Interviews
Exclusive Interview with Newly Launched CatoriTech’s CEO & Co-Founder, Domenico Mazzola
Today marks the official launch of CatoriTech, an exciting new player in the tech industry. At the helm of this ambitious venture is Domenico Mazzola, a seasoned entrepreneur and industry leader, stepping into the role of CEO and Co-Founder. In this exclusive interview, we sit down with Domenico to discuss the vision behind CatoriTech, the challenges of launching a new company, and the innovative solutions they plan to bring to the market. With a focus on cutting-edge technology and a commitment to excellence, CatoriTech is set to make waves from day one. Join us as Domenico shares insights into what’s next for this promising startup and the future of tech innovation.
What inspired you to start CatoriTech, and how did the company come into existence?
The inspiration to start CatoriTech came from recognizing a significant gap in the iGaming industry. Both my co-founder, Antonio, and I had worked in technology and gaming for years, and we saw a clear need for more innovative, scalable, and secure solutions tailored specifically for this industry. The idea was to create a company that not only delivered cutting-edge technology but also understood the unique challenges and opportunities within the iGaming sector. CatoriTech was born out of a desire to drive the industry forward by leveraging the latest technologies and fostering a culture of innovation.
Can you explain the core mission and vision of CatoriTech?
Our mission at CatoriTech is to empower the iGaming industry through innovative, reliable, and scalable technology solutions. We aim to set new standards in how technology can enhance gaming experiences, streamline operations, and drive growth. Our vision is to be the leading technology partner for iGaming companies worldwide, recognized for our commitment to excellence, innovation, and customer success.
How does CatoriTech differentiate itself from other companies in the iGaming industry?
CatoriTech stands out in the iGaming industry by focusing on a few key differentiators. First, our tech stack is designed with scalability, security, and user experience at its core, allowing our clients to grow and innovate without worrying about the limitations of their technology. Second, our fully remote working model allows us to tap into a global talent pool, ensuring we have the best minds working on our solutions. Finally, our customer-centric approach means we work closely with our clients, understanding their specific needs and challenges, and tailoring our solutions accordingly.
Technology and Innovation
What is the driving philosophy behind your technology stack at CatoriTech?
The driving philosophy behind our technology stack is to build with the future in mind. We’ve selected technologies that are not only robust and secure but also flexible enough to adapt to the rapidly changing landscape of the iGaming industry. We prioritize scalability, ensuring that as our clients grow, their technology can grow with them without compromising performance or security. Additionally, we’re committed to staying ahead of the curve by continuously researching and integrating emerging technologies that can provide a competitive edge.
How does CatoriTech ensure scalability and security within its technology solutions?
Scalability and security are fundamental to everything we build at CatoriTech. We achieve scalability by using cloud-native architectures that allow for seamless expansion and contraction based on demand. This ensures that our clients can handle peak loads without any performance degradation. On the security side, we implement best-in-class security protocols, including encryption, regular security audits, and compliance with industry standards like GDPR. Our goal is to provide a technology infrastructure that our clients can trust, knowing that their data is secure and their systems can handle whatever challenges come their way.
Company Culture and Remote Work
CatoriTech is a fully remote company. How do you maintain a strong company culture in a remote environment?
Maintaining a strong company culture in a remote environment is something we take very seriously at CatoriTech. We’ve created a culture that emphasizes communication, collaboration, and mutual respect. Regular virtual meetings, both formal and informal, help keep everyone connected. We also encourage transparency and open communication across all levels of the company. Additionally, we’ve implemented tools and practices that allow for seamless collaboration, ensuring that distance doesn’t hinder productivity or team spirit.
What are the advantages of your remote working model, and how does it benefit both your employees and your clients?
The remote working model offers numerous advantages, both for our employees and our clients. For employees, it provides flexibility, allowing them to work from anywhere, which can lead to a better work-life balance and increased job satisfaction. This flexibility also means we can hire the best talent from around the world, not just from a specific geographic location. For our clients, the benefits include faster turnaround times and a broader range of perspectives and expertise, as our diverse team can approach problems from different angles.
iGaming Industry Impact
What trends do you see shaping the future of the iGaming industry, and how is CatoriTech positioning itself to lead in this space?
The iGaming industry is rapidly evolving, with trends like increased regulation, the rise of mobile gaming, and the integration of AI and machine learning shaping its future. At CatoriTech, we’re positioning ourselves to lead in this space by staying ahead of these trends and continuously innovating our technology solutions. We’re also focused on providing scalable and compliant solutions that can adapt to the changing regulatory landscape. By staying agile and forward-thinking, we aim to help our clients not just keep up with the industry but lead it.
How does CatoriTech contribute to the success of its clients in the iGaming industry?
CatoriTech contributes to the success of its clients by providing technology that is not only robust and reliable but also tailored to their specific needs. We work closely with our clients to understand their business objectives and challenges, and we develop solutions that help them achieve their goals. Whether it’s improving user experience, ensuring regulatory compliance, or enabling seamless scaling, our technology is designed to empower our clients to succeed in a competitive industry.
What challenges do you foresee for the iGaming industry, and how is CatoriTech preparing to overcome them?
One of the biggest challenges we foresee for the iGaming industry is the increasing complexity of regulations across different markets. To address this, CatoriTech is investing in compliance technology that helps our clients navigate these regulations more easily. Another challenge is the rapid pace of technological change, which can make it difficult for companies to stay current. We’re tackling this by constantly innovating and updating our technology stack to ensure our clients are always ahead of the curve.
Future and Vision
What are CatoriTech’s goals for the next 5 years, and how do you plan to achieve them?
Over the next five years, our goals at CatoriTech include expanding our presence globally, further enhancing our product offerings, and becoming the go-to technology partner for the iGaming industry. We plan to achieve this by continuing to invest in innovation, building strategic partnerships, and focusing on delivering exceptional value to our clients. We’re also committed to growing our team with top talent from around the world, ensuring that we have the expertise to support our ambitious goals.
How do you envision the role of CatoriTech evolving as the iGaming industry continues to grow and change?
As the iGaming industry continues to grow and change, I envision CatoriTech evolving into a more comprehensive technology partner for our clients. We plan to expand our product offerings to cover more aspects of the gaming ecosystem, from player management to data analytics. Additionally, we aim to become a thought leader in the industry, providing insights and guidance on emerging trends and best practices. Ultimately, our goal is to be at the forefront of innovation, helping to shape the future of iGaming.
The post Exclusive Interview with Newly Launched CatoriTech’s CEO & Co-Founder, Domenico Mazzola appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Match Hype has just won two industry competitions. Talk us through your product.
Match Hype brings engagement from social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram into the sportsbook. Our technology automatically turns raw sports data into short videos full of sports and betting insights. We have the capacity to create up to a million videos daily in more than 30 languages. We also provide hosting and streaming of the videos, and we track everything in the video thanks to our own player. The high level of video experience and the scale make us unique in the market, and we believe that this innovation is extremely needed in the industry—and the judges in the competitions probably agree with us.
What technologies are you leveraging to deliver such a cutting-edge tool/product?
We have more than six years’ experience in developing dynamic video solutions for clients like Microsoft, HBO, and SAP, and a decade in high-end video production for similarly well-known clients. Match Hype is the essence of this. We have developed our own robust cloud infrastructure that enables us to work on a huge scale. We can also leverage the integration of third-party solutions that help us make the video content rich and engaging. The AI boom came at the right time to help us make the experience for the viewer even better.
Who is Match Hype aimed at?
We focus mostly on sportsbook operators, where we think we can bring the biggest value. But we also have clients on the affiliate and media side. Our “competition” at the moment are creative professionals who are able to create one video at a time. To cover hundreds or thousands of events daily, you need huge manpower. With Match Hype, you don’t need that—it’s all automated. Anybody who appreciates this level of efficiency will benefit.
The end users are any sports fans who enjoy engaging videos. So basically everybody.
Has this industry been slow to embrace video content and unlock the potential it offers? If so, why?
It’s hard for us to talk about the whole industry, as we haven’t been part of it for that long. But iGaming feels like a conservative industry where only truly meaningful innovations make it. Fingers crossed for Match Hype being one of them. We are confident because of our track record in other industries, and mostly thanks to the results of our dynamic videos that are already used by significant igaming industry players.
What makes video content so effective at customer acquisition? How can Match Hype be used in this regard?
People just love video content. In the last review, TikTok said that the average user spends around 90 minutes a day on their platform. Platforms like Spotify used to be music and podcasts only; now they are full of videos. You just can’t ignore that. Video killed the radio star, and a static sportsbook is next to die.
And what about retention? How can it be used to keep players engaged and coming back for more?
Imagine that a 30-second video gives you the exact insights to help you make a betting decision without spending dozens of minutes on different resources to gather all the information. People don’t want to read anymore. This is probably an even bigger strength of Match Hype than user acquisition.
What can we expect from Match Hype in the coming months?
We will establish Match Hype as an industry standard for dynamic video content. We’ll bring many more sports like tennis, basketball horse racing and. We are preparing real-time video use cases—for example, half-time updates in football—and new distribution channels like integration directly into streams. The potential is huge. Stay tuned.
Any final thoughts?
For the last year, we have talked with literally hundreds of iGaming experts, investors, and executives. Almost every one of them sees fan engagement as a huge topic in the upcoming months and years. And video will definitely play a key part in it.
Video says more than a thousand words. Give it a go—watch one of our 30-second videos and see for yourself.
The post Exclusive Q&A w/ Radek Pšurný, CEO at Match Hype appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
For those that might not know, can you give us a brief overview of Pick’Em Player Props?
In simple terms, the new Pick’Em Player Props product from WA.Technology is almost like a hybrid between fantasy sports and sports betting. In the same vein as traditional player props products that you see in traditional sports, players can select markets on individual players – we have just taken that model and elevated it.
During the game, players can make between two and six bet selections. For example, will Erling Haaland score more or less than 2.5 shots? The number of bet selections the player makes then determines their multiplier. By allowing bettors to unleash their sporting knowledge and provide engaging games for them to play, we are helping our operator partners to not only engage with a wider player base but also to fuel long-term retention. It really is a one-of-a-kind product and one we’re incredibly excited about. It’s already proving to be a top performer in LatAm.
Why has now been the right time to unveil Pick’Em Player Props?
Over the last few years, we’ve seen significant growth in the number of player proposition products. There are several reasons for that. Sports fans have shown a growing affinity for individual players rather than a team. They follow players on social media and engage with content featuring that player.
This reflects the wider trend we’re seeing: the new generation of fans is more in love with the players than the team itself. A great example of this is both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Bettors worldwide would wager on either of those players and engage with their content regardless of which team they played for or what club they supported.
The appetite for player-driven betting is increasing dramatically, resulting in a greater demand for products specifically tailored to individual athletes.
With more traditional sportsbooks, however, we’ve found that there isn’t as much depth of product regarding player propositions – aside from goal scorer markets. We wanted to change that – we wanted to deliver a fun, engaging product that helps build a sense of community among players.
Since Pick’Em Player Props is also a hybrid of fantasy and sports, it can act as an attractive tool to facilitate new market entries, as fantasy sports are not regulated like sportsbooks or iGaming. Take the US for example. In most states, operators do not need a licence to offer a fantasy sports product. This is the case for many markets around the world, too. I believe this will be an attractive proposition for operators looking to expand their international footprint, and as a truly global provider, we’re here to make that happen.
In your view, what differentiates WA.Technology’s Pick’Em Player Props from other player props products on the market?
Currently, we are the only B2B provider to offer a player propositions product that combines sports and fantasy. A handful of companies in the US offer something similar, but they are all B2C companies – we are bringing something totally unique to the B2B space.
Fantasy Sports have always been popular in the US. But over the last 18 months, we’ve seen a meteoric rise in the demand for player proposition markets; we wanted to develop a product that caters to that growth in demand and delivers something unique for our partners.
For other player props products on the market, something that is worth noting is that the design and UX are doing little to engage Millennial/Gen Z bettors. This audience demands a streamlined UX that is easy to use. Our Pick’Em version has been specifically designed with this demographic in mind, although we have been careful not to disenfranchise other age groups. We have kept the design sleek, streamlined and easy to use to deliver that. It’s extremely well-designed compared to what you might see in a more traditional sportsbook.
The game is straightforward to understand because we have fixed multipliers. This decision differentiates us from more traditional products, where the multipliers vary depending on how many bets you place. It also makes the product much more accessible for players who might otherwise not be familiar with fantasy or player props.
Another major defining factor is that we have ensured players can add multiple bets from different markets together. On most sports betting sites out there, you cannot combine player props markets. You couldn’t, for example, have a bet slip combining Erling Haaland’s Over/Under Shots and Kevin De Bruyne’s Shots on Target. We know this is frustrating for many bettors. We wanted to eliminate that barrier and elevate sports fans’ experience.
How does the level of data granularity influence the design and effectiveness of player proposition betting products, particularly in terms of player engagement and personalised betting options?
We are very fortunate that the data feed we use for our player props markets is the best. We have a wide range of insights and data analytics available, giving us an edge over other companies within the space – this is a serious differentiator.
The enhanced data range means we can deliver many more bespoke, personalised betting options to players while also getting more granular with the markets we can offer.
Our Managed Services Team, which oversees all things trading, also closely monitors the markets that are most popular with players. For example, if we see an influx in bets on ‘shots on target’, we know how to create more promotions around this particular market. We can tailor the CMS to engage better with players and create a more personalised experience.
Players can also ‘favourite’ particular players and clubs. Any market featuring that player will automatically appear when the Pick’Em Player Props application loads up.
Are there any markets where you believe Pick’Em Player Props will prove to be particularly popular? If so, why?
In all honesty, I can’t think of a market where this won’t be popular! Regions such as LatAm present an enormous opportunity for the growth of player proposition markets. I believe we can really plug a gap in the products currently offered to bettors.
Across the continent, we’ve seen players show a real passion for player-focused markets, and we’re here to capitalise on that. In Brazil, for example, if we were to create markets on Neymar, I’d anticipate this would gain much traction!
The real selling point for Pick’Em Player Props here is that we offer an extensive range of sports and markets that cater to a broad audience – but within that, we can personalise sports and bet selections not to overwhelm the player. I’d expect that markets on football will perform exceptionally well across Africa and LatAm, while countries such as South Africa may have a stronger preference for Rugby or Cricket.
Ultimately, it’s about understanding the unique preferences of players within each jurisdiction our partners operate in and tailoring the product accordingly. With teams based in various markets worldwide, we can get to grips with the local knowledge and fully understand what resonates with bettors.
In your view, what are some of the factors behind the growth of player props products in the last 12 months?
Most definitely shows how sports media companies are incorporating more player-specific content into their roster. This already has a huge impact, and I can’t see it changing anytime soon.
Whether it’s interviews with specific players, post-match analytics on performance or even the inherent growth of social media, the balance is undoubtedly tipping more towards the player rather than the team.
Personalisation will also have a considerable knock-on effect on the growth of player propositions. Bettors want more bespoke offers, specific bet suggestions and more instant content tailored to their unique playing habits. With a product like Pick’Em Player Props, you can personalise that betting experience to your heart’s content.
It also becomes much easier for sportsbooks to align with a specific user’s interests when we deliver unmatched data analytics and levels of personalisation that are available via WA.Technology’s product suite.
In short, Pick’Em Player Props gives operators the tools they need to create wide-ranging engagement opportunities without sticking to the rigid sporting calendar, where sometimes you might have to wait several days between a game. By incorporating fantasy sports, we can deliver round-the-clock content much faster, therefore meeting the demands of players. If you want to find out more – make sure to stop by Stand 1095 at SiGMA!
Behind every stellar online slot is an equally stellar maths model. These are becoming more experimental as the industry flirts with an increasing array of innovative new mechanics. We spoke to Pablo Martinez, Math/Design Lead and Founder at maverick game studio Peter & Sons to find out more.
Do you have to be a maths genius to build a slot machine?
Nah, you don’t need to be a maths genius. It’s more about having the right mix of skills and loving what you do. You need to play a lot of games, see what’s working out there, and understand what makes them fun. Knowing maths helps, sure, but it’s more about creating something players want to keep coming back to.
Peter & Sons is known for making games that dare to be different, visually and thematically. Is the underlying math equally experimental?
Definitely! We love pushing boundaries, both in how our games look and how they play. Sure, it’s a bit of a gamble to have a bunch of games with unique mechanics, but we’re all about trying new things. Games like Peter Hunter and our upcoming Muddy Waters are great examples — they bring fresh gameplay and new experiences to the table. Each year, we try to put out at least one or two experimental titles, keeping things interesting while mixing them with more familiar styles.
Do you come up with the maths model first and then build the game around that? Take us through the process of building the game from start to finish.
We usually start with an idea for the mechanics first. We make a quick prototype to see if the concept can work with the maths. Then we bring in the art team to brainstorm themes that will fit well. Once we have a basic prototype, we go through a bunch of tweaks and changes until the art, mechanics, and maths all feel right together. It’s a back-and-forth process where we’re constantly finetuning everything to get the best balance.
Why do you think a mechanic like Megaways was so successful?
Megaways took off because it’s a fun, exciting mechanic that gave players something fresh, but smart brand marketing really helped it catch on.
Is there pressure as a slots developer to come up with the ‘next’ Megaways?
Not really. Coming up with new mechanics is always fun, but it’s not the only way to make a hit. Plenty of top games are just clever twists on classic mechanics. It’s more about creating a great experience that keeps players coming back, whether it’s something brand new or just a fresh spin on something more familiar.
Which slots are more popular, high or low volatility, and why do you think that is?
It depends on the market, but in some unregulated markets — and especially with some operators — high-volatility slots are really popular. A big reason for this is streamers. High-volatility games make for exciting content, so they get a lot of attention and hype online. That thrill factor really draws players in.
Which is your favorite Peter & Sons mechanic and why?
Right now, I’d say the fishing mechanic in our upcoming game Muddy Waters. It’s a new twist on the fishing genre that really brings something fresh to the gameplay. It’s exciting to take a familiar theme and make it feel totally different.
Tell us about the mechanics in your latest release, Barbarossa Revenge.
Barbarossa Revenge is a pirate-themed, high-volatility game with 243 ways to win. It’s a DoubleMax game, meaning the multiplier doubles with each cascade. You’ve also got Multiplier Jumps and a Cashout feature that guarantees wins. During Free Spins, the multipliers don’t reset and can keep growing unlimited. With a max win potential of 30,000x the bet, this game is a real thrill!
Week 46/2024 slot games releases
AGREEMENT BETWEEN ZITRO AND GRUPO OSGA TO PROMOTE THE LABOT INTEGRATION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
EGT Digital’s iGaming platform X-Nave and successful titles to deliver high-quality experience to BetHub’s customers
Bragg Gaming Group Announces Record Third Quarter 2024 Revenue of Eur 26.2 Million (USD 29.3 Million)
BetMGM and Vegas Golden Knights Announce Multi-Year Partnership Extension
Spinomenal celebrates Halloween with Book of the Cursed release
QiH Group completes C-suite hiring spree with new CFO appointment
Evoplay enters Czech market with exclusive Fortuna collaboration
Peter & Sons- Maths and Mechanics
MGM Resorts Teams with USO and American Airlines for 14th Annual Salute to the Troops at Mandalay Bay
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Exclusive Interview with Miklos Handa (Founder of the email marketing solutions, “MailMike.net”), speaker at Vienna International Gaming Expo 2018
