Operators sometimes go to these large conferences and don't get the right information, because you're in a room with 400 speakers and no quality in the panels.”

Zoltán Tündik is the founder of HIPTHER, a media and events company serving the gaming, fintech, blockchain, and technology industries across Europe. Over the years, he has built one of the industry's most recognizable conference communities by focusing on meaningful conversations, authentic networking, and experiences that bring professionals together beyond traditional exhibitions. His perspective on community building, event culture, and personal branding has influenced operators, suppliers, affiliates, and executives across multiple gaming markets.

iGaming events is also my world. I would compare it to a Disneyland for grown-ups.”

Anastasiya Prokopenko is the founder of Eventricity, a solo-run B2B event agency specializing in trade shows, conferences, expos, and corporate activations for the iGaming industry. After two years in corporate event management, she launched her own venture nearly a year ago. Her first iGaming event was ICE 2023, and she has since built a reputation for reliability, trusted partnerships, and authenticity — values she considers essential in an industry built on relationships and trust.

In partnerships especially, and in high-risk, you need to understand and be able to trust the person you're dealing with — and I think that's really important.”

Ian Bedford has spent over 15 years in payments, partnerships, and high-risk markets spanning iGaming, crypto, and forex. He began in payments sales around 2009–2010, pivoting from a slow-moving corporate sales career after his wife introduced him to the industry. Building relationships through direct SME sales evolved into a partnerships-focused career. Now active in iGaming, he's known for his authentic LinkedIn presence, using the platform to build trust and visibility in an industry where reputation matters most.

In partnerships especially, and in high-risk, you need to understand and be able to trust the person you're dealing with — and I think that's really important.”

Ian Bedford has spent over 15 years in payments, partnerships, and high-risk markets spanning iGaming, crypto, and forex. He began in payments sales around 2009–2010, pivoting from a slow-moving corporate sales career after his wife introduced him to the industry. Building relationships through direct SME sales evolved into a partnerships-focused career. Now active in iGaming, he's known for his authentic LinkedIn presence, using the platform to build trust and visibility in an industry where reputation matters most.

It's very wrong to just think that if you have the traffic then you have the money — the operator's part is to monetize that traffic, and if they don't have the right expertise, they'll burn 99% of its potential.”

Levon Nikoghosyan is the Founder and CEO of AffPapa and Co-Founder of iGaming Club, platforms built to solve a gap he identified as an operator: finding verified, quality affiliates without endless manual research. With deep experience on the operational side of iGaming, he specializes in affiliate-operator partnerships, traffic monetization, and industry trends around regulation, tax pressure, and marketing restrictions. His insights are shaped by years of direct experience building matches between affiliate traffic and operator brands.

If you work on your branding and your marketing, when you go to expos and ask people for meetings, people will book meetings with you. If you're not, when you ask for meetings, they will not reply.”

Surya Palli is a marketing and brand leader with over 10 years of experience in the iGaming industry. He specializes in building strong brand foundations, creating effective marketing and event strategies, and turning brand visibility into meaningful business growth. Known for his hands-on approach and focus on execution, Surya helps B2B iGaming companies build brands that stand out and stay top of mind with their target audience.

20 years ago when the industry was just starting, it was a jungle — you can do basically whatever you like, but the industry has grown up a lot.”

Gilad Oren is CEO of GBO International Financial Services, a gaming corporate services provider helping operators with company structuring, licensing, banking, and payments for over two decades. GBO sets up hundreds of new gaming company structures annually across jurisdictions worldwide. Gilad specializes in guiding operators through the shifting landscape of offshore, mid-tier, and EU-regulated licensing — from Curaçao's decline to Anjouan and Nevis's rise — while emphasizing long-term compliance and structural planning over fast, low-cost shortcuts.

We are also competing against Netflix, we're also competing against TikTok for the screen time of the phone. If TikTok is more engaging than the gambling experience, then as an industry, we will lose market share.”

Pierre Lindh is the Co-Founder of NEXT.io, a leading B2B events and media organization in iGaming. His career in gambling and events began at 18, running a poker club, and has spanned over 20 years of building networks and reputation in the industry. After NEXT's first conference in 2019, he steered the company through COVID-19's total revenue collapse by pivoting into digital media, podcasts, and news — transforming a small Malta-based event company into a global iGaming powerhouse.

Players are not only putting the money in but they need to win it. There's no casino or sports betting when you only put the money in and never win — otherwise you would never go back.”

Viktoria Soltesz is the founder of PSP Angels, an independent payment and banking consultancy, and author of "Moving Money: How Banks Think." Starting as a tax consultant in Cyprus over 20 years ago, she discovered a critical knowledge gap between what tax advisors recommend and what banks actually allow — especially in high-risk industries like iGaming. She later founded the Shortest Institute to educate operators on payments and banking, helping them build informed, non-commission-biased financial strategies.