Industry News
OPAP strengthens its position in online sports-betting in Greece through the acquisition of Stoiximan Group’s Greek and Cypriot business
OPAP S.A., (“OPAP”), SAZKA Group’s Greek and Cypriot subsidiary, has today announced (i) the receipt of regulatory approvals for its previously announced acquisition of 51% of Stoiximan Group’s Greek and Cypriot business (“SMGC”) and (ii) the acquisition (subject to regulatory approvals) of a further stake in SMGC as a result of which OPAP will have a total shareholding of 85% in and sole control of SMGC.
OPAP’s announcement and presentation can be found here.
Robert Chvatal, SAZKA Group CEO, commented: “Today’s announcement marks an important step forward for SAZKA Group and for OPAP, as OPAP gains a leading market position in yet another gaming vertical. OPAP, with SAZKA Group’s support, has achieved a milestone that will significantly strengthen its position in the online sports-betting market. In recent weeks, we have been working in anything but a standard business environment. And yet under these extraordinary circumstances our joint teams brought this transaction to fruition. Here my thanks must go specifically to the management team led by Mr. George Daskalakis”.
In 2019, Stoiximan Group (under the parent company TCB) generated revenues (GGR) of €245 million and EBITDA of €38 million. SMGC generated revenues (GGR) of €197 million, corresponding to 80% of Stoiximan Group’s total revenues, and EBITDA of 44 million.
OPAP:
OPAP is the leading gaming company in Greece. The company, founded in 1958 as the country’s national lottery operator and listed on the Athens Exchange in 2001, is the exclusive licensed operator of numerical lotteries (7 games), sports betting (4 games), Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs) and horse racing in Greece. It also operates exclusively, as a controlling shareholder (83.5%) through a joint venture, the passive lotteries and instant (scratch) games in Greece. OPAP is one of the largest charitable donors in Greece, operating under World Lottery Association (WLA) and responsible gaming standards.
About SAZKA Group:
SAZKA Group is one of the largest pan-European lottery operators. Its businesses run lotteries in all the major continental European countries where lotteries are privately operated, including the Czech Republic, Greece, Austria, Italy, and Cyprus. Its businesses focus on the lottery segment, including numerical lotteries (draw-based games) and instant lotteries (scratch cards), while also providing complementary products in sports-betting and digital-only games. They sell their products both through extensive retail networks and digital platforms. All its lottery operators are members of the World Lottery Association and the European Lottery Association and operate in accordance with their codes of practice.
Powered by WPeMatico
Industry News
QTech Games recruits banking and AI leader Jonny Youssef as CTO to drive next phase of its growth journey
QTech Games, the leading game aggregator for emerging markets, has appointed Jonny Youssef as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to lead the next phase of the company’s technology organisation, innovation and technology strategy as QTech accelerates its global expansion. Jonny will lead the continued development of QTech’s platform architecture and engineering organisation, focusing on scalability, AI-driven capabilities and next-generation tools designed to support operators and content partners across fast-growing markets. Jonny brings more than 20 years of technology leadership experience across banking, fintech, SaaS platforms and AI-driven innovation. His background combines enterprise-scale infrastructure expertise with hands-on experience building and scaling digital platforms and emerging technology systems. Previously, Jonny served as Head of Innovation for Swedbank Group Lending & Payments, where he led digital initiatives across lending, payments, APIs and digital channels within one of the Nordic region’s largest banking groups. He has also held senior technology leadership roles at Entercard Group, overseeing technology infrastructure and mission-critical production environments supporting large-scale payment operations across Nordic markets. Alongside his enterprise leadership experience, Jonny has founded and scaled several technology ventures and digital platforms. As a technology founder and CTO, he has led the design and development of international platforms operating across Europe and Asia, building distributed engineering teams and scalable digital infrastructure.
In recent years, Jonny has contributed to the development of next-generation AI and sustainability technology initiatives, including work with Circular Living and Biotonomy, where advanced AI, IoT and Edge AI systems are used to power intelligent environments, autonomous infrastructure and real-time operational insights. Beyond his commercial initiatives, he is also a board member and early contributor to The AI Community of Sweden, a national innovation network connecting professionals, enterprises and academia to collaborate on AI innovation. At QTech Games, Jonny will focus on strengthening the company’s technology foundations as it continues to scale globally, enhancing AI-driven functionality, automation and analytics capabilities that enable partners to unlock greater value from the platform. He will also oversee QTech’s engineering and technology teams to ensure continued innovation while maintaining the speed, reliability and integration flexibility that have become hallmarks of QTech’s aggregation platform.
QTech Games’ CEO, Philip Doftvik, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Jonny to QTech at an important moment in our growth journey.
“He brings a rare combination of enterprise technology leadership, platform-building expertise and forward-looking innovation in AI and automation. His experience across banking infrastructure, global digital platforms and emerging technology ecosystems makes him uniquely positioned to guide us through its next phase of technological evolution.
“As we continue to expand across emerging markets, Jonny’s leadership will help ensure we remain at the forefront of innovation — delivering scalable infrastructure, AI-driven insights and powerful technology solutions that help our partners grow.”
Jonny Youssef added: “QTech Games has built a strong reputation as one of the most innovative and reliable aggregation platforms serving emerging markets.
“What impressed me most is the company’s focus on speed, simplicity and partner success — combined with a clear ambition to continue evolving the platform through technology. I’m excited to join the team at a time when AI, automation and data-driven capabilities are creating new opportunities to deliver even greater value to operators and game providers.
“My focus will be on strengthening the platform architecture, scaling our technology capabilities with AI and supporting the next phase of QTech’s growth.”
The post QTech Games recruits banking and AI leader Jonny Youssef as CTO to drive next phase of its growth journey appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
GameOn
GameOn Expands Fractional CMO Division with Appointment of Roxana Nazalu
GameOn, the specialist iGaming marketing and PR agency, has added Roxana Nazalu to its growing GameOn CMO team.
Roxana joins as a Fractional CMO and in a consulting capacity. She will be responsible for supporting clients across campaign strategy, creation and implementation.
Roxana is one of the most experienced iGaming marketers in the industry, having worked for some of the biggest names in the business.
This includes the likes of Las Vegas Sands, Casimba Gaming, Aspire Global and Pragmatic Play.
This experience led her to launch Orange Synapse, a specialist agency serving iGaming providers in markets across the world.
Roxana’s appointment as a Fractional CMO Consultant marks a deeper collaboration between GameOn and Orange Synapse, allowing each to offer a wider range of products and services to its respective clients.
GameOn’s Fractional CMO service has gone from strength to strength since launching back in October 2024.
Led by Alex Wilson, it allows clients to unlock the benefits of a full-time CMO but on a fractional basis, making it the perfect option for start-ups and smaller organisations in growth phase. It’s also a great option for established organisations, allowing them to embrace marketing as a revenue engine and not just a support function, but with board-level accountability.
Alex Wilson, Head of Marketing Division at GameOn, said: “We are delighted to welcome Roxana to the GameOn CMO team at such a pivotal moment for our agency. Since launching our fractional service in 2024, the demand for high-level strategic leadership, without the overhead of a full-time executive, has exploded.
“Roxana is a powerhouse in the iGaming space and her track record with global giants like Pragmatic Play and Las Vegas Sands speaks for itself.
“By bringing her expertise into the fold, we’re not just adding a consultant, we’re significantly deepening our strategic offering and ensuring our clients have access to the very best marketing minds in the business.”
Roxana Nazalu, Fractional CMO Consultant at GameOn, added: “Joining forces with GameOn is a natural evolution for me and a fantastic opportunity for Orange Synapse.
“I’ve always admired GameOn’s reputation for delivering clear, results-driven PR and marketing within the iGaming sector. This collaboration allows us to offer a truly holistic service, bridging the gap between high-level strategy and technical implementation for slot studios, operators, affiliates, payment providers and other industry stakeholders.
“My focus will be on helping clients navigate complex markets and scale their brands with the agility that the fractional model provides. I look forward to working alongside Alex and the team to drive meaningful growth for our partners.”
The post GameOn Expands Fractional CMO Division with Appointment of Roxana Nazalu appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Angelo Palmisano
Pavilion Payments Appoints Angelo Palmisano as its Chief Product Officer
Pavilion Payments, the gaming industry’s leading omnichannel payment solutions provider, has appointed Angelo Palmisano as its Chief Product Officer. In this role, Palmisano will lead Pavilion Payments’ product and innovation strategy, guiding the continued evolution of the company’s platform and overseeing product development and design across its expanding portfolio of solutions for casino operators.
Palmisano brings more than 35 years of experience across the global gaming industry, with deep expertise in casino technology, product development, gaming systems, electronic gaming machines, payments, automation, loyalty technologies, and digital signage.
He founded Paltronics and grew the company into a global gaming technology business with offices across North America, Australia, South Africa, and Asia before the North American division was acquired by Aristocrat Technologies in 2014. Following the acquisition, Palmisano joined Aristocrat as Senior Vice President of Global Strategy and Innovation, where he helped evolve the company’s systems portfolio into a multi-property enterprise platform and supported major deployments with operators including Boyd Gaming, Choctaw Casinos, and the Cordish Companies. Prior to joining Pavilion Payments, he also served as Chief Strategy Officer for Win Systems.
In his new role, Palmisano will lead Pavilion Payments’ product organization, overseeing product development, design, and innovation, while guiding the continued evolution of Pavilion’s platform across payments, compliance, and iGaming initiatives.
“Angelo has been at the forefront of gaming technology innovation for many years, and we’re excited to have him join Pavilion. He brings a unique combination of entrepreneurial vision, product expertise, and deep industry knowledge. As we continue evolving our platform with deeper systems integrations and data insights, Angelo will be pivotal in guiding that journey,” said Diallo Gordon, CEO of Pavilion Payments.
Palmisano said the opportunity to join Pavilion Payments was driven by both the leadership team and the company’s strong product foundation.
“Pavilion has built a strong product foundation and has a real opportunity to capitalize on the technology and business shifts happening across our industry. I’m looking forward to working with the team to continue building solutions that help our customers succeed and support Pavilion’s long-term growth,” said Palmisano.
The post Pavilion Payments Appoints Angelo Palmisano as its Chief Product Officer appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
-
Africa7 days agoBooming Games teams up with Agreegain to power continued African growth
-
Canada7 days agoWazdan launches Green Brick Labs partnership via Maverick Games to expand Ontario reach
-
Australia6 days agoRegulating the Game Global Awards: First-Ever Winners Announced
-
Africa7 days agoHollywoodbets to deploy ClearStake’s ID by Bank for improved player verification
-
AGCO5 days agoCanada’s Ontario iGaming Market in 2026: Advertising Rules, Self-Exclusion and the Next Phase of Regulation
-
Asia7 days agoGodLike Esports’ gaming creator Sharkshe unveils upgraded gaming room powered by Red Bull
-
Asia6 days agoPG Soft revealed as Title Sponsor for Global Game Connect 2026
-
Asia5 days agoNODWIN Gaming joins forces with ICONiQ White to headline NH7 Weekender 2026 as Title Sponsor; to be ‘Powered By’ Mastercard



