GameOn
Virtuals and the TikTok Effect: How Short-Form Play is Redefining the Sportsbook
Kiron Interactive’s Head of Marketing, Patrick Eriksen, on why the future of sports betting isn’t long-form odds and live matches. It’s short-form, always-on, instant-return gameplay.
Short-form content has changed everything. We no longer wait for results, we scroll, we swipe, we move on.
Yet, most sports betting still takes 90 minutes to settle.
Most sportsbooks still rely on long-form bets, match winners, final scores, total points, with outcomes that take an hour or more to resolve.
That may suit traditional punters, but for modern players it’s increasingly out of step.
Virtual sports flip the script. Matches play out fast, bets settle in minutes, and the action never stops. They offer the sports betting equivalent of short-form video.
Operators who have added virtuals are already seeing the benefit. They’re gaining faster engagement, a wider player base, and stronger retention. For those who haven’t, the opportunity remains wide open.
Fast by design. Ready for now.
Today’s audiences are used to fast-moving, always-available entertainment. Whether it’s videos, games or live streams, the expectation is instant access and quick outcomes. Virtuals deliver both.
Players engaging with virtuals tend to prefer faster outcomes and simpler formats. Many are looking for quick resolutions and low-friction experiences. They don’t want to sit through a full match. Virtual matches last just a few minutes, with a wide range of betting markets to explore.
And it’s not only about speed. Simplicity matters too. There’s no fixture list to follow, no downtime between games, and no dependence on real-world scheduling. Players can place a bet, get a result, and move on. All of this takes less than five minutes.
That’s why virtuals align so well with how players consume content today.
Short sessions. Easy returns. Ongoing engagement.
Unlike traditional sports, virtuals aren’t restricted by time zones, calendars, or matchday delays. They run 24/7, all year round.
We regularly see player activity climb when real events are off the board, whether that’s during the off-season or on a quiet weekday afternoon.
Because matches are short and always available, virtuals invite casual, repeat engagement. Players dip in for a quick play, try new markets, and often come back for more.
This leads to higher bet frequency and longer session times. It gives players more reasons to stay and explore. And in today’s landscape, where acquisition costs are rising, that kind of stickiness is key.
Like short-form media, virtuals offer fast, familiar loops that players can jump into anytime. They’re fast, easy to understand, and satisfying to return to. That’s how today’s audiences engage with content across the board. And that’s why this format feels familiar to digital-first players.
The next wave of virtuals
In regions where virtuals are already well established, we’re seeing a new phase of innovation.
This includes live-style virtuals with in-play markets, branded leagues with recognisable identities, and hybrid formats that combine sports with game mechanics.
At Kiron, we’re building visually rich, quick-play virtual formats that reflect how audiences already consume mobile and interactive content.They give operators a new way to deliver something fresh and distinctive. And in a category where standing out matters, that’s a big advantage.
A proven way to meet the moment
As always, the best results come when content is engaging, responsible, and designed with the player experience in mind. Virtuals aren’t throwaway content. They’re a core pillar of the modern sportsbook experience.
They work alongside live sport by keeping the lobby active when real matches aren’t taking place. They’re easy to access, simple to understand, and always available.
Virtuals aren’t just catching up with the way people play. They’re meeting it head-on.
The post Virtuals and the TikTok Effect: How Short-Form Play is Redefining the Sportsbook appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Fana Colette Senior Social Media Manager at GameOn
Defining the Future of B2B Social in iGaming – Q&A with Fana Colette, Senior Social Media Manager at GameOn
Congratulations on becoming GameOn’s Senior Social Media Manager. What attracted you to this role in particular, and why now?
The first thing was the breadth and depth of GameOn’s client roster. The range of brands the team works with means you’re solving genuinely different problems week to week, which keeps the work sharp and exciting. The second was GameOn’s reputation within the industry. It’s a company that’s clearly built strong relationships and real credibility over a long period of time.
As for the timing, spending time consulting independently taught me a huge amount, particularly about the commercial side of running a business. I reached a point where I wanted to combine that entrepreneurial experience with the scale, support, and collaborative environment of a larger team. Joining GameOn gives me the opportunity to apply everything I’ve learned alongside people with deep industry expertise and the infrastructure to deliver at a high level.
You’ve grown social pages to tens of thousands of followers. What was the approach that made that possible, and what will you bring from that experience to GameOn?
My approach to growth has always been rooted in two things: a deep understanding of the audience and a clear commercial focus.
First, you have to keep the customer at the centre of everything. You need to be relentless about understanding who they are, what they care about, what frustrates them, what makes them engage, and ultimately what drives action. A lot of brands think they understand their audience, but very few truly do.
Secondly, you need to stay commercially minded at every stage. Running my own business sharpened that mindset significantly. Growth should always tie back to business outcomes. Engagement for the sake of engagement is a vanity metric. The real goal is building trust, brand affinity, and visibility that contributes to revenue and long-term growth.
That’s the mentality I’ll be bringing to GameOn: social strategies that are creative and engaging, but always aligned with measurable commercial impact.
Social media in iGaming has evolved significantly over the years. What trends are you seeing right now? Where do the biggest opportunities lie for B2B brands in particular?
Social media has changed faster in the last two or three years than it did in the decade before. In 2023, the idea of brands being represented by AI-generated influencers would have sounded ridiculous. Now it’s a genuine consideration for some businesses. The pace of change is something brands need to fully accept. What worked six months ago may already feel outdated.
What I’m seeing now is a clear shift away from generic, overly polished content towards more distinctive, personality-led communication. The brands performing best are the ones willing to stand out and develop a recognisable voice. Audiences are increasingly exposed to homogenous content, so if your competitor could post exactly the same thing as you, it’s probably time to rethink your strategy.
For B2B brands specifically, founder-led thought leadership on LinkedIn remains a huge opportunity. People still buy from people, and a credible founder voice often builds more trust than branded content alone ever can.
The second opportunity is understanding how younger audiences consume content. Gen Z professionals are now entering junior commercial and decision-influencing roles across iGaming, and their expectations around content are very different. If your B2B social presence feels outdated, overly corporate, or disconnected from modern platform behaviour, it simply won’t resonate.
A lot of iGaming companies struggle to make social work. What are the common mistakes you most often see, and how do you approach them differently?
One of the biggest mistakes is that brands play it too safe. Compliance is obviously critical in iGaming, but there’s often far more creative flexibility available than companies assume.
Another common issue is that social media gets treated as a secondary marketing channel rather than a core part of the wider commercial strategy. When that happens, content becomes inconsistent, reactive, and lacking in direction.
My approach is to treat social as a genuine driver of engagement, visibility, and business outcomes. That means being more intentional with content, more consistent in execution, and more willing to test, learn, and iterate.
I always start with a simple question: what is this content actually supposed to achieve, and how will we measure success? Once you answer that properly, the strategy becomes much clearer.
As you settle into the new role, what are you hoping to tackle first, and what does success look like for GameOn’s social offering over the next 12 months?
My first priority is understanding what we already have. That means conducting a proper audit across the client roster to identify what’s working, what isn’t, where the opportunities are, and where we can create quick wins.
Over the next 12 months, success for me would mean seeing social become a more central part of our clients’ growth strategies. I want to see stronger performance metrics, more distinctive brand voices, and clearer evidence of how social contributes to wider business objectives.
Ultimately, I’d love GameOn to become the first name people in iGaming think of when they’re serious about social media. Not just because we deliver strong results for existing clients, but because we’ve built the proof points, case studies, and standout work that naturally attracts the next wave of business.
There’s a real opportunity right now to define what great B2B social looks like in iGaming, and that’s the standard I want us to set.
The post Defining the Future of B2B Social in iGaming – Q&A with Fana Colette, Senior Social Media Manager at GameOn appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Bede
Movers and Shakers – Jessica Marrs
“Movers and Shakers” is a dynamic monthly column dedicated to exploring the latest trends, developments, and influential voices in the iGaming industry. Powered by GameOn and supported by HIPTHER, this op-ed series delves into the key players, emerging technologies, and regulatory changes shaping the future of online gaming. Each month, industry experts offer their insights and perspectives, providing readers with in-depth analysis and thought-provoking commentary on what’s driving the iGaming world forward. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or new to the scene, “Movers and Shakers” is your go-to source for staying ahead in the rapidly evolving iGaming landscape.
In the iGaming industry, it’s no secret that forming meaningful partnerships is a key ingredient for ongoing success; but with myriad platform providers, software suppliers and payments companies vying for operators’ business, these relationships often come in many different forms.
Within some organisations there’s a tendency to prioritise speed-to-market above all else, and while there’s definitely merit in helping operators get up and running as fast as possible, when you do so without first gaining an in-depth understanding of their strategic goals, you risk relying on out-of-the-box solutions that fail to provide the same value as taking a more tailored approach.
It’s for this reason that Bede has always sought to provide a service that’s every bit as unique as our partners’ individual market ambitions. Although our agile and adaptive platform architecture enables us to deliver results quickly and efficiently, we ensure we always take the necessary time to gain a full understanding of our clients’ objectives before supplying them with a solution that’s customised to their needs – and it’s for this reason that we’re a true partner for long-term success.
Built On Strong Foundations
At Bede, our approach to providing 360° partnerships begins long before the integration process has even started. In every market that we operate in, we work closely with regulators and other organisations to ensure that we have a full picture of the local landscape before we approach any operators. Doing so enables us to gain a deep level of insight that can be leveraged to streamline market entry, and also puts us in a great position to acquire certifications when it’s time to launch.
To give just one example, the relationship that we’ve fostered with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) over the years has enabled Bede to position itself as a trusted and dependable partner in the province. Stretching back to before the market was even opened for non-governmental operators, the groundwork we’ve put in with the regulator has not only allowed us to build up an extensive knowledge of local requirements, but also provided us with the key learnings that will be necessary for our future expansion in Canada in the years to come.
Whereas other platform and technology providers may find themselves coming into the market cold, the fact we already have this relationship in place has helped us make further in-roads with local partners and set ourselves up as an established presence in the province. Our acquisition of Security Control Standard Level 2 certification from the World Lottery Association last year only improved this reputation, and further supports the value of taking a regionally-focused approach.
Tailored To Partners’ Needs
Of course, no matter the market our partners are targeting, having this solid foundation in place is just the beginning. We work closely with each operator that we support to align our strategies with their own specific ambitions and identify the areas that our advanced platform offering, robust integration toolset, regulatory know-how and subject matter expertise can provide the greatest benefit. To do this, we talk to partners 1-on-1 instead of merely offering blanket solutions.
Working this way allows us to conduct a thorough gap analysis that identifies any strategic opportunities and the best solutions to position operators competitively from their Day 1 launch. Not only do we consider the range of verticals that our partners are planning to offer and how our products and engagement tools can help support their efforts, but we also provide a range of services to ensure that their offering is both relevant and uniquely tailored to the market they’re targeting, all of which are further bolstered by Bede’s rich downstream data analytics capabilities.
Whether it’s financial analysis, player segmentation or real-time performance, Bede’s data intelligence captures the key details partners need to optimise every area of their operations, while also giving them the flexibility to apply this information to their own tools. Partners are also free to use our data reporting back office as they see fit, meaning they can enhance their decision-making with real insights, generate further business efficiencies and better support their players.
A Truly End-To-End Service
A key differentiator in Bede’s partnership approach is our ability to maximise value regardless of an operator’s structure or preferred provider ecosystem. Bede’s technology operates seamlessly within any setup, ensuring operators consistently get the best out of our platform and product, from the initial onboarding process to the ongoing optimisation we provide for long-term success.
Rather than simply supplying tools, Bede takes an active lead role in delivery. Each partner benefits from dedicated compliance expertise alongside ongoing support from our product and technical teams, ensuring that their custom platform remains aligned with evolving regulatory requirements while also continuously driving value across our core feature set.
Integration support also extends far beyond the initial setup. A centralised documentation hub, combined with hands-on technical guidance, enables partners to build and consistently evolve their frontend experiences with complete confidence. Operators can either leverage Bede’s existing front-end capabilities or develop their own, which are supported by our APIs, tooling and integration expertise, ensuring a flexible approach to delivering best-in-class player experiences.
Naturally, scalability is built into our platform’s foundation. As our operators grow, Bede’s flexible architecture supports demand without the need for costly or disruptive change. Performance is maintained at scale, providing a reliable infrastructure that evolves in line with all business needs.
Together, this delivers a true end-to-end service that combines strong market foundations with continuous support throughout the partnership lifecycle. By blending out-of-the-box capability with flexible integration options, we ensure each partnership is tailored to operator’s objectives.
The post Movers and Shakers – Jessica Marrs appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Avanti
Movers and Shakers – Attack Of The Clones
“Movers and Shakers” is a dynamic monthly column dedicated to exploring the latest trends, developments, and influential voices in the iGaming industry. Powered by GameOn and supported by HIPTHER, this op-ed series delves into the key players, emerging technologies, and regulatory changes shaping the future of online gaming. Each month, industry experts offer their insights and perspectives, providing readers with in-depth analysis and thought-provoking commentary on what’s driving the iGaming world forward. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or new to the scene, “Movers and Shakers” is your go-to source for staying ahead in the rapidly evolving iGaming landscape.
With the Live Casino landscape continuing to evolve in new and technologically exciting ways, Avanti Studios’ Jonas Delin explains how the use of digital clones is helping a traditionally costly vertical remove its adoption barriers and supply a much more scalable experience for operators
As a multi-billion dollar industry, Live Casino has long been one of the most prized product categories in online gambling. Built on a simple proposition of delivering the trust and spectacle of authentic, dealer-dealt games through the small screen, it’s one of the few verticals that can recreate the thrill of a bricks-and-mortar casino experience in an online environment – but until now, offering such engaging entertainment to players has come at a high price point for operators.
With recent advances in AI and MetaHuman technologies, however, this is starting to change. The movement to replicate real dealers using sophisticated digital clones or replace them entirely with real-time avatars and large language models is gathering pace; and while there are certainly arguments to be made for the benefits of both approaches, Avanti sits firmly in the former camp. In this article, I’ll look to explain why and outline the benefits that our unique approach can bring.
The Suspension Of Disbelief
For Avanti, choosing to work with clones rather than avatars was an easy decision. In our opinion, the moment a player perceives something to be artificial or uncanny, the trust relationship that makes Live Casino so valuable in the first place begins to erode. As such, in order for them to become fully invested in your product, all dealers need to be ultra realistic and completely human-looking. AI-built dealers aren’t quite there yet, but, by their very nature, digital clones are.
In our sophisticated motion capture studio, we record the performance and mannerisms of professionally-trained dealers and use this as the basis for our clones. Brought to life using Unreal Engine and the MetaHuman toolset, they’re then streamed directly into games, providing an experience that’s virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. Cards are also dealt in real time rather than being simulated, with every outcome being shared and dictated by provably fair RNG.
This second point is particularly key to the structural integrity of the live format itself. Real-time dealing – where multiple players make independent decisions against a shared dealer hand – is something that’s not easily replicated by a pre-rendered character, and this constraint currently puts a meaningful ceiling on what pure AI can deliver. At Avanti, there are no such concerns about our approach, helping us provide an authentic experience that all players can truly participate in.
Lower Costs, More Flexibility
Among those in the pro-AI camp, I’ve seen it posited that one of the biggest advantages of using this technology is that it substantially reduces traditional Live Casino costs for operators. While it’s certainly true having generated dealers eliminates set-up fees, removes the need for fixed-term contracts and reduces ongoing overheads, I’d argue Avanti’s approach is equally capable of delivering these competitive benefits without having to compromise on realism or visual fidelity.
Just like AI providers, we also offer a revenue share-only model; and the fact that we use a motion capture studio to create our clones doesn’t have any bearing on the that price operators pay. As opening one table costs just the same as opening 100, we provide an infinite level of scalability that comes with no studio rental, no staffing and no risk of sick days – and the fact that dealer language can be localised at the flick of a switch makes it easy for operators to enter new markets.
In a country like Brazil where Portuguese localisation will be legally mandated, this obviously provides a significant competitive advantage. Rather than scrambling to recruit Portuguese-speaking dealers at pace, we can simply change both the language and appearance of our existing clones to suit local requirements. We can also give operators the scope to open tables at any limits they require, creating a flexible product that can easily adapt to any market conditions.
With Avanti’s games providing the same benefits as their AI-generated counterparts in terms of software economics and scalability, there’s no doubt in my mind that the use of digital clones will have a big role to play in shaping the future of Live Casino. By removing the adoption barriers for operators and giving players a reliable and authentic experience they can trust, our unique approach offers the best of both worlds, helping make the vertical more accessible for everyone.
The post Movers and Shakers – Attack Of The Clones appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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