SiGMA Group has announced it has acquired a majority stake in iGaming Academy, which offers vocational and compliance training in over 25 jurisdictions, to more than 60,000 gaming professionals yearly, for an undisclosed figure.

This acquisition is set to greatly complement their current portfolio by embedding various forms of industry education throughout SiGMA’s global event schedule and online network.

Eman Pulis, Founder of the SiGMA Group, said: “The acquisition comes at a perfect time for us. We’ve been working closely with iGaming Academy for many years now. I love what Jaime and the Conexus Group have built and look forward to supporting this growth with new initiatives and a wider offering of educational programs globally. The industry is crying out for more talent and regulatory insight, with new markets continuing to regulate. As a result, we want to be very active in this business.”

Robert Dowling from Conexus Group said: “Conexus will remain actively involved in the iGaming Academy and our clients will continue to receive the outstanding training they expect from this brand,” said Rob Dowling, CEO of The Conexus Group. “We are confident that this strategic acquisition by SiGMA will allow the iGaming Academy to expand and improve its services offering to better serve the evolving training needs of the iGaming industry.”

Jaime Debono said: “This acquisition marks a major milestone for iGaming Academy – our mission has also been to educate the industry – both on key regulatory compliance topics as well as vocational training for existing and new markets. With the support of SiGMA Group, we will be able to accelerate this strategy through their global event calendar, enrich both training and event content and reach a much wider audience than ever before.”

Vinicius Moraes de Carvalho, Investment Partner at Ikigai Ventures, said: “The acquisition of IGA is another important milestone for SiGMA’s vision. IGA’s extensive training library rounds up our offer of services for the igaming industry by allowing us to be at the forefront of educational and regulatory tools for the market. We have strong confidence in Jaime and his team and are thrilled about the next chapters.”

iGaming Academy will continue to work in their current organisational structure with Jaime Debono remaining as company CEO and continuing to work alongside his team.

The deal will continue to see the management at iGaming Academy at the helm, with SiGMA’s corporate governance and marketing arm supporting the business to go from strength to strength.

Following the acquisition, the iGaming Academy is setting up an office in Cyprus to build its online offering and content development. In addition, its revenue streams will also be bolstered through new affiliate partner deals. More courses will also be made available in multiple languages, thus meeting the global demand for training.

PENN Entertainment announced that Aaron LaBerge has been named Chief Technology Officer (CTO) effective July 1, 2024, subject to customary regulatory approvals. Mr. LaBerge will report directly to PENN CEO & President Jay Snowden.

In his new role, Mr. LaBerge will be responsible for driving the technology strategy and execution for PENN, while leading the multinational team of technologists and serving as the key business leader for the company’s Interactive division.

Mr. LaBerge spent more than 20 years at The Walt Disney Company, in two stints separated by five and a half years as a technology entrepreneur. He was most recently President & Chief Technology Officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN where he was responsible for driving all technology and product development in support of The Walt Disney Company’s two media divisions. In that role, he helped set the vision and strategic leadership for how Disney uses technology to enable storytelling and innovation, drive its business, and create unparalleled consumer experiences with entertainment and sports content.

“We are thrilled to have someone of Aaron’s caliber join our PENN executive team. Having overseen a global organization of thousands of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists, and data scientists that created some of the largest scale and most successful media properties in the world, there is no better candidate to lead our Technology and Interactive division into its future. I know Aaron is looking forward to working with Todd George, our head of operations, and our entire Executive Team to continue growing our position as a leader in online gaming, sports betting, and digital sports media,” Mr. Snowden said.

“I’m excited to join another talented team at PENN Interactive and lead our technology strategy. PENN Entertainment is at the forefront of the fast-changing gaming and sports media industry. I plan to use my experience from Disney and ESPN to help make ESPN BET an essential piece of the sports fan experience. Together, we’ll push the limits and redefine how fans interact with sports and gaming,” Mr. LaBerge said.

Prior to his most recent role at the Walt Disney Company, Mr. LaBerge was Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at ESPN from 2015 to 2018. At ESPN he played an instrumental role in the growth of ESPN’s consumer-facing digital media products and services – leading many of ESPN’s most ambitious and challenging projects and helping establish ESPN’s position as the leader in digital sports and innovative sports technology development. He was a key architect in the design, development, and engineering of ESPN’s state-of-the-art facilities in Bristol, CT; Los Angeles, CA; Charlotte, NC; and Austin, TX, as well as data centers and infrastructure that connect those facilities around the world, as well as the technology design and development to support the launch of the multi-platform SEC Network.

Between 2007 and 2012, LaBerge was co-founder and CEO of Fanzter, Inc. – a venture-funded consumer software and digital product development company. At Fanzter, he directed all day-to-day operations and led the development and launch of a variety of consumer-focused internet and mobile products, ground-breaking social and commerce technologies and more.

EPOS technology company, MADIC UK, has partnered with the operator of The National Lottery, Allwyn, to integrate The National Lottery into its next generation EPOS solution, evoPOS.

The two companies are jointly launching a prototype of the National Lottery-integrated EPOS technology at the National Forecourt Show 2024 and will be displaying it for the first time at stand N20.

Demonstrating Allwyn’s continued investment in the retail channel and in in-store technology for the future, the partnership opens up future possibilities to make The National Lottery available at any EPOS or self-checkout integrated with MADIC UK’s evoPOS. It will also make National Lottery draw-based games available in forecourt environments through EPOS and forecourt self-checkouts for the first time – with MADIC UK being the only EPOS solution provider to offer this.

The technology will complement existing National Lottery terminals by offering more ways to sell National Lottery draw-based games conveniently to customers as part of other in-store and fuel purchases. Increasing sales opportunities for retailers, it works by printing Lotto, Set For Life, EuroMillions, Thunderball or HotPicks tickets on the EPOS till roll rather than via a standalone National Lottery terminal.

This represents a huge opportunity for Allwyn and The National Lottery and ties in with the operator’s long-term ambition to offer more games, attract more players, inject more entertainment, create more winners, and raise more money for National Lottery-funded projects. The new technology will eventually open up alternative ways to reach new and existing National Lottery players, and is just one of many ways Allwyn is currently investing in retail – with all National Lottery retailers being central to its vision to grow The National Lottery responsibly over the next 10 years.

Allwyn’s Director of Channel Operations, Alex Green, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with MADIC UK as we continue to invest in the retail channel and in in-store technology for the future. Offering innovative, alternative ways to buy National Lottery draw games makes them available to more players, whether new or existing, and this helps with our primary aim of raising more money for National Lottery-funded projects – with more people playing a little.”

Emma Baillie, Solutions Management Director, MADIC UK, said: “An integration with The National Lottery and evoPOS has been on our customers’ wish list since we launched the product. Being able to work with Allwyn to offer this solution to all our customers in the future is a huge milestone in our product’s evolution.”