Canada

Conscious Gaming Hires Former Caesars and NFL Executive to Senior Post

Published

5 years ago

December 7, 2020

Conscious Gaming announced the hiring of sports and gaming industry stalwart Seth Palansky as its new Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility & Communications.

Palansky comes aboard after more than 17 years with Caesars Entertainment and the National Football League (NFL), to spearhead Corporate Social Responsibility and Communications efforts for the recently established Conscious Gaming, a philanthropic organization committed to utilizing advanced technology to propel social responsibility initiatives.

Conscious Gaming works with gaming operators, regulators, suppliers, responsible gaming advocacy groups, sports leagues, academics and treatment professionals to better protect consumers and enhance responsible gaming.

Just last week Conscious Gaming announced a partnership with GVC Holdings and BetMGM, who have agreed to deploy PlayPause, a multi-state digital self-exclusion tool for the gaming industry to support responsible gaming.

PlayPause is an innovative universal cross-state, cross-operator solution for user identification created to modernize and strengthen the effectiveness of the U.S. gaming industry’s responsible gaming programs. The solution is made available via Conscious Gaming, a non-profit organization established by GeoComply.

“We believe the benefits of offering a technology-driven self exclusion tool are critical for our industry to ensure we protect all stakeholders,” said Anna Sainsbury, Conscious Gaming Trustee and GeoComply Chairman and Co-Founder. “We are excited to have Seth join us to front our adoption efforts and work with the industry to deliver Conscious Gaming’s state of the art solution to help simplify, streamline and stay ahead of a complex issue.”

Palansky comes to Conscious Gaming from Caesars Entertainment, where he spent the past dozen years inside Caesars’ interactive division, Caesars Interactive (CIE), helping successfully launch iGaming in Nevada and New Jersey as its VP of Corporate Communications.

“This is an incredible opportunity to help rally the gaming and sports industries behind this very important initiative,” said Seth Palansky. “Sports betting and iGaming businesses are spreading rapidly throughout the U.S., and in order to ensure their longevity, it is imperative that all stakeholders have their responsible gaming initiatives accommodate the modern habits of those users they aim to protect. It’s clear Anna and the team are once again prescient in developing this core technology solution to streamline the administrative burden and eliminate the silos associated with maintaining numerous separate state-operated self-exclusion databases. I’m honored to be chosen to help lead this philanthropic cause to benefit the industries I care so deeply about.”

Conscious Gaming is offering its PlayPause technology tool to anyone in the industry interested in enhancing their responsible gaming program. Those interested should reach out to Seth directly at [email protected].

No stranger to start-up roles, Palansky joined the National Football League (NFL) in 2003 as the first employee of NFL Network, the league’s foray into the cable television industry, overseeing the network’s communications department while managing business communications for the league pertaining to television and other media matters. After successfully contributing to NFL Network’s launch and growth to more than 55 millions subscribers, Palansky left in 2008 to join Caesars’ sports and entertainment division in Las Vegas.

Prior to the NFL, Palansky worked in corporate communications for Fox Sports, managing the company’s 21 owned and operated regional sports networks, Fox Sports Net.

The role at Conscious Gaming perfectly marries Palansky’s previous experience within the sports and gaming industries. Utilizing his familiarity across the sports, gaming and media worlds, Palansky is charged with coordinating the industry’s adoption of Conscious Gaming’s PlayPause offering, promoting the company and strategizing its corporate social responsibility initiatives as it moves forward.

For more information on Conscious Gaming, please visit: www.consciousgaming.com

Canada

XSOLLA STRENGTHENS COMMITMENT TO ATLANTIC CANADA’S GROWING GAME INDUSTRY WITH EXPANDED EVENT PRESENCE

Published

3 days ago

June 3, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

xsolla-strengthens-commitment-to-atlantic-canada’s-growing-game-industry-with-expanded-event-presence

Global Video Game Commerce Company To Support Industry Growth Through Panels, Workshops, And Community Engagement Across Atlantic Canada

Xsolla, a leading global video game commerce company, today announced its participation in two major gaming industry events taking place across Atlantic Canada from June 3-5, 2026, reinforcing the company’s commitment to supporting regional game development ecosystems and fostering industry collaboration.

Xsolla will participate in both Game Invest East and XP Game Connect Atlantic, joining developers, publishers, investors, and industry leaders for discussions centered on the future of game development, investment, and innovation in the local area.

At Game Invest East, held in partnership with Scaffold, Xsolla will contribute to conversations around funding, growth opportunities, and the evolving business landscape for game studios.

Featured on the panel titled “If You Can Make It Here,” Xsolla’s Manny Hachey, Senior Director of Developer Success, joins Kate Edwards, CEO and Principal Consultant of Geogrify, and Amir Satvat, Business Development Director at Tencent Games, founder of Always Supporting the Games Community (ASGC), and a 2026 GamesBeat Visionary Award honoree, to explore how new regions and new entrants can survive and thrive in disruptive times.

Hachey, a native of Atlantic Canada, was personally requested by Scaffold to represent Xsolla at the event — a homecoming that adds a personal dimension to the panel’s central thesis. Having built her career and made her mark in Germany’s games industry, she returns with a firsthand perspective on what it takes to leave, build something meaningful abroad, and come back with proof of concept.

Xsolla will continue its Atlantic Canada engagement at XP Game Connect Atlantic in Halifax on June 5. John Nguyen, Regional Vice President, Canada at Xsolla, and Ted DiNola, Developer Evangelist at Xsolla, will host a workshop titled ‘Full Picture to Fast Lane: Xsolla Ecosystem Overview & Live SDK 3 Integration’, providing practical insights and actionable strategies for developers navigating today’s rapidly evolving gaming market.

Nguyen will also host a panel titled, ‘What Does the Future of Game Development Look Like in Atlantic Canada?’ where he will be joined by industry experts, including Ryan Filsinger from Iron Fox; Shawn Woods, CEO at Alpha Dog and VP of Interactive Society of Nova Scotia; George Greer, Founder of Besszong; and Jade Yhap, President of Interactive NB. The panel will explore the region’s growing role in the global games industry and the opportunities ahead for studios, talent, and ecosystem partners.

John Nguyen, Regional Vice President, Canada, at Xsolla

“Atlantic Canada continues to emerge as an exciting hub for game development talent and innovation,” said John Nguyen, Regional Vice President, Canada, at Xsolla. “Xsolla is proud to support these events and contribute to conversations that help empower developers, build ecosystems, strengthen industry connections, and accelerate growth across the region.”

Berkley Egenes, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer at Xsolla

“Events like Game Invest East and XP Game Connect Atlantic are critical for building stronger connections across the games industry,” said Berkley Egenes, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer at Xsolla. “Atlantic Canada has a growing community of talented developers, creators, and industry leaders, and we’re excited to be part of conversations that help to shape the future of gaming in the region while supporting studios at every stage of growth.”

Through its participation in these events, Xsolla aims to deepen relationships within the Atlantic Canadian game development community while supporting knowledge-sharing, collaboration, and long-term ecosystem growth.

For more information about Xsolla’s participation in these events across Atlantic Canada, visit: xsolla.pro/Atlantic-Canada

The post XSOLLA STRENGTHENS COMMITMENT TO ATLANTIC CANADA’S GROWING GAME INDUSTRY WITH EXPANDED EVENT PRESENCE appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

Ben Scobie-Trumper Head of Sales at mkodo

GGPoker selects GeoLocs geolocation service for regulated Ontario market

Published

3 days ago

June 3, 2026

Wladimir P.

ggpoker-selects-geolocs-geolocation-service-for-regulated-ontario-market

mkodo’s GeoLocs will handle in-platform location checks for GGPoker players in Ontario, removing the need for a separate verification app.

GGPoker has selected GeoLocs by mkodo as its geolocation service provider for the operator’s regulated Ontario offering.

Under the partnership, GeoLocs will provide in-platform location verification for GGPoker players across Ontario, with the aim of supporting regulatory compliance without requiring an additional app download or separate approval process.

“Our priority is to ensure players have a seamless experience on GGPoker whilst staying fully compliant with regulations. We chose GeoLocs because of their proven expertise, industry and regulatory knowledge and the fact that players don’t need to verify location through a separate app or download.” – Sarne Lightman, Managing Director of GGPoker.

“The partnership with GGPoker is very exciting. We’re proud to support a globally recognised operator in delivering a seamless, compliant player experience in Ontario. With Alberta opening in July, the partnership with GGPoker in Ontario further reinforces GeoLocs’ expansion across the Canadian gaming market.” – Ben Scobie-Trumper, Head of Sales at mkodo.

GeoLocs is a geolocation product built by mkodo for regulated markets, supporting web and mobile location checks for gaming, sports betting, poker and lottery operators, according to the company.

The post GGPoker selects GeoLocs geolocation service for regulated Ontario market appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Business Development

Xsolla expands Atlantic Canada event push with Game Invest East and XP Game Connect

Published

3 days ago

June 3, 2026

Wladimir P.

xsolla-expands-atlantic-canada-event-push-with-game-invest-east-and-xp-game-connect

Xsolla will take part in two Atlantic Canada industry events—Game Invest East and XP Game Connect Atlantic—running June 3-5, 2026, as it increases its presence in the region’s game development ecosystem.

The company said it will join discussions with developers, publishers, investors, and other stakeholders focused on game development, investment, and innovation. At Game Invest East, held in partnership with Scaffold, Xsolla will participate in a panel titled “If You Can Make It Here.” Xsolla’s Manny Hachey, Senior Director of Developer Success, will appear alongside Kate Edwards, CEO and Principal Consultant of Geogrify, and Amir Satvat, Business Development Director at Tencent Games, founder of Always Supporting the Games Community (ASGC), and a 2026 GamesBeat Visionary Award honoree.

Xsolla’s Halifax stop comes on June 5 at XP Game Connect Atlantic. John Nguyen, Regional Vice President, Canada at Xsolla, and Ted DiNola, Developer Evangelist at Xsolla, will host a workshop titled “Full Picture to Fast Lane: Xsolla Ecosystem Overview & Live SDK 3 Integration.”

Nguyen will also host a panel, “What Does the Future of Game Development Look Like in Atlantic Canada?”, joined by Ryan Filsinger from Iron Fox; Shawn Woods, CEO at Alpha Dog and VP of Interactive Society of Nova Scotia; George Greer, Founder of Besszong; and Jade Yhap, President of Interactive NB.

“Atlantic Canada continues to emerge as an exciting hub for game development talent and innovation,” said John Nguyen, Regional Vice President, Canada, at Xsolla. “Xsolla is proud to support these events and contribute to conversations that help empower developers, build ecosystems, strengthen industry connections, and accelerate growth across the region.”

The post Xsolla expands Atlantic Canada event push with Game Invest East and XP Game Connect appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.