Latest News
European Gaming Q1 2024 Meetup: Exploring Innovation, Marketing, and the iGaming Industry Hubs
HIPTHER’s staple Quarterly Meetups for the Gaming industry have officially returned for 2024! The European Gaming Q1 Meetup 2024 took place on February 28 online, featuring an incredible lineup of speakers, including Ilya Machavariani, CEO and Senior Partner at 4H Agency, Krysta Muscat and Kevin Perks, International Recruiters at Van Kaizen, Jekaterina Dubnicka, Marketing & Communications Manager at Slotsjudge, Eberhard Dürrschmid, CEO at Golden Whale Productions, and John Chyriwsky, Head of Marketing at Fincore Ltd. HIPTHER’s Co-founder and Host-Extraordinaire, Zoltan Tuendik, moderated the panel discussions.
The Meetup sessions explored the gaming and technology industry, focusing on various topics such as the importance of innovation and transformation in the sector, strategies to combat offshore gambling, the emergence of Malta and the Isle of Man as iGaming industry hubs, potential future hubs for the gambling industry, marketing strategies in the gaming industry, and innovation in the gaming with a particular emphasis on personalization.
Gaming and TECH: Future Journey and Fight Against Offshore Gambling
The meeting kicked off highlighting the importance and intersection of gaming and technology industries, which will be explored at the upcoming MARE BALTICUM and Prague Gaming & TECH Summits by HIPTHER. Our first guest, Ilya Machavariani, CEO and Senior Partner at 4H Agency delved further into technology and the latest strategies in the global fight against offshore gambling.
Ilya discussed strategies to combat offshore gambling, proposing a separation into active and passive instruments. He suggested that governments should legalize all verticals of the industry and ensure operators obtain licenses. Ilya also emphasized the importance of transparent and sensible regulations and the role of technology in identifying and preventing access to offshore gambling sites. He highlighted the challenges of regulating and blocking websites from a governmental perspective and the need for international cooperation.
The discussion ended with a focus on improved consumer protection measures and the importance of educating consumers about potential risks associated with illegal gambling activities.
Gaming Industry Hubs: Malta, Isle of Man and Beyond
For the 2nd Session of the European Gaming Q1 Meetup, we welcomed Krysta Muscat and Kevin Perks, International Recruiters at Van Kaizen, to discuss iGaming hubs and hotspots of the Gaming Industry. Kevin introduced their global headhunting company that primarily serves the gaming sector, recruiting for approximately 140 businesses. The discussion revolved around the factors contributing to Malta and the Isle of Man emerging as hubs for the iGaming industry, with Krysta highlighting Malta’s modernized infrastructure and highly regulated environment, and Kevin pointing out the supportive government and dedicated government agency in the Isle of Man, along with its tax breaks. Both islands were found to have a skilled workforce and a multilingual population. Kevin also discussed the benefits of living on the Isle of Man, emphasizing the slower pace of life, the island’s 40% open space, and its status as one of the safest places in Europe. The discussion ended on the topic of the government’s efforts to promote the island and attract businesses, with a focus on recruitment strategies for gaming companies in competitive markets.
The session concluded with a discussion on potential future hubs for the iGaming industry, with Krysta and Kevin emphasizing on the US, Canada, Spain, Portugal, the UK, and Bulgaria, highlighting the significant interest and potential opportunities in these regions.
Marketing, Communication, and Community building in iGaming
In this first Marketing-focused session, Zoltan hosted our special guest Jekaterina Dubnicka – Marketing & Communications Manager at Slotsjudge. The conversation focused on marketing strategies in the gaming industry, with Jekaterina explaining the shift towards more interactive and immersive content by leveraging social media and video interviews, and focusing on SEO tools to gain insights into audience interests. She also provided insight into the role of community in the gaming experience, the importance of navigating strict regulatory environments while maintaining compliance and a strong brand voice, the importance of innovation in content creation and delivery, and emerging trends in the gaming industry.
Innovation and Personalization in Gaming Industry
The last panel discussion focused on innovation in the gaming industry, with a particular emphasis on personalization. Eberhard Dürrschmid, CEO at Golden Whale, and John Chyriwsky, Head of Marketing at Fincore Ltd joined us to discuss innovation in iGaming and Sports Betting. John highlighted the potential for improvement in the area of personalization and user experience, suggesting that platforms should “step up” to respond better to user needs. Eberhard pointed out the industry’s flexibility and the importance of meeting customer expectations, while John emphasized the need to enhance customer experience, suggesting the use of real-time data to create personalized experiences. He cited examples of successful companies that prioritize customer experience, such as Amazon and Uber. Eberhard also discussed the potential of AI and machine learning in the industry. The conversation concluded with a group exercise where participants shared their hopes for technology implementation in the gaming industry by the end of 2024.
Coming up Next:
Watch the recording of the European Gaming Q1 Meetup on HIPTHER TV, and keep an eye out for our next European Gaming Quarterly Meetups!
BMM Testlabs
BMM Testlabs hires Michael Minor as SVP and North America BD lead
Minor will lead land-based gaming sales strategy and customer engagement across the region.
BMM Testlabs has appointed Michael Minor as Senior Vice President & North America Market (NAM) Leader, Business Development, the company said.
In the role, Minor will lead land-based gaming sales strategy and customer engagement across North America, with a mandate to expand BMM’s regional presence and relationships with manufacturers, suppliers, and operators.
Minor brings more than 20 years of experience in business development leadership, client engagement, and sales strategy, according to BMM. He previously held senior roles at NEXTEQ, Pavilion Payments, and IGT.
Kirk White, Global President, Land-Based Gaming & Inspections, said, “Michael is a respected leader with deep experience across the North American gaming market. He understands our customers, knows how to build strong teams, and has a proven track record of delivering growth. With BMM’s full NAM coverage for certification services, we are excited to welcome Michael to BMM, supporting our client-engagement experience as we expand our services across the region.”
Minor said, “I am excited to join BMM Testlabs at such an exciting time for the company as the industry highly values what BMM is offering for Compliance and QA services. BMM has a strong reputation and focus on quality, speed, and integrity, and I look forward to working with our customers and teams across North America to support their growth and success.”
- BMM Testlabs: https://bmm.com/ Company site for confirmation of the executive appointment and BMM’s testing and certification services.
- American Gaming Association: https://www.americangaming.org/ Trade body resource for North American gaming market context referenced in the appointment.
- Pavilion Payments: https://www.pavilionpayments.com/ Background on one of Minor’s prior employers cited in the release.
- IGT: https://www.igt.com/ Background on one of Minor’s prior employers cited in the release.
The post BMM Testlabs hires Michael Minor as SVP and North America BD lead appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Latest News
BMM TESTLABS WELCOMES EXPERIENCED GAMING EXECUTIVE MICHAEL MINOR AS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT & NAM LEADER, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
BMM Testlabs (“BMM” or “the Company”), the world’s original gaming test lab renowned for exceptional product compliance and certification services, today announced that Michael Minor has joined the Company as Senior Vice President & North America Market (NAM) Leader, Business Development.
In this role, Minor will lead land-based gaming sales strategy and customer engagement across the region, helping expand BMM’s presence and strengthen relationships with manufacturers, suppliers, and operators.
Minor brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in managing business development teams, client engagements, and sales strategies, and in-depth knowledge of gaming technologies and enterprise platform solutions. He previously held senior-level roles at NEXTEQ, Pavilion Payments, and IGT, where he led major initiatives and supported large-scale deployments of systems and technologies.
Kirk White, Global President, Land-Based Gaming & Inspections, said, “Michael is a respected leader with deep experience across the North American gaming market. He understands our customers, knows how to build strong teams, and has a proven track record of delivering growth. With BMM’s full NAM coverage for certification services, we are excited to welcome Michael to BMM, supporting our client-engagement experience as we expand our services across the region.”
Minor said, “I am excited to join BMM Testlabs at such an exciting time for the company as the industry highly values what BMM is offering for Compliance and QA services. BMM has a strong reputation and focus on quality, speed, and integrity, and I look forward to working with our customers and teams across North America to support their growth and success.”
The post BMM TESTLABS WELCOMES EXPERIENCED GAMING EXECUTIVE MICHAEL MINOR AS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT & NAM LEADER, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Aglaja Geta
“Stories”, a new feature design to elevate sportsbook engagement and promotional visibility from BETBY
BETBY, the leading sportsbook provider, has announced the launch of Stories, a new feature designed to transform how operators present promotions and key events to their players.
Inspired by the widely adopted Stories format seen across social media platforms, the feature introduces a familiar, intuitive way for bettors to discover and engage with content directly within the sportsbook interface.
As competition for user attention continues to intensify, operators face the ongoing challenge of delivering promotions and updates in a way that cuts through the noise without overwhelming the user experience.
Stories addresses this by offering a dynamic, swipeable format that brings key content — such as bonuses, tournaments, major sporting events, and boosted odds — into a more engaging and accessible space.
Fully integrated into BETBY’s sportsbook environment, Stories enables bettors to seamlessly browse through short, interactive content cards, mirroring the mechanics they already use daily on social platforms.
This familiarity plays a key role in driving immediate interaction, lowering the barrier to engagement, and creating additional touchpoints between operators and their users.
By introducing a format that naturally encourages exploration, Stories helps increase visibility across promotional campaigns while supporting higher engagement rates.
Each new Story acts as a trigger for curiosity, prompting users to click through and discover new offers or events, ultimately contributing to improved promo turnover.
The feature feels particularly intuitive to younger demographics, who are already accustomed to this style of interaction.
By aligning sportsbook UX with established digital behaviors, BETBY allows operators to connect with these audiences in a more organic and impactful way.
“Stories is about meeting users where they already are, in terms of how they consume content,” said Aglaja Geta, Head of UX & Analytics at BETBY.
“We wanted to introduce a format that feels instantly familiar, while giving operators a powerful new way to highlight their most important promotions and events.
It creates a smoother, more engaging experience that encourages interaction without adding complexity to the platform.”
From an operational perspective, Stories offers a streamlined way to enhance the front-end experience without requiring structural changes to the sportsbook.
The feature integrates seamlessly, allowing operators to enrich their content strategy while maintaining a clean and intuitive interface.
About BETBY
BETBY is a leading B2B provider of top-tier sports betting services, renowned for its groundbreaking technology and dedication to excellence.
BETBY’s team of industry veterans tap into their knowledge and expertise to deliver a premium, adaptable, and scalable sportsbook platform tailored to meet the varied demands of operators across the globe.
From dynamic in-play betting options to robust risk management tools and ground-breaking AI tools, BETBY is committed to propelling the success of its partners in the rapidly evolving landscape of online sports betting.
For more information visit betby.com
The post “Stories”, a new feature design to elevate sportsbook engagement and promotional visibility from BETBY appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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