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David Reeves is appointed to Bidstack board as Chairman Designate
Bidstack is pleased to announce the appointment of David Reeves to its Board as Chairman Designate.
David has over 30 years’ global experience in senior management roles within multinational companies across the video games industry. He launched Sony PlayStation in Germany, Switzerland & Austria in 1995. In 1999, he was appointed Executive Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment (Europe) and then President and CEO of EMEA in 2003. In 2010, David was appointed as COO of Capcom (Europe). David has his own consulting Company, DRC Consulting Ltd, is Co-Founder of E Fundamentals, a SaaS company providing e-commerce analytics services and is Chairman of Comcarde Ltd, an Edinburgh-based fintech company.
David has also served as Senior Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Remuneration Committee for AIM-listed Keywords Studios. Keywords Studios is an international technical services provider to the global video games industry, established in 1998. It provides integrated art creation, marketing services, game development, testing, localisation audio and player support services across more than 50 languages and 16 games platforms to a blue-chip client base of over 950 clients across the globe. Following the completion of nine years’ service as a Non-Executive Director, he retired from this position on the 20th May 2022.
David will succeed Donald Stewart as Chairman on the 1st September 2022. In the meantime, David will sit on the board as a Non-Executive Director. Upon David becoming Chairman, Donald will move to a Non-Executive Director role and will serve on the Audit and Remuneration Committees.
On his appointment, David Reeves said, “It is an honour to be joining Bidstack as Chairman and be given the opportunity to take the Company to the next revenue and profit level in the coming years. I hope I can build on the great foundation that Donald Stewart, as Chairman, has built and work with James Draper, CEO, and his executive team to grow the business globally.
The video games and entertainment industry is expanding continuously, and Bidstack is well placed with an active pipeline, state-of-the-art technology and numerous planned partnership initiatives to grow rapidly and profitably. I hope my experience at senior levels at Sony PlayStation, Capcom and, more recently, Keywords Studios will help me guide the Company to a leadership position in the industry”.
Outgoing Chairman Donald Stewart added, “I am pleased to be handing over the Chair of Bidstack to David Reeves, who has the skills necessary to grow the business commercially and is particularly well connected in the video games industry.
Chairing Bidstack and working closely with the executive team since its admission to AIM in September 2018 has been an enormous pleasure, and I am extremely proud of what Bidstack has achieved over that period. I will continue to contribute my skills, which lie in capital markets and financial regulation, to support the management team.”
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Alina Mihaela Popa Chief Commercial Officer at ICONIC21
ICONIC21 Increases Reach Through Strategic Content Alliance with Celesta
ICONIC21 has achieved an important milestone in its distribution approach by unveiling its complete multi-vertical portfolio on Celesta’s extensive aggregation platform.
This collaboration provides Celesta’s broad operator network with instant access to ICONIC21’s varied collection, including live casino games, slots, and virtual games. The integration signifies a complete portfolio acquisition, guaranteeing that the provider’s full creative production can be distributed globally via Celesta’s efficient technology.
Celesta has positioned itself as a major player in the iGaming supply chain, providing a collection of more than 7,500 titles from leading providers, which now includes ICONIC21. Through a single API integration, the aggregator allows online casinos and sportsbooks to expand quickly while ensuring technical reliability.
The addition of ICONIC21 enhances Celesta’s portfolio, particularly with the Gravity Series in the live dealer segment, alongside an expanding range of mathematically-based slots and virtual games like Plinko and Crash. The partnership aims to satisfy the increasing demand for adaptable content that succeeds among various player demographics and locations.
Commenting on the launch, Alina Mihaela Popa, Chief Commercial Officer at ICONIC21, said: “Joining forces with Celesta is a calculated move to ensure our content hits the right lobbies. What stands out in this partnership is the sheer velocity of the go-to-market process; Celesta’s infrastructure allowed us to transition from agreement to live status with remarkable efficiency. Through them, we can showcase the technical quality of our games and we expect the performance data from this rollout to speak for itself very shortly.”
From Celesta’s side, Corentin Budny, Head of Growth & Account Management, added: “Our objective is to provide operators with tools for genuine differentiation, and ICONIC21’s portfolio fits that brief perfectly. Integrating their full range, from high-energy live tables to virtual games, adds significant depth to our offering. This is a collaboration where success will be measured by clear, quantifiable engagement metrics, and we look forward to analyzing those results as we expand our mutual footprint.”
The agreement highlights ICONIC21’s dedication to a multi-product approach, expanding from a single-vertical emphasis to deliver a comprehensive gaming experience. Utilizing Celesta’s global distribution capabilities, the provider is set to greatly enhance its presence across various markets.
The post ICONIC21 Increases Reach Through Strategic Content Alliance with Celesta appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
bankroll coverage
St8 Partners with iBankroll to Empower Operators with Expanded Financial Muscle
Casino games aggregator and comprehensive technology provider St8 has teamed up with iBankroll to launch bankroll coverage as a service on its platform, further broadening its products and services in international markets.
Through the collaboration, St8 will incorporate iBankroll’s unique Bankroll-as-a-Service model into its services, enabling operators to accommodate higher limits while controlling exposure and utilizing capital more effectively.
Designed exclusively for iGaming, iBankroll merges liquidity, risk knowledge, and strategic acumen to assist operators in achieving growth with enhanced predictability and managed volatility.
Accessible directly through the St8 platform, the integration allows operators to implement iBankroll’s liquidity assistance solution without added operational difficulties, utilizing it either for their entire casino range or specifically for high-limit and VIP segments, based on their exposure strategy.
Designed as a unified, adaptable solution, St8 offers partners access to high-quality content via a single integration, along with marketing tools, analytical features, and comprehensive compliance support.
With St8 expanding its services, the collaboration with iBankroll introduces an additional financial aspect to its platform and represents another advancement in the company’s growth plan, solidifying its role as a next-gen full-service tech provider.
Vladimir Negine, Chief Executive Officer at St8, said: “Our focus at St8 is giving operators the right foundations to grow in regulated markets.
“Partnering with iBankroll introduces an additional range of tools to our platform and is a practical addition to our ecosystem, one we believe will make a real difference for partners as they continue to scale.”
Hayden Bowman, Co-Founder at iBankroll, added: “St8 has built a strong infrastructure for brands launching and expanding in key markets.
“By working together, we are able to extend that proposition with additional liquidity support and a structured risk-sharing mechanism that helps operators offer higher limits while maintaining predictable performance.”
The post St8 Partners with iBankroll to Empower Operators with Expanded Financial Muscle appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Compliance Updates
Romanian Mayors Push to Ban Gambling Halls
A wave of Romanian mayors has followed the example set by Slatina’s mayor, who recently announced plans to eliminate gambling halls from his city under newly amended legislation. While the political signal is growing louder, the decisive vote belongs to local councils – and gambling operators are unlikely to retreat without resistance.
On February 26, the mayor of Vaslui, Lucian Braniște (PSD), said he would submit a draft decision to the Local Council seeking a ban on gambling halls within the city. He argued that gambling has become a serious social issue across many Romanian communities.
“In recent years, gambling has become a real problem in many communities in Romania. Beyond advertisements and colorful lights, behind these halls, there are too often stories of affected families, debts, addiction, and suffering,” the mayor said.
In Ploiești, mayor Mihai Polițeanu also voiced support for eliminating gambling venues and announced that he would table a similar proposal before the City Council, Economedia.ro reported. He described parts of the city centre as having turned into a “strange, underworld-like” area, suggesting that the proliferation of betting shops has contributed to urban degradation.
The mayors of Brăila and Rădăuți have likewise declared their intention to pursue restrictions on gambling activities.
The initiatives follow a recent amendment to gambling legislation adopted by the government, which now requires operators to obtain not only a national licence but also a local authorisation from the mayor’s office in the municipality, town, or commune where they operate. The new provision also empowers local councils to decide whether such activities may take place within their administrative boundaries.
While the political momentum appears to be building, the outcome will ultimately depend on council votes in each locality. Given the economic stakes and the industry’s established presence, legal and political battles are expected before any city can formally declare itself gambling-free.
The post Romanian Mayors Push to Ban Gambling Halls appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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