Industry News
PENN Entertainment Names Aaron LaBerge as Chief Technology Officer
PENN Entertainment announced that Aaron LaBerge has been named Chief Technology Officer (CTO) effective July 1, 2024, subject to customary regulatory approvals. Mr. LaBerge will report directly to PENN CEO & President Jay Snowden.
In his new role, Mr. LaBerge will be responsible for driving the technology strategy and execution for PENN, while leading the multinational team of technologists and serving as the key business leader for the company’s Interactive division.
Mr. LaBerge spent more than 20 years at The Walt Disney Company, in two stints separated by five and a half years as a technology entrepreneur. He was most recently President & Chief Technology Officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN where he was responsible for driving all technology and product development in support of The Walt Disney Company’s two media divisions. In that role, he helped set the vision and strategic leadership for how Disney uses technology to enable storytelling and innovation, drive its business, and create unparalleled consumer experiences with entertainment and sports content.
“We are thrilled to have someone of Aaron’s caliber join our PENN executive team. Having overseen a global organization of thousands of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists, and data scientists that created some of the largest scale and most successful media properties in the world, there is no better candidate to lead our Technology and Interactive division into its future. I know Aaron is looking forward to working with Todd George, our head of operations, and our entire Executive Team to continue growing our position as a leader in online gaming, sports betting, and digital sports media,” Mr. Snowden said.
“I’m excited to join another talented team at PENN Interactive and lead our technology strategy. PENN Entertainment is at the forefront of the fast-changing gaming and sports media industry. I plan to use my experience from Disney and ESPN to help make ESPN BET an essential piece of the sports fan experience. Together, we’ll push the limits and redefine how fans interact with sports and gaming,” Mr. LaBerge said.
Prior to his most recent role at the Walt Disney Company, Mr. LaBerge was Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at ESPN from 2015 to 2018. At ESPN he played an instrumental role in the growth of ESPN’s consumer-facing digital media products and services – leading many of ESPN’s most ambitious and challenging projects and helping establish ESPN’s position as the leader in digital sports and innovative sports technology development. He was a key architect in the design, development, and engineering of ESPN’s state-of-the-art facilities in Bristol, CT; Los Angeles, CA; Charlotte, NC; and Austin, TX, as well as data centers and infrastructure that connect those facilities around the world, as well as the technology design and development to support the launch of the multi-platform SEC Network.
Between 2007 and 2012, LaBerge was co-founder and CEO of Fanzter, Inc. – a venture-funded consumer software and digital product development company. At Fanzter, he directed all day-to-day operations and led the development and launch of a variety of consumer-focused internet and mobile products, ground-breaking social and commerce technologies and more.
The post PENN Entertainment Names Aaron LaBerge as Chief Technology Officer appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Industry News
SPAYZ.io Launches P2P Agent Dashboard for High Risk Merchant Payment Operations
SPAYZ.io has announced the launch of its new P2P Agent’s Dashboard, a centralised and automated operating system to help merchants in high‑risk industries manage agent networks, reconcile transactions and scale alternative payment methods across global markets. Built for sectors including iGaming, Forex and Crypto, the new dashboard replaces fragmented and manual workflows with a unified platform offering complete visibility and automation.
SPAYZ.io’s dashboard consolidates agent activities into a single, exportable system where transactions are recorded in real time, merchant callbacks are instant, and balances update automatically.
Unlike generic CRMs, the platform is specifically designed for P2P transactions. It automates commission calculations, reduces errors associated with manual pay‑in and pay‑out tracking and provides finance teams with a reliable and audit‑ready source of truth. Through integration with the SPAYZ.io gateway, merchants can connect agents across more than 35 markets, ensuring consistent workflows, faster GEO expansion and smoother onboarding as their P2P operations scale.
Tatjana Meluskane, CCO at SPAYZ.io, said: “P2P agent networks are essential for high‑risk merchants, but they’ve been extremely difficult to manage at scale. Our new dashboard centralises workflows, improves transparency, and removes the operational friction that limits GEO expansion and slows down growth.
“We listened to our partners and clients, took on board all of their needs, and have built this platform to give merchants complete clarity. I’m proud to say this is a market first, offering complete clarity with a new level of control and stability for businesses that rely on alternative payments.”
SPAYZ.io is also supporting merchants with round‑the‑clock operational and technical assistance, including incident management, route adjustments and customisable configurations. This ensures that payment models can be adapted quickly to market conditions without placing additional strain on merchant teams.
“The launch reinforces SPAYZ.io’s commitment to building infrastructure that supports the evolving needs of high‑risk merchants and strengthens the company’s position as a leader in local payment solutions across high‑growth regions,” Tatjana said.
The post SPAYZ.io Launches P2P Agent Dashboard for High Risk Merchant Payment Operations appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Carsten Koerl Founder and CEO of Sportradar
Sportradar Introduces Playradar, Delivering Sports-Data-Backed Casino Content to Operators Around the Globe
New brand to link sportsbook and casino experiences via exclusive hybrid content.
Sportradar Group AG, a prominent worldwide sports technology firm that develops engaging experiences for sports enthusiasts and bettors, today unveiled Playradar, a specialized brand providing a comprehensive ecosystem of interconnected gaming experiences for international operators. This signifies the subsequent phase in the development of Sportradar’s iGaming operations.
Sportradar has recently appointed Edo Haitin, the former CEO of Playtech Live, to head its iGaming division as part of this expansion. Haitin offers over 20 years of experience in iGaming operations, live casino development, and executive leadership, contributing senior-level knowledge to enhance Sportradar’s iGaming expansion.
Playradar will leverage Sportradar’s live and historical sports data and AV streams, combined with casino games, to create unique, proprietary, hybrid products featuring:
- Live 24/7 Experience Centre – players will be offered a game and a live stream to watch simultaneously on the same screen, blending sports viewing and gaming for pure engagement or betting real money. This creates a community and opportunities for players to interact in real-time, sharing tips, game preferences and reactions.
- Live & Historical Streaming Sports/Casino Hybrid Content – transforming real sporting moments into interactive event driven gameplay by blending live and historical sports streaming with casino mechanics to create innovative hybrid gaming experiences. A live prediction product will also be powered by Sportradar’s live data.
- Premium iGaming Content – virtual sports and a full suite of casino games, from slots and table games to arcade and crash, developed to the highest standards for a positive player experience.
Sportradar is exceptionally poised to expand its iGaming operations by leveraging its current game studio, sports data knowledge, streaming abilities, and worldwide distribution network. The marketing, acquisition, and retention technologies of the company utilize profound understanding of player behavior across both betting and iGaming sectors, strengthening Sportradar’s connections with sportsbook and casino operators globally. Since most of Sportradar’s clients already function in both areas, iGaming serves as an organic pathway to foster sustained monetization and lifetime value in conjunction with betting.
Playradar will function solely in regulated markets, incorporating responsible gaming and integrity into each product it offers. Game launches are planned for 2026, starting in the UK, North America, and Latin America. The complete product lineup will include classic table games, arcade games, slots, and virtual sports.
Carsten Koerl, Founder and CEO of Sportradar, said: “iGaming represents a natural and scalable extension of our business, and a strategic acceleration of our long-term growth roadmap. Playradar content is designed to provide optimized cross-sell between the worlds of sport and casinos, helping operators to increase player value and session length at a time when engagement and retention are key to operational sustainability. In Edo, we have an experienced and proven industry leader to drive the business forward, with the support of a passionate and dedicated team.”
Edo Haitin, EVP of iGaming added: “By combining our unrivalled experience in sports data and live streaming, along with a proven track record of product development, we aim to create hybrid content and gaming experiences to capitalize on the rising popularity of sports casino consumption. We’re uniquely positioned to seamlessly blend live and historical sports events, innovative gaming mechanics, and casino content and have the advantage of being able to distribute games to an already licensed portfolio of operators. I’m incredibly excited to be further strengthening our iGaming business through Playradar and to grow it into a leader in iGaming content, leveraging Sportradar’s existing resources and the highly experienced and skilled team already in place.”
The post Sportradar Introduces Playradar, Delivering Sports-Data-Backed Casino Content to Operators Around the Globe appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
AI
Table Trac Introduces Patent-Pending Artificial Intelligence Technology for Table Games
Table Trac Inc. (TBTC) has received patent-pending status from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for its proprietary AI-driven Table Games Manager / Manager Trainer. The system leverages machine learning trained on decades of table games transactional data and pit player data to create distinct player personas designed to challenge both human pit managers and artificial intelligence systems.
The solution is delivered through a realistic gaming floor simulation environment, allowing the generation of a simulated gaming floor to be configured. Each training session utilizes a randomized mix of the player personas, creating a continually changing set of scenarios that never repeat. This approach enables trainees to compete head-to-head against the AI, optimize floor decisions to improve yield, and better understand the factors driving each decision.
While initially developed for table games management and training, the underlying artificial intelligence, simulation, and decision support framework has broader applicability across the CasinoTrac platform. Management is exploring additional use cases for this technology across the Company’s suite of casino management solutions, reinforcing CasinoTrac’s long-term product roadmap and innovation strategy.
The post Table Trac Introduces Patent-Pending Artificial Intelligence Technology for Table Games appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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