Canada
Paysafe appoints Afshin Yazdian as CEO of its U.S. Acquiring division
Yazdian’s appointment completes a new executive leadership team in Paysafe’s global payment processing business
Paysafe, a leading specialized payments platform, today announced the appointment of Afshin Yazdian as CEO of its newly formed U.S. Acquiring division. Joining on July 1st, Yazdian will be charged with bringing to life Paysafe’s vision of being the U.S.’s leading payments solutions provider.
Mr. Yazdian has over two decades of leadership experience in payments. Most recently, he was President of Priority Payment Systems (PPS), a Georgia-based payments technology company serving over 174,000 merchants throughout America. Before that, he served as President & CEO of New York-based Cynergy Data before its merger with PPS. Earlier in his career, he worked for iPayment for over a decade as Executive Vice President and General Counsel and was instrumental in the formation of the company – itself acquired by Paysafe in 2018.¹
The appointment of Yazdian completes the executive leadership team for Paysafe’s recently restructured Payment Processing business unit, which now operates as two, distinct customer-focused divisions. Yazdian takes charge of the U.S. Acquiring division, leading Paysafe’s third party and direct channels; meanwhile, Paulette Rowe² serves as CEO of its global Integrated and Ecommerce Solutions division. Both divisions report directly into Paysafe Group CEO Philip McHugh.
Rowe, who was recently named as one of PaymentsSource’s “most influential women in payments”, joined Paysafe earlier this year and previously worked for Facebook as its Head of Payments and Financial Services Partnerships, and before that Barclaycard. Her appointment to Paysafe’s executive leadership team is designed to accelerate the company’s global integrated payment offerings and cement Paysafe as a leading provider of ecommerce solutions.
Before the appointments of Rowe and Yazdian, Paysafe’s global Payment Processing division was headed-up by industry veteran, O.B. Rawls³, who moves into retirement at the end of June after a career in payments spanning almost four decades.
Philip McHugh, CEO of Paysafe Group, commented: “We’re delighted to complete our executive leadership team in payment processing with the appointment of Afshin. The current COVID-19 outbreak poses significant challenges for our direct merchant customers as well as our ISO and Agent partners, and we’re confident that Afshin, with his track record of building and managing high growth organizations, and his laser focus on customer service, will ensure that we all emerge stronger as the market stabilizes.
Paulette is also an incredible operator and inspirational leader and possesses vast and highly relevant payments experience. She has already had a major impact since joining the team earlier this year.
I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to O.B. – he is a true payments’ legend and has made an irrefutable mark on both Paysafe and the industry in general. We wish him good health and much happiness in his retirement, and he will be missed by all of us.”
Commenting on his appointment, Afshin Yazdian said: “I am incredibly excited to join the Paysafe family, a company I have long admired and an organization I believe is well-positioned for incredible growth and expansion. We will strive to rapidly change the payments industry and become the leading provider of payment solutions in the U.S. by both utilizing technology and focusing on an exceptional customer experience.
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Internet Gaming Operator by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).
This significant milestone authorizes absolutebet to offer regulated iGaming services in Ontario’s legal market under the oversight of AGCO and iGaming Ontario (iGO).
The registration marks a key step in absolutebet’s mission to bring a trusted, responsible, and innovative online casino experience to Ontario players. absolutebet is committed to operating with integrity and transparency, meeting all provincial standards for player protection, responsible gambling, anti-money laundering, and game integrity.
“Securing AGCO registration is more than a milestone—it’s the start of absolutebet’s journey in one of the most exciting regulated markets in the world,” said Chen Truman, Founder of absolutebet. “We are building a brand that will grow with the Ontario community and set the stage for future expansion.”
On the regulatory milestone, Krisztina Kalla, Legal & Regulatory Compliance Advisor of absolutebet, commented: “I’m incredibly proud to see all the hard work behind this license pay off. Securing AGCO registration has taken months of preparation and close collaboration with regulators and partners. I am very happy to see the result of that work, and even more excited as we move into the launch phase and open up the absolutebet community to Ontario players in a fun and responsible way.”
Ontario is recognized as one of the most competitive and fast-growing regulated iGaming markets in North America. With AGCO registration secured, absolutebet will move forward with the final stages of its iGO onboarding process in preparation for launch.
The post absolutebet Secures AGCO Registration as an Internet Gaming Operator in Ontario appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Alex Malchenko Head of Sales at Evoplay
Evoplay strengthens Ontario presence in partnership with Caesars Entertainment
Evoplay, the award-winning game development studio, has partnered with Caesars Entertainment to expand its footprint in the Canadian market, following its initial entry earlier this year. The partnership integrates 20 of the studio’s top-performing titles onto Caesars Palace Online Casino, Horseshoe Online Casino and Caesars Sportsbook & Casino in Ontario, including fan-favourites such as Hot Triple Sevens, Triple Chili, and The Greatest Catch Bonus Buy.
Having announced its official entrance into Ontario in March, the collaboration with Caesars marks a significant step in Evoplay’s local strategy. Further standout releases, such as Inner Fire Bonus Buy and Hot Volcano, also launched as part of the initial package, with additional player favourites, including Fruit Nova and Ice Mania.
The collaboration underlines Evoplay’s commitment to working with leading operators to deliver high-quality content tailored to regional audiences.
Alex Malchenko, Head of Sales at Evoplay, said: “Launching with Caesars in Ontario marks a key milestone in our North American strategy.
“It reflects both the strength of our portfolio and our commitment to providing innovative, high-performing content to operators of the highest caliber.”
Ricardo Cornejo Rivas, Vice President of Online Gaming at Caesars Digital, said: “Evoplay brings a fresh and dynamic approach to online gaming, which we’re excited to offer to our players in Ontario. This portfolio of standout titles adds to our growing content library and furthering our ongoing goal of delivering top-tier entertainment experiences to our players.”
The post Evoplay strengthens Ontario presence in partnership with Caesars Entertainment appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
The iGaming Ontario Board of Directors has announced Joseph Hillier as the organization’s new President and Chief Executive Officer, effective September 8, 2025. Joseph’s depth in the Ontario igaming market combined with successful public and private sector careers make him the ideal President and CEO at this critical point in iGaming Ontario’s growth.
Joseph was most recently Chief Strategy Officer and Corporate Secretary at the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), where he delivered significant strategic and regulatory initiatives across the province’s alcohol, cannabis, gaming, and horse racing sectors. Prior to the AGCO, he served as Chief of Staff to Ontario Attorney General Hon. Doug Downey and led the development, launch and implementation of Canada’s first private sector-driven igaming market and the creation of iGaming Ontario. Joseph also spent more than a decade working in the financial and legal services sectors.
The Board expressed its sincere thanks to David Smith for serving as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer since Martha Otton’s retirement.
The post iGaming Ontario Appoints Joseph Hillier as its New President and CEO appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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