As a result of the transition, the CEO reins are to be handed over to Co-Founder Jorgen Nordlund on an interim basis, until such time as a replacement has been appointed.

Dan Andersson, Chair of the Board at Glitnor Group, commented: “In our quest to reach excellence and make it possible to continue our growth at such a rapid pace, David has been absolutely key in developing the group and taking the next step in our growth plan. 

“It is now good timing to make such a change as we strengthen the board in preparation for the stock market, given financial market sentiment turning more positive in 2023. We look forward to having David working actively in the board.”

This became the latest announcement of a busy week for the Malta-based firm, with a venture capital vehicle, named Glitnor Ventures, rolled-out earlier this week to accelerate a vision of becoming the “most entrepreneurial and fastest growing business group” in the industry.

This itself followed a purchase of KaFe Rocks being amicably called off. It was said that “given market conditions” the decision was taken that “now is not the time to fully complete the acquisition”.

Regarding the change of role, Flynn noted: “Over the past three and a half years I’ve had the pleasure to hire, work with, create and help develop an amazing team at Glitnor, delivering exceptional brands and celebrating outstanding year-on-year growth across the business.”

Adding: “With our continued strong growth aspirations in mind, I’ve decided that now is the time to look further ahead for Glitnor and make a change which, I believe, will help take Glitnor, and everyone involved, to the next level. 

“Thus, with the full support of our founders and board, I shall move to a group board role where I will continue to develop our long-term strategy and support our operational management. 

“After 20 years in igaming I really believe that my experience will better serve the group as a member of the board supporting the incoming CEO, as we continue to grow and expand the business.”

The post Glitnor seeks CEO successor as David Flynn takes a board position appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The acquisition of KaFe Rocks, Glitnor said, will be a key factor in the long-term growth of the business and accelerate its move into the lead generation space.

As a result of the takeover, KaFe Rocks Co-Founder Feda Mecan will join the Glitnor Board of Directors while CEO Simon Pilkington will join Glitnor Group’s executive management team. Meanwhile the day-to-day management of KaFe Rocks will continue in its current format. 

Simon Pilkington, KaFe Rocks CEO, commented: “I’ve been hugely impressed with the leadership team at Glitnor and am massively excited for what the future holds for both KaFe Rocks and the Glitnor Group. 

“Since initial talks began, it’s been clear that both companies share a vision for growth, but that they also value the people driving it and believe in developing a culture where people can thrive.

“The trust that they are showing in us to continue being KaFe Rocks is gratefully received and I’m extremely driven to deliver the results that will help the new group achieve its goals.”

Over the last few years, KaFe Rocks has cemented its position as a leading igaming affiliate, with multiple power affiliate top 10 rankings. 

Based in Malta, the company has strived to diversify its global portfolio of assets, with its user-centric flagship brands time2play.com, USCasinos.com alongside its own previous acquisition and key asset, Online-slot.co.uk.

David Flynn, Glitnor Group CEO, said: “Glitnor is not shy about its ambitions to become a leading igaming group and the acquisition of KaFe Rocks and our move into the lead generation space is evidence of this. 

“In KaFe Rocks, we have an established business being run by an incredibly talented team that owns and operates a network of successful, reputable affiliate assets that will drive growth for the wider group. 

“I look forward to working closely with Simon, Feda and the entire KaFe Rocks team of 170 Rocketeers as we further expand Glitnor Group’s total addressable market across the igaming and sportsbook value-chain, offering reputable igaming products and services around the world.”

The acquisition complements Glitnor Group’s B2C business, which currently includes online casino brands Lucky Casino and Gambola. In the B2B space, Glitnor-owned casino content supplier Swintt has been expanding its global footprint after recently taking its slot catalogue live in Latvia.

Tim Tepass, Co-Founder and Chair of KaFe Rocks, concluded: “At the heart of KaFe Rocks’ success is its people; for us as the owners of KaFe Rocks it’s been imperative that we look to accelerate growth through finding the right people to work with going forwards, and in David and his fantastic team at Glitnor Group we are adamant we’ve found just that. 

“In Glitnor Group, we know that the future of KaFe Rocks and its Rocketeers is in great hands, and I look forward to being able to lend our experience and desire to help drive Glitnor forward to a level of growth that we fully believe in and support. 

“We have a shared belief in creating products that are for the user, and I know that together, Glitnor will build on its already impressive progress.”

The post KaFe Rocks acquired by Glitnor Group appeared first on CasinoBeats.

In a follow-up discussion after ‘The US: What’s Next?’ panel at CasinoBeats Summit, Flynn began by sharing some of Glitnor Group’s plans for the North American market – including the company’s expansion into the sports betting and affiliation space. 

“Through our acquisition of Kafe Rocks and our investment in Time2Play, we were available with those particular brands in the US across 12 states already. We’re going through licensing for about another four or five at the minute. 

“But suffice to say, we’ll get across all of the jurisdictions in time. We have also just announced the launch of USBetting.org. So we operate USCasinos.com and then Time2Play which are very much focused towards the US. 

“The launch of USBetting.com will focus on the sports betting market within the US, because as we all know, that is growing at a much faster pace in terms of regulation than igaming. But still, in those states where igaming and sports are licensable, around 80% of the revenues come from igaming. But in terms of the importance for ourselves, the US market is going to be one of the largest markets in the world, if not the largest, in the not too distant future. 

“If you’re not in the US, then sooner or later, you’re going to be also-ran. So we want to make sure that we’re there and we’re there in a big way. But it’s about making sure that we use the right strategic products to enter the market.”

While stateside is a huge focus for the company in 2022, this isn’t the only regulated market on Glitnor Group’s agenda for 2022 – as seen with yesterday’s announcement that its Swintt brand had made its first steps into the Dutch igaming market.

Through the agreement with Fair Play Online Casino, Swintt will make a range of slots available to Dutch players. It includes Master of Books, Lucky Jimmy and Aloha Spirit XtraLock, as well as The Crown, which stars former footballer-turned-actor Vinnie Jones.

Flynn continued: “Obviously, Canada is a very interesting market. We’re going through that licensing process with our B2C business. We’re also looking at other regulated markets across Europe. With our B2B business – hot off the press – we went live in the Netherlands yesterday. So we are really, really super happy about that for the team at Swintt. 

“It’s really, really exciting and opens up another regulated market for our B2B business. And given the fact that we already have and distribute land based content from the Netherlands, in the Netherlands, this is a really important market for us.”

Watch the full interview HERE

The post David Flynn: extending Glitnor Group’s global reach appeared first on CasinoBeats.

It’s been a busy few months for Glitnor Group, as the Malta-headquartered gambling business has hit the headlines with its acquisition of leading affiliate KaFe Rocks, enjoyed further growth for its Sweden-facing B2C brand LuckyCasino, and expanded the reach of its B2B brand Swintt into a host of new markets.

After that whirlwind of activity, Glitnor’s CEO David Flynn could be forgiven for being a little weary, but the reality is very different. When we talk, he’s back at his desk in Malta feeling revitalised after a cycling break in the beautiful scenery of North Yorkshire and excited about the company’s prospects.

Part of that excitement is due to Glitnor launching a new brand “very, very soon”, but there’s also a very real enthusiasm about the subject that he will be discussing at CasinoBeats Summit 2022 – the potential of the US online casino market.

Flynn estimates that the total addressable market for igaming operators in the US could be worth $35bn should regulation follow the same pattern as seen for sports betting legalisation. That possibility is obviously interesting to any company involved in the industry, but even the current market situation is attractive.

“It is early days, but there’s six states with casino licensing available now and in each of those six states, one continually sees the majority of revenue that’s generated is from casino, and not from sports. And the spend per player in the US is very high in comparison with European markets, so there is a solid opportunity in the existing states today,” said Flynn.

“There’s a lot of opportunity for us and we’re starting to drive initial revenues already”

It is an opportunity that Glitnor is already exploring via its affiliate and B2B divisions.

“Through the acquisition of KaFe Rocks, and we’re just about to announce an investment for the US, we are in the US in a big way,” he said. “We have access now to 12 states through our affiliation business and we’ll be driving increasing amounts of traffic through the Time2Play.com and USCasinos.com brands, while we’re looking at a number of other assets as well. There’s a lot of opportunity for us and we’re starting to drive initial revenues already in the US through to the group on the affiliate side.

“Then our B2B business, Swintt, has already signed a number of LOIs with operators to take our content and we’re going through the licensing process at the moment. So there’s ample opportunity for the business across each division, and certainly collectively, as we manage the different regulation speeds of the various parts of the value chain.”

Flynn is also looking at the possibility of replicating Glitnor’s three-pronged approach to the European igaming industry by establishing a US operator brand.

“It’s all part of our strategy in order to continue our growth profile in the US,” he said. “We envisage a significant amount of our revenues coming from North America over the course of the next few years and our B2C operation will be a significant part of that. A number of discussions are ongoing, as you can imagine, and I’m looking forward to making announcements in the near future.”

Establishing a successful operator in the US market will involve taking on some of the biggest brands in global gambling, but that prospect doesn’t faze Flynn, who believes Glitnor’s experience of growing LuckyCasino in Sweden will help his team to compete.

“We came in at brand number 90 when we launched the business and now, looking at the publicly available numbers, we’re overall about brand number five in the market with LuckyCasino. It’s performing extremely well, with continuous growth of well over 100 per cent year-on-year,” he explained.

“I really believe that in the long term, it’s more about good-quality games”

“We have proven that we can enter into a very strictly regulated market against very strong competition and become a top-five player in a relatively short space of time. And, I hasten to add, without the crazy marketing spend that many operators are doing at the moment in the US market. Through having a great team, great product and great marketing strategy we’ve managed to do extremely well, and that’s exactly what we’re going to replicate as we enter into the US.”

Glitnor’s B2B division Swintt will also have to compete against some long-established brands in the US, including some industry giants that can offer the country’s best-loved land-based casino slots in a digital format for instant player recognition.

Flynn does not necessarily see this as a disadvantage though, preferring to view the situation as an opportunity for innovative games studios – and not only because online casinos need to appeal to a broader audience than just players who enjoy the land-based experience.

“In a previous role, I’ve proved that online content that’s never been land-based in the US before can be a winner,” Flynn said. “I really believe that in the long term, it’s more about good-quality games, with good mathematics and good models, as opposed to just copy-pasting what you see in the land-based and putting it online.

“As an operator in the US, it’s important to have a good mix of games. For some operators it’s important to have something that players will recognise from their land-based brand, so that when they go online they get a familiar experience. But, sooner or later, they will actually look at the online content and understand that these types of games are good games. Then it becomes very, very similar to the European market and good games, good game providers and good mathematics will win out in the long term.”

Flynn also believes the preponderance of land-based games developers active in North America is something that could actually benefit Swintt’s content distribution operation.

“There are a number of land-based providers who still aren’t online today, so we’ve now launched SwinttStudios, which partners with those game providers to help them to get their content online in an efficient way,” he explained.

“We certainly won’t shy away from those opportunities”

“We already have a very strong partnership with a German land-based provider and have taken all of their content online – and that performs extremely well. Previously, it wasn’t known online, and certainly not known in many of the markets where they are today through distribution via Swintt.

“That’s just the proof that the concept works. What I’m saying is that we can actually work with a number of different smaller land-based studios who really want to get their content online and make a difference from them, combined with new content from online-only studios will make for a compelling offering.”

While the SwinttStudios partnership programme is in its infancy, there is already interest in the idea and it recently announced a deal with Fine Edge Studios to distribute six titles in the US this year.

Growing that B2B operation, along with Glitnor’s affiliate brands, in the US is a key immediate focus for the business. However, its management team, which boasts a combined 125 years of gaming industry experience, also has other targets in mind.

“Obviously, Canada is an interesting market and then there’s a number of the European and Latin American regulated markets that are interesting and that we’re assessing. Suffice it to say, you’ll see us entering into around two to three other regulated markets over the course of the next 12 to 18 months,” said Flynn.

“We have been growing very, very quickly and have created a very good team over the course of the last few years, which is now more than 370 people across the group. Now it’s about really investing in the team as we continue to grow out organically and, you know, there’s a lot of M&A opportunities in the market moving forward. We certainly won’t shy away from those opportunities as we continue to grow.”

David Flynn will take part in ‘The US: What’s next?’ panel at CasinoBeats Summit 2022, alongside Adi Dhandhania (COO, Bally’s Interactive), Benjamin Truman (COO, MediaTroopers), and Lee Gwillam (VP Operations, Gambling.com).

The igaming industry conference and exhibition takes place at the InterContinental in St Julian’s, Malta on 24-26 May. For full details of the agenda and how to book passes, visit the Summit website.

The post David Flynn, Glitnor Group: targeting the US on three fronts appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Following his appointment, Hedén’s responsibilities will involve conjuring up ways to enhance the player experience across scheduled titles set to leave Swintt’s production line in both the near and far future, along with the task of building out his team and optimising product processes. 

Commenting on his position, Hedén stated: “I am delighted to be joining Swintt at such a pivotal stage in its growth journey and having recently been crowned Rising Star in Casino Innovation and Software at the SBC Awards.

“I am looking forward to working closely with the talented team to create the best player experience possible while also driving Swintt into becoming a tier one developer that also leads the change for sustainability across the industry and, indeed, globally.”

Joining Swintt with over 10 years of experience in senior management roles, Hedén has worked across various sectors including healthtech, ecommerce and data management, as well as online gambling. 

Within the igaming sector, Hedén’s portfolio of roles includes chief product officer at Yggdrasil Gaming, a position held for two-years, and a period as a senior strategy consultant at GAN. 

David Flynn, chief executive officer at Swintt, added: “I am delighted to announce Per as our chief product officer and for Swintt to continue to benefit from his unrivalled experience, knowledge and passion as we look to take our games to the next level, grow our product team and streamline our internal processes.

“Per has been working with Swintt for several months and has already made an impact on our games and the experience our slots and live casino titles provide players. As CPO, he will continue to influence the direction in which we take game development and how we elevate the player experience.”

The post Swintt adds ‘serious firepower’ via Per Hedén hire appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Speaking at last month’s Amsterdam held iGB Live, David Flynn, CEO of Swintt, shed some light on once such scheme his firm has introduced titled Swintt Play-It-Back.

This strives to enter partnerships with global organisations in order to give back to communities and the environment, to safeguard a sustainable future for generations to come.

“As a software supplier we don’t have a direct connection with our player base, however one of the main areas I’m looking at right now is working together with different charitable organisations, so that we can create a platform or a style of game that allows us to give something back,” Flynn explained.

“So at Swintt we’ve called it Swintt Play-It-Back and this really allows us to be able to do some good, but do it in a way that the players can actually appreciate it and see what good they are doing.”

Expressing delight at industry feedback during the first few months of operation, Flynn, who has seen Swintt align with the CasinoBeats Summit as platinum sponsor, moved on to address what we can expect during the coming months.

“We just announced a land-based partnership in the central European markets, so they’ll be a lot more of those partnerships for local markets; very exclusive deals for us,” he says.

“And then with our own content, working together with partners, in terms of charitable organisations; a lot more on that side, and then very much around tournament functionality, features and in-game features and functions for players.”

Flynn is to moderate a panel at the upcoming CasinoBeats Summit, taking place at Olympia London on September 17-20, titled ‘CSR: The Key to Sustainable Gaming.’

Joining him will be Yakir Firestane, director of digital at The Health Lottery, John Coleman, CEO of Microgaming, Jesper Karrbrink, exec chairman at Green Jade and Lee Willows, founder and vhief executive of YGAM.

The CasinoBeats Summit takes place at Olympia London on September 17-20, alongside Betting on Sports – learn more and buy tickets for the CasinoBeats Summit here.

To find out more about sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities at the Summit, please contact sales@sbcgaming.com.

The post Ensuring charity connections in safer gambling pledge appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Billed an “the ultimate in-game promotional product,” the new entrant to the igaming market is to introduce SwinttGamify at next week’s CasinoBeats Summit. The firm is to also host a €10,000 prize tournament to demonstrate some of the capabilities of the product.

The widget-based gamification suite equips titles from the Swintt portfolio complete with engagement tools such as tournaments, achievements and cross-game missions, with the intention of providing a significant boost to player engagement and retention.

Furthermore, SwinttGamify also offers operators heightened CRM opportunities through in-game messaging and notifications from in-game challenges.

David Flynn, CEO of Swintt, said of the benefits of the new introduction: “As the igaming market becomes more challenging for our clients, Swintt have focused on content, products and services that will help them grow faster in their target markets. 

“SwinttGamify does this by assisting operators to deliver a more entertaining experience for their players. The increased opportunities for CRM alone, will create additional avenues for reactivation and retention with minimal effort, whilst the gamification suite will continuously increase player lifetime value.

“New generations of players need more than traditional bet- and-win games – they need to be truly engaged. Tournaments, achievements and missions all provide new opportunities for engagement, rewarding players with prizes while giving operators something fresh to offer.“

The CasinoBeats Summit returns to London next week and is backed by some of the biggest names in the online gaming industry, including Swintt, located at booth B5, as platinum sponsor.

CasinoBeats will welcome up to 1,000 senior industry executives to Olympia London on September 17-20, offering delegates four conference tracks and unrivalled networking opportunities with as many as 200 operators present.

The post Swintt debuts ‘ultimate in-game promotional product’ appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The second CasinoBeats Summit is edging ever closer, with five weeks to go until 1,000 senior industry executives descend on the Olympia London on September 17-20.

Forming a key part of the four conference tracks on offer is ‘Future of Gaming,’ delving into discussion on a plethora of subject matters that could be key to ensuring sustained and responsible growth.

“I’m sure that this year, I’ll return from CasinoBeats with even more vigour to succeed”

A leaders panel discussing current challenges in the sector heads up the first day, before a conference track that features topics titled:

• Live casino: Time to innovate
• Future of slots
• Player focused game design
• The search for innovation
• Taking the strain

A further key part on the first day of action will be the keynote delivered by Jesper Karrbrink, executive chairman of Green Jade Games, who said of his participation: “For us, as a relatively new company, CasinoBeats is an excellent opportunity to reach a broader audience.  

“We created Green Jade Games, not to make the 2,501st slot, but to challenge ourselves and the industry with innovations where we deliver casino games that mix the mechanics from slots and table games with video and app games, combining RNG and skill in a way not done before. 

“In my presentation, I will address the concept of innovation and disruptiveness and why I think it is crucial for us as an industry to innovate if we want to continue attracting new players.”

Operators attending and speaking at the Summit in 2019 will include Caesars, Casumo,  Genting UK, Hard Rock, LeoVegas, Lottoland, Mansion, Olympic, Rank, Royal Panda, Videoslots and William Hill, while a number of leading suppliers are also backing the event, with BetConstruct, Microgaming, NetEnt, Red Tiger Gaming, Play’n Go, Playson, SG Digital and Yggdrasil all joining as sponsors.  

David Flynn, CEO of Swintt, who recently aligned with the CasinoBeats Summit as platinum sponsor, commented: “Even though CasinoBeats was only just launched last year, it was very professionally run and we have positive feedback from the numerous sessions.

“It is a rare occasion to have together all the igaming decision-makers”

“With a greater focus on casino at this years event I envisage a wider audience and deeper subject matter to discuss.

“The online casino industry has many challenges, just like any industry, however we must also focus on the indefinite opportunities that we are not even scratching the surface of.

“I’m sure that this year, I’ll return from CasinoBeats with even more vigour to succeed and help Swintt make a difference in our industry and beyond.”

Cristiano Blanco, head of gaming at Kindred Group, who is to partake in a live casino focused debate, added: “The gaming industry is going through one of the challenging, unexpected and exciting times. New regulations bring opportunities together with delivery delays and strong headaches. 

“I am happy to be part of the CasinoBeats Summit because it is a rare occasion to have together all the igaming decision-makers, to have a feel of the market from the inside and seriously think about the future of our industry, putting aside all the issues that the competition brings with it.”

In addition, Summit delegates gain access to Betting on Sports, which takes place at Olympia at the same time, alongside the PaymentExpert Forum and the DigitalMarketing Forum, delivered in conjunction with AffiliateINSIDER.

The conference takes place at Olympia London on September 17-20, alongside Betting on Sports – learn more and buy tickets for the CasinoBeats Summit here.

To find out more about sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities at the Summit, please contact sales@sbcgaming.com.

The post Future of Gaming kickstarts CasinoBeats Summit 2019 appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The organisation states that it has signed a long-term agreement to distribute established central European land-based game titles across its client base. 

David Flynn CEO of Swintt, said of the partnership: “At Swintt our focus is to deliver solutions and content for our customers, which help them grow in their chosen target markets. This partnership agreement will provide an initial portfolio of 20 recognised, leading games which hold a significant land-based market share in central Europe. “

Adding: “The partnership agreement enables an online premiere for this leading content. Given its recognised position in the local land-based market, I’m confident it will be a successful partnership for all involved. “ 

Swintt was a key sponsor at last month’s inaugural CasinoBeats Malta event, following which Flynn spoke about the search for innovation within the sector: “The underlying theme is that as a business we must innovate in all parts of the business, not just product.

“Unfortunately we continue to see performing games titles virtually copied by many suppliers in the market space, the industry needs to move away from this and focus on creating a much more immersive and enjoyable experience for our customers. 

“Ultimately we are delivering entertainment to our customers, competing against a wrath of business in the digital entertainment space and we must focus on this in order to keep the share of our customers’ time.”

Continuing: “Its very important that the industry understands that at times, there will be failures, and that’s OK – but let’s take our lessons and move forward.

“Forward momentum is the only thing that is essential for any business and industry to succeed. Innovation is key for forward momentum.”

To read the full article, click here.

The post Swintt to embark upon central European adventure appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Based in Swintt’s Malta headquarters in Ta’ Xbiex, Mann’s responsibilities include developing partnerships across European customers, growing the commercial team and identifying opportunities in new markets.

Mann, pictured, has more than a decade of experience in the igaming industry, including roles at Betway, Spigo and William Hill, and most recently, as sales manager at  Wazdan.

Welcoming Mann, CEO David Flynn said: “When launching a new business. It’s crucial to have the right people on board. David comes with immense experience from across the industry which makes him an ideal candidate to help grow our business with our customers. At Swintt we strive to understand the needs of our customers in their target markets. David’s knowledge of operating as well as supplying, really helps in this process. I’m delighted to have David on board.”

Mann added: “I am extremely excited to be part of a project which emphasises building strong relationships with the best businesses in the market.

“Years of experience and passion for what we do is the base point of this journey as we offer quality games supported by powerful tools to the very best operators in the industry.”

Both Mann and Flynn will be attending this year’s G2E Asia event in Macau, on May 21-24

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