iGaming
Optimove Announces Opening of APAC Operations; Appoints Jack Wheeler to Lead the Region
Optimove, the leader in Positionless Marketing and the #1 player engagement platform in iGaming, today announced that after more than two years of activity in the Asia-Pacific region, it has opened operations in the region with two offices. iGaming veteran, Jack Wheeler, has been appointed the Head of APAC.
Wheeler brings more than ten years of experience in enterprise sales, SaaS innovation, and iGaming. He most recently served as Co-Founder and COO of PRLY, a community-based SaaS platform for the sports and iGaming sectors. His prior roles include leadership positions at Salesforce, where he helped drive APAC initiatives, as well as advisory roles with iGaming syndicates and equity positions in multiple Asia-based iGaming start-ups.
“Jack brings an exceptional mix of entrepreneurial drive, enterprise experience, and regional expertise to Optimove,” said Motti Colman, VP of Revenue at Optimove. “His deep understanding of both the iGaming and sports industries, paired with his proven ability to scale partnerships in APAC, makes him the ideal leader for our expansion in this fast-growing market.”
As Head of APAC, Wheeler will focus on growing Optimove’s presence among iGaming operators across the region.
“This is a pivotal moment for iGaming in APAC,” said Wheeler. “The fast growth across the region, particularly in the Philippines and Malaysia, presents a major opportunity for brands to scale smarter, faster, and more profitably. Optimove’s experience in helping operators grow across the globe will be a boon to APAC operators as they map out their strategy. Optimove’s Positionless Marketing approach, and the fact that it is the number one engagement platform in iGaming, makes this especially exciting to me.”
Optimove’s APAC expansion comes in response to rising global demand for unified marketing platforms that combine data, automation, and personalization at scale. By enabling marketers to independently launch personalized, real-time campaigns, Optimove is transforming how iGaming operators grow player relationships and lifetime value.
A key offering for the region is Optimove’s Ignite+ program. The comprehensive program is designed to accelerate growth for emerging iGaming and sports betting operators. It offers exclusive access to Optimove’s #1 Player Engagement Platform, along with expert CRM guidance, actionable insights, and proprietary industry benchmarks. Optimove Ignite+ empowers operators to enhance player engagement, improve marketing efficiency, and scale efficiently in a highly competitive market.
In addition to being the APAC Lead, Jack Wheeler is a Senior Account Executive at Optimove.
The post Optimove Announces Opening of APAC Operations; Appoints Jack Wheeler to Lead the Region appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Christmas slot
Spinomenal marks the start of the holiday season with Majestic Santa
Reading Time: < 1 minute
Leading iGaming content provider Spinomenal has unwrapped its new title Majestic Santa, signalling the start of the festive season.
Spinomenal’s festive-inspired treat is a 5×3 slot that is bursting with Christmas imagery including red stockings, gingerbread men, and glistening golden bells. The reels are beautifully presented within a golden frame amongst snow-covered rooftops, softly glowing windows, candles, and lanterns. A festive, homely soundtrack wraps players snugly into the action as they look to win.
Unwrapping three Christmas wreaths will take players into the Free Spins game. Before the round begins, players spin the Wheel of Fortune to determine both the number of free spins (between 10 and 40) and the symbol that will double during the feature.
Majestic Santa’s bonus feature is triggered when three luxurious gold ribboned presents appear on screen. Players are given three spins to start, and the goal is to complete the metre by collecting Scattered winning symbols.
One segment of the metre is completed with five present symbols and players can win extra spins when they find a +1 symbol. Once the spins end there will be the final payout calculated by the final filled metre cell.
Majestic Santa also includes Stacked Wilds, where Wild symbols can land during spins to elevate the chances of a festive win. In the base game, only Double Symbols can be triggered — transforming all symbols into their double form for even greater payout potential.
Spinomenal CO-CEO, Omer Henya commented: “Majestic Santa is an ode to the magic of the holiday season. Its warming visuals and festive soundtrack perfectly complement the excitement of Stacked Wilds and Double Symbols, delivering unmistakable Christmas cheer and plenty of chances to win.”
The post Spinomenal marks the start of the holiday season with Majestic Santa appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Big Sugar Bonanza Xmas
Stakelogic adds festive flavour to fan-favourite with Big Sugar Bonanza Xmas
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Get ready for a Fluffkin-filled Yuletide treat in Stakelogic’s sweetest holiday slot yet
Stakelogic is spreading festive cheer this December with the release of Big Sugar Bonanza Xmas, a delicious sequel of the candy-coated hit, Big Sugar Bonanza. Launching on 1st December 2025, the new game transforms the Fluffkins’ sugary kingdom into a winter wonderland of treats and turbo-charged multipliers.
Players are invited back into a world where cotton candy clouds float above chocolate rivers and candy cane trees glisten beneath a frosty sky. The ever-mischievous Gumdrop Giggles returns to lead his merry band of Fluffkins; fluffy monsters who live to spread festive joy and shower players with sweet rewards. Every spin builds anticipation as sugar blasts expand the Mystery Multiplier, climbing all the way up to a spectacular x512, edging players closer to the gates of the legendary Candy Castle, where unimaginable riches await.
Beneath its snowy surface lies the same exhilarating Cluster Pays mechanic that made the original such a hit. Identical symbols form winning clusters, burst away in sugary explosions, and trigger cascading wins that can combine for a total payout of up to 5,000x the bet.
The Mystery Multiplier itself returns in all its glory, appearing beneath the reels in varying shapes from 1×1 to 7×7 and doubling in value with every winning blast. As the multiplier grows, so does the tension, especially when paired with the game’s brand-new festive Scatters: Candy Cane, Gingerbread Man, Yule Log Slice, and Cookie symbols, each clearing the grid in its own sparkling way to unlock fresh cascades of candy-coated chaos.
The Free Spins Bonus feature adds even more sweetness. Landing 3 to 7 Scatters unlocks up to 20 Free Spins, followed by a Mini Game that decides how many Special Scatters players will take into the round. Once active, the Mystery Multiplier remains throughout, doubling in value with every sugary hit. Collecting Gold Star Scatters increases its size and awards one extra Free Spin, while Gumdrop Giggles ensures at least one Special Scatter lands on every spin, keeping the festive momentum alive.
Players can add an extra sprinkle of excitement with Super Stake
, doubling their chance of triggering Free Spins for 50% of their bet, or dive straight into the action with the Buy Bonus option for 100x their bet.
James Jelliffe, Head of Slots at Stakelogic, said: “Big Sugar Bonanza Xmas captures everything that made the original so charming and dials it up for the festive season. Gumdrop Giggles’ world feels even richer and more vibrant, and the gameplay strikes that balance between light-hearted fun and serious win potential. It celebrates the joy of play and adds a touch of Christmas magic.”
The post Stakelogic adds festive flavour to fan-favourite with Big Sugar Bonanza Xmas appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Affiliate Industry
Beyond Bonuses: Shaun Decesare’s Mission to Redefine Affiliate Integrity in iGaming
Reading Time: 5 minutes
Vision & Motivation
You mentioned this was a “pipedream 10 years in the making.” What finally gave you the push to take the leap into owning and rebuilding an affiliate site?
It was always a dream of mine to have my own business and ‘be my own boss’ so to speak. I’ve taken an interest in the iGaming sector from a very young age and I knew this was instantly a passion of mine. What gave me the impetus to take the leap was twofold. The first being that I had been delaying this for too long, I decided that this is it, I will take the leap of fate and live and die by my decisions. The Second being I wanted to get out of the monotonous 9-5 routine. Having a young family, I want to prioritise spending as much time with them as possible. Doing this has allowed me to do that.
What does success look like for you with CasinoBonus360—not just in terms of traffic or revenue, but in how the brand is perceived by users?
Taking the site back to its glory days of the late 2010s, having witnessed first hand the success of this whilst at my former role within Catena Media, I know its potential is through the roof. I want CB360 to be a trusted, well reviewed site that users can check out all brands with confidence that this is not just a money grab. The users are being put first.
Why is trust such a central pillar in your vision for the site? What do you think has eroded trust in this space, and how do you plan to rebuild it?
Trust is at an all time low in this industry, scams are everywhere you look. As a consumer, this is evident in all forms of the gambling industry. I want to right the wrongs of others and attempt to restore the faith back to what it once was. We plan to rebuild it through various means, such as delivering a top quality service to all our new and existing users. One that is meaningful and long lasting. This will triumph over any quick financial gain.
Editorial Direction & Content Strategy
You’ve emphasized tougher editorial standards and evergreen content. What does your editorial process look like now compared to the previous version of the site?
We are not comparing ourselves to anyone else because we do not know how other teams operated. The shift has to happen inside the own workflow. In the past, things were faster, more intuitive and less documented. Today the process is far more deliberate with clear research steps, structured fact checking, internal reviews, consistent criteria and a final quality pass. It is a more mature and more disciplined version of how we used to work, still personal but with higher standards and better control.
How are you ensuring your reviews and guides are genuinely useful to users rather than just SEO-driven?
We start with real user questions and not with keyword lists. Every claim needs a source or a test reference. If a keyword does not fit naturally, we leave it out. The content must read smoothly and help the reader get clarity and make a decision. Useful content performs better in the long run than keyword tactics.
Can you walk us through how your team scores or tests casinos? What makes your approach different from competitors’?
We play for real. We register, verify, deposit, withdraw and talk to support. We score what happens, not what is promised. No gut ratings and no hidden deals. Every score follows the same criteria and the same pressure test. If a casino fails on trust or transparency, it gets called out.
What are some examples of content you’ve either removed or completely rewritten during the rebuild—and why?
Anything that wasted space or repeated nonsense is gone. Old fluff bonus pages, outdated lists, weak guides and duplicated topics were cut. Only the content that delivers real answers survived. Everything else was removed because it did not deserve attention.
SEO & Technical Evolution
You’ve worked with an SEO/site manager to shift toward a more data-driven SEO approach. What’s been the biggest mindset shift in how you approach SEO now?
We stopped chasing keywords and started aiming for accuracy. SEO is now a data tool, not a shortcut. We choose topics where we can deliver real value and real testing. No more trying to win fast. The goal is long term authority, not temporary spikes.
You’ve spoken about moving away from “keyword stuffing.” How do you balance SEO goals with writing content that feels natural and user-focused?
We write like humans and fix anything that sounds robotic. SEO helps with structure, but it never dictates the voice. If the text feels fake or over optimized, it gets rewritten. Users come first. Algorithms follow later.
What are the key technical improvements you’ve made (or plan to make) to the site’s infrastructure to support long-term stability and performance?
We stripped the site down and rebuilt it in a way that does not break every time the internet sneezes. The code is cleaner, the plugins are trimmed down, caching is actually doing its job and every asset is optimized instead of thrown in raw. The structure is modular so we can grow without creating a monster we cannot maintain.
We also stopped pretending that Google is the only gatekeeper. Search is shifting toward AI driven answers, so the site needs to be fast, clear and machine readable. That means better schema, tighter linking, cleaner layouts, consistent data structures and content that is easy for AI systems to interpret. The goal is not just ranking but becoming the source that AI tools pick because the information is solid and well structured.
Industry Insights & User Perspective
With your background in the gaming industry, what are the biggest misconceptions affiliate sites have about what players want?
Number 1 is surely welcome bonuses, these are a thing of the past. The average consumer is now smart enough to know that welcome bonuses are traps. They actually have the opposite intended effect of what they were originally designed to do. In fact, we are targeting brands that have as low of a wagering requirement as possible. We do not enlist brands that have over 20x wagering requirements. This is completely unrealistic to anyone to ever obtain any chance of a withdrawal. Gambling should be fun, it should not increase the anxiety of the user.
What red flags do you think users should be aware of when reading affiliate content on other sites?
Always check out the authors on site and see if they are real people, most sites put down fake characters for one reason or another which just erodes the authenticity of the brand. This is by far away my number 1 red flag.
How are you collecting feedback from users, and how does that inform your content and design decisions?
We are conducting surveys with our users on a monthly basis and asking for what they like and what they don’t like. This will allow us to adjust our articles and content accordingly. We firmly believe in consumer first at CB360 and this is the motto will stand by for the lifespan of our site.
Looking Forward
What challenges are you expecting in the next 6–12 months, and how are you planning to tackle them?
The number one challenge is to increase the traffic on site. Whilst we have overhauled all the outdated content with brand new, relevant, beautiful pieces of work, we are still struggling to see a big increase in traffic. This may be due to google updates that have hampered SEO of late. We are looking at all avenues into new avenues to increase traffic.
Do you see CasinoBonus360 expanding into new verticals, formats, or markets in the future?
For now, we shall take things one step at a time, we have a 12 month plan which we are executing, and should it come to fruition, we will examine our options further down the line.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone considering launching or rebuilding an affiliate site today, what would it be?
Get ready for a lot of work, it is easier said than done, but the rewards will be worth it.
The post Beyond Bonuses: Shaun Decesare’s Mission to Redefine Affiliate Integrity in iGaming appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Editorial Direction & Content Strategy