Interviews
SOFTSWISS Founder Ivan Montik Turns 40 – Interview
Reading Time: 7 minutes
SOFTSWISS Founder Ivan Montik turned 40 in January. He agreed to talk to us about this milestone in his life, about his career and his experience of managing a company.
You are the Founder of one of the most successful software gambling companies in the world, which now has more than 1,000 employees. Could you imagine something like this in your 20s and what key decisions led you to your current role?
I actually imagined something like this when I started SOFTSWISS as a small custom software development company in 2009. Growing it to 1,000 employees was not a coincidence but a result of the long-term strategy and hard work of many like-minded people. Without thinking big, you’ll never grow big. When we founded SOFTSWISS, it wasn’t just to make a living (although profit was an important goal) but to create a company that would stand out among the competition with its quality of services and become a well-known name on the market.
There were many decisions made on the way. Switching from custom software development to creating our own products was an important step, and of course entering the iGaming industry played a crucial role. We didn’t just create a quality software platform, but developed our own White Label Solution, a unique service at that time. It brought us our first clients, casino operators, and some of them became key players in the market and contributed greatly to our mutual success.
Integrating cryptocurrencies into our software was another important decision and a turning point in the history of SOFTSWISS. We were the first company to offer a Crypto Casino Solution to the market. Becoming a pioneer in crypto gaming, we took a special place in the industry and made it a large part of our current business.
Launching various microservices and developing them into separate brands was a series of right decisions, too. Now we have such successful products, as a game studio, game aggregator, affiliate system, and payment provider, all functioning as standalone solutions and contributing to the brand’s overall success.
Finally, partnering with people who have been beside me in good and bad times, working with me on the most challenging tasks and showing their trust has definitely helped to lead the company to where we are now.
You have mentioned many times in interviews that you have a degree in economics but not IT, nevertheless, you have managed to build one of the most innovative companies in the online gambling industry. In your experience, in order to create a successful and, most importantly, in-demand product, which background is more important?
Although economics and management were in focus during my university years, computer science and programming were also there. It’s been my long standing passion. When I was at school, I sold my piano to purchase my first computer and learn the basics of programming on my own. This passion played an important role in choosing what business to do and helped me make many useful contacts among technical gurus. However, to lead a company to success, it was more important to have a business vision. You need to have an understanding of how to organise people and establish effective working processes. The knowledge of economics and management is very helpful here, but it’s also about personal qualities, such as the ability to take risks, evaluate partnerships and pursue business ideas which you believe are worth pursuing.
What obstacles have you faced during the creation and development of SOFTSWISS? Tell us about the most difficult personal and professional challenges you have had to overcome.
Entering the iGaming market was a risky idea on its own, as our team had no prior experience in this area and we were almost unaware of how complex it was. The conclusion I made was that ignorance is bliss as it keeps us connected to real-time challenges and helps tackle problems fearlessly. I learned all aspects of the industry from scratch, from the principles and requirements of gambling jurisdictions to the technical details of casino payment processing, to the peculiarities of the local gaming markets and player preferencences. It was my biggest personal challenge, but acquiring this knowledge has made the most positive impact on business.
Another challenge I faced several times in the company’s history was managing partnerships. When you grow big and do successful business, you become very noticeable and people start thinking about how they can become part of your success. Some of them are really eager to contribute their knowledge and/or money and establish a fair and mutually beneficial relationship, but unfortunately that’s not always the case. Others just want to jump in and take advantage of the company without any real contribution. I’ve had several negative experiences with unscrupulous partners who have had a destructive impact on the business, but we managed to overcome it. In the end, it made all of us stronger and taught us to be more picky when it comes to investment and partnership offers.
Having achieved success, it is sometimes difficult to maintain the same rhythm and not be tempted to relax and reap the rewards of your work. Where do you find points of growth and motivation to develop yourself?
I have several sources of motivation that help me stay tuned. First of all, I follow the example of the outstanding people who have reached much bigger success than myself and still haven’t stopped climbing new heights. I’m talking about the leaders of such giants, as Amazon and Google, but there are also people in our industry who I admire. The desire to stay on top of the competition is a strong driving force. iGaming is a fast changing market with new strong players appearing every day and evolving trends. If we stop and relax, it won’t take them long to take our market share.
The responsibility for the people who work with us, supporting them in their career and providing growth opportunities is another strong driving force for me. They joined SOFTSWISS and shared our corporate goals to become part of the common success, and I’m not allowed to let them down.
Finally, my passion for innovation doesn’t let me stop at where we are. There are so many new areas to explore, both within the iGaming industry and outside of it, and so many new projects to investigate. With the opportunities I have now, I can’t help taking on new technological challenges and investing into innovation.
What was your approach as a manager towards driving SOFTSWISS to success? Tell us about your managerial principles and practises. Were there any surprising revelations over the several years of managing your own company?
My main approach is staying flexible in all situations. You can’t manage the company of 1,000 people the same way you did when there were just 10. When it all just started, I was interviewing each new candidate myself before making them the final job offer. It was extremely important for me that our employees shared my personal values, that we were on the same page. It hasn’t changed much and I’m still worried about sharing the corporate culture, but I already can’t interview each employee. So I make sure that the C-level management are the people I trust, and it’s their responsibility now to communicate the corporate culture to others.
I’m also a big supporter of the agile approach and at SOFTSWISS we try to organise our daily routine according to agile practices. From the very beginning, even before I knew what agile meant, I intuitively understood that people were our biggest asset and tried to empower each employee to take decisions and act quickly. Now, with over 1,000 employees and with our industry changing so quickly, I know it’s the only way to stay competitive. So I trust people and motivate them to take the responsibility by showing how unlimited their growth opportunities are. I noticed that when people get an opportunity to participate in the company’s profit, it’s a much better motivation than a high salary on its own. So we try to empower everyone to become part of the common success story.
Talking about the personal part of the subject, does managing such a company leave time for your personal life?
Finding a balance between work and life is just a myth, I think. It’s a never ending battle. However, practice makes perfect, and I think I found some tricks that help me combine both so that neither suffers too much. I used to have some difficulties with delegating responsibility, trying to accomplish all tasks on my own quickly rather than explaining it to somebody and facing unfulfilled expectations afterwards. I’ve worked on it and noticed that wise delegation saves so much time. I concentrate on the strategically important things now and let people I trust do other tasks.
Setting priorities is also important. For me, health is the top priority and sport is the only way to stay healthy. I do boxing and it keeps me sane both physically and mentally. Combined with the Russian sauna, it gives amazing results. Also, I never miss an opportunity to build new neural connections in my brain by learning something new. My latest achievement is snowboarding. Besides sports, time with family and friends is what makes me feel happy and complete.
Looking back on the four decades behind you, do you think you have become wiser and now make better decisions from both a managerial and a personal point of view?
I’ve definitely become wiser. Although I’m still demanding a lot from the people I work with, I’m less of a perfectionist today and I don’t expect it from my employees. As I said before, I’ve become more cautious in choosing partners and going into business relationships. Unfortunately, it’s the effect of some wrong decisions made in the past, but learning from my own mistakes is also an achievement. I still believe that it’s more important to take a risk and make a mistake than not to take a risk and miss a chance. So I can always forgive mistakes but I rarely forgive missed chances.
Finally, where to next? Has turning 40 changed anything? Do you feel just as energetic and motivated as before, looking for further ventures, or do you have other ambitions in mind?
I feel as motivated and energetic as I never did before. Life only starts at 40, doesn’t it? I have the experience, resources and people by my side to pursue new ventures. There are several exciting projects in the pipeline now, both for SOFTSWISS and outside of it. I’ll continue investing in innovation and supporting fresh ideas because this means investing in the future.
Interviews
Bigly – not just another game studio. Find out how this start-up is going to help operators achieve sustainable success
European Gaming talks to Liam Mulvaney, Founder of Bigly.
Bigly is the latest studio to have launched into what is a hugely competitive space. What makes you stand out from the crowd?
You’re absolutely right when you say this is a crowded market. Today, there are more than 750 studios providing in excess of 38,000 games to operators and players. But Bigly is not just another game studio. We will be producing thrilling and entertaining content for our partners and their players, but we are positioned to be much more than just a content provider. We consider ourselves a marketing studio that happens to provide assets in the form of slots. Our unique commercial model means operators can access our games for a reliable and predictable cost, which in turn means they can ramp up marketing activity behind the titles that best meet the preferences of their players AND keep the lion’s share of the revenue each game generates. As costs rise and margins fall, Bigly is exactly what operators need to ensure sustainable success.
Tell us more about your unique commercial model.
So Bigly allows operators to access content for a capped monthly fee instead of the standard commercial model used by other studios where they work to a revenue share format. For the operator, this means if a game performs well, they hand a significant chunk of the revenues generated back to the studio. This ultimately has a knock-on effect as to the games that operators push to players and how they allocate marketing resources – this is why you often see the same slots from the same providers at the top of casino lobbies or used for promotional activity. But with our commercial model, which is sort of hybrid between a revenue share and a fixed cost system, operators have much greater flexibility over the games they give top lobby positions to, and how they market those games to players. Of course, they also know that if the game performs well, they get to keep the majority of the revenues made.
How does Bigly’s commercial model help operators beyond cost savings on content?
Our vision is to provide more opportunities for operators to push their own brand rather than Bigly. A quick example is that Bigly will not brand our games’ loader screens, but operators are free to feature their own logo if they wish. This means more brand presence from the operators. With Bigly, operators and their marketing teams can get super creative with their campaigns knowing the cost of accessing the game (or games) is fixed so the better the game performs, the more money the casino makes. In fact, the bolder the casino is in its marketing activity, the bigger the returns they will likely enjoy.
How do operators access your content?
There are a couple of ways. The first is directly through our remote game server, which is provided by our technical partner, Reelsoft. This is our preferred method of integration as it allows us to foster incredibly strong relationships with our operators while ensuring the smooth and seamless delivery of our content into markets across the world. Operators will also be able to get our games through aggregation platforms although the commercial relationship will be with Bigly – the aggregator will simply be a technical partner in the same way that Reelsoft is. This approach allows us to offer our content – and unique commercial model – to operators in the vast majority of jurisdictions from the get-go.
How does this approach to commercials and your wider business model benefit Bigly?
It gives us a major point of difference from the 100’s of other studios in the market, that’s for sure. And there’s something nice about bringing a product to the market that disrupts the status quo and genuinely revolutionises a major part of the industry. Ultimately, our approach and commercial model mean that we can provide the games and financials that operators are seeking, and, over time, this will see us become a major player in the content provision space. Of course, our approach works both ways – while our games are a predictable cost for our partners, they are a predictable income for Bigly and this really helps when it comes to establishing, growing and future-proofing the business. This can be really tough for new studios given the competitive nature of the market and the need for their games to be played at scale which of course requires top lobby positions and operator marketing activity, both of which are hard to secure for a new developer. It is important to note that the vision of this studio is for this approach to be the lifetime model for Bigly, a new way of selling and consuming content.
Your USP is your commercial model, but what about your games?
Our games are a crucial piece of the puzzle. Our commercials can be super attractive, but if our games are tosh then players just won’t play them. This is why I’ve been tapping into my extensive network to assemble an incredible team of designers, mathematicians, developers, testers and so on, as we will live or die by the quality of our content. The first games of a studio are always tough but we are confident that our slots will hit the mark in terms of quality and playability. Our first slot is Deep Sea Treasure and takes the cascading reels format, with symbols tumbling as players dive into the underwater abyss in search of big wins. I’ll be giving people a sneak peek at the SBC Summit in Lisbon, so flag me down if you want to see it in action.
The post Bigly – not just another game studio. Find out how this start-up is going to help operators achieve sustainable success appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Booming Games
Interview with Booming Games: A Sweepstakes Casino Powerhouse Poised for Big Wins in 2025!
In the ever-evolving world of sweepstake casinos, Booming Games is making waves. With visually stunning slots, a wide range of games, and a strategic focus on sweepstakes, they’re quickly becoming the go-to supplier in the industry. We sat down with two of the masterminds behind Booming Games’ success: newly appointed Director of Games, Nemanja Zivic, and VP of Product, Moritz Blume. Here’s what they had to say.
Booming Games has been making quite a splash in the sweepstakes space recently. What’s the secret sauce behind your success?
Moritz Blume: laughs Well, it’s no secret that we’ve been laser-focused on making Booming Games the ultimate partner for sweepstake casinos. For us, it all starts with the players. We’ve built a reputation for creating visually stunning and feature-packed games that keep people coming back for more. And, you know, our sweepstake-friendly features like interactive bonuses, free spins, and multipliers? Players love it! Who wouldn’t want to hit a big win without staking any real money? That’s kind of our jam.
We’ve also made sure to optimize all our games for mobile because let’s face it, people love spinning the reels on their phones, whether they’re on the couch or waiting for their coffee. The seamless mobile experience keeps them hooked, and we’re proud of that.
You’ve just introduced Nemanja Zivic as the new Director of Games. How does he fit into Booming Games’ already strong team?
Moritz Blume: Oh, Nemanja is a rockstar! He brings a ton of experience, not just from the online iGaming world, but as a passionate player of land-based games too. His expertise spans both worlds, and he’s helping us take those proven land-based features that players love and bringing them online. We’re offering players mechanics tailored to all kinds of play styles. Nemanja’s input ensures our games are not just popular but keep players coming back for more.
Nemanja Zivic: Absolutely! We know there’s a traceable trajectory for the features that start in land-based casinos and go on to make waves online. There’s nuance, of course, but we get it. That’s why we offer content featuring both the core and the evolution of Hold and Win, Cash Collect, Triple-pot bonuses, quick-hit Multi jackpots, Multi-reel set Bonuses, and short-term persistence games that make players feel right at home. We bring these land-based features online, and then elevate them with multiple bonus buys, side bets, and picks—ensuring every kind of player, from the casual spinner to the high roller, finds something that resonates with their style.
Between Moritz and me, we’ve got the experience to know what players crave. Add that to our killer roadmap for 2025 and 2026, and we’re all set to release some seriously exciting new titles.
Speaking of sweepstakes, what specifically sets Booming Games apart for operators in this space?
Nemanja Zivic: Booming Games offers full flexibility and an unmatched diversity in our game portfolio—whether you’re looking for classic casino fruits and diamonds, popular casual player favorites, or high-roller picks, we’ve got it all either in the portfolio already or coming next year.
For sweepstake casinos, we provide modified language support tailored to sweepstake players, social currencies, you name it—we’re all about making it work for the operator. And we don’t just stop there. We offer customized game titles to help strengthen the casino’s brand. Want a game with your logo on it? We can do that! Want exclusive features for your VIP players? Done.
Oh, and let’s not forget our various app integrations. We’re getting embedded into platforms that sweepstake players use the most. If you want your Booming Games titles in your app store, we make it happen. Anything’s possible when you’re working with us.
Wow, that’s impressive. Can you tell us more about how you’re integrating with influencers and sweepstake streamers?
Moritz Blume: We’re playing the long game here. In 2025, we’re going to be teaming up with some big names in sweepstake-focused streaming and influencer marketing. Expect to see Booming Games plastered all over Twitch, YouTube, and every platform where people love to watch gameplay. We’ve got some secret partnerships up our sleeve with streamers who are going to take our games to the next level in terms of exposure.
We’re already among the top 3 revenue drivers on various sweepstake platforms, and we’re only going to climb higher. By working closely with influencers, we’re taking our visibility and engagement to new heights. The future is looking bright!
It sounds like Booming Games is on the verge of a major sweepstake takeover. What can we expect next?
Nemanja Zivic: We’re just getting started! We’re in the final stages of some truly exciting partnerships and game launches tailored specifically for sweepstake operators that will redefine the player experience. At the same time, we’re always keeping our eyes on regulatory changes—if there’s an update, we’re ready to react the next day, ensuring our games are fully compliant wherever they’re played.
But that’s not all—responsible gaming is one of the pillars of Booming Games’ strategy. While we’re busy creating all these exciting new features, we’re equally focused on making sure our games are safe, secure, and fair for everyone. By staying on top of regulation and promoting responsible play, we aim to deliver not just thrilling games but ones that players can trust.
Any last words for the sweepstake casino operators and players reading this?
Moritz Blume: If you’re an operator, Booming Games is the partner you’ve been waiting for. We’ve got the tools, the games, and the know-how to make your players love what they’re playing. And for the players? Strap in, because Booming Games has some wild new titles coming your way. 2025 is going to be a ride!
Sounds like Booming Games is the perfect storm for sweepstake casinos. Thanks for chatting with us!
Moritz Blume and Nemanja Zivic: in unison Thank you!
Booming Games continues to dominate the sweepstake casino world, with cutting-edge game design, tailored solutions for operators, and exciting partnerships in the pipeline. Stay tuned for their roadmap in 2025—it’s going to be big!
The European Gaming Congress (EGC) returns to Warsaw for 2024 on 15-16 October, and organizer HIPTHER is proud to introduce the conference’s esteemed Sponsors – trailblazing companies and accomplished professionals that help make the magic happen! In this Sponsors Spotlight Interview, we welcome Maciej Makuszewski, iGaming Director at Promatic Group, parent company of the Platinum Sponsor for EGC 2024, Promatic Games.
For many people outside the gaming industry, putting social responsibility and online slot games in the same sentence might seem counterintuitive. What’s your perspective on this? How can a slot development company demonstrate responsibility?
You’ve hit on a very interesting point right from the beginning. From an outsider’s view, social responsibility and online gambling might seem like polar opposites—like water and fire. But within the industry, we understand that to succeed, all parties, and especially operators and game studios, need to cater to a broad audience. This includes not only players seeking excitement and adrenaline but also casual players who just want a bit of entertainment. We simply need to think about the mass market when designing the gaming experience.
From there, it becomes essential to safeguard ALL players by promoting responsible behaviors and minimizing risks. After all, even with a naturally risky activity like gambling, people still want a sense of security in their experience. This is where social responsibility becomes key. While the public often associates our industry with problem gambling or even addiction, this is a simplistic view. A problem gambler is not a good player—not for them, and certainly not for us. We aim to create a safe and enjoyable environment for all players, which ultimately benefits everyone involved.
So speaking of iGaming in general, what are the key areas when it comes to promoting responsible behavior and minimizing risks for players, as you rightly put it?
I would consider Responsible Gaming as an umbrella term that encompasses a range of measures. I usually break these down into several key categories:
- Identifying and protecting vulnerable players
- Game mechanics
- Transparency and communication
- Youth exposure
- Game design and incentives
- Financial limits and self-exclusion mechanisms
- Utilization of player data
Of course, this list can evolve depending on specific market needs, but these are the core elements. I haven’t included aspects like fairness or certification, as these are typically viewed as basic prerequisites in most regulated markets—they aren’t specific to Responsible Gaming but rather fundamental requirements for offering games to customers. Additionally, technical standards can also play a supporting role in fostering a responsible gaming environment.
Given that your role as a game studio is to provide the games themselves, how can you contribute to making the experience as responsible as possible? You’re not in full control over all of the seven areas you mentioned earlier.
You’re right—our role is narrower compared to operators, but we still have a significant impact in key areas. We can influence game mechanics, transparency and communication, youth exposure (to some extent), and game design and incentives. While we don’t manage player data, we can still support the identification of problem gambling behaviors.
Take game mechanics, for example. As a studio, we invest a lot of time in balancing the speed of gameplay with clear, accurate visualizations of the spin results. One of our key principles is ensuring that all our designs and developments are configurable to meet Responsible Gaming requirements. For instance, our games were recently certified in the Czech Republic, where the regulator mandates that each spin lasts at least two seconds. This is a Responsible Gaming measure, and our configurable software allowed us to implement this requirement quickly.
Another area that’s been a focus of many regulators is the Bonus Buy feature. We were hesitant to introduce it because some of the behaviors associated with this feature may heighten the risk of problem gambling. After months of careful consideration, we decided to launch it only with the ability to monitor every player action related to this functionality. We are committed to tracking this feature closely to ensure it aligns with responsible gaming standards.
You’re also going to touch on game design and incentives at the European Gaming Congress (EGC), correct?
Yes, that’s right! We’re excited to share the story behind one of our most innovative games, Ale Fajny BOBER. The game’s theme is inspired by a popular viral video, and it was a fascinating challenge for our team to translate the essence of a two-minute YouTube clip into an engaging slot experience. We had many discussions on how to best capture and visualize that story within a slot game format. But I’ll save the finer details for the conference—we’ll be talking about it on Day 1 during our presentation! Feel free to join and ask questions!
You mentioned the game Ale Fajny BOBER. Could our readers be familiar with other titles that have come out of your studio?
Ale Fajny Bober is indeed a new game, which had its premiere in Poland on September 26. Promatic Games has a portfolio of hundreds of exciting slot games that have been both successful and widely appreciated by players. Some of these include: Mummy’s Treasure Deluxe, Dracula’s Treasure, Janosik 30 and Miss Joker Show – the latter has even been shortlisted for the Best iGaming Product category at the EiGE2024 awards, with the final taking place at the upcoming conference. I warmly invite to join us at the event and cast your vote for our title. See you there!
Promatic Group’s iGaming Director, Maciej Makuszewski, and Product Design Manager, Luka Oblak, will be presenting a workshop at the European Gaming Congress on ‘Mastering the Art of Balanced Slot Development.
Join us in Warsaw and meet the Promatic Games Team in person:
The post Can Fun Be Safe? The Role of Social Responsibility in Slot Game Design appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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