Canada
Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment Announces New Leadership Appointments as Brand Continues Strategic Growth Trajectory
Introducing David Martinelli as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Judy Newman-Locke as Vice President, Human Resources Management
Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE), developer of awe-inspiring integrated entertainment resorts (IER) worldwide, announced two new appointments to its leadership team. Effective immediately, David Martinelli will assume the role of Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Judy Newman-Locke has been appointed Vice President of Human Resources Management for MGE. Both Dave and Judy bring extensive knowledge and expertise to their new roles and will help guide MGE through this period of strategic growth and development.
“It will take a strong and effective leadership team to steer our organization through this next chapter of growth and innovation. Accordingly, I am very pleased to have Dave and Judy join our team to further support our efforts throughout the U.S. and abroad,” said Mario Kontomerkos, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President of Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment. “Dave and Judy’s considerable experience will be instrumental in promoting MGE as a worldwide industry leader in integrated resort entertainment and in retaining the best talent for our MGE family.”
David Martinelli, CMO
After more than 20 years of service to MGE’s flagship property, Mohegan Sun Connecticut, and serving as the property’s Chief Marketing Officer, David Martinelli has been promoted to Chief Marketing Officer for the MGE brand. Dave began his career with Mohegan in 1999 and was quickly promoted to Financial Planning & Analysis Manager. He worked closely with the WNBA Connecticut Sun team and Mohegan Sun Arena as Business Manager before being named Vice President of Customer Relationship Management and eventually Chief Marketing Officer. Dave graduated from Brown University with a degree in Economics. He is married to Kerry Martinelli. They have two sons, David and Danny and reside in North Kingstown, RI.
Dave will oversee a diverse marketing team poised to introduce the Mohegan marketing and entertainment brand to iconic new markets such as Las Vegas and Incheon South Korea and strengthen MGE’s brand awareness in existing locations.
Judy Newman-Locke, VP of Human Resources Management
Judy Newman-Locke, recently appointed Vice President, Human Resources Management for MGE, has joined the world-class entertainment brand after several years of experience in global and domestic human resources management. As the former Senior Director of Global Human Resources at The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd. (LHW) and Principle and Owner of Grey Heron Partners, Judy is poised to meet the challenges of international management seamlessly to help position MGE as an inclusive, industry-leading organization both in the U.S. and abroad.
In her new role, Judy will provide strategic leadership in the development and implementation of global integrated people practices, systems, and programs such as compensation, benefits, performance management, HRIS, and leader/employee talent analytics. She will be working closely with department heads throughout the enterprise to create a strong foundation that supports organizational alignment, productivity, effectiveness and efficiency.
ABOUT MOHEGAN GAMING & ENTERTAINMENT:
Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE) is a master developer and operator of premier global integrated entertainment resorts, including Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, Inspire in Incheon, South Korea and Niagara Casinos in Niagara, Canada. MGE is owner, developer, and/or manager of integrated entertainment resorts throughout the United States, including Connecticut, New Jersey, Washington, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, as well as Northern Asia and Niagara Falls, Canada, and coming soon pending regulatory approval, Las Vegas, Nevada. MGE is owner and operator of Connecticut Sun, a professional basketball team in the WNBA and New England Black Wolves, a professional lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League. For more information on MGE and our properties, visit www.mohegangaming.com.
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affiliate marketing
SEOBROTHERS’ Aleksandra Drigo flags higher barriers for affiliates in regulated Alberta
SEOBROTHERS Chief of Business Development Aleksandra Drigo says Alberta’s move toward a regulated online gambling market is likely to raise the cost and complexity of affiliate acquisition, reshaping competition for SEO-led publishers. Drigo shared the view in an exclusive interview with SiGMA News focused on Canada’s affiliate landscape.
Drigo said regulation can bring more transparency, but also higher compliance demands and tougher economics for smaller players. “Many affiliates, especially independent SEO players, may decide not to enter fully regulated markets and instead focus on regions with more predictable economics and lower regulatory pressure,” she said.
She added that regulated markets typically advantage well-funded affiliate groups with the ability to invest in legal and compliance support and tracking infrastructure. “Regulated markets tend to favour larger players. Big affiliate companies have the resources for legal support, compliance teams, advanced tracking infrastructure, and long-term investment without expecting fast ROI.”
On partner selection, Drigo said affiliates are increasingly weighing operators on operational quality and regulatory readiness, not just commercial terms. “We pay close attention to how consistent an operator is in terms of reporting, responsible gaming policies, speed of communication, and local regulations compliance. Reputation risks affect both sides. If an operator lacks transparency or fails to follow compliance standards, it directly impacts the affiliate business as well.”
Drigo also pointed to communication and access to performance data as major friction points in operator-affiliate relationships. “Financial disagreements can usually be resolved quickly if there is trust and clear communication between both sides. Whereas, when affiliates do not receive timely information, face unclear reporting, or get no explanation for performance changes, tensions escalate very quickly. In regulated markets, communication and transparency become just as important as the financial terms themselves.”
Looking ahead, Drigo said affiliates targeting regulated North American markets will need stronger localisation, trusted brands and more diversified traffic strategies as search behaviour changes. “With AI and online search ecosystem changes already transforming the SEO landscape, affiliates need to become much more flexible and technology-driven than before. And compliance-friendly SEO strategies and diversification beyond traditional search traffic are becoming increasingly important.”
The post SEOBROTHERS’ Aleksandra Drigo flags higher barriers for affiliates in regulated Alberta appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Affiliate Industry
SiGMA exclusive: Aleksandra Drigo on traffic shifts, transparency, and the future of SEO affiliates
In an exclusive interview for the SiGMA News, Aleksandra Drigo, Chief of Business Development at SEOBROTHERS, shared her perspective on the future of affiliate marketing in Canada.
She discussed how Alberta’s upcoming market launch could reshape competition, why transparency has become a cornerstone of operator-affiliate partnerships, how compliance is changing the way affiliates choose partners, and why localisation, trusted brands, and data-driven decision-making will define the next generation of SEO affiliates.
Regulation will reshape Alberta’s affiliate landscape
As Alberta prepares to regulate its online gambling market, affiliates are entering a more challenging environment. While regulation brings greater transparency, it also increases compliance demands, acquisition costs, and competition – particularly from larger, well-funded companies.
“Many affiliates, especially independent SEO players, may decide not to enter fully regulated markets and instead focus on regions with more predictable economics and lower regulatory pressure,” Aleksandra said.
Bigger brands gain the advantage
According to Drigo, regulated markets naturally favour established affiliate businesses, whereas smaller publishers face much higher barriers to entry despite niche opportunities still existing.
“Regulated markets tend to favour larger players. Big affiliate companies have the resources for legal support, compliance teams, advanced tracking infrastructure, and long-term investment without expecting fast ROI.”
Compliance is now a deciding factor
Operator selection is no longer based solely on commercial terms. Affiliates increasingly assess partners by their transparency, reporting quality, responsible gaming standards, responsiveness, and ability to meet local regulatory requirements.
“We pay close attention to how consistent an operator is in terms of reporting, responsible gaming policies, speed of communication, and local regulations compliance. Reputation risks affect both sides. If an operator lacks transparency or fails to follow compliance standards, it directly impacts the affiliate business as well.”
Communication matters more than financial disputes
Drigo believes that most partnership conflicts arise not from payment issues, but from poor communication and limited access to performance data.
“Financial disagreements can usually be resolved quickly if there is trust and clear communication between both sides. Whereas, when affiliates do not receive timely information, face unclear reporting, or get no explanation for performance changes, tensions escalate very quickly. In regulated markets, communication and transparency become just as important as the financial terms themselves.”
The future belongs to trusted brands and localisation
Looking ahead, Drigo expects meticulous localisation, brand authority, first-party audiences, and community-driven products to define success in regulated North American markets. As AI reshapes search, affiliates will need stronger technology, diversified traffic sources, and compliance-friendly SEO strategies to remain competitive.
“With AI and online search ecosystem changes already transforming the SEO landscape, affiliates need to become much more flexible and technology-driven than before. And compliance-friendly SEO strategies and diversification beyond traditional search traffic are becoming increasingly important.”
The post SiGMA exclusive: Aleksandra Drigo on traffic shifts, transparency, and the future of SEO affiliates appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
St8 has extended its content partnership with Octoplay into Ontario and the UK, expanding distribution of Octoplay’s casino games in two regulated markets. The companies announced the move on 2 July, 2026.
Under the expanded agreement, St8 will make Octoplay’s full portfolio available to operators in both jurisdictions through St8’s single API integration.
David Fall, Business Development Manager at St8, said:
“Expanding our partnership with Octoplay into Ontario and the UK is another important milestone as we continue to strengthen our aggregation platform with premium content from leading suppliers.
“Octoplay has built an excellent reputation for developing engaging, high-performing games, and we’re delighted to extend this collaboration into two highly strategic regulated markets. This agreement enables our operator partners to access even more quality content through a single integration while supporting their growth in competitive jurisdictions.”
Ralitsa Georgieva, CEO at Octoplay added:
“We’re pleased to expand our partnership with St8 into Ontario and the UK, making our full portfolio available to even more operators through its aggregation platform. St8 has established itself as a trusted technology partner for regulated markets, and we look forward to building on our successful collaboration together.”
The post St8 expands Octoplay aggregation deal to Ontario and the UK appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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