Betano, Kaizen Gaming’s premium online betting and gaming brand, is turning to gaming culture to dramatize the emotional pull of football fandom in its latest international campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Created by Wieden+Kennedy São Paulo, the campaign follows a lonely video game NPC (Non-Playable Character) who escapes the artificial world of a football game to experience the intensity, unpredictability and collective emotion of a real World Cup. Set to a reimagined version of the song “Mr. Lonely,” the film positions football fandom as something too powerful to be simulated.

The work launches under the global platform “Believing Makes it Real” and will roll out across 14 countries in South America and Europe, supported by live activations and fan engagement initiatives tied to the tournament. The campaign will be 360° with dedicated adaptations per country and three main character adjustments tailored to the cultural idiosyncrasies of different regions.

“The FIFA World Cup is the ultimate anchor in global sports, and for a campaign spanning so many different markets, we wanted to match that ambition. Our brief was to articulate the raw, collective emotion of being a fan, a feeling so intense it transcends even the most advanced digital simulation. This film captures that powerful truth, reinforcing our global platform, ‘Believing Makes it Real,’ and positioning Betano at the heart of the sport’s most genuine and unpredictable moments,” said Pablo Puertas, Kaizen Gaming – Betano, Marketing Director.

“Our challenge was finding a fresh, globally resonant way to talk about the World Cup. The campaign starts in a cold, automated universe and follows the journey of an NPC discovering what happens when an entire world truly believes. It’s a contrast that turns football emotion into something impossible to program,” said Felipe Paiva and José Ferraz, Group Creative Directors at Wieden+Kennedy SP.

The campaign also reinforces Betano’s growing relationship with FIFA. The brand was recently named an Official Tournament Supporter of the FIFA World Cup 2026 for Europe and South America, following previous partnerships around the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

The 2026 edition — hosted across the US, Mexico and Canada — will be the largest in FIFA history, featuring 48 national teams for the first time.

The post Betano Sends a Video Game Character into the Real World to Capture the Emotion of the World Cup appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

George Daskalakis, Co-Founder and CEO of Kaizen Gaming, outlined the company’s remarkable evolution from a 20-person local startup into a global decacorn, sharing insights into overcoming the Greek financial crisis and the pandemic, learning from failure and pursuing a vision to make Betano the world’s most trusted iGaming brand.

Daskalakis shared these reflections during a fireside chat titled “Crazy Enough to Try: From Greece to the Globe” at the Panathenea festival in Athens, a modern reimagining of the ancient Greek festival designed to bring together technology ecosystems, startups and investors.

Building a Decacorn Against the Odds

Kaizen Gaming began its journey in 2012, bootstrapped without ever raising external capital, with a team of just 20 people. The business was launched through the Greek brand Stoiximan, which was gradually acquired by Greek retail monopoly OPAP, now part of Allwyn, from 2018 onwards. The proceeds were reinvested into talent, technology and the development of the company’s international brand, Betano.

Today, Kaizen Gaming operates across 20 markets in Europe, the Americas and Africa, employing approximately 3000 people worldwide.

“With just 20 people and a €700k investment, we managed to build a decacorn from Greece,” Daskalakis told the audience, reflecting on the commitment required to scale the business.

Forged in Crisis: Turning Adversity into Opportunity

Daskalakis spoke candidly about the major macroeconomic disruptions that tested and strengthened the company’s resilience.

“The defining moment for Kaizen Gaming came in 2015, when capital controls and the closure of banks in Greece wiped out nearly all of the company’s revenue overnight. The sources of 93% of our customers deposit methods were switched off,” Daskalakis revealed.

The COVID pandemic in 2020 wiped out half of the company’s business due to the global suspension of live sport. However, having already navigated the challenges of the financial crisis five years earlier, the team was confident it could once again turn adversity into opportunity.

In both instances, after the initial shock, Kaizen Gaming responded quickly and decisively. The company doubled down on the Greek market in 2015 while many international operators shifted their focus elsewhere, emerging as one of the market’s biggest winners just a few months later.

Failing Forward and Thinking Globally

International expansion did not come without setbacks. Daskalakis openly discussed the company’s initial failure in Poland, citing mistakes in market entry strategy, recruitment and localisation, which ultimately led to the closure of operations within a year.

Applying those lessons in Romania soon afterwards helped the company unlock a formula for international growth. Daskalakis encouraged the next generation of entrepreneurs to adopt a global mindset from the outset.

“When we first expanded, we were building for Greece and not for the world. My advice to B2C founders is: Start locally but keep a global mindset in the way you build from day one, especially in the era of AI,” he said.

The Vision: Number One in the World

Moving away from financial valuations, which Daskalakis noted were “never the goal”, he emphasised that the real reward comes from building a company and seeing the talent it develops compete successfully on the global stage. “Profits are the applause,” he said.

Looking ahead, Kaizen Gaming remains focused on international expansion and delivering a premium customer experience.

Already ranked among the top five iGaming brands globally and consistently recognised as “Operator of the Year” at major international industry awards, the company is also leveraging Betano’s high-profile partnership as an Official Supporter of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

“Our vision is for Betano to become the number one, most trusted brand in the world in our industry,” Daskalakis said.

Advice for Founders: Stay Grounded and Choose the Right Partners

Concluding the discussion, Daskalakis shared personal advice for entrepreneurs, highlighting the importance of strong partnerships and maintaining balance outside of work.

“Choose the right partners,” he said, making special mention of his business partner and Kaizen Gaming Co-Founder, Dimitris Maris. “Stay in control of your company if you can or otherwise choose carefully who you bring into it as a partner; you might be better off rejecting a bigger ticket now in order not to pay the price down the road.”

Finally, he urged entrepreneurs not to lose sight of who they are beyond their businesses.

“Don’t lose yourself. Life is so much more than a company,” he said, encouraging founders to protect relationships with family and friends and maintain “non-productive” hobbies. At the same time, he acknowledged that “to build something special, you have to be obsessed about it.”

The post George Daskalakis Shares About Kaizen Gaming’s Journey and Vision at Athens Tech Festival appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.