News
LeoVegas Invest in New Tech Hub in Warsaw Despite Its Products Being Unavailable in Polish Market
The Polish marketplace is a strange territory for the iGaming industry. On the one hand, it has some of the most technically able and potentially brilliant European talent who has done much to develop highly successful video games like The Witcher and Cyberpunk. This skill set is highly prized in the world of online casinos, slots, and sports betting simulation games. On the other hand, the legislature has cracked down hard on the gambling industry since the election of The Law and Justice Party to power under the leadership of Andrzej Duda. While punters in the country can still place a wager on a variety of sports betting and esports sites, all online casinos in Poland are run by the state-owned company Totalizator Sportowy which operates Total Casino.
LeoVegas is an igaming company that creates online slots and other popular casino games. Founded by Gustaf Hagman and Robin Ramm-Ericson in 2011, they have become one of Europe’s leading mobile gaming and companies. They are headquartered in Sweden, and their shares are traded on the Stockholm Nasdaq exchange. They recently announced that they would launch a new tech hub in Poland. In addition, the company is looking to strengthen its technological development and innovation.
Poland has been seen for a long time as a good option for the outsourcing of IT. The country is regarded as an IT and startup powerhouse. The outsourcing sector comprises around 700 software development companies that employ more than 150,000 specialists. The Polish workforce has a reputation for a strong work ethic and is highly educated. Krakow and Warsaw are the established tech locations, and Gdansk is quickly emerging as the next hub. In addition, Katowice has established itself as the eSports capital of Europe by investing in events and infrastructure.
In 2020 Poland was recognized as one of the most startup-friendly countries in Europe. As a result, Poland is seeing significant venture capital spending, and €477 million were raised in 2020. Like Silicon Valley, tech innovators inspire each other, leading to breakthroughs and success. Tim Draper, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, has said that Poland is a generation ahead of other European countries in understanding the potential of tech and the market system.
LeoVegas’ new Polish hub will see them join other international companies with already established offices or R&D operations in the country. They will join tech leaders such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Uber. LeoVegas’ Warsaw facility will employ sixty developers. The investment in the central European country aims to accelerate the development of the next-generation platform.
The Polish engineers will work alongside the group’s existing teams based in Sweden, the UK, and the Netherlands. The main project of the Warsaw hub is the development of LeoVegas’ proprietary player account management (PAM) system. This system is called Rhino.
Rhino is used to control all player data, transactions, payment integrations, and games across LeoVegas’ extensive portfolio. It is understood that the new tech hub is a crucial element of the group’s strategy to maintain its position at the forefront of new technology and innovation.
Mattias Wedar, Chief Product & Tech Officer at LeoVegas Group, said,
“LeoVegas’ success, and the award-winning gaming experience that we give our customers, is driven by our innovative mindset and our proprietary platform Rhino. Our new hub in Warsaw is a key part of our strategy to stay at the forefront of innovation, new product development, and payments while offering a highly personalized experience to our customers. Our new hub will kickstart this next phase of development”.
The company is now on a recruitment drive to pick up the best talent in Warsaw. The irony is that the products that will be developed in Warsaw will continue to be unavailable to the staff based in Poland. Around a third of LeoVegas’ workforce is employed in technology and product development. MGM agreed to purchase LeoVegas earlier in the year to strengthen their European presence.
News
Already Media opens new Warsaw headquarters
Already Media, the tech-driven affiliate and media company, has opened its new headquarters in the Polish capital of Warsaw.
The office will initially house more than 20 members of Already Media’s 250-strong global team, with a focus on C-suite positions including CEO, COO, CLO, CFO, as well as senior SEO department heads.
Officially opening on July 1, the office provides a base for the company as it continues to pursue a primarily remote-work strategy, hiring on-the-ground talent worldwide, particularly in the emerging markets it focuses on.
Alina Famenok, CEO of Already Media, said: “It’s a proud moment to open our new headquarters in Warsaw. We’re excited to tap into the city’s thriving tech and start-up scene, as well as adding to our team from the huge amount of local talent here. Already Media has expanded rapidly over the last couple of years, and this HQ positions us well to continue what has been a remarkable journey so far.”
Members of the Already Media team – whether they work remotely or are based in Warsaw – enjoy a wide-range of benefits, with a focus on professional growth, health and work-life balance.
The approach has helped the company build a unique culture which contributes significantly to maintaining its edge when it comes to innovation.
It has been a busy few months for Already Media. In March, it acquired iconic affiliate asset PokerListings. In the months since, PokerListings has already significantly ramped up its video content output and launched into additional markets.
News
SiGMA East Europe edition moves to Budapest with Affiliate World
SiGMA East Europe will hold its third event for the Balkan-Slavic markets in Hungary this September. Powered by Soft2Bet and taking place at the Hungaro Expo in Budapest from the 2nd to 6th of September, the event is expected to attract a 9,000-strong crowd to the expo’s Pavilion E arena.
The event will also be held back-to-back with Affiliate World, which takes place on the 5th and 6th of September in Budapest – making SiGMA East Europe a must attend for operators.
This unique partnership promises an unrivalled networking environment, offering operators the chance to connect with top tier affiliates from a diversity of sectors. With an estimated 5,000 new affiliates expected to participate, this collaboration is set to elevate opportunities for operators and suppliers alike, while also bringing many of the world’s top affiliates closer to the iGaming community. Affiliate World also took place alongside the SiGMA Eurasia event, held in Dubai earlier this year.
Affiliate Announcements
Stase Blitz: ‘For PIN-UP Partners, iGB L!VE is a trove of opportunities and sets the tone for the rest of the year’
PIN-UP Partners will be attending iGB LIVE 2024 with a mission to be at the vanguard of the affiliate sector and a pledge to set new trends as the industry prepares to bid farewell to Amsterdam ahead of iGB L!VE’s relocation to London in July 2025.
PIN-UP Partners will be using its iGB L!VE presence to build new partnerships and find affiliates as CMO Stase Blitz confirmed: “For PIN-UP Partners, iGB L!VE is a trove of opportunities, as the event brings together the best and the brightest of the iGaming industry. Every year, iGB L!VE delivers for the business, and our team leaves the event with hundreds of new contacts that have the potential to really propel our business forward.”
Looking ahead to what she believes the industry will experience at the show she noted: “We can expect to be part of what will be the biggest edition of iGB L!VE there has ever been which would be the best possible way to say a big thanks to Amsterdam in advance of the move to London in 2025.
“Like everyone in our field we are always looking to identify new affiliates and iGB L!VE provides us with the perfect platform to do exactly that. For our part we will be using our presence on booth 11-D50 to launch amazing terms for our offers alongside some catwalk-worthy merch!”
She added: “One of our goals is to build a strong community: harnessing the power of people who are the greatest influence on any industry – but in particular ours! At iGB L!VE we are planning to host a grand event where we can gather our friends and partners for networking and so much more, so don’t forget to stop by our booth!
“The PIN-UP Partners team is delighted to be a part of the iGaming industry’s greatest event.”