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PENN Entertainment Names Aaron LaBerge as Chief Technology Officer

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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.

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Gaming Industry Veteran Kent Young Launches New AI-Powered Gaming Technology and Content Venture, Predigy

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Kent Young, the gaming industry visionary behind True Blue Gaming and Spin Games, has launched his third major venture, Predigy. Following a track record of two consecutive lucrative exits, Young’s latest venture is poised to disrupt the sector by leveraging advanced Artificial Intelligence, to create alternative gaming applications for existing and emerging gaming related segments.

Predigy enters the market with a singular mission: to harness the generative power of AI to develop alternative gaming technology and content that moves beyond traditional casino applications. As the industry at large seeks to adopt new and innovative verticals, Predigy will focus on building immersive, AI-adaptive applications that bridge the gap between alternative verticals and real-money wagering.

“The gaming and related verticals landscape is currently undergoing its most significant transformation in history. With True Blue, we focused on land-based content innovation. With Spin Games, we pioneered the early days of North American iGaming digital content and RGS technology. With Predigy, we are looking specifically at how AI development environments can fundamentally alter technology, design applications, and player interaction. We are building alternative gaming applications as the traditional environment and gameplay evolve in real-time,” said Kent Young, Founder of Predigy.

The post Gaming Industry Veteran Kent Young Launches New AI-Powered Gaming Technology and Content Venture, Predigy appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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Flows to Launch New In-session Gamification Product FlashWins

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Flows has unveiled FlashWins, a standalone gamification solution delivered via the FlowsPlay layer. As the industry’s premier no-code automation platform, Flows continues to streamline orchestration for operators, making FlashWins a powerful follow-up to the successful FlowsJackpots release.

FlashWins is an in-session instant-win experience designed to turn live play into moments of anticipation, excitement, and reward. Triggered by real-time player activity, FlashWins introduces a live prize ticker and countdown directly into gameplay, ensuring the next win opportunity is always visible and momentum never drops.

Built for speed and flexibility, FlashWins allows operators to configure instant-win mechanics, timing, and triggers without touching core game logic. Each win is delivered through bold, themed animations that can be fully customised and branded, ensuring the experience feels native to the casino product rather than an overlay or bolt-on.

FlashWins is a standalone product built on top of the Flows platform using FlowsPlay, Flows’ rapid-build product layer. It showcases how quickly new commercial products can be created, launched and iterated using Flows’ underlying automation engine, without impacting the core platform.

James King, CEO of Flows, said: “FlashWins is a great example of what becomes possible when you separate the engine from the experience. Using FlowsPlay, we were able to design, build, and launch a completely new instant-win product in a fraction of the time this would traditionally take and our clients can do the same.

“What excites me most is how quickly operators can now move from an idea to a live, branded product. FlashWins shows how easy it is to create high-impact gamification layers on top of Flows, test them in the wild, and evolve them fast all without touching the core platform.”

The post Flows to Launch New In-session Gamification Product FlashWins appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Playtika Announces Organisational Changes and New Layoffs

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Playtika Holding Corp. has announced a major restructuring plan for Q1 2026. In the streamlining process, the company will dismiss 15% of its workforce during Q1 2026 and will recognise costs of $12-15 million for compensating employees and accompanying costs. At the end of 2024, the company had about 3500 employees. This means the company will shed 500 employees. Estimates are that about 1000 of the company’s employees are in Israel.

Playtika founder and CEO Robert Antokol wrote in a letter to employees, “The decision was not made lightly, and it reflects a fundamental change in the way we operate, so that we can invest in the future and continue to lead in the highly competitive environment of the mobile gaming market.”

Antokol added that for years, Playtika has been operating from a broad growth perspective, while implementing similar resource allocation models across its entire game portfolio. “The economic reality of the industry has changed, and the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach is no longer appropriate for the new reality,” Antokol wrote.

According to him, in order to continue leading, the cost structure must be adjusted. “If we do not make the necessary adjustments to the cost structure today, we will compromise our ability to invest in the growth and future of the company. We cannot continue to allocate resources to mature games at the same historical levels while simultaneously trying to build a new future. By precisely adjusting our investment scope across our entire game portfolio, we can free up the resources needed to invest in games with high growth potential,” he explained.

Antokol continued: “This time is different,” because the change opens a new chapter for the company that will create new growth opportunities for it. “This is not a retreat, but a proactive move to focus strength and power. Our aim remains unchanged: to be the leading independent mobile games company in the West,” Antokol wrote, adding that Playtika will do this, among other things, by developing a new game development channel and expanding direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales, as well as using AI and automation. “This is our moment to shape the next decade of Playtika. I am confident that with your passion and focus, we will not only get through this period, but we will grow together and lead Playtika to be stronger than ever,” concluded Antokol.

The post Playtika Announces Organisational Changes and New Layoffs appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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