Industry News
Live casino pioneers take on streaming giants YouTube and Netflix
It’s fair to suggest that most ‘sane’ executives within the iGaming world set realistic and attainable goals for the coming year… For example, make X amount of money by this quarter, break into a new and emerging market or release several new games in time for the next big conference.
All straight forward goals, right? If you were to sit in on the AGM of any major online casino or iGaming software provider you’d hear the same goals repeated again and again, however, head over to Evolution Gaming’s Stockholm headquarters and you might hear something a little bit different.
Those amongst the upper-echelons of the corporate structure at Evolution Gaming are not prescribed to this realist mindset. They’re thinking on a much larger scale than many could have ever imagined. If we’re being honest, they might even be a little bit mad for it, but we love it!
Evolution Gaming Chief Exec makes bold statement on competition
In an interview with Gambing Insider last month Chief Executive of Evolution Gaming, Martin Carlesund told a reporter the following regarding his company’s overall ethos and mindset: “We are crazy, paranoid; we really want to be better every day. We want to be the best company in the world. How are we going to get there? If you lose that, you should quit.”
He then went on to explain that he feels the flourishing live casino game show genre has the right idea in attracting completely new players, and that entertainment today is driven by people looking at popular streaming and social sites and apps such as YouTube, TikTok and Twitter.
Carlesund echoed his Chief Product Officer Todd Haushalter words from a year earlier, when he boldly stated that these mainstream streaming providers are Evolution Gaming’s main competition now, not just other iGaming companies such as Playtech and NetEnt.
The Swedish Chief Exec then added: “We fight against the little time we have, where we actually do something we want to do. You, me and everyone else has a number of things we have to do: those things involve sleeping, eating and taking care of our families.
“You can go to the gym, you can watch a movie on Netflix, or you can just surf on your computer. That is the time we’re fighting for. We’re not only competing with each other; we’re competing to get a piece of that time.”
Are Evolution Gaming ahead of the industry with global trends?
The company as a whole seems to be looking at their growth on a significantly larger scale than others, which is unsurprising considering their numerous successes… Multiple Game of the Year awards, soaring share prices and most importantly, establishing themselves as the leading provider of live casino games in the last decade.
In 2019 research conducted by GlobalWebIndex found that ‘The opportunities for social engagement, at all times of the day and in various locations, have facilitated the evolution of social platforms into entertainment hubs’.
Evolution Gaming has taken this trend and turned it on its head, by releasing a number of interactive immersive game show style games such as Monopoly Live and Blackjack Party that heavily rely on their entertainment value, yet also have a unique social aspect to them.
This social aspect takes inspiration from services and sites such as Facebook Live, YouTube Live and Twitch. It’s this social feature that’s undoubtedly the driving force behind players’ decision to remain within these types of games, even when they’re not actively betting.
The Digital in 2020 report released last month by We Are Social and HootSuite revealed that on average the world’s internet users (4.5 billion people) spend an average of 6 hours and 43 minutes online each day, with mobile devices accounting for more than half of the time we spend online in 2020.
Digging deeper into figures from the report we found that 3 hours 18 minutes a day is spent watching television, 1 hour 10 minutes playing video games and 2 hours 24 minutes engaging with others on social media.
Combine all of these popular media pastimes and what have you got? You’ve got something that looks just like Evolution Gaming’s live casino game shows.
Will Evolution Gaming seriously rival large streaming sites?
It’s fair to make the assumption that due to the reputation and wide-reaching demographics of the aforementioned streaming sites and apps, Evolution Gaming is never going to realistically reach their lofty heights… However, ultimately that’s not what they’re looking for in this grand strategy.
If the live casino powerhouse can just take a portion of the people away from these sites and apps, even if for less than an hour, then they’re going to quickly discover that their strategy has worked to a tee and paid off, because those few minutes are all it takes to sell Evolution’s vision.
Whilst developers are working tirelessly to make their games more engaging, the reality is that seasoned gamblers are used to watching the same five reels and identical table after identical table… So by throwing something completely new into the mix, that still has a strange air of familiarity about it, has given these players a welcome new and engaging experience.
In terms of Evolution drawing in new players, ask yourself, what could be more inviting than taking part in a real-life game show from the comfort of your own home? You’ve got social interaction coupled with unrivalled entertainment and of course the opportunity to win real cash.
It’s no wonder Evolution Gaming is putting all of its eggs into this highly lucrative basket.
At the time of writing this article, during what could be considered the quietest time of day for online gambling, early afternoon midweek, there are over 5,600 players in Evolution Gaming’s live casino game show rooms… 2,000 of those players are playing Lightning Roulette, compare that with the 500 that are playing in their main Live Roulette room… This should tell you everything you need to know with regards to the direction that Evolution Gaming is moving in.
Groove
Groove Rolls Out Next-Gen Instant Tournaments Solution
In an industry where player attention spans diminish rapidly, leading platform and aggregator Groove has launched what could be the most valuable weapon in the fight for engagement: their groundbreaking Instant Tournaments Tool.
This groundbreaking advancement enables operators to envision, set up, and initiate high-stakes tournaments straight from Groove Command’s back-office faster than it takes to make a pot of coffee, no developers needed, no delays, only sheer competitive excitement at the speed of now.
The development team, under the guidance of Product Development Head Shay Kababie, observed with pleasure as the initial live test occurred. An experienced casino operator, who was initially doubtful, launched a $10,000 Blackjack Blitz with only a few clicks. The outcome? A sudden increase in players, soaring engagement statistics, and revenue boosts, all happening before lunchtime arrived.
“This alters everything,” the operator said, observing leaderboards illuminate in real-time.
For years, creating tournaments involved managing intricate technical specifications, relying on overloaded development teams, and hoping that everything would run smoothly at launch. Groove’s approach completely eliminates these obstacles.
The new advancement in the Groove Command platform is already causing a stir in the iGaming industry, as beta testers indicate significant increases in player involvement and earnings.
“This isn’t just an upgrade, it’s a fundamental shift in how operators compete,” says Rachel Tourgeman, Head of Partnerships at Groove. “Our partners have been begging for a solution that keeps pace with player demand. Now they can create high-stakes tournaments faster than most teams can schedule a meeting. We’re seeing operators launch tournaments around live sports events, viral trends, even competitor outages, all in real time.”
Operators can now react to market trends with the quickness of day traders, identifying an opportunity in the morning and profiting from it by afternoon. Looking to take advantage of a competitor’s downtime? A competition exists for that. Looking to reconnect with inactive VIPs? The ideal challenge is merely a few clicks away.
This advancement integrates effortlessly into the Groove Command ecosystem, the most robust back-office platform in the industry. In this scenario, establishing a tournament is merely one tool in a well-equipped arsenal. Operators have total control over their operations, encompassing detailed game management, real-time financial analysis, compliance protections, and now, immediate competitive experiences that engage players continuously.
The consequences are significant. While rivals may take days or weeks to set up tournaments, operators using Groove can experiment, refine, and enhance various tournament formats in just one afternoon.
The platform’s user-friendly interface masks its advanced features, customizable prize formats, interactive leaderboards, and specific player segmentation can all be effortlessly set up via a sleek dashboard.
“Speed has become the ultimate competitive advantage in iGaming,” explains Kababie. “We’re not just giving operators tools, we’re giving them the ability to outmanoeuvre competitors at a strategic level. The team that can launch a perfect tournament when a trending slot drops, or capitalise on a major sporting event in real-time, that’s the team that wins.”
Looking ahead, Groove’s roadmap promises even more disruptive innovations, including AI-driven tournament suggestions and automated optimisation algorithms. But for now, the message to the industry is clear: the tournament landscape has changed forever, and operators who hesitate will find themselves hopelessly outpaced.
Yahale Meltzer, Co-Founder and CEO of Groove, explains the strategic advantage: “For years, operators have been trapped in a cycle of slow, expensive tournament development. We’ve broken that cycle. Now when an operator sees Messi score a hat-trick or Drake tweet about a new slot, they can capitalise immediately. That agility is worth millions in today’s market.”
Perfectly incorporated into the Groove Command platform, the Instant Tournaments Tool complements a range of operator-centric innovations such as real-time analytics, automated compliance verification, and data-informed game suggestions. The user-friendly interface of the system enables operators to configure personalized rules, prize frameworks, and qualification criteria effortlessly through easy dropdown menus, eliminating the need for coding skills.
In the future, Groove has hinted at new features such as AI-driven tournament enhancement and large-scale cross-operator events. However, as Meltzer observes, “The true revolution is occurring at this moment, in the possession of operators who realize that speed is the new greatest competitive edge.”
Meltzer states, “The tournament arms race has changed permanently and Groove has just given operators the nuclear codes.”
The post Groove Rolls Out Next-Gen Instant Tournaments Solution appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Andrew Walter
High Roller Announces Appointment of Andrew Walter as Chief Legal and Compliance Officer
High Roller Technologies has announced the appointment of Andrew Walter as Chief Legal and Compliance Officer, effective immediately, replacing Sarah Stienon.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Andrew to High Roller’s executive leadership team. Andrew brings more than a decade of hands-on experience in gaming law, regulatory affairs, and compliance across both the public and private sectors. His deep expertise in legislative strategy, regulatory compliance, and operational oversight will be invaluable as we continue to expand responsibly across regulated markets,” said Seth Young, Chief Executive Officer at High Roller.
Walter joins High Roller with extensive experience in government and commercial gaming operations. For nearly eight years, he served as Counsel and Government Affairs for the Connecticut Lottery Corporation, where he provided comprehensive in-house legal services and led governmental affairs efforts. In that role, he developed legislative strategy, drafted testimony and worked directly with legislators and stakeholders on key policy matters, including sports betting and internet lottery legislation.
Following the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), Walter joined PointsBet, a global sports betting and online casino operator, as Senior Director of Compliance & Regulatory Affairs. There, he built and led a robust compliance department to support the company’s rapid multi-state expansion, overseeing state-by-state regulatory compliance, anti-money laundering programmes and responsible gaming initiatives across both online and retail sports betting and online casino operations.
After the passage of gaming expansion legislation in Connecticut, Walter returned to the Connecticut Lottery Corporation as the first employee hired to launch and support online and retail sports betting operations. In that capacity, he held responsibility for profit and loss performance, retail operations and compliance oversight.
Walter holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Management from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, and a Juris Doctor from Roger Williams University School of Law in Bristol, Rhode Island. He is admitted to practice law in the State of Connecticut.
Commenting on his appointment, Walter said: “I’m honored to join High Roller at such an exciting time in the Company’s growth. High Roller has established itself as a premium online gaming operator with a strong commitment to innovation and player experience. I look forward to strengthening our legal and compliance framework as we continue to grow in regulated markets and uphold the highest standards of integrity and responsible gaming.”
The post High Roller Announces Appointment of Andrew Walter as Chief Legal and Compliance Officer appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Industry News
Neosurf appoint Laura Moore as Chief Strategy & Operations Officer
Neosurf, the cash-to-digital payments provider with responsible gaming at its core, has appointed Laura Moore as Chief Strategy & Operations Officer following a successful period supporting the company as an external consultant.
Now joining Neosurf’s senior leadership team, Moore will oversee the company’s corporate strategy and global expansion efforts. Her responsibilities will include identifying potential M&A opportunities and developing strategic partnerships to support the business as it enters its next stage of growth.
In her new role, Moore will also lead Neosurf’s global operations teams, drawing on her extensive experience in consumer technology, platform development and senior management to ensure the delivery of seamless, secure and compliant payment services for millions of users worldwide.
Alongside this, she will play a key role in restructuring several of the company’s core operational processes, overseeing areas such as global settlements, treasury management, risk control and regulatory compliance. The aim is to build a stronger operational framework capable of supporting Neosurf’s long-term strategic ambitions.
Moore brings experience from a number of major B2B and B2C organisations, including Vodafone and Sky, and is expected to combine strategic leadership with hands-on expertise as she works to strengthen operational alignment and foster a culture of continuous improvement within the company.
She is also the co-founder of LIFT as we Climb, an initiative focused on supporting and advancing women in the technology sector, and is widely recognised as a thought leader within the industry.
Laura Moore, Chief Strategy & Operations Officer at Neosurf, said:
“I’m both excited and honoured to take on the role of Chief Strategy & Operations Officer at Neosurf at what is clearly a pivotal moment in the company’s evolution. As a global leader in online payments, my focus will be on driving sustainable growth, ensuring operational excellence and putting the scalable frameworks in place that will support the company’s continued expansion.”
Andrea McGeachin, Global CEO of Neosurf, added:
“I think I speak for everyone at Neosurf when I say we’re absolutely delighted to welcome Laura as a full member of our senior leadership team. As an experienced global strategist, a recognised thought leader and a strong advocate for women in technology, Laura brings both the vision and expertise needed to make a real impact. We’re excited to see how her leadership will help take the company to the next level as we continue to grow.”
The post Neosurf appoint Laura Moore as Chief Strategy & Operations Officer appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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