Rightlander Limited appoints seasoned digital marketing leader Sarafina Wolde Gabriel as Chief Strategy Officer, marking a new era of strategic expansion and innovation for the global compliance and risk management solutions provider.

Rightlander, the advertising and affiliate compliance monitoring specialist, is pleased to announce the appointment of Sarafina Wolde Gabriel as Chief Strategy Officer (CSO).

In her new role, Wolde Gabriel will work closely with the company’s founder, Ian Sims, and the broader management team to craft and implement business strategies intended to accelerate the company’s growth on a global scale.

“Sarafina brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success in strategic planning and business development,” said Ian Sims. “We are confident that her innovative thinking and strategic approach will be instrumental as we continue to grow our business and enter new markets.”

Wolde Gabriel’s remit will include expanding Rightlander’s reach into new markets and verticals, evaluating potential new product opportunities, and building strategic partnerships to boost business growth. This strategic vision aligns with the company’s objective to strengthen its market position and meet the increasingly complex needs of clients around the world.

Speaking on her appointment, she said, “I am thrilled to join Rightlander Limited and am committed to contributing to the company’s forward-looking approach. I look forward to working with Ian and the entire team to explore new opportunities and create innovative strategies that will drive global growth.”

A seasoned professional in digital marketing with over 19 years of experience, Wolde Gabriel brings to Rightlander a wealth of knowledge in leadership within the iGaming and marketing sectors.

Beginning her impressive career journey with Paysafe’s Income Access in 2004, she made significant strides, eventually serving as the company’s CMO until 2016. Her tenure with Paysafe was decorated with numerous industry awards, underscoring her expertise in driving growth and success in the digital marketing space.

In her most recent role as the VP of Strategy at Income Access, she directed innovative marketing strategies and established key business partnerships, contributing to the company’s global expansion. In 2022, Wolde Gabriel made a strategic shift, joining GeoComply, a geolocation and fraud prevention company, as a senior director, where she continued to excel in new business development and global expansion.

Wolde Gabriel holds a Master’s Degree in Marketing from the University of Surrey, UK, and a Bachelor’s degree in International Business and Marketing from Concordia University, Montreal. An active contributor to her community, she served as the President of the African Students Association during her time at Concordia University.

The addition of Wolde Gabriel to Rightlander Limited’s leadership team reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to strengthening its strategic direction and accelerating its growth trajectory.

For more information on Rightlander Limited and its comprehensive range of services, visit www.rightlander.com.

The iGaming industry’s awards season is in full swing. Today (1^st June 2023), Slotsoo is jumping on the train by launching Slotsoo Casino Awards. With this new venture, the casino comparison site wants to celebrate excellence among casino operators in a fun way, with the goal to inspire the casino industry to do better.

Fun Categories that are Relevant to Players

The Slotsoo Casino Awards consist of seven different trophies with humorous names such as The Bonus Buff and The Withdrawal Wizard. The team has made an intentional decision to keep the number low and the categories focused on the player experience.

Markus Björk, Slotsoo’s head writer and team leader, explains:

”Slotsoo wants to be the perfect mix of serious and fun – we are allergic to boring. When deciding on the different categories we made sure they resonate to players and not just media or higher-ups. We also wanted to avoid having too many trophies, because then they would lose their point. If everyone is a winner, then nobody is a winner.”

He continues to tell that every team member likes to play slots too, so they know what the average player values and what they don’t.

The Winners for Slotsoo Awards 2023

·         The Gambling GOAT – Svenbet Casino

·         The Bonus Buff – Slot Paradise

·         The Loyalty Lord – Qbet Casino

·         The Withdrawal Wizard – iBet Casino

·         The Gamification Guru – Happy Hugo

·         The Payout Professor – Snatch Casino

·         The Noisy Newcomer – Monsino

Please visit Slotsoo Casino Awards for descriptions of the trophies and detailed winner motivations.

All casinos listed on Slotsoo are automatically nominated. Instead of using an external jury to select the winners, the decision is done by the team itself – meaning the same people that actually test and review every site.

Big Plans for Expansion

The dust has barely settled from the launch of the new awards, but the Slotsoo team already have big aspirations how to expand the concept. Markus Björk shares their plans for the future:

”We want to do similar awards on our other language versions. Simultaneously, we are looking to introduce separate awards for game providers. After all, they are the backbone of the casinos, and they deserve just as much celebration.”

Who is Slotsoo?

Slotsoo is a multilingual comparison site for online casinos and slots run by a tight-knit group of slot enthusiasts. The website was launched in 2017 and offers expert reviews of casinos, slots and game providers – plus guides for different payment methods and license authorities.

The English version targets the European market as a whole, while the other languages are focusing on specific countries. Slotsoo is committed to only promote legal and licensed casinos that respect EU laws. Want to know more? Check out the page about Slotsoo or contact the team at [email protected]

In Q1 2023, the Slovak Gambling Authority conducted 2511 compliance checks, which is 201 more compared to last year.

The significant year-on-year increase in the number of checks is due to the restructuring of surveillance and the strategic set-up of the supervision by the Authority's top management.

"I am very pleased that the goals set up by the current management are also successfully fulfilled in the gambling supervision area. Of course, a big thank you to our local supervisors, who actively investigate illegal devices and supervise the fulfilment of all legal requirements by legal operators.
Having gambling under systematic supervision is one of the main missions of the Authority as a gambling regulator," said the Director General at the Office for the Regulation of Gambling (URHH), Dávid Lenčéš.

More than a 45 % increase against the same period last year was recorded in checks focused on the search of illegal gambling establishments. In the first quarter of 2023, supervisors conducted 437 compliance checks focusing on unlawful gambling as mining and quiz machines, intending to prevent further operation. As Director General said, “Increased systematic check activities of illegal establishments has its justification and brings results as, compared to 2022, the number of detected illegal gaming machines on the market is significantly reduced. Searching for illegal establishments and seizing illegal devices has a preventive nature and ultimately protects society, especially at-risk groups and the youth.”

According to the Gambling Act, small operators, such as pubs, can't operate gaming machines. The URHH must license each gaming machine since it is the only official body authorised to issue a license. Operating gambling without a given license is prohibited in Slovakia.

The Gambling Regulatory Authority also carries out surveillance remotely. In the Q1 of this year, we are talking about an almost 90 % increase in on-site checks compared with last year. Thanks to online access to the servers of gambling operators, this form of supervision allows more effective control of many establishments without physically leaving the workplace.

Establishing a specialised online gaming department in 2022 also contributed to the overall increase of supervision effectiveness over 2022-2023. The mission of the specialised department is to supervise licensed online gambling or searching for and restrict access to illegal websites operating or promoting gambling without valid licenses.