Gambling in the USA
Accel Entertainment Announces Two Senior Executive Appointments
Accel Entertainment, Inc. announced two appointments to its executive management team, with Ryan Hammer named as President of Gaming Operations and Michael Marino named as Chief Commercial Officer. Both appointments are effective immediately and will report directly to Andy Rubenstein, Accel’s Chief Executive Officer.
As President of Gaming Operations, Mr. Hammer will lead the company’s video gaming business in Illinois and additional states. Initially he will be based out of Chicago but later this year he will build the Company’s presence in Southern Illinois and new opportunities in other states. As Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Marino will lead the company’s strategic development with a focus on incremental service offerings, partnerships, marketing, analytics and loyalty. Mr. Hammer and Mr. Marino will both be based in Illinois.
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Ryan and Michael to the Accel family and to our executive management team,” said Andy Rubenstein, CEO of Accel. “The opportunities for Accel to rapidly expand beyond our current footprint are steadily increasing, and with these two key hires we are now even better positioned to execute our vision of being a multi-state operator with a differentiated range of gaming-as-a-service solutions. Being able to recruit executives of their caliber speaks to the exciting opportunities in front of Accel and we look forward to their contributions.”
“In the past few years Accel has established itself as an absolute leader in the video gaming market and I could not be more honored to join the company,” said Ryan Hammer, President of Gaming Operations. “Accel represents the most exciting growth opportunity within the distributed gaming sector and is one of the best capitalized companies in the entire industry. I look forward to applying my operational and financial skills to build on Accel’s current momentum.”
“This is a truly exciting time in the history of Accel and I could not be more pleased to begin collaborating with this highly respected team,” said Michael Marino, Chief Commercial Officer. “I have long admired Accel’s entrepreneurial spirit and energy and its relentless focus on building and maintaining partnerships which has ultimately contributed to their success and reputation as a leader in the industry. I joined because of my conviction that Accel has an exciting growth agenda and I look forward to bringing my skills and expertise to help make that a reality.”
A native of Illinois, Mr. Hammer joins Accel with more than 16 years of gaming experience working in various roles at Caesars Entertainment Corporation, most recently serving as Senior Vice President & General Manager, where he oversaw operations at five Las Vegas resorts. Mr. Hammer began his career with the company in 2003 as an Analytics Manager and since that time has held a number of executive roles of increasing importance in finance, human resources and operations, and across five markets including Chicago, Louisville, Atlantic City, St. Louis and Las Vegas. Mr. Hammer holds a B.S. in Finance from Southern Illinois University, an MBA from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, and a J.D. from Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law. He is currently a board member for the Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada.
A resident of Chicago, Mr. Marino joins Accel after 8 years of experience in a variety of marketing, strategy and analytic roles at Caesars Entertainment. He most recently served the last three years as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Chief Experience Officer where he managed the end-to-end customer journey including oversight of Caesars Rewards, the gaming industry’s leading loyalty program, partnerships, advertising, brand, digital and online hotel distribution. He also helped expand Caesars’ efforts in sports inclusive of marketing, partnerships and betting. Mr. Marino’s earlier roles at Caesars included oversight of marketing analytics, Vice President and Chief of Staff to the Chairman & CEO and Senior Vice President of loyalty and digital. Prior to Caesars, Mr. Marino worked four years as a management consultant at Bain & Company and five years in a variety of marketing, risk management, strategy and M&A roles at Capital One Financial. Mr. Marino holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.
Bettor Capital leads the round as Xpoint accelerates product development and global deployment
Xpoint, a leading geolocation and compliance technology partner to the online real‑money gaming industry, today announced a fresh investment round led by existing investor Bettor Capital.
The capital will fast‑track Xpoint’s R&D roadmap and expand its product and engineering teams, accelerating delivery of next‑generation capabilities to operators worldwide.
Built for gaming from the ground up, Xpoint’s adaptable platform combines fast, accurate precision geofencing with advanced fraud detection to stop spoofing, block unauthorized wagers, and surface suspicious activity in real time, helping operators launch and scale confidently in online real-money gaming markets.
With flexible integration and rapid deployment tailored to sportsbook, iCasino, lottery, DFS, and sweepstakes use cases, Xpoint provides audit ready compliance automation across multi state and international markets. The platform also offers unique, patent-pending algorithms at jurisdictional borders to protect revenues and reduce player friction and drop off.
Xpoint’s recent momentum includes successful active and pending deployments with leading brands such as bet365 and PrizePicks in North America, with more to be announced soon. Xpoint is also live with clients in Brazil and the UAE, including the UAE Lottery and Play971, the first regulated online gaming and sports betting entity in the region.
“This new funding lands at the perfect time for our growth,” said Manu Gambhir, CEO of Xpoint. “We’re scaling up our teams to ship a wave of new capabilities that help operators defeat location spoofing, streamline compliance, and convert more good users—without compromising on precision, scale, or speed.”
“We are delighted to significantly increase our commitment to Xpoint to accelerate product development and deployment”, added David VanEgmond, Founder and Managing Partner at Bettor Capital, “In this industry, robust regulatory and compliance technology is absolutely essential, and Xpoint has proven to consistently deliver substantial value to a growing roster of real-money online gaming operators.”
New Jersey–based Bettor Capital is a venture capital firm specializing in early‑stage investments in technology companies within the real‑money online gaming ecosystem. Bettor Capital was among Xpoint’s first institutional backers and has increased its investment over time.
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Andrzej Hyla Chief Commercial Officer at Wazdan
Wazdan strengthens US footprint with launch on Caesars Entertainment’s online casino platforms in West Virginia
Wazdan today announced it has strengthened its North American presence with a new launch in West Virginia across Caesars Entertainment’s marquee online casino platforms, including Caesars Palace Online Casino, Horseshoe Online Casino and Caesars Sportsbook & Casino.
Facilitated by the Light & Wonder aggregation platform, the collaboration sees Wazdan titles go live on Caesars’ online gaming platforms serving players across the Mountain State.
West Virginia players can now access a selection of Wazdan’s top-performing releases, including 9 Coins
Grand Gold Edition, Magic Spins and Hot Slot: 777 Crown, alongside the supplier’s signature engagement-boosting mechanics such as Cash Infinity, Hold the Jackpot and Sticky to Infinity, with each designed to elevate entertainment and deliver measurable growth for operators.
The latest expansion marks another key step for Wazdan in North America, following successful deployments across Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and earlier entries into West Virginia.
Andrzej Hyla, Chief Commercial Officer at Wazdan, said: “Launching with Caesars Entertainment in West Virginia is a fantastic achievement for our team and a pivotal moment in our US strategy.
“Caesars is one of the most recognisable names in gaming and bringing our top titles to their online casino brands, via Light & Wonder, allows us to further broaden our reach while delivering the innovative experiences players have come to expect from Wazdan.”
Ricardo Cornejo Rivas, Vice President of Online Gaming at Caesars Digital, said: “Introducing Wazdan’s popular slot titles to our online casino players in West Virginia furthers our continued commitment to providing the best possible user experience.
“This addition expands our library of premium titles, which we look forward to offering across our online casino platforms in the Mountain State.”
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Partnership sees leading branded content and popular Jackpot Royale integrated into Delaware North’s Betly online casino in the Mountain State
White Hat Studios, the “House of Brands” provider to the United States iGaming market, has partnered with Delaware North to launch on its Betly mobile sportsbook and casino in West Virginia.
The leading provider aims to build its online casino offering with the addition of the industry’s top-performing games.
Betly players in West Virginia will now have access to White Hat Studios’ acclaimed portfolio of premium branded titles, including Ted, The Goonies, and the award-winning 7s Fire Blitz series.
Also included in the rollout are the popular Jackpot Royale and Jackpot Royale Express progressive jackpot networks, currently live across more than 40 titles, and the first Betly-branded iCasino game – Betly Player’s Choice Blackjack.
Designed to elevate player engagement and boost retention, the addition of these promotional tools adds another layer of excitement to the Betly casino offering.
White Hat Studios has made significant strides in its U.S. growth trajectory since launching in 2021, consistently delivering high-performing content across multiple states. West Virginia remains a key market for the provider, following its remarkable success in all seven regulated U.S. iGaming states.
The collaboration represents another major step in White Hat Studios’ expansion across regulated U.S. states and reinforces its reputation as a go-to content partner for forward-thinking operators.
Daniel Lechner, SVP Sales and Marketing at White Hat Studios, said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Delaware North on the Betly online casino app in West Virginia.
“This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to delivering top-tier content quickly and seamlessly to operators across the U.S. With our portfolio of fan-favorite branded titles and innovative features like Jackpot Royale, we’re confident we’ll make an immediate impact for Betly and its players.”
Bob Akeret, General Manager for Betly, added: “We’re excited to welcome White Hat Studios onto our Betly platform in West Virginia. Their reputation for delivering engaging, high-quality games, especially branded content, makes them an ideal partner as we continue to elevate our casino experience.”
The post White Hat Studios launches with Betly mobile sportsbook and casino in West Virginia appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.
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