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Exclusive Q&A with Phillip Runyan, Founder & CEO of Hold Gaming
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Let’s begin with a few words about yourself. It’s always great to hear confident, top-class professionals say something about themselves.
I refer to myself as the Chief Executive Risk Taker – not just at the helm of Hold Gaming, but in my day-to-day life. I’m fairly certain my wife has another name for it. If it’s unorthodox, off the beaten path, or considered ‘mad’ then I’m likely to be drawn to it. I think that internal need to try things in a different way is what has helped me find success in work and my personal life.
You talk about Hold Gaming’s “deep roots in the Midwest, an area long overlooked for talent and great ideas” and the resultant “underdog mentality”. Could you elaborate on that?
I grew up in Toledo, OH and recently returned, as many do, to be closer to family. I would not say that we have an abundance of tech in my hometown but what we lack in volume we make up in chutzpah. Like many others, I left when I was younger to pursue a life I didn’t think the region could support. That has all changed. I live in a state where you can pay for your taxes in bitcoin and that’s leading the way in autonomous driving. When I’m asked where Hold Gaming is located and I reply with “Ohio,” I typically get, “oh… ok that’s great” and I can hear the inflection in their voice battle with the words they are saying. Ohio has this stigma of being rural and certainly not where a gaming company would setup shop.
You started your corporate career as the Marketing head at DoubleDown Interactive where you were in charge of bringing in customers through social media, online branding and CRM initiatives and had spectacular success. What would be your main advice to online marketers, especially in the gaming and gambling industry, regarding customer acquisition and retention?
I’d say I started my career in gaming at DoubleDown Interactive. My core skillset of the last (gasp!) 18 years has been in Online Marketing and many of the tools and processes I incorporated at DoubleDown stemmed from selling a lot of product via the internet.
I would say my best advice is to stay flexible and never hesitate to pull the plug on things that don’t work. All too often we want a product, platform, channel, creative, or a cohort to work so badly that we will throw good money after bad. Cut your losses, learn from your mistakes, and get back to the drawing board. Dare I say, fail fast but fail forward.
You founded Hold Gaming about a year back. How was the going so far? Any significant milestones?
The first year is always terrifying and exciting, simultaneously. We’ve accomplished a lot with a skeleton crew and minimal resources considering we are a startup trying to disrupt a multi-billion dollar industry here in the US. As for milestones, I’d say being the first competitive casino game for cash prizes on Apple’s App Store is massive.
Could you tell us more about Blackjack Fire, the game that you launched recently? Our readers would be curious to understand how the game is skill based rather than chance based, especially it is the first skill-based Blackjack game.
Blackjack Fire is our first release and is live in the App Store in both the US and Australia. The game allows two or more competitors to sit at their own table, with the same starting balance, the same amount of time to play their decks of cards, and the same min/max wager amount. As players win hands wagered, the won amounts convert to points on a leaderboard. Once both players have completed their timed challenge, the points are tallied and the winner of the challenge receives the prize. This can be either of virtual currency (which we call Fire Chips) or actual cash, which ranges in prize amounts from $1.00 to $100.00 USD. On top of that we have leagues where competitors can earn more cash or Fire Chip prizes at the end of the month.
Gaming industry is fast becoming a crowded sector, with a lot of new initiatives and innovations coming up a rapid pace. How do you plan to stand out in the crowd?
It feels like the industry is hyper focused on sportsbook or casino floor gaming. While I love the innovation coming out of our competitors, I still believe that the best way to stand out and grab some serious market share is to reach people on their time: at work, at home, waiting to pick up their child from school… at their convenience. We want to consume those time slots and with our burst gaming model, we’re finding that’s exactly what is happening.
Everybody talks about social gaming and incorporating blockchain technology. What are the possibilities of developing a sustainable, feasible and profitable business model that blends social media and blockchain technology into the gaming sector? Is it going to happen in the near future? Or has it already happened?
Honestly, I don’t know how blockchain fits in with social. The idea of doling out transaction fees for free-to-play games sounds expensive, especially when 95% of those (social casino) gamers aren’t payers. We look at blockchain as an opportunity to ease concerns over fairness and to allow each player to see what the other did during their challenge. It’s not at the top of our to-do list, but it’s definitely on there.
The gaming industry has undergone a change in the USA over the last one year or so since the US Supreme Court lifted the blanket ban on sports betting. Do you see the country now emerging as the global hub of sports betting and gaming?
I’ve been so heads-down on the US market, I could only fancy a guess. I don’t know if we’ll dethrone APAC, but we should be comfortable at the #2 spot.
Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
This is a Syndicated News piece. Photo credits or photo sources can be found on the source article: Exclusive Q&A with Phillip Runyan, Founder & CEO of Hold Gaming
Reading Time: 2 minutes
SOFTSWISS, a global tech leader in iGaming solutions, has won the Best Marketing Campaign 2025 title at the SiGMA Central Europe Awards for its ‘Hungry for Success? Dive in with SOFTSWISS’ campaign. The award recognises outstanding creativity, innovation, and execution in marketing campaigns that drive measurable engagement and have a significant industry impact.
The campaign made its debut at ICE Barcelona 2025, where SOFTSWISS introduced the image of a shark as a symbol of its strength, precision, and the drive to stay ahead. It encouraged partners to ‘dive in’ and grow together with SOFTSWISS, reinforcing the brand’s position as a technology leader in iGaming.
Alongside an interactive stand experience, the campaign featured a collaborative art performance by a renowned Spanish street artist Slim Safont, who created a striking shark mural live at the entrance of the expo venue. This activity reinforced the campaign’s message, leaving visitors with an unforgettable experience of interacting with the SOFTSWISS brand.
Across digital channels, ‘Hungry for Success’ achieved exceptional results, delivering strong visibility and engagement on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Google Ads. The campaign outperformed expectations in terms of impressions and reach, while earning outstanding participant feedback for its creativity and execution.
Valentina Bagniya, Chief Marketing Officer at SOFTSWISS, shares: “Hungry for Success isn’t just a campaign – it’s our mindset. It captures who we are as a brand: ambitious, brave, and determined to lead. Winning at the SiGMA Central Europe Awards proves that when creativity meets clarity and conviction, it resonates and delivers real results.”
Earlier in 2025, the company received the Best Marketing Campaign award for its ‘Cheers to 15 Years’ anniversary concept at SiGMA Africa. Later in the year, SOFTSWISS earned double recognition at the EGR Marketing & Innovation Awards. The team was named Marketing Team of the Year for its creative use of data and technology, while Valentina Bagniya, CMO at SOFTSWISS, was honoured as B2B Marketer of the Year for transforming the company’s marketing function into a global brand powerhouse.
Expanding its influence, SOFTSWISS has released the 2026 iGaming Trends Report, the fourth edition of its annual data-driven study. The ebook provides fresh insights into the industry’s future for operators, suppliers, and industry stakeholders. Visitors of the SiGMA Central Europe Summit can learn more about these trends during the 2026 iGaming Trends Marathon, which will take place on 5 November 2025, from 12:00 to 16:00, on the People, Partners & Performance Stage.
About SOFTSWISS
SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience in developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS provides comprehensive software for managing iGaming projects. The company’s product portfolio includes the Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with over 36,700 casino games, Affilka Affiliate Platform, the Sportsbook Platform, and the Jackpot Aggregator. The expert team, based in Malta, Poland, and Georgia, counts over 2,000 employees.
The post SOFTSWISS Wins Best Marketing Campaign Award in iGaming appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
RocketWisdom is one of RocketPlay’s most personal projects to date — an authentic digital book featuring over 100 real stories, rituals, and gaming habits shared by RocketPlay players. It began as a small internal effort to explore the fun side of play — how people enjoy their gaming moments and what small traditions make the experience special. It has since grown into a full eBook, now available for download.
What is RocketWisdom?
RocketWisdom is a compact, living digital book featuring 100+ stories, rituals, and personal gaming habits submitted by verified RocketPlay users. These aren’t polished guides — they’re human: lucky charms, timing bets, favourite slots, pre-spin habits, and little moments that make play unique.
RocketWisdom is more than a campaign — it’s a celebration of players’ creativity, shared fun, and community spirit.
Originally, players would periodically share their favourite gaming stories and rituals with the RocketPlay support team and on social media channels. The casino team got curious: what makes each player’s gaming moment their own? Are there funny traditions, habits, or superstitions behind the spins?
So they asked the community directly — and the response was overwhelming. More than 500 submissions arrived: many deeply personal, some playful, others describing family traditions or lucky moments. What started as a simple idea soon grew into a collection worth preserving, so RocketPlay gathered it into a book — first intended for an internal circle, but as more players asked to see it, RocketPlay decided to make RocketWisdom publicly available.
What’s inside
- 100+ real stories and rituals from players — from lucky charms to favourite slot routines
- Exclusive bonus code embedded in the book for instant testing
From 4.11, RocketWisdom can be downloaded directly from the RocketPlay website in two convenient formats — PDF and EPUB — making it easy for players to explore the collection from any device.
Why it matters
Today’s players expect more than chance — they want shared experience, creativity, and fun. RocketWisdom delivers inspiration, smiles, and connection for both seasoned spinners and newcomers.
For streamers and content creators, it offers authentic and entertaining material ideal for livestreams, reviews, and community challenges.
For operators and affiliates, player-driven storytelling helps build engagement and a more connected community.
Beyond being a book, RocketWisdom became a heartfelt celebration of creativity and playfulness shared by the RocketPlay community. Inside the book, readers will find promo codes that invite them to try selected games — closing the loop between inspiration, curiosity, and play.
RocketPlay is a trusted online casino with over 9,000 slots from top providers. Highly rated on CasinoGuru (9.8/10), AskGamblers (9.06/10), and Trustpilot (4.4/5), it’s recognized for its quality, fairness, and reliability. The platform holds trust certificates from Chipy.com, CasinoGuru, and AskGamblers, and offers regular bonuses, tournaments, and strong Responsible Gaming features.
Reading Time: < 1 minute
Orange Gaming B.V. has been granted a license by the Netherlands Gambling Authority to offer online casino games against the license holder in the Dutch market. With this milestone, Orange Gaming sets a clear course: safe, fair, and transparent online entertainment for Dutch players.
Petrit Dibrani, Director of Orange Gaming B.V., comments:
“We are a Dutch team with short communication lines and a down-to-earth mindset. My background in compliance forms the foundation of our decisions. We aim to go live soon, but we do so carefully and fully in line with all regulations. The Dutch market is demanding, with high taxes and strict limits, yet it also holds significant potential. That’s exactly why we focus on innovation, efficiency, and genuine attention to the player.”
Orange Gaming positions itself as an agile challenger among larger operators. Safer-play-by-design is embedded in all processes and communication. Limits, tools, and game rules are clearly explained, helping players stay in control and make conscious choices. The platform also includes several unique features that will be unveiled upon the website launch.
The post Orange Gaming B.V. obtains license to offer online casino games in the Netherlands appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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