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Exclusive Interview with Stefan Kovach, CCO at FunFair Technologies
This week we are diving into blockchain technology and we are taking a look at how the “phenomenon” is change the online gambling landscape, even if some refuse to admit it. Stefan Kovach is currentlythe CCO of FunFair Technologies and he is a senior commercially minded marketer with over 20 years of experience in the travel, entertainment and gaming sectors, having worked for organisations ranging from Virgin Atlantic, Opodo, bwin and PokerStars. He has extensive experience in creating and nurturing brands, acquiring and retaining customers at scale as well as helping drive commercial and product strategies. Stefan’s previous roles enabled him to build and manage significant teams, manage marketing P&Ls running into the 10s of millions and responsibility for delivering high profile cross company projects. Here is our interview and we hope that you enjoy it!
There have been quite a few changes in the online gambling landscape in the last 12 months, partly thanks to the blockchain. What do you think are the key challenges operators are facing when opting to move from “traditional” operations to a blockchain platform?
Stefan: Although it is true that blockchain technology has been one of the most exciting advances within the online gambling landscape in the past year, there are, as yet, very few viable products actually available to the market. Whilst many other blockchain gambling businesses are very much still in the development phase, FunFair is at the forefront of this curve, already having a working and operational platform following a successful beta phase.
Traditional operators need to decide whether they see blockchain platforms as a threat, or alternatively, as a diverse revenue stream that taps into an existing and vast crypto-rich audience who are conducive to gambling by their very nature.
Luckily, traditional operators won’t need to choose one operating style above the other, blockchain gambling can act as a complimentary section of their existing business, allowing platforms to diversity their offering and audience without risk to their pre-existing business model. This is especially true when operators take advantage of the consultancy we offer when onboarding and educating customers.
We feel that, in the next 5 years or so, there will be a shift in online gambling, and with rumours that HTC is launching a blockchain phone later this year, this will surely change the mobile gambling industry as well. Do you feel that this is an area you will look at in the future?
Stefan: Mobile gaming is absolutely part of our plans and we will have a first class UX on mobile when we go fully live. Blockchain technology works in the same way across platforms, albeit sometimes different browsers are required.
Any established company, such as HTC, entering the blockchain space clearly demonstrates its relevance for all businesses in the future. We’ll always be looking to partner with those who are heading in the same direction as us as the learnings and combined investment can only speed up blockchain’s mainstream adoption.
We have reported on many blockchain gaming platform launches this year. Where does FunFair position itself in this innovative wave?
Stefan: We would firmly place ourselves as market leaders for a number of reasons. To start with, we are the only platform to offer a full ecosystem for operators, developers, affiliates and players who transact in our FUN token. We are also the only platform to offer production-level gaming quality which can challenge any tier one operator in traditional gamings. Current alternative blockchain titles are not only poor graphically and auditory, but run at unplayably slow speeds, not to mention the prohibitive transaction costs. We have bypassed these issues with our Fate Channels technology, which allows the gaming session to be taken off the blockchain, allowing it to run at the speeds and quality today’s gamers expect.
You have recently signed a deal with a market-leading poker rakeback affiliate, RaketheRake. Are affiliates making a good choice when opting to become operators?
Stefan: Affiliates have had to make do with diluted revenue share and often incorrect payments which are shared by operators at their will. Using the FunFair platform,they can become operators within days and take the entire revenue stream direct, while utilising their existing marketing expertise and captive player audience.
Affiliates can also continue to benefit from the FunFair platform as an affiliate, with real-time payments that are provably fair and paid in real-time on the blockchain, rather than having to trust casino operators as they do currently.
Do you think that regulators will eventually catch up and regulate the industry?
Stefan: Of course, any positive disruption will take time for regulators to size up and decide on a course of action, but the FunFair platform and blockchain technology itself ticks so many of the boxes they are looking for; from efficient KYC and provably fair RNG to the immediate release of funds, it really is a regulatory bullseye.
We are trying to lead the charge here and are in discussions with a number of relevant bodies. As you’d expect, some are more progressive than others, but we’re confident that as blockchain becomes adopted into the mainstream, they will regulate sensibly for all.
About FunFair
FunFair was born out of a powerful idea to harness the potential of the blockchain to initiate a revolution in online gaming.
FunFair founders Jez San, Oliver Hopton and Jeremy Longley saw the potential of the blockchain in early 2013. They wanted answers to difficult questions. Could anyone use the blockchain to run a casino? Why do players worry about trusting online casinos when the blockchain could create fair, transparent gaming? Why not use the blockchain to open up online gaming globally? These ambitious questions led to the development of a new technology that has the potential to profoundly change the gaming world.
We showed our first game in Paris in 2017. The response was so positive, we knew we were on to a winner. Jez San officially launched FunFair publicly in April 2017. The impact of this new technology immediately attracted the attention of major contributors and developers, eager to get involved. On 22 June 2017, our Phase 1 Token Presale raised $26 million, selling out in 4 hours.
Since then FunFair has delivered exciting games on our prototype demo platform, and we’re in the final stages of completing the new Ethereum technology platform which will showcase at DEVCON3 in November 2017. The next radical change in online gaming is being powered by FunFair; the first global gaming brand to unlock the true potential of the blockchain.
For more details, visit funfair.io
Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
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GR8 Tech’s Bet It Drives Season 2 Finale: Kelly Kehn on Opening iGaming to New Founders
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Lisbon’s streets set the pace for Season 2 of GR8 Tech’s Bet It Drives—the drive-time podcast where iGaming’s most interesting voices speak freely. Hosted by Yevhen Krazhan, Chief Sales Officer at GR8 Tech, each episode captures raw insight, candid stories, and the energy you can only find on the road.
Episode 4 of the Season 2 finale puts the spotlight on Kelly Kehn, founder, board member, and startup advisor in gaming. As co-founder of Defy the Odds (DTO), she’s building a launchpad and community connecting startups, investors, and operators—with a focus on female and minority founders. Previously, she co-founded the All-In Diversity Project, held ecosystem roles at happyhour.io and SBC, and serves on boards including FUNNZ.
During the ride, Kelly opens up about:
- Why iGaming events matter: the community, access, and acceleration you only get in the room.
- Defy the Odds (DTO): why she and her co-founders built it, what it is, and how founders plug in.
- Women in iGaming: real challenges and how to lower the barrier to entry; inclusion as a growth strategy.
- Pitch ideas that paid off and common startup pitch mistakes.
- The next possible unicorn in iGaming and what makes it possible.
- Soundtrack to success: the song for a win, the pre-coaching track, and the one that sums up her career.
- The boldest ideas: intention, asking for help, and doing the homework.
- The unwritten rule of iGaming.
- Halloween rubric: the scariest moments in life and career, and why saying the hard thing out loud matters.
- Kelly’s Champion Rule: Be kind to yourself and to others.
“As Kelly said, ‘When we open the space to more people and more perspectives, we all win and the pie gets bigger.’ This episode was the perfect finish of our Season 2 in Lisbon,” said Krazhan.
Watch or listen to Season 2, Episode 4 with Kelly Kehn on:
Season 2 of Bet It Drives launched with Rasmus Sojmark, kept pace with Tiago Pereira and Kyrylo Korobka, and now crosses the line with Kelly Kehn in the finale. But still, don’t unbuckle yet: Season 3 is coming soon with more interesting conversations and more reasons to hit play. Follow GR8 Tech to stay in the loop.
The next chapter of iGaming belongs to champions who play smart and bold. Join GR8 Tech at SiGMA Central Europe 2025, Rome, November 3–6, booth 5028-2, and discover the Heavyweight Rulebook—built for operators ready to scale, localize, and win.
The post GR8 Tech’s Bet It Drives Season 2 Finale: Kelly Kehn on Opening iGaming to New Founders appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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GambleAware Warns Outdated Gambling Advertising and Marketing Regulations are Leaving Children at Risk of Gambling Harm
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Regulations for online gambling marketing must urgently be brought into the digital age, a new report from the charity GambleAware has warned.
The report reveals that despite gambling being an age-restricted product, children are being exposed to gambling marketing online, before they reach an age at which they can critically evaluate it. This is leading to gambling being normalised and portrayed as “risk-free”, which increases the risk of them experiencing gambling harm.
Gambling harms are becoming an increasing part of children’s lives, with previous research finding that in 2024, around 85,000 children in Britain were experiencing harm from their own gambling, a figure which has doubled since 20233. GambleAware’s new report highlights how seeing gambling marketing and content, online and via social and streaming platforms, could be encouraging children to gamble and contributing to the number experiencing harm.
The new report calls out poor regulation of gambling marketing online, highlighting how more needs to be done to ensure the rules reflect the unique challenges presented by the digital age and urges a reduction in self-regulation to protect children from being exposed to age-restricted gambling content. Alongside this, GambleAware is also calling for mandatory health warnings to be put on all gambling marketing so people are aware of the risks and support available.
Specific changes to help protect children could include moves to hold online platforms to greater account and ensuring existing government programmes, such as the Online Safety Act and Online Advertising Programme, more directly address gambling marketing and content online. Alongside this, other recommendations include the alignment and strengthening of online safety regulatory powers and programmes.
GambleAware research also found strong public support from children and adults for changes to gambling marketing and advertising regulation. Around four in five children (79%) say they want more rules around gambling content and advertising on social media. Alongside this, over seven in ten adults also agree, saying they want more regulation around gambling advertising on social media (74%) and gambling related content on social media (70%).
Anna Hargrave, GambleAware Transition CEO, said: “Gambling operators invest significant resources into online marketing because it works at getting people to gamble more. This has resulted in children and young people being exposed to gambling content online before an age at which they can critically evaluate it and understand the risks that come with it.
“The current regulations covering gambling marketing and advertising online were designed before most children had easy access to the internet. Urgent action is needed to update these rules and bring them into the digital age to help keep children and young people safe from gambling harm.”
The post GambleAware Warns Outdated Gambling Advertising and Marketing Regulations are Leaving Children at Risk of Gambling Harm appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Betbazar’s AI Revolution: Where Algorithms Play and Humans Watch
Max Sevostianov, CCO at Betbazar, reveals how AI Cricket blurs the line between sport, tech and entertainment — creating a 24/7 AI sports universe — where every match feels alive and every second counts.
- How did the idea of creating AI-driven Cricket come about?
It started from our roots in Live Data Feed and Live Content. We constantly saw the same demand from operators worldwide — they needed fast, round-the-clock sports content that actually feels alive. Traditional virtuals didn’t cut it anymore; they were too static, too predictable.
Cricket, with its global fanbase and built-in drama, became the perfect playground for something new. We wanted to merge sports logic, AI, and entertainment to create a product that doesn’t just simulate a match — it lives one. That’s how AI Cricket was born: a fast, emotional, and unpredictable experience built for the next generation who expect energy, not repetition.
- What market gap does this product fill – and which Operators or regions is it most relevant for?The biggest gap we saw was the “dead zone” between traditional virtuals and real sports. Virtual games looked repetitive and lifeless, while real matches were limited by schedules and logistics. Bettors were stuck between predictability and waiting.
AI Cricket closes that gap completely. It runs 24/7, behaves like a real sport with live odds movement, and keeps the unpredictability that makes real competition exciting. It’s already resonating strongly in cricket-driven regions — India, Bangladesh, Australia, and across Africa — where players crave constant, authentic action that never sleeps.
- AI Cricket offers a short dynamic format (3–6 minutes). How does it align with the behavior trends of the Next Generation of bettors?Today’s bettors live in a scroll culture. They want action, not waiting. The next generation grew up on TikTok clips, Reels, and esports rounds that last minutes, not hours. That shift completely changed attention patterns — and we built AI Cricket for that world.
Each match lasts just 3 to 6 minutes — quick, intense and rewarding. It’s snackable entertainment with real IGaming logic behind it. Players can jump in, experience the thrill, and move on — or stay for hours of back-to-back action that never loses momentum.
- How exactly does the AI model work to make every match unpredictable and “alive”?Behind every match is a living algorithm. Our AI engine processes thousands of variables — team stats, player behavior, pitch and weather conditions, even dynamic momentum shifts. It learns from real cricket patterns but never repeats itself.
That’s what makes it unpredictable — no scripted loops, no recycled outcomes. Every delivery, every wicket, carries its own story. You can literally feel the rhythm of the game changing, just like in live sports. That’s where the emotion comes from — not from animation, but from intelligence.
- How customisable is the product for each Operator’s brand?
We built AI Cricket to be more than a plug-and-play product — it’s a canvas for each Operator’s brand. Our customisation layer lets partners design branded tournaments with their own visuals, logos, and atmosphere.
That means every sportsbook can offer something that feels exclusive — not “another virtual,” but their cricket universe. It’s a powerful way to build loyalty and keep players coming back, because the experience looks, sounds and plays like it truly belongs to that Operator.
- Does Betbazar plan to expand the AI-driven approach to other sports as well?
Absolutely — Cricket was just the opening chapter. The core AI engine we’ve built is flexible enough to adapt to any sport with a short, dynamic format. We’re already experimenting with new disciplines that share the same DNA: fast action, unpredictability, and constant engagement. Our goal is to create a full AI-driven sports universe.
- How do you see AI-powered Content evolving in the iGaming industry over the next 2-3 years?
AI-powered content transforms iGaming by making it faster to test ideas, launch products, and measure results. It turns IGaming into a form of entertainment — offering new, immersive experiences rather than just odds and outcomes. It’s a powerful way for Operators to experiment with different hypotheses, understand player behaviour, and adapt their sportsbook in real time. The line between sports, gaming, and entertainment is fading — and we want Betbazar to lead that evolution.
About Betbazar
Betbazar is a product-first iGaming technology company that empowers Operators with profitable solutions. From low-latency Live Data Feed and AI-driven products to a Turnkey Platform and Sportsbook Solutions, the company delivers performance, reliability and growth Operators need to stay ahead. Betbazar is a long-term technology partner, helping Operators integrate faster, operate smarter and scale stronger.
Website: https://betbazar.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betbazar
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