Industry News
SiGMA Attendees Wowed by the Preview of Three New Wazdan Games
SiGMA 2019 saw Wazdan showcase three brand new game titles to an eager SiGMA audience.
Done for another year, SiGMA 2019 was a smashing success for the team at Wazdan, who’ve all come back to HQ delighted to have had the opportunity to host an exquisite wine-pairing dinner and mingle with their existing customers, as well as meet a slew of new contacts.
The greatest entertainment from the Wazdan crew had to be the big reveal of three new game titles; Neon City™, Butterfly Lovers™, and their brand-new, futuristic slot, Reel Hero, the game to steal the show, creating much hype about its upcoming launch in 2020.
Neon City™ embodies what a modern fruit-themed online slot game should look like, combining futuristic tech elements with the fruit-themed slot style that slots players have loved for decades. Butterfly Lovers™, on the other hand, takes players back in time to the Eastern Jin dynasty period, following a story of forbidden love that can only come together in spirit as butterflies.
Both Neon City™ and Butterfly Lovers™ are due for release before the end of the year.
Reel Hero, the much-awaited release for 2020, pays homage to the classic sci-fi cinema of the ’80s with its retro-style graphics and soundtrack, that merges with the modern tech-progressive elements expected from Wazdan games, including four exciting bonus features, and jaw-dropping technically advanced graphics.
The final element that makes Wazdan games so uniquely Wazdan, and so deeply desired by players and operators alike, is the Unique Wazdan Features which have been weaved into every game, allowing players to tailor their gameplay according to their unique style and preference.
Adding to what was already a great week, Wazdan won the Slot Game of the Year Award at the Malta Gaming Awards for their star release, Larry the Leprechaun. The category, Slot Game of the Year, looks at all the latest slots to see which “offers the best odds and highest payouts, with high stakes jackpots and engaging narratives that show off beautiful graphics and attention to detail. From classic games to modern twists, these will appease even the pickiest player,” and the judges decided that Larry the Leprechaun fit their criteria.
Head of Sales at Wazdan, Andrzej Hyla, said of the event: “We had a great time at SiGMA 2019. It was a pleasure to re-connect with many of our existing partners at dinner, to accept the award for Solt Game of the Year and, of course, it was a lot of fun to reveal our three new games. We are incredibly proud of our new titles, Neon City™, Butterfly Lovers™ and Reel Hero, and it was thrilling to see a tremendous amount of excitement from the attendees at SiGMA 2019.”
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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