The Super Stage at the SBC Summit in Lisbon always draws major appeal and attention; this year is no different. Ahead of his speaking appearance on the stage, Aris Dimarakis, Deputy CEO, Kaizen Gaming sat down with iGaming Expert, where he reflected on the World Cup and the overall growth of the business.
iGaming Expert: Firstly, are you able to tell us a little more about Kaizen Gaming’s international growth strategy and the localised approach that the operator takes to each market?
Aris Dimarakis: Our expansion approach is very selective. We look for regulated markets with meaningful scale, long-term growth potential, the right product fit and a competitive landscape where we believe we can realistically build a leading position.
At the same time, we follow what we call a glocal approach. We want the strength and consistency of one global brand, but the customer experience should feel local in every market.
That means adapting to local regulation, payment methods and customer habits, but also to what people actually want to play and watch. Local sports, local leagues, casino content and market-specific preferences all matter.
For us, localisation is not about translation. It is about making the customer feel that the whole experience was designed for their market.
What role has AI played in accelerating the expansion of Kaizen Gaming and maximising engagement for the World Cup?
AI is gradually becoming an important part of how we scale. It helps us improve operational efficiency, automate repetitive work and give our teams more capacity to focus on higher-value work and decisions.
Equally important is how AI can help us differentiate our proposition, create new experiences and move faster. Betano Trivia, during the World Cup is one example, but we are looking much more broadly at how AI can improve our product and the way customers engage with us.
We are following developments very closely because the technology is moving extremely fast. Our focus is to give our people the right tools, capabilities and confidence to use AI properly. At the same time, keeping our data safe and using AI responsibly is extremely important to us.
We have invested significantly, and I expect 2027 to be a breakthrough year in how we turn that investment into measurable business value.
How crucial was the World Cup to continuing to boost Kaizen Gaming’s position? What have you done to maximize the tournament?
The World Cup is hugely important, but I see it as an accelerator rather than a one-off campaign.
This was our third partnership with FIFA, following the 2022 World Cup and the 2025 Club World Cup. That continuity matters because it helps us build Betano as a global brand around the biggest moments in football.
For 2026, we combined a global brand campaign with strong local execution across our markets, supported by product innovation, fan activations and a strong customer experience throughout the tournament.
The real test is what happens after. Many customers chose Betano because of the World Cup, and I believe we managed to offer them a unique experience. Now it is about finding the right ways to retain them and build a long-term relationship.
What were some of the key challenges for the World Cup, specifically around the kick-off times?
The kick-off times were definitely a challenge, especially because the tournament was played across North America and there was no single prime-time window that worked for all our markets.
This required very strong operational planning across the business, with different peaks of activity depending on the market and the time zone.
At the same time, our strong position in Brazil and across Latin America gave us an important advantage. Football engagement in the region is extremely high and many of the kick-off times were naturally better suited to those audiences.
So the challenge was to manage the World Cup as one global event while adapting the experience and our operations to very different customer behaviours across Europe and Latin America.
Off the back of the World Cup, Kaizen Gaming goes straight into a sponsorship with Tottenham Hotspur. Why is it so crucial to continue this momentum?
Momentum matters, but we don’t want to collect sponsorship logos. Every major partnership has to support where we want the Betano brand to go next.
The Premier League is, in my view, the best domestic football league in the world, with extraordinary global reach. Tottenham is a premium club, with a strong international fanbase and a powerful digital presence.
For a global brand like Betano, investing in this partnership makes absolute sense. It gives us the opportunity to build a relationship with football fans every week throughout the season, not just around one major event.
It is a natural next step after the World Cup and very consistent with the position we want Betano to have globally.
When it comes to the balance between the expansion of the industry and public health, where does operator responsibility sit?
Operators have a significant responsibility. We cannot talk about making our products more engaging without having the same ambition when it comes to making them safer.
For me, responsible gaming needs to be built into the product and the customer journey, not treated simply as a compliance requirement. Technology and data give us better tools to identify risk earlier, intervene when necessary and give customers more control over how they play.
At the same time, I think this works best when operators and regulators work closely together. Strong player protection is essential, but we also need a regulated customer experience that remains competitive and sustainable.
Finding that balance is important for everyone. If regulated products become significantly less attractive, channelisation can suffer and customers may move towards unregulated operators, where protection and oversight are much weaker and there is no tax contribution.
Ultimately, we all want the same outcome: a healthy and sustainable regulated market that protects customers and keeps them within the regulated environment.
What have been some of the challenges in building a global tech company from Greece?
When we started, Greece was probably not the obvious place from which to build a global technology company. We went through a financial crisis, capital controls and later a global pandemic. Those experiences made us more resilient and disciplined.
But Greece has also given us something extremely valuable: very strong technology talent. Around half of our people still work here. We have become one of the leading employers for high-tech talent and a great destination for Greek professionals who want to return home without giving up the opportunity to build a global career.
I relate to that personally. Before Kaizen Gaming, I had built my whole career in Greece and had no real international experience. Through Kaizen Gaming, I had the opportunity to grow from a local environment into a truly global one. Many people in our company have made a similar journey.
In parallel, as we have expanded, we have consistently worked to attract and retain the right talent around the world, as close to our markets and customers as possible.
Today, I see us as a global company that started in Greece, still has a very strong Greek base, but thinks and operates internationally.
From a startup in Greece to a global brand. One win at a time.
For me personally, that makes the journey even more special.
