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As the World’s First Metaverse Employer, Decentral Games Is Defining the Future of Work
Few periods in history have altered the general public’s perception with regard to the future of work more profoundly than the last eighteen months.
After spending considerable time in isolation, perhaps it’s no wonder workers across the world have emerged from the pandemic having re-evaluated their professional passions, workplace preferences, and outlook for the future of their careers. Coincidentally, this once in a lifetime macroeconomic event has coincided with a key inflection point in the worlds of cryptocurrency and blockchain. For the first time in history, workers have been afforded the unique opportunity to pursue gainful employment in the most futuristic workplace known to humankind – the metaverse.
Decentral Games proudly bears the honor of becoming the world’s first metaverse employer. It’s an important and necessary responsibility we believe will bring a new wave of adoption and sense of community not only to our platform, but to the industry at large. As we’ve continued to scale headcount over the last year, our thesis for investing in new talent and helping to define the future of work has only grown stronger.
Despite having established careers prior to joining Decentral Games, new employees who join our ranks express feeling a call to become part of something bigger. “The job I had at the time was ten years in the making, an amazing place to work, and I wanted to leave it with every part of me…” Murphjestic, Decentral Games’ Community Manager recalls of leaving his Big 4 Accounting role. “I loved that job, so it wasn’t a matter of being unhappy with my employer. I had fallen in love with crypto, the metaverse, the potential and the amazing communities that were being forged.”
It’s a story we never get tired of hearing. Despite varying backgrounds, we’ve found motivated, adventure-seeking individuals at every turn who have felt driven to bring their collective decades of experience to Decentral Games without looking back. DG’s Events Manager, Adam for example, brings 20 years of entertainment industry experience to the table, and after traveling the world playing clubs as a DJ he found himself ready to apply these skills in a totally new capacity. “I started DJing in Florida, then playing clubs on the east coast of America and most recently playing venues all over South East Asia and landing in Italy.” he says. “I joined the Decentral Games team to provide versatile mixes, on board a dozen DJs, and grow high profile entertainment events.”
“I won’t lie, it was scary enough to give up a stable IRL job for a job I didn’t know if it would be for the future..” Casino Host Aeron says. “Now after more than five months I can say that this job is all I wanted and even more!”
It’s often the case that technological innovations come with a counterintuitive tradeoff, that despite being more connected than ever, the human element of community and working towards a common purpose is lost. As a team, we quickly realized that gaming and socializing in the metaverse was going to be an unfamiliar feeling for most – at least at first – so connecting with new users from the start and making them feel welcome was proving to be an especially important task. “The original idea was to have someone charismatic greet new users and play games with them so they aren’t alone.” GLHF (Kris), DG’s Casino Manager remembers. “That quickly blossomed into an elite, full-blown support system of 20+ Casino Host team members, most of which are working 8+ hour daily shifts, and can now answer almost any question and resolve issues for users, on the spot.”
Most employees see immediate gratification and fulfillment in the work they’re performing due to their rapport-building with our customers, many of whom are awestruck navigating the metaverse for the very first time. “It reminds me how important it is to onboard complete strangers…” Casino Host, 100Rainbows said. “While a waiter will meet/greet patrons and aid them with the menu, a Decentral Games Host can help newcomers to walk/talk and teleport within the metaverse.”
These initial interactions additionally present an opportunity to introduce players to Decentral Games’ play-to-earn model, a unique system that allows both players and employees to acquire shared ownership in the platform the more they interact with it. Players place wagers and earn rewards via our proprietary $DG token, an asset simultaneously represents both a unit of account and fractional ownership. Through the $DG DAO, $DG token holders own the casino, control the profits, vote on new games and decide on feature proposals. The system allows customers to “be the house” and financially aligns the interests of our employees with our players, fostering a stronger sense of community not seen in the traditional gaming sector.
Aside from the nature of their work, DG metaverse employees see the upside of completely remote work, a team-oriented environment, flexible hours, and opportunities to develop cutting-edge skills. “I can pick the hours that won’t affect my school work and also allow me to not miss any time with friends and family and that is something I’m extremely grateful for,” Ethan, a Casino Host says of his schedule. “In fact, I can work more than double the hours at DG than I’d be able to work elsewhere all from the comfort of my home.”
Above all, what keeps our talent executing day in and day out on Decentral Games’ bold vision for the future is the belief in limitless opportunity and potential. The world of cryptocurrency today is filled with genuine excitement, a feeling that is deeply reminiscent of the internet boom that captivated the world’s imagination in the early 2000’s. Similarly, before they made the leap to get involved, many of our employees were just crypto-enthusiasts looking to get a foot in the door of this game-changing industry. As the industry has evolved to support the immersive infrastructure of the metaverse, the new ecosystem has rapidly matured to the point of being considered the future frontier of work. Even amid the uncertainty of price fluctuations in crypto markets and short-term market uncertainty, the team is filled with conviction that cryptocurrency has the potential to ring in a brighter future for all who wish to participate in it. “The strange part is describing my work to people, it’s always a ‘Shut up, no way!’ moment if they are young or simply a confused look for people my parents age, Denzel, a Casino Host, says. “Nonetheless it turns heads and opens people’s eyes to the possibilities being created by blockchain technology.”
Since the beginning of 2024, content aggregator and solution provider Slotegrator has been analyzing case studies and conducting careful research. Why did the company choose this development path? What results have been achieved, and what can be expected in the future? It’s time to take a look at how 2024 is going — and maybe get a sneak peek at 2025.
Since the beginning of the year, Slotegrator has continued to actively present its new and updated solutions, like the company’s turnkey online casino platform and its key modules, including the KYC, BI, and Casino Builder modules, alongside many others. These modules are strategically designed to streamline online casino management, covering tasks like analyzing big data, assessing risks, and enhancing platform performance.
The modules have proven to be very effective, partially because they satisfy clients’ concrete needs. The primary sources of inspiration for these cutting-edge innovations are the company’s internal research and case studies of successful clients.
According to Slotegrator’s internal research, clients reported that the integration of these updates came at just the right time. Customers particularly valued the revamped player segmentation module, offering customization options and personalized marketing options, and a renewed anti-fraud module that utilizes a color-coded risk scale that allows operators to set risk levels.
“This feedback from our customers is a great foundation for Slotegrator’s future report on future iGaming trends in 2025. We’re constantly collecting and updating information on new technologies, game types, payment methods and player behavior, and honest feedback on the new features of upgrades helps us understand the direction of our future development,” comments Yana Khaidukova, managing director at Slotegrator.
Innovation is key to keeping up with the fast-paced iGaming industry. In 2024, the Slotegrator team is focused on enhancing product quality and publishing insightful case studies to better demonstrate the capabilities of its products. So far, Slotegrator has published multiple case studies analyzing its clients’ success. Here are the two latest examples:
- BetSloty’s global expansion strategy in the online gambling industry.
- Alanbase’s experience optimizing affiliate marketing.
When it comes to modern iGaming trends, many of them haven’t changed — we should expect to see more VR integration in esports, AI, blockchain, and cryptocurrency adoption. Also, mobile-first gameplay will be a new standard. The Slotegrator team has also noted an increasing emphasis on responsible gaming throughout the iGaming industry. Slotegrator keeps all of these in mind when entering attractive markets with new partners — especially those in Latin America and Asia.
What about licenses? Slotegrator recommends keeping up to date with licensing conditions. Among the most promising jurisdictions are:
- Kahnawake
- The Isle of Man.
- Anjouan
Faruk Aydin, Chief Revenue Officer of Revpanda, a Slotegrator’s media partner, adds to the list of trends some points about promotion on the iGaming industry: “Within the first half of 2024, we’ve seen that human-written content has made a great comeback, thanks to Google’s recent core update. It has started to remove AI-written shallow content across the entire SERPs, and the SEO community expects this trend to continue. Overall, we can say that the first half of the year strongly demonstrates Google’s effort to fill the SERPs with high-quality, engaging, local, and relevant content, avoiding fluff and providing the most useful resources to people.”
William Sarto, PR & Marketing specialist at CasinoRIX or CasinoRIX team, comments:
“In recent months, Google has undergone several significant changes due to a major update that started in March and ended in April. Then, at the beginning of May, they launched another big update. We’ve already seen many affiliate sites affected by this, particularly those that overused AI-generated content. AI has become mainstream, so it’s important to integrate it into processes based on thorough market analysis and real statistical data.
Moreover, there’s a clear trend towards creating projects that offer additional value for players and partners. It’s crucial to build a brand, not just a network of sites, and to add values into what you create while striving to meet customer needs. We fully agree with the earlier comments that in-depth analysis and staying in tune with trends will lead to success and growth. As we can see, all major and well-known projects are steadily growing with these updates.”
The post Slotegrator’s review of the first half of 2024 in iGaming: results & trends appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
By: Evgeniy Babitsyn, Chief Marketing Officer, Bets.io
The sport industry finds itself amidst its own digital transformation journey with the introduction of new technologies, and at the forefront of this digital shift are NFTs – otherwise known as Non-Fungible Tokens.
NFTs can represent any kind of digital item, and in recent years have commonly been used for quirky collectibles and art work – but they now enter the sports arena in a unique way. The beauty of NFTs is the unique metadata and ownership information which is tracked via blockchain, making them a one-of-a-kind digital collectible that cannot be duplicated. As a result of their collectible nature, it’s only natural that NFTs caught the eyes of eager sports enthusiasts and die-hard fans.
In fact, according to Deloitte research, around 40% of Gen Z and millennial sports fans are at least somewhat familiar with the use of NFTs and fan tokens in sports.
But why is that? And how can they boost engagement?
NFTs are rapidly emerging as a powerful tool for sports brands in driving deeper fan engagement and unlocking new revenue streams. This is because sports fans are, by nature, competitive and eager to own exclusive content from their much loved players, teams and brands. They want to be part of the action.
By playing on this feeling, and reinforcing loyalty among fans in this way, sports brands have a huge opportunity to take their revenue streams to new heights and gain a competitive advantage over other brands.
Imagine an athlete releases a limited-edition NFT that represents the most iconic moment in their career, such as the winning shot or a record breaking performance. Fans who own that NFT can then access exclusive content related to that moment including behind-the-scenes footage or interviews.
There really is no limit to these tokens, and depending on the asset, they can be much sought after. As more and more sports fans embrace the digital tokens, sports brands are quickly learning that there is huge potential for fan engagement, if they continue to innovate with this technology.
Taking collectibles to the 21st Century
Sports memorabilia and collectibles have for centuries been a way for fans to feel more connected to their favourite teams and athletes. And now thanks to the advances of technology – more specifically, blockchain technology – fans can collect within the digital realm, gaining access to truly “own” unique digital items and experiences.
Beyond just digital art or collectibles, NFTs can also integrate the idea of gamification, exclusive content and experiences into their NFTs – allowing fans to engage more actively while unlocking new revenue opportunities.
The possibilities are endless, extending far beyond just digital collectibles. They can provide fans with access to exclusive digital or in-person experiences, events and merch as well. Think front row seats or the chance for a meet and greet post-game.
With this, NFTs provide an excellent way for brands to diversify their revenue streams by monetising their content and intellectual property strategically.
It really is win-win, fans can own a piece of their favourite team’s history while supporting their team financially. And sports brands can benefit from more loyal fans.
Transforming the fan experience
Engagement is everything to sports brands. After all, the fans are really the most important stakeholders in the end. And offering NFTs can be a powerful tool in fostering deeper engagement within fan communities. NFTs provide more innovative ways for fans to connect, prove their loyalty and gain recognition for their allegiance.
Let’s look at NBA Top Shot. NBA Top Shot is the perfect example of a blockchain-based platform that allows fans to own and collect officially licensed NBA collectibles digitally. The platform offers exclusive collectibles including videos of the biggest NBA moments and highlights.
And football teams are also following suit. Manchester City, PSG, FC Barcelona have all joined in on the NFT hype – offering their own NFT collections for keen supporters such as worn jerseys, trophies and more.
Sports Betting and NFTs
And when it comes to sports betting, NFTs take the iGaming experience to the next level. Fans can purchase NFTs that represent specific bets, such as the winner of a particular game or the performance of a specific player. These NFTs can then be traded or sold, just like other NFTs, providing a new level of flexibility and excitement for betting.
The use of NFTs in the sports industry is still in its early stages, but has already shown great potential. We can expect more applications to come in the world of sports – including at Bets.io. Watch this space.
Looking ahead, the future is incredibly promising for sports brands who leverage NFTs within their business operations. Those who embrace these new powerful ways to inspire fans and forge deeper relationships with their communities, will see their efforts translate into business value.
The post NFTs and the future of fan engagement: How NFTs can boost engagement with sports brands appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Gambling.com Group Limited (Nasdaq: GAMB) (“Gambling.com Group” or the “Company”), a fast-growing provider of digital marketing services for the global online gambling industry, today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024. The Company also updated its 2024 revenue and Adjusted EBITDA guidance as detailed below.
“We are off to a great start to the year furthering our confidence in our ability to generate strong Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow growth this year and for years to come,” commented Charles Gillespie, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Gambling.com Group. “The investments we have made for years in our proprietary technology, website portfolio, and accretive acquisitions are driving consistent growth. As we continue to expand our industry leadership and influence across global online gambling markets and leverage the many growth drivers we have, we see a clear road ahead to generate substantially higher Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow.”
Elias Mark, Chief Financial Officer of Gambling.com Group added, “By growing year on year in every one of our geographic reporting markets, we delivered record Q1 revenue with top line growth of 9% despite the comparable period benefiting from significantly more new state launch activity.”
First Quarter 2024 and Recent Business Highlights
Delivered more than 107,000 new depositing customers (“NDCs”)
Strong initial contribution from North Carolina following launch on March 11th
Secured new $50 million credit facility with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association
Repurchased 329,490 shares for an average price of $9.10
Completed highly accretive acquisition of Freebets.com and related assets on April 1st
Board of Directors approved an additional $10 million for the Company’s ordinary shares repurchase program in May
First Quarter 2024 Results Compared to First Quarter 2023
Revenues rose 9% year-over-year to a first quarter record $29.2 million, reflecting growth across all geographic reporting markets. The Company delivered more than 107,000 NDCs to customers, an increase of 22%.
Gross profit increased 5% to $27.0 million, including a $1.2 million increase in cost of sales related to the Gannett and Independent partnerships.
Total operating expenses increased 9% to $19.1 million, reflecting increases in sales and marketing, technology and general and administrative expenses.
Net income attributable to shareholders and net income per share rose 11% to $7.3 million and $0.19, respectively. Adjusted net income of $7.6 million and adjusted net income per share of $0.20 were flat, reflecting fair value movement related to acquisitions in the comparative period.
Adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter of 2024 was $10.2 million, reflecting an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 35% as compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $10.7 million and Adjusted EBITDA margin of 40%, in the year-ago period. The Q1 2024 Adjusted EBITDA margin reflects higher costs of sales related to media partnerships.
Operating cash flow increased 24% to $8.8 million. Free Cash Flow increased 32% to $8.2 million reflecting positive working capital movements within operating cash flow and lower capital expenditures. The Company converted 28% of revenues and 81% of Adjusted EBITDA to Free Cash Flow in the first quarter of 2024.
2024 Outlook
Reflecting changes made in early May to how Google treats commercial content on high authority websites that, at present, diminishes the effectiveness of the Company’s media partnerships, Gambling.com Group today updated its 2024 full-year revenue and Adjusted EBITDA guidance. The Company now expects full year revenue of $118 to $122 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $40 million to $44 million. This compares to the initial guidance provided on March 21, 2024, for revenue of $129 million to $133 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $44 million to $48 million. The midpoint of the updated Adjusted EBITDA outlook of $42 million reflects expected year-over-year growth of 14%.
Charles Gillespie commented, “Even with these shifts in the digital landscape, the strength and resilience of our business will enable us to deliver strong year over year Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow growth. With less competition in the search engine results pages, our owned and operated assets are better positioned for the long term than ever before.”
The Company’s guidance assumes:
Following the launch of sports betting in North Carolina on March 11th, no additional North American markets come online over the balance of 2024
Apart from the acquisition of Freebets.com and related assets, no impact from any additional acquisitions in 2024
Full year cost of sales of approximately $4.8 million, of which $2.2 million was incurred in Q1
An average EUR/USD exchange rate of 1.09 throughout 2024
To access, please dial in approximately 10 minutes before the start of the call. An archived webcast of the conference call will also be available in the News & Events section of the Company’s website at gambling.com/corporate/investors/news-events. Information contained on the Company’s website is not incorporated into this press release.
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