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Big Fish Games lands new managing director and president
Former Electronic Arts and Zynga executive Jeff Karp is joining Big Fish Games as managing director and president, responsible for leading the Seattle-based casual games company under its second corporate parent in four years.
Big Fish Games founder and former CEO Paul Thelen, who oversaw the sale of the company to Kentucky Derby operator Churchill Downs Inc. for $885 million in 2014, left following Big Fish’s $990 million acquisition by Australia’s Aristocrat Technologies, which was completed in January. Jeff Goldstein, Aristocrat’s chief digital officer and chief strategy officer, was overseeing Big Fish before Karp was brought on board.
Aristocrat is announcing Karp’s appointment as the new Big Fish leader this morning. He will be based in Seattle in his new role.
Karp has more than 15 years of experience in the video games industry. He spent more than 10 years at game giant EA in a variety of positions, most notably as the executive vice president of EA’s Play Label. There, he oversaw recognizable franchises like The Sims and EA Sports.
“I am honored to be working with such a creative and talented group, who are focused on enhancing life through exceptional play,” Karp said in a news release announcing his appointment. “Big Fish is a content-rich company and its employees are passionate about making great games that bring joy and fun to millions of players around the world.”
At Zynga, where he was executive vice president and chief marketing and revenue officer, Karp worked on games like Words With Friends and Draw Something. Karp also had a stint at GSN Games as the executive vice president of social and mobile games.
Most recently, Karp was the CEO of Sports Illustrated Play, which was acquired by Comcast/NBC this year. The digital youth sports platform had 17 million monthly users. Karp left the job in January.
In his new role, the company says Karp will oversee the company’s continued growth and manage its portfolio of games, including Big Fish Casino, Cooking Craze, and Gummy Drop.
“Jeff’s expertise in growing games into global entertainment franchises is unsurpassed,” said Aristocrat’s Goldstein in a news release. “His proven track record and deep experience in the games industry make him the ideal person to drive Big Fish’s growth strategy, and ensure the business delivers its full potential.”
The market for casino-based online video games was dealt a blow in March, when a federal appeals court ruled that the Big Fish Casino constituted illegal online gambling. The ruling, currently under appeal, also has repercussions for other casino games that use a similar virtual currency system.
Thelen, a former RealNetworks executive, founded Big Fish Games in Seattle in 2002. Big Fish Games in 2017 posted $466 million in net revenue and $80.3 million in adjusted earnings before interest, depreciation, taxes and amortization, according to financial statements from publicly held Churchill Downs. That was down from $486.2 million in revenue and $82.2 million in EBIDTA in 2016.
Big Fish has a regional office in Oakland, Calif., in addition to its Seattle HQ, which is shifting to a new location in the city. A spokesperson says the company currently has 735 employees overall, with 630 of them in Seattle.
Source: geekwire.com
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Amusnet Announces Partnership with Onlandia.org.ua
Amusnet, a top-tier gaming provider, has announced a new partnership with Onlandia.org.ua, a prominent Ukrainian iGaming affiliate. This collaboration is designed to leverage Onlandia’s extensive market reach and dedicated platform to amplify Amusnet’s brand presence and effectively drive engagement within the Ukrainian market.
The partnership will utilise Onlandia’s platform to feature exciting game content, exclusive interviews and run various activities. It will also ensure Ukrainian players have direct access to the latest news and updates from Amusnet.
“We are excited to partner with Onlandia.org.ua. By combining their expertise in audience engagement with our top-tier portfolio, we can drive substantial regional growth and strengthen brand visibility in this key focus market for Amusnet. This collaboration represents a strategic step toward expanding our footprint and delivering long-term value to operators and players,” said Liliya Chatalbasheva, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Amusnet.
“We are delighted to begin this partnership with Amusnet. We see them not just as developers, but as reliable partners who strive to ensure their games are presented fairly and transparently. This collaboration will allow us to continue providing high-quality content for Ukrainian players, helping them navigate the world of the gaming industry,” said a representative of onlandia.org.ua.
This partnership marks a significant step for Amusnet in reinforcing its commitment to the Ukrainian market and shaping the future of online gaming in the region.
The post Amusnet Announces Partnership with Onlandia.org.ua appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Dutch Gambling Regulator to Amend its Remote Gambling Licensing Policy Rules
The Dutch Gambling Regulator (KSA) is to amend its Remote Gambling Licensing Policy Rules effective January 1, 2026. This amendment is necessary, in part, because the licenses granted in September 2021 expire on October 1, 2026. Licenses have a term of five years. The amended policy rules impose new obligations on all applicants, but primarily provide guidance on the process for applying for a follow-up license by providers already holding a license.
New requirements apply to all license applicants. For example, applications must include a document explaining how providers plan to inform the KSA (Netherlands Authority for the Protection of Gaming) in a timely manner about important changes to their policies and operations. Applicants must also now include an exit plan explaining how they will reduce their gaming offerings once the license expires.
Furthermore, an important addition has been made regarding reliability: if providers have not complied with final or provisionally enforceable court rulings at the time of their application, their reliability is not beyond doubt. This constitutes grounds for refusing a license. Providers must also now submit a Wwft risk analysis with their application.
A separate application procedure applies to applications for a follow-up license by parties already active on the market. In this procedure, various components will be reassessed, including the addiction prevention policy and the recruitment and advertising policy. A new integration test will be conducted for the control database (CDB) component. They must also meet the new conditions that apply to all applications, as mentioned above.
When opening the online market, the legislature deliberately opted to issue permits with a term of (maximum) five years. By using a fixed-term permit, the legislature intended that the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (KSA) would consider supervisory experience gained in each application for a subsequent permit. Providers who have made mistakes in the past five years must explain during the application process how they have learned from previous mistakes and how they intend to prevent recurrence. If the KSA finds this explanation insufficient, the permit may be denied or additional conditions and restrictions may be imposed.
The post Dutch Gambling Regulator to Amend its Remote Gambling Licensing Policy Rules appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Bragg Gaming Group Appoints Matej Filipančič as Global Sales Director
Bragg Gaming Group, a global leader in next-generation iGaming content and content delivery, engagement and player management technology, has announced the appointment of Matej Filipančič to the role of Global Sales Director.
Filipančič, who previously served as Regional Head of Sales and then as Business Development Director at Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) has extensive iGaming industry experience, having previously spent over five years at Bragg as the Company’s Head of Turnkey Solutions.
As Head of Turnkey Solutions, Filipančič was instrumental in adapting Bragg’s PAM platform for new regulated markets, including the Netherlands which has since become the company’s biggest market, and was a key figure in developing the Company’s market performance and strategy.
Returning to Bragg in this newly created role, Filipančič will spearhead Bragg’s global sales strategy, working to drive further growth and expansion of the company’s market-leading aggregation platform, its innovative proprietary content, robust Player Account Management (PAM) system and cutting-edge Fuze AI-powered engagement solutions.
His deep understanding of Bragg’s product suite and his experience in building and strengthening client relationships will be invaluable in his new role.
“I am incredibly excited to take on this new challenge at such a pivotal moment for Bragg Gaming. Bragg is known for its forward-thinking approach, and I am honored to lead the sales team as we showcase our truly innovative content and technology. We have a powerful offering, and I look forward to working closely with our partners to help them succeed and further solidify Bragg’s position as a must-have supplier in the global iGaming space,” said Matej Filipančič.
Bragg Gaming Group Chief Commercial Officer Neill Whyte said: “Matej’s deep industry knowledge and strategic vision will be invaluable as we continue to execute on our growth strategies. His passion for our products and understanding of our partners’ needs make him the ideal leader to drive our business development efforts.
“This appointment reinforces our commitment to expanding our reach and delivering superior value to our partners through our full-spectrum technology and content portfolio.”
Matej Filipančič’s appointment is effective immediately and he will be based at Bragg’s Ljubljana office.
The post Bragg Gaming Group Appoints Matej Filipančič as Global Sales Director appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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