Industry News

Sports and Gaming – Playing by a New Set of Rules

Published

6 years ago

August 17, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The pandemic has brought the sports industry to its knees but against the backdrop of global crisis, opportunities have arisen for others. While the sports business is set to lose as much as US$61.6 billion1 in missed revenues by the end of the year, the gaming sector, on the other hand, will generate revenues of $159.3 billion, a +9.3% year-on-year increase.2

Although largely driven by unforeseen circumstances, the pandemic has highlighted the large gulf in the prioritisation of fan experience between the two. As OZ Sports CEO Gudjon Gudjonsson explains, the sports industry has much to learn from gaming if it is to maintain and grow its global fanbase.

If there is one positive element to come out of this all for the sports industry, it is that leagues, federations and teams have had to rethink their way of doing business. The pandemic has accelerated innovation on various fronts. This is especially the case with the return of sport behind closed doors, with the need to remotely manage the production of leagues and make fans feel part of the live experience from the comfort of their homes.

The temporary state of the live sports sector, with limited or no fans in stadiums, has only amplified a bigger and more recognisable challenge. Pandemic or no pandemic, studies show that 90% of fans are unable to watch their favourite team in their home stadium due to factors such as location or finance.

At OZ Sports, what COVID-19 has taught us is that we need to accelerate our vision in making the fan experience more interactive and engaging. The new generation of fans expects to be able to share their experiences without geographical boundaries. OZ is keeping sports more relevant, broadening the fanbase by opening up the physical stadium.

This is where we have looked to gaming. The prioritisation of user engagement has seen games companies constantly explore new ways to deliver content to consumers. As a result, gaming platforms are becoming social networks in their own right and established social platforms are seizing this opportunity to invest further in games to maintain and grow their user database. Gaming is driving forward the reality of the metaverse – virtual social spaces that are always open, always on, and always expanding.

So, what does that mean for the sports industry? We are still in the early days of sports broadcasting, and there is a lot we can learn from gaming. Our thinking around the intersection of sports and gaming can be seen everywhere in the OZ Sports strategy. It’s in how we think, how we work, and how we innovate as a company. As a tech business with influential investors from the gaming industry, we foster a different culture than traditional sports broadcasting companies.

Our tech stack is ours, from end-to-end. We mostly leverage technologies on how we do sports production that has until now mostly belonged to gaming companies, which opens up a totally new world for us. At the core, we have our gaming engine, built on a robust machine learning software stack that analyses what is going on in the game, in real-time. From there we further develop our broadcasting technologies, with a layer for services like augmented graphics and avatars, to applications like tracking or a more intuitive replay system, to name but a few. This allows us to work differently as a team of innovators and compete more creatively as a company.

By embracing everything that the gaming industry is positively doing to engage with its fans, we see the world of sports broadcasting becoming far more interesting than it is today. Out of the pandemic, we will see new companies that have succeeded, and these new leaders will foster far more vibrant communities around live events. Gen Z will have emerged with different needs and the more popular short format of sports storytelling will continue to rise.

New exciting technologies will continue to surface in the market that better serve fans’ sports esteem. Use of avatars will be the everyday normal, by representing the digital you in the new metaverse. Fans will be able to instantly express their emotions in the moment of the game, wherever they may be in the world, empowering fans to communicate in ways that are difficult to accomplish in today’s world.

The future of live sport is an exciting one; by embracing gaming technologies OZ Sports will continue to innovate at this intersection. Sports broadcasting as we currently know it is about to change forever, and we’re excited to be at the forefront of that transformation!

Groove

Groove Technologies Targets High-Growth Sweepstakes Market Following Strategic Appointment

Published

2 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Wladimir P.

Groove Technologies, a prominent iGaming aggregator and platform provider, has today revealed a strategic enhancement of its sweepstakes operations through the internal elevation of Michael Kitseliuk to the newly established position of Sweepstakes Account Manager. This action highlights Groove’s dedication to continue expanding in one of the industry’s most vibrant and swiftly growing sectors.

The appointment comes after a phase of rigorous technical advancement and evaluation, placing Groove’s enterprise-grade platform to provide unmatched sweepstakes solutions. The platform, famous for its cutting-edge player engagement features, live analytics, and a collection of more than 15,000 games from over 150 leading providers, is now enhanced to achieve new heights of scalability and profitability for operators using the sweepstakes model.

Michael Kitseliuk, with three years of essential experience from Groove’s technical operations team, will lead this initiative in his new role. His profound technical knowledge guarantees a smooth and straightforward integration experience for partners.

“I’m thrilled to be leading the charge on Groove Sweepstakes,” said Kitseliuk. “This vertical represents the forefront of market accessibility. The lighter regulatory footprint allows operators to launch faster and tap into vast audiences with incredible speed. We’re not just following a trend; we’re empowering our partners to unlock a significant new revenue stream and open doors to previously complex markets.”

The need for high-quality sweepstakes material has reached unprecedented levels. Groove’s strong entertainment ecosystem, which introduces more than 150 new games each month, is distinctly suited to drive this expansion. The firm has assembled a robust stream of content, prepared for delivery via its sophisticated platform.

Rachel Tourgeman, Head of Partnerships at Groove, highlighted the extensive preparation and market offering: “This isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. We’ve undertaken rigorous, bespoke technical testing for each provider to guarantee a flawless experience for both the operator and the player. This diligence means we can now offer our operator cluster access to a vast network of nearly 50 premier game providers specialising in sweepstakes coins, all integrated and ready for launch.”

This strategic focus amplifies Groove’s core strengths: speed, variety, and technological excellence. By dedicating new leadership to the sweepstakes vertical, Groove ensures its partners can capitalise on this growth with a competitive edge.

Yahale Meltzer, Co-Founder and COO at Groove, concluded: “Our promotion of Michael into this dedicated role signals a new era for our sweepstakes platform. We are harnessing its full potential to offer operators super-fast integrations, a proven and diverse game library, and a technically superior platform. This is a definitive step in providing a complete, market-leading solution for every segment of the iGaming industry.”

The post Groove Technologies Targets High-Growth Sweepstakes Market Following Strategic Appointment appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Adam Kamiar Commercial Director at Wildz Group

Wildz Group unveils Blingi

Published

5 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Wladimir P.

The Wildz Group has launched a new online casino offering to enhance the company’s expanding portfolio. Blingi aims to connect with new audiences through an innovative strategy for iGaming entertainment.

Says Adam Kamiar, Commercial Director at Wildz Group, “Blingi is a product we feel simplifies many of the processes customers experience when exploring an online casino. Our teams have focused on optimising the journey, making it easier and faster from the first click. The result is an online casino product that focuses on what matters: the world’s most popular games in a seamless environment from start to finish”.

Blingi offers players the chance to get stuck right into the good stuff, offering:

Trustly Pay N Play – players can receive their winnings to their bank account within minutes of approval, with instant money transfers 24/7 – 365 days a year.
No registration required.
A huge range of big-name games from world-renowned providers.
Frequent promotions | value adds | bonus opportunities

Operators licensed by the MGA have indicated that the casino’s branding and product range will particularly attract players in the region where it operates.

Wildz Group’s online casino brands, including Wildz, Wheelz, Caxino, Spinz, Chipz, and Tuplaus, present appealing iGaming options to players, whereas Blingi provides a distinctive user experience featuring Daily Cashback.

Kamiar further comments on shifting market conditions: “Our consumers are keen gamblers, so we’re making sure to offer superb products based on top-notch security and compliance so that they can play with complete peace of mind. Our goal is to ensure that we’re leading the way when it comes to player protection across world-class products in every market in which our brands are available.”

Wildz Group has established key collaborations with top game providers globally to guarantee that players enjoy casino platforms tailored to their desires—an approach centered on players that has secured the company substantial market share. The selection of games is enhanced by the deliberate implementation of reliable and secure payment methods. Blingi is the inaugural brand of Wildz Group to provide Trustly, an open banking payment method favored by iGaming customers.

“2026 is not without its challenges,” concludes Kamiar, “but we feel that we’ve got all our resources in place to make a lasting impact in industry, so we’re confident that we can say ‘watch this space’, knowing that good things are to come”, he concludes.

The post Wildz Group unveils Blingi appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Adam Lewis Chief Executive Officer at AxiumAI

AxiumAI taps ex-Entain leader Claire Painting to lead customer experience as CXO

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

Wladimir P.

axiumai-taps-ex-entain-leader-claire-painting-to-lead-customer-experience-as-cxo

Extensively experienced Painting collaborates to develop experience strategy as AI revolutionizes sportsbook interaction.

AxiumAI, a frontrunner in AI-powered autonomous player engagement, has announced the appointment of Claire Painting as Chief Experience Officer (CXO), enhancing the company’s leadership team as operators transition to AI-enhanced player engagement.

Recognised for uniting marketing, product, UX, and technology teams to create seamless, consumer-focused experiences at scale, Painting will play a key role in aiding AxiumAI’s ongoing growth and future vision as the provider enhances its AI-driven engagement platform for global operators.

Painting brings over 20 years of experience in the international sports betting and gaming sector to AxiumAI. Most recently, she worked as the Director of Player Experience at Entain, where she managed a worldwide cross-functional team of more than 100 experts located in the UK, Gibraltar, Vienna, Hyderabad, and Manila.

While at Entain, she defined and executed the player experience strategy for the operator group’s global range of brands. This encompassed supervision of essential processes like registration, payments, account management, compliance, promotions, and gamification, along with the creation of worldwide UX/UI design systems and frameworks for measuring customer experience.

The appointment strengthens AxiumAI’s leadership as the company enhances its autonomous player engagement abilities and aids operators in providing real-time, personalized 1:1 player experiences.

Claire Painting, Chief Experience Officer at AxiumAI, said: “The future of player experience will be defined by technology that understands context, adapts in real-time and delivers meaningful interaction at scale. AxiumAI is building that capability, and I am excited to help shape autonomous engagement that will inspire players and drive step-change growth for operators.”

Adam Lewis, Chief Executive Officer at AxiumAI, added: “Claire brings exceptional expertise in player engagement across marketing, product and customer experience. Combined with her ability to connect teams and technology around the player, she is uniquely positioned to lead this area at AxiumAI. She will play a key role as we continue to build intelligent, customer-led solutions for operators globally.”

The post AxiumAI taps ex-Entain leader Claire Painting to lead customer experience as CXO appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.