Latest News
PrizePicks Appoints Marcus Sanford as Chief Financial Officer, Ari Koteles as Chief Business Officer
PrizePicks, the largest daily fantasy sports operator in North America, announced the appointment of Marcus Sanford, former Chief Financial Officer of Blizzard Entertainment, as the company’s new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Ari Koteles, who has served as PrizePicks’ CFO since 2021, has been named to the newly created role of Chief Business Officer.
“Since joining PrizePicks, I have been impressed by the exceptional talent and capabilities of our team. As we continue to scale our business, we see an opportunity to better harness our strengths and exceed player expectations with continued innovation and a renewed focus. Prior to joining PrizePicks, I worked closely with Marcus over the last 6 years scaling a multibillion-dollar gaming business, and I know that he will accelerate our growth ambitions,” said PrizePicks CEO Mike Ybarra.
Sanford said: “I am thrilled to join Mike and the talented team at PrizePicks. The company’s relentless commitment to innovation and focus on delivering the best, most differentiated products to players uniquely positions PrizePicks for accelerated growth.”
Sanford is a seasoned executive with more than 20 years of strategic planning, accounting, treasury, financial management, and operational experience. Most recently, he was CFO of Blizzard Entertainment, where he oversaw both finance and operations teams while continuing to serve as Deputy CFO to the parent company Activision Blizzard. Prior to Blizzard, he spent over a decade as a senior finance leader at Activision Blizzard leading corporate finance teams and playing a key role in transformational projects including the record setting sale of Activision Blizzard to Microsoft. Prior to his tenure at Activision Blizzard, Sanford held roles at Vivendi Universal Games.
“There are exponentially more growth opportunities ahead of us and I’m thrilled to have Ari Koteles transition from CFO into the newly formed role of Chief Business Officer. The creation of this role will ensure that we are exceeding player expectations with differentiated and unique product offerings,” Ybarra added.
As Chief Business Officer (CBO), Koteles will be responsible for aligning business strategies with market opportunities, overseeing business development, managing partnerships, and ensuring the integration of business functions to drive growth and profitability. Koteles will report to CEO Mike Ybarra.
“Over the last 4 years, I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the most dedicated and passionate people in the industry. PrizePicks has a long history of leading product innovation in the DFS space and I look forward to further accelerating our growth as we explore new ways to expand our reach and engage with sports fans across the country,” Koteles said.
Latest News
Highlight Games’ platform clears Italy’s ADM collaudo certification
Company plans to roll out SOCCERBET with LALIGA archive footage on its own platform in Italian retail after the World Cup.
Highlight Games Limited said its proprietary platform has passed Italy’s ADM collaudo process, the technical certification required for gaming platforms. The company announced the approval on 14 July 2026 from London.
Following the conclusion of the World Cup, Highlight said it will launch its Spanish SOCCERBET product featuring archive LALIGA footage on its own platform across Italian retail channels. The company added that operators will transfer to Highlight’s platform over the months that follow.
The supplier said the certification allows it to deliver its content via its own “zero-cost streaming technology” in Italy and gives it control over its product roadmap in what it called its most important market.
Steven Holmes, CEO, Highlight Games said: ‘This is a huge moment for Highlight as we bring our video-based technology stack to the Italian market and join a select few who are able to offer an officially ADM certified platform. Italy is where SOCCERBET has proven itself time and again and passing the ADM collaudo means we can now deliver that content on our own platform, with our zero-cost streaming solution, exactly as it was designed to be experienced.
‘Owning the technology end to end means we control our own roadmap, resulting in faster launches, smoother integrations for our operator partners and a richer experience for players. Our products consistently perform at the top of the market wherever they are live, and with our platform now officially certified in Italy, we have everything in place to build on that momentum.’
The post Highlight Games’ platform clears Italy’s ADM collaudo certification appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Latest News
PokerStars puts $800,000 in Sunday Million Anniversary tickets into Ticket Machine
The 10-week phased event runs Daily Heats through September 6, with raffles awarding more than $100,000 in $109 tickets each week.
PokerStars is allocating more than $800,000 worth of $109 Daily Heat (Phase 1) tickets through its “Ticket Machine” promotion ahead of the Sunday Million 20th Anniversary Finals (Phase 2) on Sunday, September 6.
The Sunday Million 20th Anniversary is being run as a 10-week phased tournament, with Daily Heats running now through September 6. Players who advance from a $109 Daily Heat carry their stack into the Finals, with PokerStars noting that only one stack may be carried through to Phase 2.
To enter the Ticket Machine, players must opt in to the “Ticket Machine” ICE Challenge and complete weekly poker challenges. Each completed challenge adds entries to a Saturday raffle, with PokerStars saying more than $100,000 in $109 Daily Heat tickets will be awarded each week. Players can complete each challenge up to four times, for a maximum of 24 raffle entries per week.
PokerStars said that, after the first two weeks of Daily Heats, 270 players from more than 40 countries have already qualified for the Finals, including 50 who qualified into Phase 1 via satellites. Brazil and Ukraine lead the qualifiers list with 33 players each, according to the operator.
The operator has set a $5 million guarantee for the Sunday Million 20th Anniversary. Additional qualification routes include satellites starting at $0.55, special edition Spin & Go’s from $0.75, and “Wildcard Wins”, described by PokerStars as a new leaderboard promotion running until July 19. PokerStars also said players redeeming a $530 Bronze Pass will receive “25% extra value in the bundle” for a limited time, including an additional $109 Sunday Million 20th Anniversary ticket and $23.50 in tournament tickets.
The post PokerStars puts $800,000 in Sunday Million Anniversary tickets into Ticket Machine appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
casino
CreedRoomz signs Ronaldinho to front new Kickoff Roulette live game show
Kickoff Roulette Ronaldinho launches with a Gold Number mechanic and English/Portuguese language support.
CreedRoomz has named former football star Ronaldinho as brand ambassador for its new live casino game show, Kickoff Roulette Ronaldinho. The supplier said the title is now available for integration by B2B partners.
The company positions the product as a roulette-led live game show built around a football theme, running from a virtual studio. According to CreedRoomz, the game includes a “Gold Number Mechanic” where randomized lucky numbers can add multipliers from x50 to x700.
When asked about the crossover between football and casino entertainment, Ronaldinho said: “The fact that football is a global passion also helps, so I believe everyone will like “Kickoff Roulette Ronaldinho” for that reason.. and for the innovation of everything that is happening.”
CreedRoomz said the game is available in English and Portuguese, framing Portuguese language support as relevant for operators targeting Brazil and other Portuguese-speaking audiences. Armen Mnaskanian, Head of Sales Department at Creedroomz, said: “Bringing Ronaldinho into the CreedRoomz family represents a massive leap forward for live casino entertainment. Football and iGaming both thrive on passion and excitement. By fusing Ronaldinho’s legendary star power with powerhouse monetization mechanics, we are giving our partners the ultimate competitive edge and a next-generation casino offering.”
The post CreedRoomz signs Ronaldinho to front new Kickoff Roulette live game show appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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