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Exclusive Interview with George Shamugia, Singular’s CEO
 Reading Time:  7 minutes
Reading Time:  7 minutes
Could you briefly narrate the story of Singular, from its beginning in 2009 in Tbilisi to its present state as a global gaming technology provider?
The story of Singular started back in December 2009 in Tbilisi, Georgia when it was officially formed as a company by two longtime friends (friends, since high school) George Shamugia and Akaki Meladze. Initially, Singular was involved in social gaming and during the course of 2010 – 2011 has produced several popular mass scale social games. During the second half of 2011, Singular did few social games (Dice Poker, Fantasy Football) for the local online gambling operator Adjarabet. During that time Adjarabet had just started their online operations. Soon they became the leading Georgian casino operator, and Singular played a huge role in this.
This was the first exposure to iGaming for Singular. We instantly saw a big opportunity for us in the iGaming field and in 2012 fully pivoted to iGaming. Singular’s experience in Social Gaming field empowered the company to swiftly enter the iGaming field and provide a truly outstanding solution, which was innovative and forward-looking. Since then Singular has developed bespoke iGaming platform, Sports-betting platform, Poker, and some casino and live casino content.
During the next few years (till the end of 2014) Adjarabet fully migrated to Singular’s solutions across all verticals: iGaming platform, SportsBetting, P2P games including poker, casino and live casino content.
In 2013 Singular opened its first office outside Georgia, in Skopje Macedonia. The decision was mostly dictated by the rapidly growing demand for Singular’s products. At the end of 2014 Darko Gacov, who was previously heading Adjarabet’s online operations, from day one, joined Singular as one of the partners. In 2015 Singular moved its HQ to Malta and exhibited for the first time on ICE London. 2015 is the year when Singular started the expansion of its client base and soon it had clients across every single continent covering the regulated markets for online gambling.
Throughout the years, innovation has always been our focus, and at the end of 2018, this was recognized by the Venture capital fund – Vereeni Investments. Singular joined Vereeni Investments’ newly unveiled €100 million tech fund ‘Level Up’ which focuses on innovative companies within the fintech, media, iGaming, business intelligence, software development, crypto and blockchain verticals. This has initiated a number of growth plans which have the potential to further expand Singular’s presence, not only geographically, but also in new industry directions.
Singular provides the full spectrum of iGaming and land-based technology solutions to gaming companies, ranging from the front-end website through the games to CRM and back-end features. Could you share a couple of success stories of gaming companies that use Singular’s platform and services?
There are few examples that can be mentioned here, but one solid example is Adjarabet, the Georgian operator which, having being fueled solely by Singular’s technology, became the fastest growing online gaming company on a global level and dominated the local market. We empowered their transition from retail to online by successful digitalization of their brick and mortar roulettes and streaming them online – a bridge for players trust.
This year, Adjarabet was acquired by Paddy Power Betfair who want to prolong the utilization of Singular’s platform for several coming years thanks to the continuous innovation of the
solutions and our tailored approach for each operator which only confirms our dedication to helping our partners grow.
There is a buzz in the industry about the new sportsbook that Singular is developing. It is tipped to be the most innovative of its kind. Could you tell us more about it? When is the launch scheduled?
In September this year, we are planning to release a completely new sports-book which was engineered from scratch and will set a new standard for sports-betting in the iGaming Industry. The product is the result of long and thorough research of the market with a high focus on changing players’ demands. Also, we believe that these shifts in demand provide lots of opportunities to change their experience as well. This release is our attempt to redefine what Sports-betting platform should look like and offer in terms of functionality.
Our new sports-book will take user experience to the next level with some bold moves, with in-play first approach, a platform that automatically adapts to each player’s needs and gives them personalized game experience, based on their activities and interaction patterns with the platform.
Your development centers are located at Skopje and Tbilisi – not, for instance, London, California or Malta. Was it a deliberate decision to stick with the supposedly offbeat locations? What are its pros and cons, if any?
When we started the Singular Story our goal was not only building a successful business but contributing towards building a more robust software community in our home country. Making a decision to start a company far from the innovation hubs bear its own risks, especially when your goal is to compete on a global scale. But, I think those are the decisions that make the journey worthwhile. You’d be surprised how skillful and ambitious talent pool these “offbeat” locations have. So, everything started in Tbilisi, Georgia where our first development base was opened and where today we have a strong and innovative team of engineers. Also, the development base in Skopje, Macedonia tackles all sports-book related development and innovation processes. Opening office in Macedonia for us was a straightforward decision. First, Macedonia offers a good pool of highly qualified backend java engineers. Second, the
fact that Darko Gacov, one of our partners, is from Macedonia gave Singular easy access to that market. The latest addition to our development bases is Tallinn, Estonia, which is one of the tech hubs of Europe. For this reason, finding top-notch software engineers there is easy.
Malta is the place where Singular is headquartered, and all the Singulars processes and activities are governed. The reason behind the opening HQ in Malta is simple – Malta is almost like the Silicon Valley for iGaming industry. It goes without saying that every single iGaming company must have some sort of presence in Malta.
San Francisco base, which is also a new addition to our team, works solely on a new iGaming product which will primarily target the US market only and initially will be launched as F2P (free to play).
On the cons side, having distributed teams across several locations with time zone differences requires a lot of effort to keep everyone in sync.
Could you tell us more about the regulated markets that have Singular’s footprint? What are your strategies to tackle vastly different and constantly changing legislations even across Europe?
Let me name a few markets: Europe, Nigeria from the African Continent and recently regulated LATAM market. We have quite frequent release cycles for almost every product, which makes it easy for us to adjust to new regulations almost instantly. The strategy we have in place to tackle vastly different and constantly changing legislation lays deep within the architecture of our platforms. Our solutions have modular architecture on the granular level, almost every aspect and functionality of them is fully configurable. In other words, every single module is a standalone service and fully configurable. This allows us to adjust and be compatible with almost every jurisdiction out there. It’s true that this kind of architecture requires more time and resources during the development time, but its flexibility fully pays off during operations. Almost no two deployments of our platform look the same thanks to the highly configurable nature. This does not only allow us to tackle different regulations required by different markets but also enables us to deliver a fully customizable and flexible platform to our clients. Ultimately, this helps our clients to stand out from the competition.
The USA and, to a lesser extent, Japan are the happening places at the moment for the sports betting service providers, especially the US Supreme Court’s verdict on PASPA Act. How do you see these developments and the role of Singular on these markets?
At this moment our primary focus is on the U.S market. It will be quite a challenging market because of its nature and will require a lot of innovation and leading-edge approaches. Good thing is that we, at Singular, love challenges while challenging markets and innovation is in our DNA.
At this moment, every single Sports-betting solution provider out there tries to directly launch their existing solutions in the U.S. In our opinion, this is a huge mistake because all the existing solutions are primarily focused on Europe. The U.S. is a totally different market and requires a tailored approach. The U.S. users’ demands and expectations in terms of the sports-betting experience totally varies from what we have in Europe or even in Africa or Asia. That is why we took a different approach for the U.S market and currently are in the process of developing new product tailored for the U.S. market. The launch is planned at the end of this year or beginning of next year.
Singular has been nominated for two categories in recently held Malta’s iGaming Excellence Awards 2019: Best iGaming Online Product of the Year and Best Gaming Online Betting Platform of the Year. What are awards and recognitions that have come by in your a decade-old journey?
We aim to continuously roll out new engaging features. We are simultaneously addressing our clients’ specific requirements, but we are also proactively innovating the solution. The nominations and awards are the cherry on the top. In addition to the nominations for Malta’s iGaming Excellence Awards 2019, our solutions have been nominated in four categories for the EGR B2B Awards 2019:
- Sportsbook platform supplier
- Innovation in sports betting software
- Live casino supplier
- Sports betting supplier
In the past 4 years, Singular’s Gaming Platform, Sports-book Solution and the Live Casino have been repeatedly nominated in number of categories by SBC Awards, EGR, G2E Asia and others. We feel extremely proud and grateful to receive recognition from the top authorities from the industry for all the hard work, year after year.
Finally, look at your crystal ball and tell us about the future! What is your take on the direction in which the industry grows, in the light of frequently emerging disruptive technologies? And what are the new products and services that Singular is going to launch?
Big data and Machine Learning is a science by itself and it is no wonder that more and more companies start referring to data as “the new oil”. It simply creates vast opportunities not only for player personalization and targeted marketing but also for discovering trends and patterns that were not visible before. If someone does it right, they will have a significant edge over their competition and it will not take long for this to have an operational effect. If you have a platform that can collect, process and package the data in relevant information and of course personnel that can interpret the data in a strategic and operational capacity for different departments, it has the potential to directly affect the success of the company.
As mentioned before, this September we plan to roll out our new Sports-betting solution. This release will be an inaugural step of an innovation process across the entire product portfolio. Through leveraging big-data and machine learning, we aim to create personalized player journey at a higher level. Also, at the end of this year, we plan to launch out U.S. centric F2P iGaming product.
We started designing the concept back in 2013 with the ultimate goal to empower operators with opportunities to offer each player a unique experience. We have a lot of modules and services that provide tools that enable this, starting with our segmentation engine, and continuing with our CRM. This approach also spreads across the rest of Singular’s products like sports-book and casino integrations, so that personalized experience is also applicable to the content delivery. However, segmentation and personalization are not “one-time – we did it” thing. It is perpetual work in the direction of improving the approach and experimenting with new and better technologies, constantly.
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 Interview with George Shamugia, Singular’s CEO
 
																	
																															Latest News
WorldMatch Partners with Aristocrat Interactive to Offer Full Portfolio on its Aggregation Platform
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WorldMatch has announced that its full portfolio of games is now available via Aristocrat Interactive’s aggregation platform. This landmark relationship represents a significant milestone in WorldMatch’s ongoing international expansion, and solidifies its presence in regulated markets through a collaboration with one of the industry’s most respected and innovative forces.
As part of the deal, WorldMatch’s acclaimed suite of slots, table games and instant games will be seamlessly integrated into Aristocrat Interactive’s state-of-the-art aggregation platform. This ensures that operators working with Aristocrat Interactive can now access and deliver WorldMatch’s high-performance, feature-rich titles to their players, boosting engagement and enhancing retention across key regulated territories.
“We are incredibly proud to bring our games to Aristocrat Interactive’s powerful iGaming ecosystem. Aristocrat Interactive is synonymous with excellence and innovation in gaming, and this relationship is a testament to the quality, creativity, and technical precision that define our content. We’re excited to reach new audiences and strengthen our global footprint alongside a partner that shares our vision for the future of digital entertainment,” said Xhuljana Demerxhiu, Head of Sales at WorldMatch.
WorldMatch’s games are built with a mobile-first approach, ensuring superior performance across devices and delivering immersive experiences with captivating visuals, dynamic mechanics and localised features. By joining the Aristocrat Interactive platform, WorldMatch gains a valuable distribution channel with access to leading operators and a robust, scalable infrastructure designed to support growth and regulatory compliance across multiple jurisdictions.
The post WorldMatch Partners with Aristocrat Interactive to Offer Full Portfolio on its Aggregation Platform appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Latest News
Belgian Regulator Supports New Law for Tougher Player Protection and Increased Oversight
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The Belgian gaming regulator Kansspelcommissie (KSC) has issued an endorsement of a proposed legislative bill aimed at strengthening player protection and enhancing regulatory oversight over gambling in Belgium.
The draft legislation’s key provisions include a proposed weekly deposit cap of €200 ($232.85) per gambling platform, a prohibition on gambling with credit, restrictions on the number of betting licences issued to newsagents and an extension of the national gambling self-exclusion register to include bars. The bill also proposes limits on the number of slot machines permitted in bar settings.
The bill also seeks to address the regulator’s concerns about its own operational capability and staff shortages. It proposes that the regulator must have at least 10 full-time members of staff, and it would also increase the maximum number of police officers that can be seconded to the commission be from four to eight.
While the KSC has broadly endorsed the bill’s objectives, it has recommended a phased rollout for certain measures, particularly the expansion of the exclusion system, which is expected to be fully implemented by May 2026. The commission also expressed some reservations about a total ban on credit card gambling.
The post Belgian Regulator Supports New Law for Tougher Player Protection and Increased Oversight appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Latest News
Superbet Appoints Sacha Dragic as Sole CEO
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Starting January 1, 2026, Sacha Dragic will become sole CEO of Superbet, while Jimmy Maymann will return to the Board of Directors. As part of the new leadership structure and also effective as of January 1, 2026, Albert S., current Group COO, will take on the role of Deputy CEO, aligning strategy and driving execution across the organisation.
At the same time, Eamonn O’Loughlin, current CCO International, will take on the role of Chief Operating Officer, expanding his responsibilities to lead customer Operations and Partnerships across the Group, while retaining commercial leadership for markets outside CEE.
Sacha Dragic, Founder and incoming CEO of Superbet Group, said: “I want to recognize Jimmy Maymann, whose leadership and partnership have shaped much of our progress to date. Over the past couple of years, we have achieved remarkable results, advancing our product and technology capabilities, strengthening our position in key markets, and building a culture of financial discipline and accountability. This planned evolution of our leadership team marks a natural step in our growth journey. It reflects the maturity of our organization and our ambition to push forward, positioning Superbet for the next phase of sustainable global expansion.”
Jimmy Maymann, incoming Member of the Board, Superbet Group, said: “When Sacha first asked me to join the Board three years ago, our ambition was made clear: to transform Superbet into a global challenger built on world-class product and technology platform. It was necessary to accelerate that change from within, and I took the lead on that chapter of transformation.
“Together, we have achieved a lot: launching Brazil, growing our actives, revenue and EBITDA while strengthening our product and tech stack, and now, with the migration of Romania to our own platform, we are nearing completion of our first phase of transformation. As we prepare for the next phase, simplifying how we operate will help us move even faster, with a single-threaded leader, our founder, Sacha Dragic.
“It’s been a privilege to work with Sacha and the whole Superbet team and I’ll continue to do so as an advisor and as part of the Group’s Board. This is a great company with a huge potential ahead and I’ll stay engaged and help see it materialize.”
The post Superbet Appoints Sacha Dragic as Sole CEO appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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