Industry News
Wazdan Honoured with Two Prestigious MiGEA Awards
Wazdan is celebrating after walking off with two key prizes at Malta’s iGaming Excellence Awards 2019.
The innovative games developer prevailed in a competitive category to secure the title of Malta’s Best Gaming New Slots Developer. It also clinched the prestigious Malta’s Best iGaming Online Product of the Year gong, capping a superb 12 months for the company.
Wazdan has caught the attention of leading operators across the globe thanks to its innovative suite of tech-rich, omni-channel casino games. Recent partnerships for Wazdan include tie-ins with Kindred, SuprNation, Avento, InBet Games, ComeOn and White Hat Gaming.
The pioneering team at Wazdan has been honoured with a clutch of awards over the past year in recognition of its contribution to the on-going success of the iGaming industry.
“We are very proud and excited to gain industry recognition from an independent panel of expert judges,” says Wazdan’s Head of Sales, Andrzej Hyla. “The iGaming sector is full of dynamic developers and to be recognized as the best in the business is a great honour.”
“These awards are a testament to the team’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of technology and producing engaging, exciting, feature-rich games that meet the desires of the modern player on a range of different channels. We will continue to blaze a trail of innovation going forwards as we seek to become a trusted partner for operators across the world.”
Games from Wazden boast vibrant graphics and an extremely smooth user interface, while they can be tailored according to the particular preferences of each individual player. This has seen them soar in popularity over the past year. Unique Wazdan Features are the key to Wazdan’s success and include the patented, world-first, truly innovative Volatility Levels™, the thrilling Unique Gamble Feature, Ultra Lite Mode, mobile-friendly Energy Saving Mode, Ultra Fast Mode, Double Screen Mode and the newest Unique Wazdan Feature, Big Screen Mode.
Wazdan has been developing innovative games for more than a decade and it now offers more than 110 striking HTML5 games. The portfolio includes extremely popular titles such as Magic Stars 3, 9 Lions, Great Book of Magic Deluxe, Magic Target Deluxe, Los Muertos™, Magic Stars 5 and Space Gem™, as well as newly released titles, such as Juicy Reels, Magic Stars 6 and Space Spins, which were all received with great industry enthusiasm at ICE London 2019. Wazdan releases at least one new game each month and has recently announced the release of three new exciting games: Lucky Reels, Larry the Leprechaun, and Relic Hunters™ and the Book of Faith.
Already off to a rapid start this year, the team at Wazdan shows no signs of slowing down. Be sure to follow all the latest news at www.wazdan.com
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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