Industry News
Hero Gaming Launches Blitz – A faster way to play casino
Malta based Hero Gaming is famous for innovation and for creating fun gaming experiences. The company operates the gaming sites Casino Heroes and Speedy Casino as well as the sportsbook Betser.
Now, Hero Gaming has taken the next step in introducing innovative solutions in the gaming market with the launch of Blitz. Through a unique interface with NetEnt’s platform, customers can now play six times faster than normal.
Blitz lets users play at higher speeds without having to wait for the slot reels to be displayed with each spin, something that is considered time-consuming for some players.
Instead, an animated graphic showing their winnings is displayed, along with buttons that control the number of spins and size of stake.
This allows the gamer to stop the game at any time and to always have their updated account balance and remaining spins completely visible.
Tomas Bäckman, CEO of Hero Gaming, said:
“There’s a lot going on in the gaming world right now, and our focus is always on developing innovative gaming experiences that are both entertaining and technically in the forefront. Behind Blitz is a complex technical solution that meets the needs of today’s gamers – it should be easy and fast while the pleasure factor is high. You should not be disturbed by information and graphics if you don’t want to be. We’ve spent a lot of time and effort in developing a technical platform that has both flexibility and strength. Blitz is an example of what we can create on it.
Blitz is developed on NetEnt’s technology as an overlay and the collaboration has proven to be successful.
”This is a collaboration between two driven and innovative players, utilising both companies’ strengths. NetEnt has contributed with significant insights and technical know-how in this process. My assessment is that Blitz will be a contribution to the gaming market,” concludes Tomas Bäckman,”
Henrik Fagerlund, Chief Product Officer at NetEnt, comments:
”We are pleased that Hero Gaming has chosen to develop Blitz on NetEnt’s platform. Our ambition is to be at the forefront and we welcome innovative thinking and creative initiatives from our customers. In the future, I think we will see more of this type of products and solutions – to tailor the experience to different gamers. It will be exciting to see how gamers will use Blitz and we are looking forward to following developments.”
About Hero Gaming:
Hero Gaming was founded by Georg Westin in 2014 and quickly established itself as a leader in creating high-level entertainment by combining the thrill of gaming with money with mechanics often found in other games that don’t use betting. Today, the company primarily operates the online casino Casino Heroes, the sports betting site Betser and the latest addition Speedy Casino. Hero Gaming has grown significantly in recent years and now has about 110 employees. Of these, 40 work with technology and product development from the company’s Experience Center, and 70 people work with gaming.
Industry News
SKS365 keeps investing in people: GROW People Management Program took the next level
11 experienced people managers from the SKS365 group’s 4 locations gathered last week in Belgrade for the new GROW People Management Program. From 15 th to 19 th of April, through trainings, discussions, and social connections, people had the opportunity to further grow individually and as a team, while enjoying Belgrade’s city center and rivers.
Created in 2023 with the purpose of building foundation people management skills across the organization, GROW initiative evolved this year by including a new, advanced program for experienced people managers to further consolidate their skills and prepare for future opportunities.
Building and fostering connections, sharing experiences, and enjoying team building experiences – all these activities have been part of the GROWpmp agenda for the 11 people managers coming from Commercial, Product and Development, Finance, and Sportsbook departments of the group’s 4 locations – Malta, Italy, Austria, Serbia.
GROWpmp included a variety of topics that people managers in SKS365 recognized as the key areas for management development. Topics such as influence through communication, team effectiveness, DEI, through to presentation skills and business topics like understanding finance and management reporting, were delivered with the support of external professionals and internal experts, while designed and organized by the SKS365 People & Culture team.
Industry News
Kindred’s Share of Revenue from High-risk Players Shows Slight Increase
Kindred Group plc’s (Kindred) share of revenue from high-risk players showed a slight increase to 3.2% (Q4 2023 3.1%) in the first quarter of 2024. Compared to the first quarter of 2023, the high-risk revenue share decreased marginally. The percentage of detected customers who exhibited improved behaviour after interventions came in at 87.1% (compared to 87.4% in Q4 2023 and 83.0% in Q1 2023). This sustained trajectory in the improvement effect after interventions, observed over an extended period, serves as a testament to the strong dedication and collective efforts throughout the company. It reflects Kindred’s ongoing commitment to fostering positive change within the industry.
“We continue to see our share of revenue from high-risk players fluctuate quarter to quarter, and we are working closely with all teams across the company to support customers towards a more sustainable gambling experience. However, it is encouraging to see that our Journey towards Zero data has steadily decreased since 2020. A similar trend can be seen across the healthier gambling behaviour effect after interventions. This tells us two things: our work is paying off, but we need to continue to push ourselves to propel a sustainable progression,” Alexander Westrell, Director of Communications at Kindred Group, said.
“It was very encouraging to witness the open and transparent discussions at the Sustainable Gambling Conference in London on 20 March, where those with lived experience shared their important stories. Also, it is evident that technology is moving forward, and will provide greater opportunities to detect and intervene in the future. We hope to see more regulators engage with the industry and with experts to secure a more sustainable industry for everyone,” Alexander Westrell added.
Industry News
PENN Entertainment Names Aaron LaBerge as Chief Technology Officer
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.
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