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Veteran Marketer Charles Kaplan Takes on CMO Role at Stats Perform
Stats Perform, the sports industry’s leading provider of AI technology, live data and insights, announced that tech marketing veteran Charles Kaplan has been appointed as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), effective April 21, 2025. In this role, Mr. Kaplan will lead the Company’s marketing capabilities, in addition to its Opta data insights and editorial services. He will also manage Stats Perform’s sports news teams and the Opta Content Agency, which provides data-led features, compelling storytelling and creative campaign support to help sports organizations, brands and media outlets engage fans and grow their audiences.
Mr. Kaplan brings nearly 25 years of marketing, product management, and revenue growth expertise to Stats Perform, with a strong track record of driving business expansion and market leadership on a global scale. He most recently served as Chief Product and Marketing Officer at Wynshop, where he helped launch the company on a path to becoming the leading provider of digital commerce and fulfillment solutions for local store-based retailers. Previously, Mr. Kaplan held leadership roles at Mi9 Retail, including Chief Revenue Officer and Chief Marketing Officer, where he directed go-to-market strategy, revenue generation, and business growth. Earlier in his career, he gained extensive experience in international marketing, business development and product management through leadership roles at MicroStrategy, Lexmark Enterprise Software, and Brainware. Mr. Kaplan received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.
Carl Mergele, Chief Executive Officer, said, “A dynamic company like Stats Perform requires equally dynamic and forward-looking thinking with its marketing, and Charles is the ideal fit to lead our marketing function. His unique skillset makes him a valuable overall addition to the Stats Perform management team as we continue to execute on our growth strategy and revolutionize the way sports are viewed. Coming off our most successful year yet, we are excited to benefit from Charles’ leadership and marketing prowess and build on the momentum generated in the first quarter of 2025.”
“I am thrilled to be joining the Stats Perform team at such a critical time in the company’s history,” said Mr. Kaplan. “I have long admired Stats Perform for its unmatched depth and breadth of data, AI, sports research, news and video content capabilities that have effectively shaped – and transformed – the sports technology and data industry. I look forward to working closely with the executive team as we meet the rapidly growing demand for in-depth sports insights and data-driven content, delivering comprehensive and real-time AI-powered solutions and performance analytics to enhance understanding, prediction, and fan engagement in sports.”
The post Veteran Marketer Charles Kaplan Takes on CMO Role at Stats Perform appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
At the Annual General Meeting of AB Trav och Galopp (ATG) on Thursday, May 7, 2026, Richard Woodbridge, CEO of Scandinavian Heritage AB, was elected as a new independent member of ATG’s board. He succeeds Mårten Forste, who left the board at the end of 2025.
“We welcome Richard to ATG’s board. His solid experience from the gaming market will add significant value to the board’s work,” said Peter Norman, chairman of ATG.
“I am pleased and grateful for the trust in me to take a seat on ATG’s board. ATG is a very strong company and brand with an important role in both gaming and horse racing, and I look forward to future collaboration with the rest of the board,” said Richard Woodbridge.
The Nomination Committee’s proposal for re-election of other board members was approved by the meeting.
ATG’s board thus consists of:
• Peter Norman (Chairman, independent)
• Boris Lennerhov (Vice Chairman, trotting representative)
• Katarina G. Bonde (Board member, independent)
• Marie Osberg (Board member, independent)
• Richard Woodbridge (Board member, independent)
• Marie Thelander Dellhag (Board member, trotting representative)
• Anders Lilius (Board member, galloping representative)
Employee representatives on the board:
• Björn Haglund (Board member, employee representative)
• Camilla Hasselström (Board member, employee representative)
• Alternates: Gustav Enström and Leo Wilson, both employee representatives.
The post Richard Woodbridge Elected to ATG Board of Directors appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
ReferOn has completed a management buyout, with former General Manager Alex Bukin acquiring the iGaming affiliate management platform and taking over as Chief Executive Officer.
Bukin said the deal is intended to support longer-term product and market plans: “This is an important moment for ReferOn and the beginning of a new chapter for the business. The management buyout provides us with the long-term focus required to continually advance the platform. We remain committed to product development, strengthening our offerings for partners, and supporting ReferOn’s continued growth across key markets.”
ReferOn reported that in its first 12 months post-launch it recorded 35.7 million clicks, 2.4 million registrations, 18,000 affiliates, and 136,000 active trackers. The company also said it was named “Best Affiliate Platform” in 2025 and 2026 by industry stakeholders.
The company said the ownership change will not affect day-to-day operations and that existing support and partnerships will continue. It also pointed to recent product updates including Refie, described as a built-in interface layer, alongside features such as dynamic reporting, Company Grouping, Sub-Affiliation, Independent Deal Calculation (IDC), two-factor authentication (2FA), and mobile optimization.
As part of the transition, ReferOn said its leadership team remains in place, with Vlad Bondarenko moving from Head of Product to Chief Product Officer and David Harris moving from Operations Lead to Chief Operations Officer.
The post ReferOn completes management buyout as Alex Bukin becomes CEO appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
ELA Games said its slot title Joker Winpot has been shortlisted for “Game of the Year” at the 2026 SBC Awards Americas, with winners set to be revealed on June 10, 2026 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The company described Joker Winpot as a consistent performer in its portfolio, combining a dark, character-driven theme with a 1×1 grid format.
ELA Games said the title’s core differentiator is its proprietary Winpot mechanic, a progression-based feature built around player choice. As rewards build inside the Winpot, players can either cash out or keep spinning in pursuit of higher payouts.
The 2026 SBC Awards Americas ceremony will take place at the Broward County Convention Center. Organizers expect around 600 industry professionals, with the awards running alongside SBC Summit Americas from June 9–11.
The post ELA Games’ Joker Winpot shortlisted for Game of the Year at SBC Awards Americas appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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