Entering the US market as a global cloud hosting provider is “no easy feat” according to Peter Ekmark, CEO of Internet Vikings, as he explained the reasons why each individual state presents its own set of unique challenges. 

In a video interview, Ekmark began discussions by looking at the underlying reasons behind the increasing rates of cloud adoption – something which he believes has been driven by igaming companies looking to scale further and become more flexible.

He said: “I think it comes down to two basic terms: scalability, and flexibility. And generally speaking, from an operator or gaming developer point of view, competitiveness really requires a core business focus nowadays, if not always, of course. 

“Cloud offers them and their developers the ability to automate themselves directly into the cloud, as opposed to having your own server operational team, which is what most operators used to have, I actually used to run one myself, and it rather quickly becomes a very big big part of your operation, which is technically not core for an operator, for instance.”

Talk soon turned towards Internet Vikings’ expansion into the US. When quizzed on the main challenges associated with the company’s entry into West Virginia, Ekmark highlighted that each state across the post-PASPA market must be considered almost like an individual country.

He added: “Well, first of all, West Virginia might not be the most complicated one so far. We are soon going live in Illinois as well, but we are not up and ready just yet. It’s around the corner. 

“All US states should be regarded as emerging markets. The US has 50 states, while the EU has 28 countries. And each of those 50 states have different regulatory environments. So it’s like entering any other continent, I would say – we have to regard those states as another country. 

“So each and every state represents its own set of challenges. Some are easier and some are more complicated but it is a process that you have to go through when getting certified and adapting to those local regulations. West Virginia is just one other of those states. This is also why entering the US is not an easy feat, and it takes time.”

Watch the full interview HERE