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THE STAR SYDNEY’S LEADERSHIP TEAM ACHIEVES EQUAL GENDER REPRESENTATION

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The Star Sydney leadership team has reached a 50/50 split of men and women following two recent appointments to
the executive group reporting to the Chief Operating Officer (COO).

The Star Entertainment Group has a target of 45% women and 45% men representation in leadership roles across its
properties in Sydney and Queensland, while the remaining 10% reflects scope for any gender identity, including non-binary gender identities.

The result also signals the success of an ongoing commitment to improvement in gender representation. Five years
ago, the equivalent leadership team at The Star Sydney comprised 23% women.

The Star Sydney’s COO, Damian Quayle said that achieving gender equality in the leadership team was the result of a
focused effort including the development of a talent acquisition and recruitment pipeline, fostering an inclusive and
diverse work environment and implementing a group-wide gender equality strategy.

“I am incredibly proud to say that my leadership team reflects a more balanced representation of genders, of our
workforce, of our community and the millions of guests we welcome each year,” Mr Quayle said.

“I wholeheartedly believe that equal representation drives better teamwork, a wider base of experience to drawn upon
and ultimately greater performance.”

The Star Entertainment Group’s Chief People and Performance Officer, Kim Lee added, “We recognise that diversity –
of genders, different cultural backgrounds, experiences and ideas is critical to creating a welcoming environment for
our guests and team members. With more women being elevated to senior roles than ever, The Star is on track to
meet its targets.”

Following the appointments of Sandra Thefs and Christina Lambert, the team now comprises three women and three
men.

Speaking of the two appointments, Mr Quayle said: “Sandra adds over 25 years’ experience in the gaming industry to
the team. She most recently spearheaded delivery of Sovereign, The Star Sydney’s $250 million premium
entertainment and gaming venue.

“Since taking on the role as Director of Hotels, Christina has truly excelled. She has led The Darling Sydney in
maintaining its pre-eminent position as the only luxury hotel to receive the coveted Forbes’ Five Star award. She is now
also responsible for developing a program that ensures that level of service and guest experience is delivered across
our entire property.”

Sandra Thefs, who has been with The Star since 1995 – first as a dealer at Treasury Brisbane, then venturing south for
the launch of ‘Star City’ in 1997 said a strong network of advocates were key to her progression.

“Throughout my time with The Star, I have always been supported in my ambitions to progress my career by my peers
and my managers,” she said. “They instilled the confidence I needed and encouraged me to take up opportunities I
might not have otherwise pursued.

”As Chair of Balance at The Star, our gender equality network, I have seen firsthand the progress we have made in a
short space of time.

“Although there is more work to be done to achieve parity across the board, we have clear direction from our Executive
team, a newly released gender equality strategy to help our targets and a committed workforce all working towards the
same goal.”

The Star Sydney’s Director of Hotel and Guest Experiences, Christina Lambert, said she is thrilled to be part of a
leadership group that values equity, diversity, and inclusion.

“I have had the pleasure of leading The Star Sydney’s hotel team over the last two years, and excited to extend my role
into guest experience across the property,” Ms Lambert said.

“It is important for me to see a balanced representation of genders in our teams, and I’m grateful to be part of that and
ensuring it is reflected across all levels of The Star’s operations.”

Sandra and Christina join Samantha Apps on The Star Sydney‘s leadership team.

Ms Apps joined The Star Entertainment Group in 2017 as General Manager, Group Procurement where she led the
transformation of that function, increasing benefits delivery by 150% over her first two years.

She moved into The Star Sydney’s leadership team in February 2021 as General Manager, Hospitality and Group
Supply Chain. A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, Ms Apps is an active ally and member of the ‘Proud at
The Star’ committee that champions a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment for LGBTQI+ team members and
guests, and NSW state representative on Chief Executive Women’s Connect Committee that supports the pathway to
the C-Suite for talented women across Australia.

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Stake releases hot air balloon football match stunt at 10,000ft

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Stake published a new campaign video on June 23 showing a small-sided football match played on a pitch suspended from a hot air balloon at 10,000ft.

The video features six extreme sports content creators—Nathan Roque, Alessio Papia, Nicolo Contrada, Yasmin Xavier, Sara Vidal, and Carol Chafauzer—playing on a 12m x 20m synthetic grass platform. Stake said the 3,000kg pitch was carried by balloon during a 60-minute flight, with participants later jumping from the platform using parachutes.

The activation sits within Stake’s “It’s All At Stake” brand platform, which the company launched ahead of this summer’s global football tournament. According to Stake, the campaign is being promoted across YouTube, Instagram and X.

Jarrod Febbraio, Director at Stake, said: “This summer sees one of the biggest cultural moments on the planet and simply showing up is no longer enough. Our ambition is to create campaigns that genuinely capture people’s attention, spark conversation and give fans something they haven’t seen before.

“At Stake, we are always looking for ways to push creative boundaries and challenge expectations around sports marketing. Whether it’s our It’s All At Stake campaign or staging a football match thousands of feet in the air, the objective is the same – creating entertainment that resonates with audiences and delivers memorable experiences around the moments they care most about.”

Stake also said the “It’s All At Stake” campaign has generated more than 200 million views across earned and social channels in the first week of the tournament.

The post Stake releases hot air balloon football match stunt at 10,000ft appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Infingame says tournaments and missions drive retention on sweepstakes platforms

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Infingame has published operational observations on what it says is driving player engagement on sweepstakes platforms, arguing that traditional online casino retention tactics don’t consistently translate to the sweepstakes model.

According to the aggregator, the strongest-performing sweepstakes products are built around progression-driven engagement, social-style competition, lightweight onboarding, and highly dynamic promotional systems. “Sweepstakes players behave very differently from traditional casino audiences,” said Jana Filagina, Head of Commercial at Infingame. “The expectation is much closer to entertainment platforms and gaming ecosystems than classic gambling products. Retention is driven by interaction quality, progression, and continuous engagement rather than purely transactional behavior.”

Infingame identified tournament ecosystems as a leading mechanic for repeat participation and session continuity, saying competitive formats outperform static reward campaigns by adding progression loops and achievement motivation. The company said operators using segmented tournament mechanics recorded higher repeat participation rates than those relying mainly on bonus-driven campaigns, and flagged “multiplier races, win races, and progression-based leaderboard systems” as particularly effective for mobile-first audiences due to short-session play patterns.

“Players want activity, not passive rewards,” Filagina said. “The strongest-performing sweepstakes platforms are creating environments where players continuously interact with missions, rankings, tournaments, and achievement systems rather than simply claiming bonuses.”

Infingame also highlighted mission-based challenge systems as a fast-growing retention lever, saying they encourage broader content exploration and higher daily return activity than standard promotional structures. Separately, the company pointed to infrastructure scalability as an operational priority, arguing that mobile-heavy, interaction-focused audiences make responsiveness and gameplay continuity central to engagement performance as operators scale across North America.

The post Infingame says tournaments and missions drive retention on sweepstakes platforms appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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SolutionsHub marks 10 years and plans more overseas offices

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Isle of Man-based regulatory and licensing consultancy says it has opened in Ireland and will announce further locations.

SolutionsHub has marked its 10-year anniversary, highlighting international expansion plans from its Isle of Man base. Founder Lee Hills set up the regulatory and licensing consultancy on 23 June 2016, the day of the Brexit referendum.

The company said it has grown from a one-person operation into what it describes as “the largest regulatory and licensing consultancy on the Isle of Man,” supported by a team that includes former regulators, government officials and compliance specialists. SolutionsHub said it now supports “hundreds of businesses and organisations” across gaming, fintech and other regulated sectors, and has received “more than 55 industry awards, including three EGR awards.”

SolutionsHub said its international footprint has increased, with an office established in Ireland and further overseas offices set to be announced as part of its next stage of development. The company also said it is broadening its work into adjacent regulated industries as regulation and operational complexity evolve globally.

Hills said: “I did not begin with a detailed ten-year plan. I knew the type of business I wanted to create and the standards I wanted it to represent, but what SolutionsHub has become has been built by the people who joined the business and contributed their own knowledge, experience and commitment.

“We have never pursued growth simply for the sake of becoming bigger. We have focused on being consistent, investing in people with genuine regulatory and operational experience and making sure that growth does not come at the expense of the quality of our work.

“That has been a collective effort throughout the past ten years. Every person who has worked with us, supported the business or trusted us to advise them has played a part in reaching this point.

“The opportunity now is to take the same approach into new markets, strengthen our international presence and continue building the expertise our clients will need as regulation becomes increasingly complex.”

SolutionsHub COO Nick Wright added: “When I joined SolutionsHub, it was still a very young business, but the ambition and the standards behind it were already clear,” Wright said.

“What has followed has been a genuine team effort. We have brought together people with significant regulatory, operational and industry experience, and each of them has contributed to the business SolutionsHub is today.

“The company is larger, the team has grown and we now work across more markets, but the underlying principles have remained the same. We want to do the work properly, give clients practical support and build relationships that last.

“Reaching ten years gives us an opportunity to recognise everything the team has achieved together, while also looking ahead to what we can build next.”

The post SolutionsHub marks 10 years and plans more overseas offices appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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