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SOFTSWISS Founder Ivan Montik Turns 40 – Interview

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SOFTSWISS Founder Ivan Montik turned 40 in January. He agreed to talk to us about this milestone in his life, about his career and his experience of managing a company.

 

You are the Founder of one of the most successful software gambling companies in the world, which now has more than 1,000 employees. Could you imagine something like this in your 20s and what key decisions led you to your current role? 

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I actually imagined something like this when I started SOFTSWISS as a small custom software development company in 2009. Growing it to 1,000 employees was not a coincidence but a result of the long-term strategy and hard work of many like-minded people. Without thinking big, you’ll never grow big. When we founded SOFTSWISS, it wasn’t just to make a living (although profit was an important goal) but to create a company that would stand out among the competition with its quality of services and become a well-known name on the market. 

There were many decisions made on the way. Switching from custom software development to creating our own products was an important step, and of course entering the iGaming industry played a crucial role. We didn’t just create a quality software platform, but developed our own White Label Solution, a unique service at that time. It brought us our first clients, casino operators, and some of them became key players in the market and  contributed greatly to our mutual success.

Integrating cryptocurrencies into our software was another important decision and a turning point in the history of SOFTSWISS. We were the first company to offer a Crypto Casino Solution to the market. Becoming a pioneer in crypto gaming, we took a special place in the industry and made it a large part of our current business. 

Launching various microservices and developing them into separate brands was a series of right decisions, too. Now we have such successful products, as a game studio, game aggregator, affiliate system, and payment provider, all functioning as standalone solutions and contributing to the brand’s overall success. 

Finally, partnering with people who have been beside me in good and bad times, working with me on the most challenging tasks and showing their trust has definitely helped to lead the company to where we are now. 

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You have mentioned many times in interviews that you have a degree in economics but not IT, nevertheless, you have managed to build one of the most innovative companies in the online gambling industry. In your experience, in order to create a successful and, most importantly, in-demand product, which background is more important?

Although economics and management were in focus during my university years, computer science and programming were also there. It’s been my long standing passion. When I was at school, I sold my piano to purchase my first computer and learn the basics of programming on my own. This passion played an important role in choosing what business to do and helped me make many useful contacts among technical gurus. However, to lead a company to success, it was more important to have a business vision. You need to have an understanding of how to organise people and establish effective working processes. The knowledge of economics and management is very helpful here, but it’s also about personal qualities, such as the ability to take risks, evaluate partnerships and pursue business ideas which you believe are worth pursuing.

What obstacles have you faced during the creation and development of SOFTSWISS? Tell us about the most difficult personal and professional challenges you have had to overcome. 

Entering the iGaming market was a risky idea on its own, as our team had no prior experience in this area and we were almost unaware of how complex it was. The conclusion I made was that ignorance is bliss as it keeps us connected to real-time challenges and helps tackle problems fearlessly. I learned all aspects of the industry from scratch, from the principles and requirements of gambling jurisdictions to the technical details of casino payment processing, to the peculiarities of the local gaming markets and player preferencences. It was my biggest personal challenge, but acquiring this knowledge has made the most positive impact on business.

Another challenge I faced several times in the company’s history was managing partnerships. When you grow big and do successful business, you become very noticeable and people start thinking about how they can become part of your success. Some of them are really eager to contribute their knowledge and/or money and establish a fair and mutually beneficial relationship, but unfortunately that’s not always the case. Others just want to jump in and take advantage of the company without any real contribution. I’ve had several negative experiences with unscrupulous partners who have had a destructive impact on the business, but we managed to overcome it. In the end, it made all of us stronger and taught us to be more picky when it comes to investment and partnership offers. 

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Having achieved success, it is sometimes difficult to maintain the same rhythm and not be tempted to relax and reap the rewards of your work. Where do you find points of growth and motivation to develop yourself? 

I have several sources of motivation that help me stay tuned. First of all, I follow the example of the outstanding people who have reached much bigger success than myself and still haven’t stopped climbing new heights. I’m talking about the leaders of such giants, as Amazon and Google, but there are also people in our industry who I admire. The desire to stay on top of the competition is a strong driving force. iGaming is a fast changing market with new strong players appearing every day and evolving trends. If we stop and relax, it won’t take them long to take our market share. 

The responsibility for the people who work with us, supporting them in their career and providing growth opportunities is another strong driving force for me. They joined SOFTSWISS and shared our corporate goals to become part of the common success, and I’m not allowed to let them down.

Finally, my passion for innovation doesn’t let me stop at where we are. There are so many new areas to explore, both within the iGaming industry and outside of it, and so many new projects to investigate. With the opportunities I have now, I can’t help taking on new technological challenges and investing into innovation. 

What was your approach as a manager towards driving SOFTSWISS to success? Tell us about your managerial principles and practises. Were there any surprising revelations over the several years of managing your own company?

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My main approach is staying flexible in all situations. You can’t manage the company of 1,000 people the same way you did when there were just 10. When it all just started, I was interviewing each new candidate myself before making them the final job offer. It was extremely important for me that our employees shared my personal values, that we were on the same page. It hasn’t changed much and I’m still worried about sharing the corporate culture, but I already can’t interview each employee. So I make sure that the C-level management are the people I trust, and it’s their responsibility now to communicate the corporate culture to others.

I’m also a big supporter of the agile approach and at SOFTSWISS we try to organise our  daily routine according to agile practices. From the very beginning, even before I knew what agile meant, I intuitively understood that people were our biggest asset and tried to empower each employee to take decisions and act quickly. Now, with over 1,000 employees and with our industry changing so quickly, I know it’s the only way to stay competitive. So I trust people and motivate them to take the responsibility by showing how unlimited their growth opportunities are. I noticed that when people get an opportunity to participate in the company’s profit, it’s a much better motivation than a high salary on its own. So we try to empower everyone to become part of the common success story.

Talking about the personal part of the subject, does managing such a company leave time for your personal life? 

Finding a balance between work and life is just a myth, I think. It’s a never ending battle. However, practice makes perfect, and I think I found some tricks that help me combine both so that neither suffers too much.  I used to have some difficulties with delegating responsibility, trying to accomplish all tasks on my own quickly rather than explaining it to somebody and facing unfulfilled expectations afterwards. I’ve worked on it and noticed that wise delegation saves so much time. I concentrate on the strategically important things now and let people I trust do other tasks. 

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Setting priorities is also important. For me, health is the top priority and sport is the only way to stay healthy. I do boxing and it keeps me sane both physically and mentally. Combined with the Russian sauna, it gives amazing results. Also, I never miss an opportunity to build new neural connections in my brain by learning something new. My latest achievement is snowboarding. Besides sports, time with family and friends is what makes me feel happy and complete. 

Looking back on the four decades behind you, do you think you have become wiser and now make better decisions from both a managerial and a personal point of view?

I’ve definitely become wiser. Although I’m still demanding a lot from the people I work with, I’m less of a perfectionist today and I don’t expect it from my employees.  As I said before, I’ve become more cautious in choosing partners and going into business relationships. Unfortunately, it’s the effect of some wrong decisions made in the past, but learning from my own mistakes is also an achievement. I still believe that it’s more important to take a risk and make a mistake than not to take a risk and miss a chance. So I can always forgive mistakes but I rarely forgive missed chances.

Finally, where to next? Has turning 40 changed anything? Do you feel just as energetic and motivated as before, looking for further ventures, or do you have other ambitions in mind?

I feel as motivated and energetic as I never did before. Life only starts at 40, doesn’t it? I have the experience, resources and people by my side to pursue new ventures. There are several exciting projects in the pipeline now, both for SOFTSWISS and outside of it. I’ll continue investing in innovation and supporting fresh ideas because this means investing in the future.

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Football Stats Startup Challenges Multi-Million Company With Free Publication Of Blueprints

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A little company from Poland does something very odd for the competitive market — and thinks that one man’s dream can ignite a revolution in how we treat amateur football.

Prawn, the fresh startup from Eastern Europe with the international team, has announced its first hardware solution for recording football matches. But it is not on the shelf of the local store and does not pop out on the web page as an annoying ad. The users can literally obtain blueprints free of charge and craft it themselves.

Such an unusual decision is aimed at challenging the market that has been ignored and omitted by the big sports tech companies for years or even decades. Amateur football is miles and generations behind the professionals in the way players can assess their performance and improve — that is what Prawn dared to change.

They have already entered the market with the PrawnApp[a] that provides analytics for amateurs who record their match performance and upload the video. Powered by an AI, this system gives some key figures — goals, passes, dribbling attempts etc. — and, which is important, some tips for improvement. The service can be also used as a platform for creating highlights thanks to its ability to combine footage from different angles. The app is easy to try: each user is granted one month free of charge.

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In this field Prawn faces some obvious competition. Other companies have released their own vision of prone holders for recording matches which is not much of a difference in functionality to what the Polish startup gives away for free on their Instagram page for following and tagging a friend. But there is a difference — the price tag.

Prawn developers, passionate football players and fans themselves, know exactly what the amateur footballers want — affordable tech for capturing their games and great service for analytics and improvement. That is exactly what PRAWNER[b] (that is how the phone holder is labeled) and PrawnApp are about.

The company has already proven that its ideas resonate with the players and sports industry: the initiative to create a global map of available pitches was mentioned 152 times in U.S., European and even Indian media, and their web page was visited by thousands of people within a couple of weeks. The Polish startup promotes its vision with a simple principle: those who love football and want to be better at it should not pay more, but play more.

The post Football Stats Startup Challenges Multi-Million Company With Free Publication Of Blueprints appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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PAGCOR CHIEF WELCOMES, RECOGNIZES NEW EMPLOYEES’ UNION

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Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco met with the newly elected officials of the PAGCOR Employees’ Association at the agency’s corporate offices in Pasay City on Monday, September 8.
Chairman Tengco said he recognizes PAGCEA as the legitimate representative of PAGCOR workers and expressed willingness to work with the group to promote and protect the welfare of employees.
A photograph taken after the cordial meeting shows Chairman Tengco with some of the association officers led by PAGCEA National President Crisanto Paris (4th from right), National Vice President Ednardo Capati (5th from left) and Secretary General Veronica Sy (3rd from right), among others.

The post PAGCOR CHIEF WELCOMES, RECOGNIZES NEW EMPLOYEES’ UNION appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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BGCS and BGMS league stages conclude; rising stars set to meet pros in the playoffs

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Following 20 days of high-octane esports action, the league stages of the OnePlus Android Battlegrounds Mobile India Challenger Series (BGCS) 2025 and the OnePlus Android Battlegrounds Mobile India Masters Series (BGMS) 2025 have officially concluded. The results now set the stage for the highly anticipated Playoffs on September 9, where India’s rising esports stars will take on established pros for a coveted spot in the Semi-Finals and ultimately the Grand Finals of India’s most-watched esports event.

In the final week of BGCS 2025, where 16 teams battled for glory, Nebula Esports, qualifiers from the OnePlus Campus Dominate initiative, topped the table with 222 points. They were followed by Sinewy Esports in second with 213 points, Team Versatile in third with 201 points, and Team H4K in fourth with 163 points. All four teams have secured qualification for the BGMS 2025 Playoffs. As the official amateur feeder league into BGMS, BGCS has not only spotlighted emerging talent but also provided a competitive pathway into India’s premier esports stage.

“With the introduction of BGCS this year, our aim was to create a structured pathway for emerging gamers to transition into the professional BGMI esports ecosystem. It is particularly encouraging to see that the winning team qualified through the nationwide collegiate qualifiers by OnePlus, and it has been inspiring to witness all participating teams showcase their skills and earn their opportunity to compete at the next level. This is precisely the kind of platform NODWIN Gaming, together with our partners set out to create, to identify and nurture the next generation of esports talent,” said Akshat Rathee, Co-founder and Managing Director, NODWIN Gaming.

Meanwhile, in BGMS 2025, 24 of the nation’s top BGMI teams competed in 56 matches each. At the end of an intense league stage, Team Revenant XSpark finished on top with 557 points, closely followed by Team SouL with 551 points. Gods Reign claimed third place with 533 points, while NoNx Esports secured fourth with 529 points. These top four teams have earned direct qualification to the BGMS Grand Finals, scheduled from September 12 to 14.

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The road to the finals continues as the bottom 12 teams from the BGMS League Stage advance to the Playoffs, where they will be joined by the top four BGCS squads. The top eight teams from the Playoffs will then move into the BGMS Semi-Finals from September 10 to 11, competing alongside the 5th to 12th placed teams from the BGMS League Stage. From there, the top 12 semi-finalists will join the four directly qualified teams in the BGMS Grand Finals, where 16 teams will battle it out for the crown and a major share of the INR 1.5 crore prize pool.

Season 4 of BGMS continues to be supported by OnePlus as the Title Sponsor and Official Smartphone Partner, with Android returning as Co-Title Sponsor and TVS Motor Company entering its third consecutive year. The tournament also sees the presence of Red Bull in its second year, along with the debut of Duolingo English Test as Official Learning Partner, Swiggy as Official Food Delivery Partner, and Bisleri as Official Hydration Partner.

The BGMS Season 4 Playoffs will be broadcast live on Star Sports Khel and on JioHotstar from September 9 to 11, airing during prime-time from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM, making it the only esports tournament in India with national television presence.

The post BGCS and BGMS league stages conclude; rising stars set to meet pros in the playoffs appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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