Erick Su, Head of ArenaPlus, joined a panel discussion about managing high-value customers during the SiGMA Asia Summit 2026 at the SMX Convention Center on June 2.
(From left to right) Oliver de Bono (Moderator and co-founder and CCO of Quantum), Stepan Dobrovolskiy (CEO of BetBoom LATAM), Erick Su (Head of ArenaPlus), and Darwin Malicsi (senior manager of Solaire Resort and Casino) pose for a photo following a productive discussion during the SiGMA Asia Summit 2026.
ArenaPlus Head Erick Su emphasized that successful VIP management goes beyond short-term revenue generation, underscoring the importance of building long-term customer relationships while maintaining strong compliance and responsible gaming standards.
Su shared these insights during the session "High Rollers, High Risk: Where VIP Strategy Meets Compliance" at the SiGMA Asia Summit 2026 on Tuesday, June 2, just a day after ArenaPlus was named Best Sportsbook Operator for the second consecutive year at the SiGMA Asia Awards 2026.
"When we define a VIP player, it's about what's your strategy for your customer? What's your relationship with your customer? You're focused on retention. So we have a different span of VIP players," said Su during the discussion on managing VIPs amid evolving regulatory requirements and enhanced due diligence measures.
"When we internally look at that, we would say, okay, even a medium-spending player who tends to be more loyal and long-term to us could be a VIP player."
He added: "So when we set up the VIP program and the rewards, we look at players not only in terms of the short-term revenue they're going to generate, but also whether they are potential long-term value players for us."
In the same panel discussion, Su also emphasized the role of compliance in VIP management, noting that ArenaPlus follows regulatory requirements while continuously monitoring player activity and betting behavior.
According to Su, unusual transaction patterns, sudden shifts in betting behavior, and unusually large wagers can all prompt closer review.
"From an operational perspective, we also always monitor transaction behavior and players' betting behavior to identify VIPs. Then, we will see if there's any suspicious or abnormal behavior that may require intervention before a trigger is reached. So that's what we constantly monitor," he said.
Erick Su shared his insights about identifying high-value players on ArenaPlus.
"You will face some issues where some VIP players suddenly change their behavior. It may indicate the risk of a betting syndicate becoming involved and getting a VIP account because they want to hit your book. From another perspective, you may also see players in the live casino dumping big amounts of bets. Those situations can trigger alarms, and based on our analysis of the behavior, we decide whether to conduct enhanced KYC (Know Your Customer) checks."
That's why Su stressed the importance of VIP managers, who serve as the primary link between the platform and high-value customers.
"We should have a VIP manager or personal account manager already reach out to players once they have been identified as VIPs. So you build a good personal relationship with them and, if at some stage you need to conduct enhanced checks, request more documents, or intervene in some way, it's easier for them to collaborate with you," he said.
"But we also shouldn't take the risk of not properly checking players when it should be done. It's not good for the business and, in the long term, it creates a much higher operational risk."
At the same time, Su cautioned operators and VIP managers against prioritizing short-term gains over long-term customer value, saying this mindset could lead to costly mistakes.
"Some VIP managers may try to get short-term revenue rather than long-term customer lifetime value because you don't know whether a player is going to leave the platform next week, next month, or next year," he said. "As a result, you might prioritize generating revenue in the short term rather than looking at the bigger picture of the customer's long-term value."
"So I think that has triggered a lot of mistakes because, if you're short-sighted, you can ignore compliance, overlook operational risks, and fail to identify whether someone is a real VIP player or not. I mean, in sports betting, some high-turnover players don't really mean high-revenue players. If you keep your mindset focused on short-term goals, you can make a lot of mistakes."
SiGMA is a global gaming and technology platform with a portfolio spanning Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, North America, and Southeast Asia.
