Other operators decide to integrate backwards along the value chain in order to internalize the development and maintenance of a proprietary technology platform, which is essential for the operations, as well as for the products and services provided to the customers. One portion of the operators is exclusively involved in providing gambling, betting, virtual and number games (or some subset of these products) through on-line and land-based channels, while everything outside of this scope is being outsourced. Every operator has to decide where to set the boundaries of its operations or, in other words, in which vertical stages of the gambling value chain will it compete.
One of the biggest challenges facing operators in the gambling industry is the degree of vertical integration.
