhere else.”
Visiting the European head office in Hillegom,
you appreciate and understand the work load,
you understand why GLI Europe is constantly
recruiting, you see the labour intensive side of
the job and what’s actually required; the man
hours, the physical calculations, running
simulations, operating a roulette wheel in the
lab for months on end before granting
certification. Peering into the inner workings of
GLI puts flesh and bones of our ‘perception’ of
testing. There’s a preconceived notion that
certification, and by association GLI, is a
‘necessary evil,’ without a real understanding of
the process.
“I think a lot of people, unless they’re directly
involved in compliance, are amazed when they
see the scale of the work involved in
certification,” agrees James. “There’s nothing
flashy or dynamic about compliance, it’s
methodical and for the most part may not be
interesting, but it’s also an essential part of the
business and without it, things don’t go to
market, games are taken off the floor, websites
are shut down, people are fined, regulators
condemn the industry and we end up in the
press with bad publicity. Compliance isn’t
necessary - it’s essential.”
G3 has spoken to so many developers who view
compliance as the people who say: “No.” In fact,
we’ve heard it so many times that it’s our own
default setting. Speaking to Dennis Byram,
therefore, was a revelation. Dennis explained
that it wasn’t about saying no, but about “how
do we get to a yes?” And that’s about the
mechanics of opening a door, not closing it. And
by the end of the discussion, you realise that
compliance is actually the big enabler and that
you’ve got the situation backwards. Your
starting point isn’t an open door. Regulation has
slammed the door in your face and it’s
compliance who open that door. And to stretch
that analogy to breaking point - it’s James and
his team that guide you to the door and show
you which way it opens.
NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / 247.COM
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