Interviews
Exclusive Q&A with Phil Hubner Chief Business Development Officer at Challengermode
Retired players become media commentators, or selectors, or coaches, or the sports administrators. That is the trend in most sports.
What about esports? What do esports players do once they retire?
We have with us here Phil Hubner, the Chief Business Development Officer at Challengermode, who was a successful esports player too.
He talks about his esports playing days, his struggles to build a career, his company and the career options available of esports players in the industry.
Q. We shall begin with your esports career. How did your attention turn to esports and how it developed?
A. Like a lot of people in the industry, my introduction to gaming and esports began at a very young age. My first memory of gaming was in 1996. I was 4 years old, sitting in my 21 year old uncle’s lap, watching a screen light up with flash rockets, lasers and machine guns in Quake. And then playing my first ever casual match against my brother and my uncle’s best friend.
By 2005 I’d spent almost all of my free time playing video games, with the whole of 2004 spent perfecting my craft in DotA. That meant watching videos of the best players in the game, spending my days on IRC networks chatting with some of the top players and getting tips and tricks from them. I was part of the professional German esports organization “mousesports” which accounted for my first real experience with esports. There I managed the team’s scrimmage and tournament schedule and substituted as a player on the roster; primarily in practice matches.
A short 4 years later, Heroes of Newerth was released – the first real successor and stand-alone version of DotA. I spent my days playing at a top level, there didn’t seem to be much of a chance of making a living from esports in either game. Teams weren’t very supportive, there were no actual salaries being paid out, and the prize money wasn’t enough to sustain competitors unless they won every single tournament that ran. This was the point I decided that playing, whilst an important part of my free time, wasn’t going to be the career choice for me. I wanted to do something bigger, more impactful, and most importantly something that would allow me to pursue a full-time, paying career within this industry.
Q. Could you narrate your transition from an esports player to an industry professional? What are the challenges that you faced?
A. The first step towards making a career outside of being a player involved turning my industry knowledge into a stint in journalism. In 2010 I wrote an email to the up-and-coming esports publication ESFIWorld (now sadly defunct), arguing they should consider reporting on MOBA games like Heroes of Newerth and League of Legends. The CEO welcomed the idea and I joined the team there as a Content Director – an unpaid position – whilst finishing high school.
In 2011 I covered my first industry events – “The International”, and CeBIT, where the Intel Extreme Masters World Championship took place. I threw myself into these events, striking up conversations with the tournament operators, commentators, hosts, players and more. I recorded interviews, wrote articles, and attended after-parties – producing over 130 content pieces in a span of just 5 days. But this still fell short of “making a living” in esports. Like many people who want to turn their passion into their career, the main challenge was finding a role that could support me financially. In 2011 I was still a broke student with hardly enough money to buy food at these events. One night, our hotel room got cancelled, forcing us to go back to the hostel we had stayed the night before, who allowed us to sleep on the floor in their storage room – not the best example of a successful esports career!
But this experience did allow me to make a name for myself within the European esports industry. I wasn’t famous by any means, but I knew people. One of these people was Michal Blicharz (as of my writing this the VP of Pro Gaming at ESL Gaming) who was the man with the plan on the Intel Extreme Masters. I asked whether there were any openings for internships or junior positions within their company. Within a week I got an offer, quit school and in March 2012 – exactly a year after my first ever live esports event – I attended my first event as an intern under Michal, where I would soon become a Junior Product Manager. With a paying role under my belt, the main challenge became embedding myself fully in the rapidly growing and constantly changing industry, an industry at the forefront of digital marketing.
Moving away from the editorial side of the esports industry – In 2015 I started working with Ben Goldhaber at the time Content Director at Twitch, handling content marketing for Twitch in Europe and managing their mighty social media accounts with millions of followers. I moved to London, and shortly after pitched a new role and department to the current VP of Marketing at Twitch: International Marketing. Following this I saw many opportunities in both the rising esports industry, and the newly discovered land of opportunities that was influencer marketing – managing half a dozen streamers and influencers. This led me to my first role in Business Development in helping build up the Italian esports organization QLASH.
Q. Let’s now move to your career at Challengermode. What exactly does Challengermode offer and what’s your role as Chief Business Development Officer?
A. Challengermode is an esports platform with a big focus on the grassroots levels of competitive gaming, and a vision to make esports as accessible as possible. In effect, that means we build technology that makes playing in and offering esports competitions seamless. I joined Challengermode in 2017 as Head of Business Development, where I was largely responsible for onboarding the very first partners at the company, as well as devising the company’s partnerships and business strategy. I came to this after working in a wider variety of positions around esports, from marketing and communications to product management to business development and strategy. In my current role as CBDO I draw on a lot of that experience to translate greater accessibility in esports into greater value for stakeholders all across the esports ecosystem. I also manage two key departments within the company that deal with acquiring and then supporting partners such as game developers, tournament organizers, esports teams and brands.
Q. A number of young people become esports wizards. Could you tell us the career options available to them once they hit the esports peak and start the downhill journey?
A. I wouldn’t call it a downhill journey. I think it’s more of a natural evolution to go from player to industry professional. Hopefully my previous answer goes some way to highlighting the breadth of roles that are available in the industry away from the bright lights of being a competitor!
My experiences may be a few years old now, but if you look at the esports industry today, there are a few obvious steps one can take after putting down the mouse and keyboard (or controller) and wanting to fulfill a role within the industry with the background of being a professional player. There are many living examples of players that have turned to commentary and analysis for example. Using their in-depth knowledge of their game to dissect other players’ performances.
Another route that many have gone is to become a coach. Much like in traditional sports – years and years of playing will have honed your understanding of the game, problems for individual players to overcome and will have given you a keen read on other teams, their strategies, and their weaknesses. Similarly though, this is only the correct path for the few players that in their playing careers tend to be actively engaged in strategy and tactical choices.
For those with a more entrepreneurial nature, a common trend you’ll see is the formation of a new esports team or a company within esports that solves a problem they may have uncovered during their days as a player. You’ll find many, many such examples dating all the way back even to some of the oldest esports organizations such as SK Gaming or Ninjas in Pyjamas, but even more so in newcomers such as TSM, G2 Esports or 100 Thieves.
If none of those are the right way to go, luckily the rise of Twitch and the continued success of YouTube have provided any retiring player with an outlet and opportunity to continue their careers even beyond their competitive days. For many viewers, there’s little more entertaining (and educational) than watching players who play at the top level of their game. What’s better than getting an opportunity to directly engage with, chat, and ask questions to a retired star player?
Q. From a personal point of view, what are the advantages an esports player looking for a career in the gaming industry has, compared to a non-player?
A. Put simply – industry knowledge. Esports is still a very young industry and every year more companies enter the sector than there is talent available to staff them. Professional players, retired or not, will have some of the keenest eyes when it comes to authentically speaking to the esports audience. It’s not just an audience for them after all, it will have been their life for the past few years. This means there will always be in-roads for these individuals when looking to move into the business of esports.
Many of them however will experience a heavy reality check when starting this next step of their journey: while they may have a keen understanding of the audience, they might not have many skills directly applicable to their new roles. Be these in marketing, operations, recruiting or what have you. There’s good news though: their diligence, discipline and ability to become the best at something will easily translate into other fields outside of the games they played for so long. Besides from the industry knowledge, the soft skills are easily transferable.
Q. Again from a personal perspective, is the industry welcoming enough to the esports players? Any comments on that?
A. Whenever a professional player retires, that person should be seen as a top candidate not necessarily to join your executive team and lead the charge, but at the very least someone that will no doubt be a fast learner and someone that can intently focus on whatever is put in front of them. It is up to the universities, colleges and companies in the space to provide these paths for these players; but likewise up to these players to identify and accept where they stand within a professional context, how applicable their skills are, and where they may be lacking.
I have no doubt that anybody capable of being the best out of millions of players in any given game will likewise be capable of being the best at many other jobs and tasks thrown at them; that they will learn them quickly and learn how to excel at them, and if we do a good enough job at telling the stories of former professional players and their careers, we can give hope and inspiration to current and future pro players, whilst reassuring companies that former professional players are likely to be top-tier hires if provided the right guidance and opportunity.
Q. What are the potential roles and positions in the gaming industry that particularly suit esports players?
A. Using some of the roles I mentioned previously as examples, commentators and analyst roles lend themselves well to the kind of esports competitors that are naturally charismatic and have an ability to speak concisely. Players choosing to go down this path are often at the mercy of the audience. When it comes to coach roles oftentimes this is a natural fit for team captains, those who have been on the frontline in leadership positions before have an understanding of what different team members need and how to handle group dynamics.
Many retired players have found ways into game balance and later game design teams either for the very same games that they were once competitive in, or for new games in the same, unexplored genre. After all, who understands MOBAs better than someone who has played one for tens of thousands of hours?
Ultimately what roles in the games industry that suit esports players depends greatly on the player themselves. What skills they have and what interests them. There are myriad roles out there for players with a solid industry knowledge base to get involved across art, design, marketing, communications, business, finance etc. It all comes down to what they want to do.
Q. Finally, as someone who has experienced it from both ends of the spectrum – as a player and then as an industry professional – what are the changes you would like to have in the esports vertical in the future?
A. What may be missing today is a safety net catching and training those players that don’t fall into the categories I’ve mentioned above. Those that aren’t as entrepreneurial or self-driven, and those that maybe want to step one further step away from the game itself than a role as a commentator, analyst, coach or game designer would allow them to. I’d like to see more organisations taking responsibility for the futures of their current talent. Not just for the sake of the competitors themselves, but for the sake of the industry as a whole.
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Izabel Hakim, Head Project Manager at 7777 gaming, joins us for an exclusive conversation ahead of HIPTHER’s European Gaming Congress – HIPTHER Warsaw Summit 2025.
A recognized professional with a strong background in Product Development and Business Management, Izabel has nearly a decade of leadership experience in the iGaming sector. At 7777 gaming, she plays a pivotal role in driving product innovation across the company’s two key verticals: lottery and online casino.
As a General Sponsor of EGC 2025, 7777 gaming will showcase its cutting-edge iLottery solutions and 200+ game portfolio, reflecting its mission to create games for every player, niche, and taste.
Izabel, as Head Project Manager at 7777 gaming, you’ve been shaping product development in both lottery and online casino. From your perspective, how is iLottery evolving today, and why is it becoming such a central pillar of iGaming?
iLottery has evolved far beyond its traditional image of paper tickets and live draws. What we’re seeing today is the transformation of lottery into a dynamic, digital-first experience, one that resonates with modern players who value interaction, instant results, and engagement.
At 7777 gaming, we see iLottery as a bridge between tradition and innovation. It retains the thrill of chance that people love, but now enhanced with engaging visuals, storytelling, and personalized digital features. This evolution makes iLottery not just another vertical, but a central pillar of iGaming’s future, one that connects generations of players through technology and creativity.
7777 gaming is known for its bold creativity – from cinematic storytelling and unique mechanics to the expansive 7777 Multiverse. How do these innovations translate specifically into your iLottery products?
Creativity is our universal language, it flows through everything we create. The 7777 Multiverse isn’t just a feature, it’s a philosophy that connects our entire portfolio. Within iLottery, that means moving beyond static experiences and turning every game into a journey.
We weave storytelling and visual immersion into lottery formats that feel alive, games where the player isn’t just waiting for numbers but engaging with dynamic worlds, symbols, and rewarding mechanics. Our goal is simple: To make every draw feel like part of a bigger, evolving adventure. You can already see that spirit in one of our newest fully customizable Raffle Lottery products.
Only five years after launching, 7777 gaming is certified in 14 regulated jurisdictions and continues to expand globally. How does compliance ensure your iLottery solutions fit the specific needs of each market?
Compliance is one of our strongest assets. We don’t view it as a limitation, we see it as the framework that allows sustainable innovation to thrive. Every product we build is designed with regulation in mind from day one, ensuring that creativity and compliance evolve hand in hand.
When working with lotteries, the regulatory landscape can be even more complex, as in many cases the country itself is the regulatory body. That’s where our experience truly shines. We’ve successfully customized our iLottery solutions for national operators such as the National Lottery in Moldova, Azerloterya, the National Ukrainian Lottery, and others, each with its own technical, legal, and local specifics.
This hands-on experience enables us to adapt quickly to diverse jurisdictions while maintaining the creative quality, reliability, and security that define 7777 gaming. Our compliance-first mindset ensures that wherever our partners operate, our products not only meet the highest standards but also deliver the same trusted, engaging experience to every player.
Lottery has traditionally been seen as more static compared to casino gaming. How are you and your team reimagining iLottery to make it more engaging for the next generation of players?
We’re reimagining iLottery as something vibrant, social, and interactive, but also as a bridge between traditional and digital play. Many players are still accustomed to the offline lottery experience, so our goal is to guide that transition online by offering products that feel familiar, yet reimagined with fresh, engaging, and interactive twists that keep them playing longer.
Our strategy is built on variety and adaptability. We offer everything from instant win games and keno, to bingo, raffle lotteries, and themed or localized content tailored to specific markets with over 70 games for our lottery vertical. This range ensures that every player, whether they’re just discovering iLottery or already part of the digital ecosystem, can find something that resonates with their habits and preferences.
It’s all about giving players agency, connection, and excitement. We want iLottery to feel not just like a game of chance, but an evolving experience that fits naturally into how people play, connect, and engage today.
Community engagement and mentorship are passions you’ve personally championed. How do these values influence the way 7777 gaming develops products and connects with players in the iLottery space?
I’ve always believed that great products come from great teams, and great teams are built on trust, mentorship, and shared curiosity. At 7777 gaming, we nurture that culture through open collaboration, cross-functional creativity, and constant learning. Every project is a collective effort, shaped by diverse ideas and perspectives.
This mindset directly influences how we build our iLottery products. When your team feels empowered and inspired, it reflects in the final result – games that are thoughtful, well-crafted, and full of personality. It’s that internal synergy that allows us to consistently innovate and deliver experiences that stand out in the market.
Looking ahead, what can we expect next from 7777 gaming in the iLottery vertical? Are there particular innovations, markets, or partnerships that excite you most as you expand further?
The next phase of our lottery journey is all about personalization and deeper player engagement. We’re using data-driven insights to understand what excites players most and to craft experiences that truly speak to their preferences, blending the best of both verticals we work with – lottery and casino into fresh, hybrid formats that feel modern and intuitive.
We’re also entering new regulated markets and strengthening strategic partnerships that reflect our vision of responsible, engaging, and borderless entertainment. The opportunities ahead are exciting and 7777 gaming will continue to set new standards for innovation and creativity in future.
Thank you, Izabel, for sharing your insights on how 7777 gaming is redefining iLottery with innovation, compliance, and a people-first approach. We look forward to hearing more from you on stage at the European Gaming Congress 2025!
Join us at the European Gaming Congress 2025 | 30–31 October | Warsaw
Meet 7777 gaming and discover how they’re shaping the future of iLottery and iGaming.
The post Shaping the Future of iLottery: 7777 gaming’s Izabel Hakim on Innovation and Engagement appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
AI in iGaming
Future-Ready iGaming: Denis Kosinsky, COO of NuxGame, Discusses AI, Innovation, and Scalable Growth
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Denis Kosinsky, Chief Operating Officer at NuxGame, joins us for an exclusive conversation ahead of HIPTHER’s European Gaming Congress 2025.
NuxGame, a leader in delivering powerful B2B iGaming solutions from turnkey casinos and sportsbooks to crypto gaming and modular aggregation, is a General Sponsor of this year’s Congress. With expertise spanning AI personalization, blockchain integration, and real-time analytics, Denis will bring his insights to the EGC panel “Leveraging AI for Competitive Advantage.”
Denis, as COO of NuxGame, you coordinate strategic growth and product innovation. What do you see as the most urgent priorities for iGaming operators today?
From our daily work with operators, we see personalization as one of the most urgent priorities in iGaming today. Players expect the same tailored experience they get from platforms like Netflix or Spotify, where everything feels made just for them the moment they log in. We work closely with our operators to make that possible. Whether it’s helping a slot-focused brand surface the right providers or enabling personalized campaigns by player behavior, our goal is to shorten the path from idea to go-live. With access to more than 16,500 games from over 130 providers, integrated loyalty and tier systems, and advanced analytics, operators can test, optimize, and launch personalized experiences quickly without heavy development cycles. This speed to market is critical. When operators can react fast and deliver relevant content at the right time, players stay engaged, retention grows, and brand loyalty follows naturally. That’s exactly where we focus on helping our partners move fast, personalize smarter, and scale sustainably.
NuxGame offers a multitude of solutions: casino, sportsbook, crypto integration, game aggregator. How do you make sure that your platform stays modular and scalable, and still manage to provide a stable experience for operators and players?
Our platform is built on a modular architecture that allows each business unit such as sportsbook, casino, payments, and back office to operate independently while remaining fully connected within a unified ecosystem. This structure ensures a stable and consistent experience for both players and operators, even when new features are introduced or updates are deployed. Each module can be developed, scaled, or maintained separately, which improves reliability and reduces the risk of system-wide issues. Through standardized APIs and controlled data flows, the business units collaborate efficiently while maintaining autonomy, ensuring high performance and a seamless experience across all platform components.
You’ll be joining the panel on AI in iGaming. How do you see artificial intelligence transforming the industry in the next few years – particularly in areas like player personalization, fraud detection, and operational efficiency?
AI is already reshaping iGaming in powerful ways. In fraud detection, it can uncover complex behavior patterns that traditional monitoring often misses, such as linked accounts or unusual bonus activity. These systems continuously learn from platform data, helping operators reduce losses and improve security. Predictive models are also becoming key in decision-making. They forecast player lifetime value, churn risk, and engagement potential, allowing operators to act early with targeted campaigns or retention offers. The same technology supports smarter CRM and marketing, helping teams focus on the players who matter most. Operationally, AI is improving efficiency through automated KYC verification, odds monitoring, and compliance checks. New AI agents now assist with platform configuration and content generation, enabling faster creation of campaigns, layouts, and recommendations. For players, AI brings true personalization. Instead of hundreds of random games, they see the few most relevant titles, offers, and providers. Operators who apply these capabilities effectively will build deeper engagement, trust, and long-term loyalty.
Gamification and blockchain are big parts of the NuxGame strategy. Could you share how these technologies are boosting engagement and retention for your clients?
Gamification and blockchain are redefining how operators drive engagement and retention, and at NuxGame we focus on turning every interaction into a reason for players to stay active. Our Achievements system rewards players for meaningful actions such as first deposits, login streaks, or consistent gameplay, while event-based notifications deliver these rewards at the right moment to sustain excitement. We extend engagement even further with loyalty programs, leaderboards, and platform chat that connects players directly within the gaming environment. Players can celebrate live wins, share achievements, and compete in real time, creating a social layer that strengthens the overall experience. Another popular feature is Spin Wheel, where operators can offer customized rewards ranging from free spins to bonus credits or unique prizes. It adds instant gratification and keeps players returning for another chance to win. Blockchain technology completes this ecosystem by powering fast, secure Web3 wallet onboarding and transparent crypto transactions, building player confidence from the very first interaction. Together, these features create a seamless, rewarding, and community-driven experience that keeps players engaged and operators growing.
With over 16,500+ games from 130+ providers on your platform, content aggregation is obviously your strength. How do you build partnerships that keep your portfolio diverse, compliant, and competitive?
Our goal at NuxGame is to provide operators with the same experience they would have if they integrated directly with each individual game provider, while delivering a much higher level of efficiency, automation, and control. What makes us different is not only the scale of our portfolio, with more than 16,500 games from over 130 providers, but the quality and depth of data we deliver for every game. We go beyond simple content aggregation by sending complete and enriched game metadata through our API. This includes detailed information such as bonus exposure, available provider promotions, tournament participation, and automated big-win checks. Most providers do not share this level of data, which makes it a key advantage for our partners. By providing it through the API, we eliminate a large amount of manual work for operators, simplify campaign management, and allow instant personalization and reporting. It is not just about having a large and diverse game portfolio. It is about giving operators the tools and real-time data they need to create dynamic, localized player experiences and make smarter business decisions. This is the foundation of our approach at NuxGame and what defines us as a true technology partner rather than just an aggregator.
NuxGame has been a pioneer in cryptocurrency integration. How do you balance the opportunities of Web3 with the obstacles of regulation, security, and user adoption in gaming?
Crypto and Web3 offer huge opportunities for iGaming, but success depends on security, compliance, and user experience. At NuxGame, we built our crypto solution to feel familiar to users of leading exchange platforms, with seamless wallet connections, real-time balances, and instant transactions. The system supports BTC, ETH, USDT, and other major assets, with Web3 wallet integration and direct crypto purchases for fast onboarding. For operators, it delivers built-in fraud prevention, risk monitoring, and compliance-ready reporting. This combination of trust, speed, and intuitive UX makes crypto adoption easy for players and expansion safe for operators.
So what’s next for NuxGame? Are there particular markets or partnerships you’re most excited about as you continue to expand?
We are putting a strong focus on the US market, particularly on enabling operators to launch faster within the sweepstakes model. This segment is growing rapidly but comes with complex regulatory and technical requirements. NuxGame is fully prepared for it with dual-currency logic, built-in compliance automation, and a complete payment orchestration layer that eliminates the typical setup delays operators face. Our platform provides a ready-made, legally tested foundation, so clients can go live without spending months on integrations or legal reviews. Combined with affiliate management, engagement tools, and modular scalability, operators can focus on growth rather than setup. The sweepstakes model is a major opportunity in the US, and our goal is to make NuxGame the go-to solution for fast, compliant, and profitable entry into that market.
Thank you, Denis, for sharing your vision and perspective on how technology is shaping the future of iGaming. We’re excited to hear more from you live on stage at the European Gaming Congress 2025!
Join us at the European Gaming Congress 2025 | 30–31 October | Warsaw
Secure your spot, connect with NuxGame, and discover how leading innovators are redefining the industry.
The post Future-Ready iGaming: Denis Kosinsky, COO of NuxGame, Discusses AI, Innovation, and Scalable Growth appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Alea
HIPTHER Community Voices: It’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month – Interview with Product Principal of Secure Solutions at Continent 8 Technologies, Craig Lusher
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October marks Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a global initiative dedicated to promoting online safety and equipping enterprises with the knowledge needed to mitigate cyber threats.
To recognise this important occasion, we connected with Continent 8 Technologies – widely recognised as the trusted cybersecurity partner for the iGaming sector. In this Community Voices feature, we speak with Craig Lusher, Product Principal of Secure Solutions at Continent 8, as he shares expert perspectives on the evolving cybersecurity landscape within the iGaming and online sports betting industry, including emerging challenges, opportunities, and industry-leading best practices.
How have cyber threats changed in the iGaming world lately?
Historically, most attacks were single-vector events focused on individual organisations. Today, we are seeing a marked increase in complex, coordinated threats. For instance, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks are often used to divert attention from concurrent credential stuffing attempts, and large-scale campaigns now target multiple entities – such as land-based casinos and online sportsbooks – simultaneously. Threat actors employ layered techniques to conceal their true objectives, executing multifaceted attacks across diverse groups.
Social engineering has emerged as one of the most prominent and rapidly evolving risks. Phishing techniques such as email scams, fake websites, text messaging or SMS and fraudulent voice calls have advanced significantly with the development of sophisticated AI language models and automation tools, empowering attackers to convincingly impersonate individuals or organisations. The capabilities of modern AI mean that realistic voice messages and video representations can now be created within minutes, underscoring the pressing need for organisations to enhance their security posture and maintain robust vigilance across all digital channels.
Are there any weak spots in the iGaming industry – like certain countries or regulations – that make it easier for cybercriminals to attack?
Jurisdictions with more rigorous cybersecurity regulations often see operators and suppliers achieving a higher standard of cyber resilience. However, one of the challenges that the industry faces is that regulatory frameworks are often inconsistent, particularly in multi-jurisdictional markets. For example, in the US, each state maintains its own regulatory body, resulting in varying cybersecurity standards across state lines. Gaming operators and suppliers should strive to not only meet but exceed regulatory requirements wherever possible.
We are also seeing a notable increase in third-party vulnerabilities within the iGaming and online sports betting industry. This sector operates within a highly interconnected environment, where the integration of third-party partner software and APIs can pose potential security risks. For example, our customer Alea leverages a single API integration, this helps reduce their attack surface area to introduce standardisation. Through our comprehensive suite of cybersecurity assessment services, we have partnered closely with Alea to test their infrastructure.
Learn more about the partnership here:
What are some of the best ways iGaming companies are protecting themselves from hackers today? Are there rules or systems we follow to stay safe?
To strengthen the cybersecurity posture of iGaming and online sports betting platforms, organisations must shift from a reactive response model to a proactive, defence-in-depth strategy. Rather than waiting for vulnerabilities to be exposed within systems, platforms or personnel, it is imperative to anticipate and mitigate risks through structured, preventative measures. Key best practices include:
- Conducting regular security audits and comprehensive risk assessments
- Utilising advanced threat detection and response technologies
- Establishing and maintaining well-documented procedures for identifying, responding to, and recovering from cyber incidents
- Providing continuous cybersecurity training and awareness programmes for all personnel
- Equipping staff to recognise phishing campaigns, social engineering techniques, and other prevalent attack vectors
- Enforcing timely software updates, effective patch management, and strong authentication protocols such as multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- Enhancing supply chain security by rigorously evaluating and monitoring third-party vendors and partners
- Investing in next-generation technologies and methodologies to address emerging threats, especially in the context of developments in AI and artificial general intelligence (AGI)
- Ensuring strict compliance with all relevant cybersecurity regulations and standards, moving beyond a checkbox approach to security
These initiatives establish a resilient security foundation, enabling organisations to effectively mitigate risks in an evolving threat landscape.
How can new technologies like AI or machine learning help detect suspicious activity, prevent fraud, or keep the platform safe for players?
Artificial intelligence is enabling threat actors to increase the speed, scale and effectiveness of their attacks – malicious actors are leveraging AI to rapidly identify vulnerabilities, automate exploit generation, develop advanced malware that evades detection and execute attacks on a global scale.
The good news is that AI is also a powerful ally for cybersecurity teams that can be used to counter these threats. Strategic applications include:
- Deploying AI-driven threat detection for real-time identification of security incidents
- Automating incident response processes to isolate compromised devices, block malicious traffic, and implement mitigation measures swiftly
- Using AI to proactively identify and address vulnerabilities within internal systems before adversaries can exploit them
- Implementing automated patch management to remediate security gaps as soon as they are discovered
- Utilising threat intelligence platforms powered by AI to analyse and disseminate emerging attack patterns, equipping organisations to prepare for future threats
By embracing these advanced capabilities, organisations can strengthen their posture and stay ahead of sophisticated AI-driven threats and attacks.
How often should employees across departments get cybersecurity awareness training, and what should it include?
Human error remains a primary vector for cyber threats – 70% of security breaches are caused by the human element.
To effectively counteract this risk and build up the ‘human firewall’, organisations must implement a comprehensive, layered cybersecurity strategy, comprising the following components:
Employee training and awareness: People represent the first and most critical line of defence. Regular, organisation-wide cybersecurity training is essential to ensure all staff can identify the latest phishing tactics and practice strong cyber hygiene. This training should encompass the recognition of suspicious communications, the risks of interacting with unknown links or attachments, and the importance of vigilant online behaviour.
Simulated phishing attacks: Leveraging targeted simulations such as our SafeBait solution empowers employees to safely experience and recognise a variety of attack scenarios. These simulations can be customised to reflect real-world phishing attempts across multiple attack vectors, including SMS, WhatsApp, voice and QR code-based attacks.
Endpoint protection: Deploying robust endpoint security – such as our Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) service – protects devices from malware and phishing attempts by offering real-time monitoring, rapid anomaly detection and immediate threat response.
Mobile protection: As mobile usage continues to rise, the deployment of advanced mobile security solutions is essential. Our Mobile Protect service delivers comprehensive protection for iOS and Android devices, effectively mitigating mobile-specific attack vectors.
At Continent 8, as well as our cybersecurity specialist division, C8 Secure, we prioritise ongoing internal security assessments with our own teams, upholding the standards we recommend to our customers through continuous practice and vigilance.
What trends or best practices do we anticipate will influence and shape the industry in 2025 and beyond?
There are a couple of developments that we should monitor.
First, threat intelligence. This has been an underutilised practice, due to the complexity of managing and analysing large-scale, complex datasets to effectively detect and correlate emerging, sector-specific threats in real time. I
We recently announced how we are able to address these requirements through the launch of our Threat Exchange solution – the industry’s first dedicated cyber threat intelligence (CTI) platform. This game-changing solution delivers actionable, real-time intelligence, enabling gaming operators, platform providers and B2B gaming technology companies to proactively detect emerging threats, improve indecent response and understand the threat landscape
Secondly, as we’re aware, regulatory frameworks are always evolving, gradually introducing changes that will further impact and strengthen industry security requirements. Importantly, these regulatory advancements are being applied not only to organisations but also to individual users, encouraging best cybersecurity practices and hygiene to protect systems at every level. It is essential for iGaming operators and suppliers to deliver comprehensive training platforms that incorporate realistic simulations, such as phishing exercises, to ensure staff are well-prepared for current and emerging threats.
October is recognised as Cyber Awareness Month – a reminder of the importance of cybersecurity and adherence to best practices. However, cyber threats remain persistent, and it is essential to embrace an always-on, 2/7 cyber-defence strategy that delivers comprehensive, year-round, end-to-end protection.
The post HIPTHER Community Voices: It’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month – Interview with Product Principal of Secure Solutions at Continent 8 Technologies, Craig Lusher appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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2025 Global Regulatory Awards7 days ago
Vixio Announces the 2025 Recipient of the Compliance Lifetime Achievement Special Award
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Asia5 days ago
PAGCOR Enforces Accreditation for All iGaming Service Providers by 2026
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Africa5 days ago
Shacks Evolution Announce Strategic Partnership with Moja Group
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Firebird Blue5 days ago
SYNOT Group Brings Premium Installations to Dublin’s City Centre
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Australia5 days ago
RTG Announces Evive Australia as the First Innovation to Take the Stage at Pitch!
