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Monica Shafaq, former CEO of mental health charity The Kaleidoscope Plus Group, joins gambling addiction charity Gordon Moody as new CEO
Gordon Moody, the UK’s leading charity dedicated to providing support and treatment for those suffering from severe gambling harm, is delighted to announce the appointment of Monica Shafaq as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Following an extensive and thorough recruitment process conducted by our board of trustees over recent months, Monica Shafaq will take the helm from January 2024.
Monica brings 13 years’ experience in the charity sector and joins Gordon Moody from The Kaleidoscope Plus Group, a leading charitable organisation focused on mental health and wellbeing, where she has served as CEO since 2010.
Her wealth of experience and dedication to the betterment of individuals’ lives align perfectly with Gordon Moody’s mission. During her time in her previous role, Monica implemented the charity’s rebrand from Sandwell Mind into The Kaleidoscope Plus Group and retained a place on the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies to Work for every year since 2015.
Monica will succeed interim CEO Matthew Hickey, who will continue to support the leadership team at Gordon Moody until the end of the year, ensuring a seamless transition until Monica officially assumes her role in early 2024.
During Matthew’s tenure, Gordon Moody has grown its treatment capacity from 120 to 270 a year; increasing the visibility of the organisation at a national level. He oversaw the opening of the UK’s first women-only residential treatment centre in 2021 and has paved the way for a new West Midlands-based treatment facility due to open in 2024, which will increase the number of bed spaces to 350.
Gordon Moody figures* reveal that applications for their treatment were up 43% last year (from 619 to 885), showing a positive narrative in people seeking help. But there’s still a long way to go as GambleAware has recently identified the true figure for those at risk of gambling harm as significantly more than the industry has previously suggested, and may be as high as 1.5 million.
Commenting on her appointment, Monica said: “It is a huge privilege to have been appointed the new CEO of Gordon Moody. It’s an honour to lead an organisation that is committed to making a positive impact to the lives of those affected by gambling harm and to work with the remarkable team of passionate individuals. Together, we will work tirelessly to raise awareness, provide support, and a path to recovery. I am excited to collaborate with existing partners and stakeholders as well as forging new relationships to drive meaningful change.
“I am leaving The Kaleidoscope Plus Group with a heavy heart but filled with pride for what the team has achieved over the past 13 years. We have done some extraordinary work together fighting for mental health equality and I know that we will remain strong allies going forward.”
Gordon Moody trustee, Claire Arnold, said: “We are delighted to welcome Monica to the Gordon Moody team as our new Chief Executive Officer and we would also like to express our sincere thanks to our departing CEO, Matthew Hickey, who has worked tirelessly to advance our cause over the past four years.
“Monica brings a wealth of experience from her work in the charity sector, most recently from The Kaleidoscope Plus Group and her energy for achieving social change will be a huge asset to Gordon Moody.
“We look forward to the new era of leadership under Monica Shafaq’s guidance and are confident that her expertise will contribute significantly to our mission of addressing gambling harm and its profound impact on individuals and families.”
QTech Games has won the Leader in Online Casino award at the Annual Sports Betting East Africa (SBEA+) 2026 Summit in Nairobi, Kenya.
The company said it beat other shortlisted suppliers including SA Gaming, BetConstruct, and DST Gaming. The award is described by the event as recognising the “top all-round online casino platform for innovation, user engagement, and sustained growth” over the past year.
The SBEA+ Eventus Awards focus on the East African igaming and sports betting sector and were presented at a gala ceremony at the Argyle Grand Hotel. QTech Games said the judging period covered 2025/26 and that its aggregation platform performance was ranked highest by the panel.
QTech Games CEO Philip Doftvik said: “We’re thrilled to have walked off with another notable award for the best overall online-casino-platform provision in East Africa. Being shortlisted in such good company was already a result, but victory provides the real validation, particularly after running a great campaign at recent Eventus events in Africa. We’ve been promoting QTech Hybrid, our breakthrough retail solution, to great effect and it’s been fantastic to see that going live with a handful of top-tier clients on this continent has led to such overwhelmingly positive feedback and immediate success cases in the realm of genuine innovation.
“This win is testimony to our diligent team at QTech Games, and to the constantly growing group of innovative suppliers that our platform represents. It’s a truly collaborative effort. We remain committed to rolling out high-quality content that drives revenue for our worldwide partners across Africa and beyond. After all, in today’s marketplace, only premium games of the highest standard will separate you from the crowd, so we were delighted to see the panel acknowledge how our premier platform is delivering across Africa’s eclectic ecosystem. We’ve made our name as the pre-eminent aggregator in these evolving margin markets, delivering localised games that speak to a host of player proclivities. This award win will spur us on to new horizons.”
The post QTech Games wins Leader in Online Casino at SBEA+ Eventus Awards 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Evoplay has signed a content partnership with Brazilian operator Oleybet to distribute 24 slot titles on the brand’s online casino in Brazil’s regulated market.
Oleybet is operated by Lindau Gaming S.A. in Brazil and offers sportsbook, online casino and live casino products. The rollout focuses on Evoplay’s slot portfolio, with the supplier saying the content is intended to support Oleybet’s casino expansion.
The integration is delivered through Sportingtech’s platform, which the companies said is intended to support a streamlined rollout and operational efficiency as Oleybet scales its games catalogue.
Alex Malchenko, Head of Sales at Evoplay, said: “Brazil remains a key focus for Evoplay, and partnering with Oleybet is another key strategic move in strengthening our presence in this dynamic market.
“Our portfolio is designed to deliver strong engagement across diverse player demographics, and we’re confident our games will resonate well with Oleybet’s audience as they continue to grow their offering.”
Robson Salvador, Ombudsman Director at Lindau, added: “We are very pleased to partner with Evoplay, a provider known for innovation and high-quality gaming experiences.
“This collaboration reinforces Oleybet’s commitment to offering a diverse and engaging portfolio to Brazilian players, always aligned with the highest standards of compliance and responsible gaming. We see this partnership as an important step in strengthening our positioning in Brazil’s regulated market.”
The post Evoplay adds 24 slot titles to Oleybet in Brazil deal appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
GoldenRace will exhibit its virtual sports portfolio and mobile betting technology at the iGaming Afrika Summit in Nairobi, running 4 to 6 May. The supplier said it will present market-specific content for East Africa at Stand C09.
A key focus will be GoldenRace’s In-Shop Mobile product, which the company positions as a way for operators to offer “high-speed, digital betting experiences” on customers’ own devices while they are in a retail shop.
The stand will also feature GoldenRace content across multiple verticals, including Virtual Football, Dog Racing, and the number-draw game Spin2Win, alongside newer titles JetEscape and Arcade Heist. GoldenRace will also present the Spinmatic slot catalogue, which it said is mobile-optimised.
GoldenRace said the retail-plus-mobile approach is aimed at lowering overhead for land-based operators by supporting higher player volumes without adding hardware at the same rate. “Our goal at the iGaming Afrika Summit is to demonstrate how global technological standards can be applied to meet the specific needs of African operators,” said Martin Wachter, GoldenRace CEO & Founder. “From our In-Shop Mobile technology to our virtual sports portfolio, we provide the tools necessary for security, scalability and engagement.”
The post GoldenRace brings In-Shop Mobile and virtual sports to iGaming Afrika Summit appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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