Press Releases
Jade Entertainment unveils three new senior additions to its expanding team

Key recruitment embraces the convergence of land-based and digital gaming seen as essential for modern business continuity
22nd February 2021 – Leading Asian supplier Jade Entertainment has recruited three key senior hires, significantly strengthening its status as a definitive “one stop shop” for sports betting and gaming technologies operators across Asia.
This triple-pronged recruitment strategy sees Jean Rose Buenaventura take up the role of Chief Financial Officer, and Gary Hann become VP – Business Development, while Joseph Del Duca joins as VP – International Marketing. Their combined expertise, experience and sectoral contacts are second to none, as eloquently demonstrated by their respective career histories which bring an eclectic range of skills to bear at Jade.
Jean Rose D. Buenaventura, CPA joins Jade as Chief Financial Officer. Jean has 15 years’ experience in the online gaming industry. She has worked with top gaming brands in Europe (William Hill, Ladbrokes, Winner & Caliente) as well as Asia (Mansion 88 and Happy Luke brands). She was also part of the online gaming tech giant, Playtech, where she established several of its back-office and operation-support functions to Manila from Tel Aviv, Leeds, and Gibraltar. Among her many successful deliveries in the past is the setup of payment-process operations for premier customers at some of the UK’s leading brands with special SLA and secured data handling.
Gary C. Hann joins Jade as Vice President – Business Development. Gary comes with 30 years’ experience in land-based gaming. He has held multiple senior management roles in North America and Asia. Among the IR predevelopments, operations and openings he has taken part in over the past 12 years are the Venetian Macao, Four Seasons Macao, Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, Solaire Resort & Casino in Manila and City of Dreams Manila. Gary’s wealth of market knowledge will help Jade drive Product Sales in the region.
Joseph Del Duca joins Jade as Vice President – International Marketing. Joseph brings expertise across the entire gaming landscape, including online, land-based, social and real money whilst specializing in marketing, communications, media and government relations. He has worked with both startup-level and well-established gaming businesses including PokerStars, The Star, VGW and PokerNews. Joseph is a self-confessed poker and gaming enthusiast which allows him to look at business opportunities from the perspective of both a player and an operator. Joseph’s passion for players’ rights saw him create and lead the Australian Online Poker Alliance, the leading body advocating for player rights and a safe, fair regulatory process in the Australian market.
Jade offers a wide variety of products and services, providing both land-based and digital operators with the tools and services necessary to establish successful gaming operations. Its progressive global influence extends from the Philippines to Vietnam, Malaysia, Macau, Saipan, Australia and New Zealand, and continues to grow via a portfolio of partnerships with global gaming leaders and emerging technology companies.
Joe Pisano, CEO of Jade Entertainment, said: “This is a time of great change in the gaming industry and the events of the past year have shown us that a convergence of land-based and digital gaming is essential for business continuity. Jade continues to expand its team with the expertise to address this convergence.
“I, together with the team at Jade, am thrilled to welcome Jean, Joseph and Gary on board. As we continue to make strides into the Asian gaming scene, we are also developing a framework with great partners to move beyond our borders and grow our international footprint.”
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Gambling in the USA
Xanada Investments Reveals Strategic Backing of Sweepium, Targeting the U.S. Sweepstakes Landscape

Xanada Investments, a leading ideological investment fund focused on the iGaming sector, has officially revealed its early-stage investment in Sweepium, a breakthrough B2B platform and game aggregator redefining how sweepstakes casino brands launch, operate, and scale in the U.S. market.
The decision to invest in Sweepium was driven by a clear alignment of vision: a bold team building real sweepstakes infrastructure for an underserved and fast-growing segment, while providing a serious competitive advantage to existing platforms.
Purpose-built for the complexities of the U.S. regulatory landscape, Sweepium delivers a fully integrated, turnkey platform that includes a bank-approved payment architecture, CRM, customer support, content management, game aggregation, and promotional tools. Its standout capability — its bank-approved payment system — the first of its kind in the U.S. sweepstakes sector — enabling operators to process transactions with institutional-grade compliance and reliability.
Over the past year, Xanada’s support extended far beyond capital. Acting as strategic advisors and active mentors, the fund worked closely with the Sweepium team to strengthen their operational and go-to-market strategy to accelerate brand onboarding and commercial traction.
Today, Sweepium is live with multiple operators, supports integrations with over 50 game providers, and enables new clients to launch in just 8–10 weeks from contract to first processed payment — a speed and standard unmatched in the space.
“From day one, Sweepium showed both clarity of vision and precision in execution,” said Vladimir Malakchi, CEO & Managing Partner at Xanada Investments. “Our decision to invest was driven not only by the unique positioning of the platform but by the team’s operational discipline and long-term thinking. Over the past year, we’ve worked closely with Sweepium to evolve their business infrastructure, guide strategic decisions, and help unlock market growth — and the results speak for themselves.”
Daniel Mitton, Founder & CEO of Sweepium, commented: “Partnering with Xanada Investments brought more than capital — it brought strategy, structure, and scale. Their team helped us align operations with long-term growth goals, navigate licensing, and open doors commercially. With Xanada’s support, we’ve accelerated our market readiness and laid the groundwork for sustainable expansion.”
As Sweepium enters its next phase of growth, the company is focused on expanding its partner base, deepening product capabilities, and continuing to lead in compliance-first innovation within the U.S. sweepstakes space.
About Xanada Investments
Xanada Investments is an ideological investment fund targeting PreSeed, Seed, and Series A funding rounds for innovative projects and leaders in the iGaming industry. With a focus on long-term success, Xanada is committed to providing not only capital but also strategic guidance and support to help businesses scale quickly and efficiently.
About Sweepium
Sweepium is a B2B platform and game aggregator enabling the launch of sweepstakes casino brands under a white-label model. The company supports over 80 game providers, offers full operational setup, and is the first provider of bank-approved white-label payments for sweepstakes in the U.S. market.
The post Xanada Investments Reveals Strategic Backing of Sweepium, Targeting the U.S. Sweepstakes Landscape appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Balkans
BEGE Expo Announces “Gaming Start-UP Challenge 7.0” — A Premier Opportunity for Gaming Innovators

For the 16th edition of BEGE, one of the most important events in the gaming industry in the Balkans, the expo proudly brings back the “Gaming Start-UP Challenge 7.0” as a highlight of this year’s event. This exciting entrepreneurial competition returns to the BEGE and EEGS stage, offering start-ups a unique platform to showcase their innovations to industry leaders and investors.
The challenge is open to start-ups developing groundbreaking solutions relevant to the gaming industry. Whether your focus is on advanced payment methods, online gaming platforms, cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies, security solutions, or cutting-edge game development tools, your innovation has a place here. The competition also welcomes pioneering work in augmented and virtual reality, esports and live streaming, and responsible gaming technologies. In essence, any technology that enhances or revolutionizes the gaming or gambling experience fits the spirit of this challenge.
Participants will have the exclusive chance to pitch their start-up live on the EEGS stage, gaining invaluable exposure during the two-day BEGE exhibition. Beyond the stage, this event provides a vibrant networking environment to connect with potential partners, investors, and key stakeholders across the gaming ecosystem.
To apply, startups are required to pay a nominal participation fee of 100 euros to secure their spot. Selected applicants will receive a short questionnaire and be invited to prepare a concise presentation for the competition.
Don’t miss this opportunity to propel your gaming start-up into the spotlight and join the forefront of gaming innovation.
Apply now and take your place in shaping the future of the industry!
The post BEGE Expo Announces “Gaming Start-UP Challenge 7.0” — A Premier Opportunity for Gaming Innovators appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Latest News
Incentive Games Launches Real-Money Gaming Division, Incentive Studios

Incentive Games Launches Real-Money Gaming Division, Incentive Studios
Incentive Games, a leading name in free-to-play game development, is proud to announce the launch of Incentive Studios, its new real-money gaming (RMG) division.
Built on years of success delivering high-performing free-to-play titles to global operators, and leveraging extensive user psychology and behaviour research, Incentive Studios marks a strategic expansion into the real-money gaming market.
Incentive Studios will focus on creating immersive real-money gaming content, kicking things off by putting a fresh spin on popular game variants like Crash, Tower, and Arcade. These aren’t simple upgrades; they’re complete rebuilds from the ground up, blending captivating gameplay with smart design principles to ensure lasting engagement.
John Gordon, Chief Executive Officer at Incentive Games said, “We’ve spent years refining the art of engagement in the free-to-play world. Now we’re bringing that same level of craft, creativity, and player psychology to our real-money games. Incentive Studios is where innovation meets performance.”
Clients can expect familiar game formats, reimagined with a sharp focus on maximizing re-engagement and long-term play. Every title is built with user-centric design at its core, crafted to engage the next generation of real-money gaming players. With an player-first approach, the games are designed to drive acquisition, retention, and revenue.
With a growing library of original RMG titles in the pipeline, Incentive Studios is set to make its mark on the global gaming landscape. The first wave of games will be available to partners in Q3 2025.
The post Incentive Games Launches Real-Money Gaming Division, Incentive Studios appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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