Interviews
Roundtable: Spending Smart Not Big in the US

Participants
Michael Pedersen, CCO of Livespins
Tom Galanis, Founder at First Look Games
Allan Petrilli, VP of Sales & Growth at Intelitics
Troy Paul, Co-Founder and CEO at SGG
Summary
This roundtable will discuss the marketing tactics being deployed by operators in the US and in particular, how those with smaller budgets can still drive awareness and build market share. While above-the-line campaigns have their place, affiliates and paid media are just as effective and can drive acquisition at scale but for a more sensible return on investment. It will dig into the upsides that affiliates and paid media offer and what operators need to do to maximise the opportunities they provide. It will also touch on other channels such as social media and streaming and asks if operators are really doing enough when it comes to retention.
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Operators have dropped serious money on marketing and acquisition campaigns to date, but many are now questioning the effectiveness of these and the ROI they are generating. Why do you think they took this approach in the first place?
Michael Pedersen, CCO of Livespins
Operators have spent big to leverage the powerful first mover advantage on the table in states that have legalised online sports betting and casino for the first time. They have also been locked in a fierce battle with their rivals over market share, a battle they have been keen to win. Many will have researched the market beforehand and seen analyst reports that it will be worth billions and so have looked to buy their way to the largest slice of the pie. I think this has been the right approach to take for some as there is a huge advantage to be gained by being among the first brands to go live in a state. This allows the operator to capture the significant early interest in legal sports betting and casino when the market first opens. You just have to look at the numbers coming out of Ohio to see the level of activity that occurs in the first few days and weeks of a market opening.
Of course, this is an expensive game to play and requires very deep pockets indeed. The issue now is that operators have been spending big for quite some time and investors are starting to question when this open chequebook approach will pay off. Many understand that brand building takes time, but they do need to see a path to profitability. This path is looking increasingly bumpy in the context of recent changes to the macro environment (interest rates on the rise, cost of living crisis, etc) and it seems investors are running out of patience. This has seen many operators slash marketing spend as part of wider efforts to hit the point of break-even by the end of the year – a target that I’m sure some will fail to hit.
Tom Galanis, Founder at First Look Games
The trend for massive spend is undoubtedly a result of the historic marketing blitz undertaken by FanDuel and DraftKings and the hundreds of millions of dollars they invested in building their brands in the daily fantasy sports space. They’ve been able to tap into this brand equity as and when states have legalised online sports betting and casino, taking the lead in most markets. Other brands entering the fray have had to spend at similar levels to play catch-up and stake their claim to the lion’s share in each state. I do think there’s been an over-reliance on above-the-line (ATL) marketing and the use of brand ambassadors and sponsorship deals. These are incredibly expensive marketing channels that are often more effective at long-term brand building than they are at delivering acquisition at pace. It’s also worth noting the “Gold Rush” mentality that a lot of operators seem to have adopted – they believed there was a limited window to achieve a critical mass of market share so have spent big in order to achieve it.
Allan Petrilli, VP of Sales & Growth at Intelitics
While many believe operators have embarked on reckless spending, to me there is some method to the madness. Top-tier brands consider this spend under brand-building and with new markets opening up so quickly, they felt they were entering into a fierce battle with their rivals to capture the largest share of wallet in each state. This coincided with public and private investment being relatively cheap, meaning operators didn’t have to be quite so mindful of the return they were achieving. There was also an assumption that iGaming/online casino regulation would be quickly rolled out across additional states, and this in turn would help to drive revenues. Of course, the cost of investment and borrowing money has skyrocketed and online casino regulation has not come about at the pace or the scale expected. This has caught operators off-guard, and many are now slashing marketing budgets in order to achieve profitability.
Troy Paul, Co-Founder and CEO at SGG
The passing of PASPA (The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act) really heralded the start of “the great sports betting race” – and back then, the general consensus was that the first two or three operators would easily “win” and dominate sports betting for all time. Initially, FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM outspent the competition and took the first heat, but the race is far from over. Now we’re seeing challengers such as Fanatics and BETR competing in a new heat where the emphasis has shifted from how much a sportsbook spends to how effective their spend proves to be.
Is there an opportunity for operators to spend smart and still drive brand awareness and claim a significant share of the market in each state they target?
Michael Pedersen, CCO of Livespins
Operators are starting to be more conservative. In New York, the likes of WynnBet have put the brakes on entering the market over concerns about the high tax rate impacting its ability to be profitable in the state. Not all opportunities are good opportunities and operators must avoid jumping on the bandwagon just because a state is hailed as a game-changer by analysts and insiders. Aggressive ambition is good, but operators must not walk into markets blind.
In the states that operators do identify as being viable, spending big is not the only way to claim market share and push for customer acquisition at scale. A product such as Livespins can be a major driver of both acquisition and retention. While the core Livespins experience sits within the casino lobby and provides players with an entirely new wagering experience that sees them bet behind their favourite streamers, taking retention to the next level, our soon-to-launch ambassador product has been designed to super-charge customer acquisition.
It allows operators to maximise the value of the brand ambassador/celebrity/influencer partnerships they have by deploying them within the Livespins experience. This means that players can join their favourite celebrities during their streams and play with them via our innovative bet behind system. Not only that, but they can chat with them and other players throughout the broadcast, while also dropping reactions and emojis. This changes brand ambassador marketing from passive to active and allows operators to monetise directly and instantly through the bet behinds being placed.
Tom Galanis, Founder at First Look Games
Absolutely. There’s a huge opportunity for operators to generate significant new player sign-ups through performance marketing and affiliates. Operators have seemed hesitant to go all-in with affiliates to date, but as they are forced to cut marketing spend in their pursuit of profitability, I think we’ll see more turn to performance marketers to support their customer acquisition efforts. That said, given the traction that the power players such as DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM already have in most states, affiliate marketing alone will not be enough to push another brand into this top tier – significant ATL marketing will still be required for those looking to take the crown from the early market leaders.
Allan Petrilli, VP of Sales & Growth at Intelitics
With this downward pressure on spend and the increasing importance being placed on efficiency and ROI, now is the time for operators to be more data-driven in their marketing activity. With many brands slamming the brakes on their above-the-line campaigns, there is a window of tremendous opportunity for savvy operators to explore and take advantage of. Affiliates and paid media have been under-utilised in the US market to date but absolutely can deliver the results operators desire and generate the ROI they are seeking. Of course, with most operators pulling back on top-line marketing spend and looking for alternative acquisition tactics and channels, competition across affiliates and paid media will heat up and perhaps reach the same scorching intensity that we have seen with above-the-line marketing.
To get ahead of the competition, operators should focus on localised marketing for the purpose of brand building. The top five operators will always have big budgets and will take a national approach to most of their acquisition activity, but this opens up an entire area of local marketing for smaller brands to explore and carve out their own significant niche. This is why it’s important for brands to be self-aware and for this to be reflected in their marketing strategies and activity.
Troy Paul, Co-Founder and CEO at SGG
Yes, but in order to do so there are certain key propositions they must deliver. First and foremost, their product has to be top-notch and they must be able to offer a state-of-the-art gambling portal. Secondly, as the market has become more saturated, differentiation and offering a unique betting proposition has become increasingly important. BETR’s micro in-game betting feature is a good example of this and one that definitely sets them apart from the competition. Lastly, if you’re going to take on the big boys, you’re going to need to have your own unique advertising channel. As they can’t be beat on TV or Ad Word spending, you have to be smart and find other ways to reach bettors.
What does smart marketing look like?
Michael Pedersen, CCO of Livespins
A clear strategy should be the foundation of any marketing activity. It’s vital for operators to know their audiences and where their attention can be found. They must also identify their own strengths and weaknesses, playing up to the former and working with specialists to close any gaps with the latter. Knowing how deep the company’s pockets really are, and the degree of appetite for significant, long-term investment in marketing, is key as it sets the budgets that marketing teams have to play with. Operators and their marketing teams must then use their expertise and experience to come up with a plan that resonates with their target audience, conveys their brand values and USPs, and ultimately drives players to their books and casinos within the budgets they have been allocated. And platforms such as Livespins can deliver incredible results without operators blowing billions of dollars on TV ad campaigns.
Tom Galanis, Founder at First Look Games
It really depends on the ultimate ambition of the brand. If the aim is to scale fast and gain significant market share without any consideration being given to the bottom line, then DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM have done a great job. Whether this approach is sustainable remains to be seen, and you also have to factor in the levels of retention these brands are achieving to really determine the success of their tactics. Smaller operators that have looked to emulate these titans have suffered massively and this has ultimately been to the benefit of the big three. That said, it’s encouraging to see some new market entrants such as PlayStar taking a different approach – they are doing things their own way with performance marketing as a key channel for customer acquisition.
The US is a very different market to the UK, but operators in the former should look to the latter to see what does and doesn’t work. New York shows that operators are not learning fast enough – when margins are squeezed (in this case because of the high tax rate) agility with both product and marketing is crucial to ensuring market viability. When it comes down to it, smart marketing is a strategy that is both sustainable for the long term and balances achieving a critical mass of customers with a clear pathway to profitability.
Allan Petrilli, VP of Sales & Growth at Intelitics
An ambitious but achievable plan is the foundation of all smart marketing activity. Plans need to cover each channel, and operators need to ensure their marketing teams have access to the technology they need to track, monitor and optimise campaigns. They must also be open to and ready to pounce on any opportunities that open up. Data should be used to drive all decisions, from pulling underperforming campaigns to ramping up the spend being put behind those that are delivering solid results. Data also allows for campaigns to be tweaked in real-time, helping operators to further improve the ROI they generate. It’s also important for operators not to copy the tactics being deployed by their rivals – this is a market where being brave, bold and swimming against the tide yields the greatest results.
Troy Paul, Co-Founder and CEO at SGG
There are many brands marketing effectively in the US, and pretty much all of them have their own unique set-up. Barstool, for example, is a great example of a brand that has successfully harnessed the power of social media. They have a community of loyal followers on multiple channels who relate to their brand, so they’re able to market to an audience of 50 million followers every day. This is a cost-effective solution for attracting younger sports bettors, as this audience is often found dual-screening on their cell phone while watching sports – meaning it’s the easiest way to reach them.
FanDuel and DraftKings, meanwhile, have both created a dedicated podcast following and keep themselves in front of this audience on a weekly basis. This is, of course, something that takes a while to establish, so it’s hard for new competitors to replicate and gives them a distinct edge in the market.
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Have operators yet to explore the full potential of affiliates and paid media? If not, why do you think this is the case?
Tom Galanis, Founder at First Look Games
No, they haven’t. I think this is for a couple of reasons. Some operators hold the belief that brands in more established markets are over-reliant on and over-exposed through affiliates. Others seem to think the channel creates a more even playing field for smaller brands to gain market share and that affiliates do not offer the scale and speed of scale they require. There also seems to be a high level of mistrust and misunderstanding when it comes to affiliates.
Allan Petrilli, VP of Sales & Growth at Intelitics
This is a bit of a loaded question. There are definitely some that are focusing more on affiliates and paid media, but broadly speaking they have not been fully explored to date. This is likely because these channels require experience, expertise and proper set-up in order to be successful. But given the scrutiny that current marketing activity is coming under, brands are increasingly leaning into both as they look to find efficiencies while scaling traffic. As these tend to be more supportive channels, I expect to see the percentage of overall marketing spend shift in a meaningful way towards affiliates and paid media over the next 12 months.
Troy Paul, Co-Founder and CEO at SGG
Social media remains a largely untapped channel and is – in our opinion – the future of attracting the next generation of sports and casino players. That said, in the past some of the more old-school operators haven’t been particularly quick to embrace it. The reason for this might be that they didn’t possess the skills or know-how to communicate with this customer demographic effectively. Affiliates can help in this respect as they often have niche audiences that operators aren’t able to reach by themselves, such as social media groups or college sports fans. This can help them connect with customers outside of their traditional target audience and greatly increase their acquisition potential.
What upsides do affiliates offer? How can operators maximise the opportunity here?
Tom Galanis, Founder at First Look Games
A solid affiliate program provides the foundation for operators to grow their player base sustainably and cost-effectively. Affiliates essentially act as brand and product advocates, promoting those brands that deliver the best player experience and holding those that don’t to account. This ultimately helps to raise standards while driving significant, quality traffic to those at the top of their game. Most affiliates are also willing to work with operators to help them achieve their goals – those that are properly incentivised will be willing to work to lower CPAs which are incredibly high in the US compared to more mature markets such as the UK.
Allan Petrilli, VP of Sales & Growth at Intelitics
Most affiliates are specialists when it comes to digital marketing and user acquisition. They have sizable audiences or know how to acquire them, that are primed and ready to sign up to and play at online sportsbooks and casinos, so long as those brands offer what they are looking for. Affiliates require little to no set-up costs with operators paying for what they get in terms of depositing customers. They can also provide operators with highly valuable feedback on their conversion flows, products and more – this feedback is incredibly hard to come by and can help operators improve the player experience offered, which in turn boosts acquisition but also retention.
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And the same for paid media – what is the potential here and how can operators unlock it?
Tom Galanis, Founder at First Look Games
Affiliates are currently dominating the paid media space in the US market because, compared to other markets, there is a much higher margin to be made. But this means there is room for operators to get in on the action and use paid media to directly acquire customers and achieve a strong ROI. For example, paid media is the ideal vehicle to flex up acquisition during the limited window of the NFL season.
Allan Petrilli, VP of Sales & Growth at Intelitics
Paid media simply refers to placing ads across a wide range of media platforms such as Meta, Google, publisher networks and mobile networks. Campaigns can be highly targeted across location, age, interests and more to ensure they hit the right players. The key to unlocking the full potential of both paid media and affiliates is using a mar-tech platform that provides access to data in real-time. This allows operators to tweak campaigns to improve performance and to ramp up and scale back spending as and when required.
What other, cost-effective channels can operators use for brand building and marketing? What role can streaming play here? What about social media?
Michael Pedersen, CCO of Livespins
Streaming has proved to be a highly effective marketing and acquisition platform for online casino and sportsbook brands, but operators remain cautious, especially following Twitch’s decision last year to ban certain operators from its platform. Livespins allows operators to overcome these concerns – because it sits within the casino lobby, players are afforded the same responsible gambling and safe gaming tools when playing traditional casino and sports, as required under an operator’s respective local licences. This means they can tap into the huge – and growing – potential that streaming offers both in terms of acquisition and retention while being confident that they are fully compliant at all times.
Tom Galinis, Founder at First Look Games
I’m coming around to the idea that offline activation is an underutilised channel. We’re seeing affiliates like Betting Hero and Affiliated Sports Fans gaining traction here, and operators should look to follow their lead. In terms of social media, paid social is the play for sure and in terms of building up an audience, I’d be looking to focus efforts on TikTok. The price of content generation is extortionate in the US, so I fully expect AI-generated content to come to the fore as the technology becomes more sophisticated – we’re already seeing leading affiliates and some operators using it.
Allan Petrilli, VP of Sales & Growth at Intelitics
In terms of live acquisition, we will see more out-of-home campaigns and activity. It is being done by some brands at the moment, but there is so much more potential to unlock here and especially at the local level.
Troy Paul, Co-Founder and CEO at SGG
According to the most recent statistics, an estimated 75% of marketers will use Influencer Marketing in 2023, with this representing a $17.4 billion industry. Most operators are way behind in terms of tapping into this lucrative space, which is arguably the most cost-effective way of advertising to the younger generation of sports fan. In particular, micro-influencers are more engaged with their sports followers and can be utilized at a fraction of the cost of a “Tom Brady” or similar superstar influencer.
Retention is just as important as acquisition, but are operators paying enough attention to this? If not, why is that the case?
Michael Pedersen, CCO of Livespins
I disagree – retention is even more important than acquisition. Onboarding new players is just the first hurdle that operators must clear – then the real hard work begins. That’s why before spending a single dollar on acquisition, they must spend $10 on ways to retain those players. If operators are not confident about retaining players, they should not spend anything on marketing to them. If they are confident, then they can launch acquisition campaigns and scale up those that are working well. I really can’t stress the importance of CRM and ensuring that players continue to wager with the brand once they have signed up for the first time. This is especially important in the US where the cost of acquisition is sky-high right now.
Tom Galinis, Founder at First Look Games
No, they’re not. I’d say this is partly down to a lack of product capability to really be able to deliver organic retention, but I also think there’s a firmly held belief that the activation of another local league or team sponsorship will do more than sophisticated CRM systems ever could. But operators are wrong to believe this.
Allan Petrilli, VP of Sales & Growth at Intelitics
I think they are starting to, but the future here is around personalisation. With advances in technology, the brands that use this to offer a truly bespoke player experience will be the ones that ultimately win. What does this look like? If I bet on the New York Jets each weekend, I should be able to log in to my sportsbook app and have a prefilled bet sheet each week ready and waiting to go. This is just one example, and the sky really is the limit here.
Troy Paul, Co-Founder and CEO at SGG
Having a great gambling platform is obviously a major prerequisite for successful retention, as is finding a way to engage with your players on a daily or weekly basis, such as a podcast or social media channel. In order to keep your product front and center in customers’ minds, you have to go where their eyes go as they’re watching games – and these days, that’s increasingly their cell phone screens.
How can operators turbo-charge their retention efforts and activity?
Michael Pedersen, CCO of Livespins
It comes down to delivering a seamless player experience beyond that being offered by rival brands. This covers all areas of the book or casino, from the welcome offer to onboarding, KYC, payments and customer support. Of course, the gaming experience offered is crucial and that’s why products such as Livespins are a must for operators. The Livespins experience offers an entirely new way for players to experience online casino, while being interactive and social. Session times are off the charts, and this in turn is helping operators mitigate churn and keep their players playing for longer. It also acts as a huge point of difference, adding more kudos to its ability to help keep their players coming back for more.
Tom Galinis, Founder at First Look Games
Simple. Build the best product which means not relying on the relatively poor player management systems that currently underpin the US market. This is where I feel bet365 can gain market share. Yes, they’ll have to invest in ATL, but I fully expect them to get their product successfully localised and become the best product on the market. This will ultimately act as the foundation of retention at scale.
Interviews
The White Label Dilemma: Finding the Right Balance for Your iGaming Business

It’s not just black and white label
Yoni Sidi, CEO at Wiztech, says white labels are all about striking the balance between pros and cons, but for some, it’s impossible to achieve and that’s why it’s important to consider other options.
For most operators, a white label solution seems to offer the best route to market. But is that actually the case?
I’ve been working in the industry for more than two decades now, and over that time, I’ve worked on both sides of the fence – so on the white label operator side and on the white label provider side. This gives me a deep understanding of the pros and cons of white label solutions, and this understanding ultimately led me to launch Wiztech. To answer your question more directly, white labels are always about striking the balance between the pros and cons they present – for some operators, a balance can be found, but for others, it can’t. Ultimately, it comes down to knowing what you want from your platform or technology stack, and whether a white label can meet those requirements with the budget and resources you have available to you.
So, what are the pros and cons of a white label platform?
There are plenty of upsides to white labels, and that’s why they’re used by so many operators. The main advantages are speed to market and cost effectiveness – you can literally go from first discussions to your online casino being live in a matter of weeks. The upfront fees are relatively small, and, in most cases, you pay a revenue share back to the platform provider. This can tighten margins a little, but it means you don’t have to have a large capital reserve to get going. Another benefit is that you can take on as much or as little of the operation as you like – for some, they will let the platform provider take care of the operational aspect while they focus solely on marketing and customer acquisition. Other upsides include licensing, with the white label partner securing and being responsible for the licences they hold.
Drawbacks. The biggest for me is the lack of differentiation you get with a white label. The many brands that run on the platform often look very much the same, just with different logos and branding. After a few months of operating your online casino, you’ll likely notice friction points that you’ll want to address, but the rigid nature of white-label platforms means it’s incredibly difficult to smooth out even the smallest of bumps in the road. It’s also incredibly difficult to roll out unique features and functionality as the development team is usually working through a backlog of requests – most of which are for the friction bumps that need ironing out. Factor in the frequent regulatory changes that happen, and the need for the development team to respond to them, and it’s easy to see how hard it can be to improve the experience being offered to players.
How can operators strike a balance between the pros and cons of white labels?
It comes down to understanding the capabilities of the platform provider and whether they offer customisation and localisation. If they don’t, the operator needs to determine if this is a price they’re willing to pay in exchange for the speed to market and cost effectiveness that white labels provide. Of course, some white label providers do offer support and are happy to help when it comes to developing and deploying bespoke features and functionality. But in my experience, most don’t have the capacity for this, even if they say they do. For me, the balance is found by accepting the limitations of white labels and working within the (often pretty rigid framework) they provide. There are plenty of examples of operators that have done this and have gone on to run very successful brands in highly competitive markets.
Is there an alternative to white labels?
The most obvious alternative is to develop a proprietary technology stack, but this approach comes with just as many, if not more, pitfalls. Building a platform from the ground up is incredibly expensive and tremendously risky, and this is why so few operators outside of the industry power players have been able to pull it off. And even those that do often encounter issues such as ongoing maintenance, tech debt, staffing and compliance. But there is a middle ground between white label and proprietary, and it can be found with smaller platform providers whose technologies offer the agility, flexibility and adaptability required for operators to launch highly customised, almost bespoke, online casinos and sportsbooks.
How does Wiztech fit into the platform mix, and how do you support your partners in achieving their goals in often highly competitive markets?
At Wiztech, we champion modular tech and the likes of AI and automation. By embracing these, we have been able to build powerful yet highly customisable casino and sportsbook solutions that are also fully compliant in tightly regulated markets. In our experience, being able to quickly respond to regulatory changes provides a competitive advantage to our customers. In Mexico, for example, our client Winpot has been able to deliver a unique player experience while always ensuring compliance. And this is against a backdrop where regulatory changes often come with very little notice. Our technology can adapt quickly while Winpot continues to capitalise on the growing demand for entertaining online casino products and experiences.
But just as important as our technology is our approach to our partners. This sees us undertake a comprehensive onboarding process where we spend a lot of time understanding the client’s “why” before we map out the “what” and the “how”. This has proved to be incredibly effective and ensures that our clients can get the most out of the flexibility of our platform and the high levels of customisation and personalisation it provides.
Interviews
Getting to Know Incline Gaming Marketing with Chief Commercial Officer Jo Dennis

Incline Gaming Marketing is redefining how gambling brands scale and succeed worldwide. Founded by industry veteran Peter Laverick, the agency delivers end-to-end digital marketing services across user acquisition, CRM, and creative. In this interview, CCO Jo Dennis explains how Incline acts as an extension of operators’ in-house teams, helping them acquire players, boost retention, and compete globally.
Incline Gaming Marketing. Tells us what we need to know about the business.
Incline Gaming Marketing (Incline) is a full-service digital marketing partner dedicated exclusively to the regulated gambling industry. We’re not just a supplier of campaigns or assets, we run marketing operations end-to-end for our partners, functioning as an extension of their in-house team.
Our expertise spans user acquisition, CRM, and creative, delivered by specialists who’ve worked inside top operators and suppliers. With offices in San Francisco, Philadelphia, and London, we provide market-specific strategies and execution for brands in North America, Europe, Africa, Australia, and beyond.
Founded by industry veteran Peter Laverick in 2020, Incline is part of The Conexus Group alongside Pentasia (recruitment) and Partis (strategy and M&A). Our partners range from household-name operators to ambitious new entrants, all looking for a team that can step in, own the process, and deliver measurable results from day one.
Who are the main players running the business day to day?
Peter Laverick, our CEO and founder, has led marketing at some of the industry’s biggest names, including BetVictor, Aristocrat, and PlayStudios. Chief Commercial Officer Jo Dennis joined through our acquisition of Random Colour Animal in 2024 (RCA was originally founded in 2018) and brings more than 25 years in brand and marketing strategy.
Chief Marketing Officer Oren Langburt has over 15 years’ experience in real-money gaming, including leading marketing at FanDuel. VP Partner Success Haig Sakouyan is a 20+ year industry veteran, ensuring our partnerships deliver beyond marketing.
Talk us through Incline Gaming Marketing’s core service offering.
We operate in three connected disciplines that together form a complete managed marketing service:
- User Acquisition (UA): We plan, execute, and optimise campaigns across Meta, Google, TikTok, Snapchat, Apple, and programmatic networks, managing multi-million-dollar budgets. As an approved Facebook Business Partner, we’ve been rated the most effective media buyer in North America’s online gaming sector, achieving a 99.9% efficiency score.
- Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM): Our CRM specialists handle the full player lifecycle — from onboarding and first-time deposit conversion to long-term retention and reactivation. We combine data-led segmentation with targeted offers and creative to grow lifetime value while controlling bonus spend.
- Creative: We produce more than 1,000 assets per month, from brand identities and websites to broadcast-quality TV spots, slot game creatives, supplier content packs, and conference materials. All creative is performance-driven and integrated into UA and CRM campaigns for maximum impact.
When combined, these services allow us to act as a partner’s complete marketing department – – strategy, execution, and optimisation under one roof.
Which markets are you focused on? Are you pushing into any new regions?
We built our reputation in North America, where we work with leading land-based and online operators across casino, sportsbook, lottery, social gaming, and daily fantasy sports. We now deliver integrated managed services in Canada, the UK, continental Europe, Africa, and Australia, tailoring each approach to local regulations, player behaviours, and market dynamics.
For many partners, this means we handle all marketing in new markets from day one – avoiding the time and cost of building a local team – and then continue as their long-term, embedded marketing function.
Why are your services particularly valuable to operators in the current industry climate?
Player acquisition costs are rising, retention is harder than ever, and regulatory pressure is mounting. Building and managing an in-house team with the full range of skills required – from media buying to lifecycle marketing to creative production – is expensive and slow.
Incline solves that. We provide an instant, proven marketing department with deep gambling expertise, multi-channel capabilities, and global reach. Our managed services model means we don’t just advise, we execute, optimise, and deliver results. Whether launching in a new jurisdiction or scaling in a mature one, we know the levers to pull for sustainable growth.
What can we expect from Incline in the second half of the year?
We’re deepening our presence in Europe, Africa, and Canada while cementing our leadership in North America. Several major launches and brand refresh projects are underway, alongside scaled acquisition and retention campaigns for our long-term partners.
Our focus remains the same — provide operators and suppliers with a high-performing, fully managed marketing function that delivers measurable results faster, and with more certainty, than building it in-house.
Interviews
Getting to know Dreidel

We sit down with Rafael Levy, Chief Growth Officer at Dreidel, to learn more about how the rising start slot machine manufacturer from Mexico is taking the market by storm.
For those who haven’t heard of Dreidel, who are you, and what products do you offer to the industry?
We are a proudly Mexican company that’s been designing and producing land-based slots since early 2020. Recently, we’ve expanded our offering into the online space for the first time. From day one, our mission has been to bring innovation and quality to the land-based gaming market in Mexico, and we’ve done this by making sure we have a deep understanding of player and operator needs through the hands-on experience of our team and constant iteration and improvement of our products. What sets us apart – indeed, I’d say it’s our superpower – is the highly experienced team we have built at Dreidel, with everyone having worked directly in the field. This has allowed us to learn not only from the successes we have enjoyed but also from the challenges we have faced and overcome along the way.
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Can you describe your approach to slot development?
Rather than develop products in isolation, we take a meticulous and practical approach to understanding the dynamics of the market we are in, especially when it comes to what the player expects from a slot game. By doing this, we’ve been able to put innovation at the foundation of our approach to development, which in turn allows us to consistently evolve our games and cabinets so they deliver fresh, engaging and differentiated experiences that hit the mark with players. Ultimately, our products for both land-based and online are born out of real-world insight and combine quality with creativity to ensure we not only meet but exceed player expectations. Because we are a young company, we’ve been able to use and leverage the latest technologies, and this has helped us deliver a superior product and ultimately build massive momentum behind the business.
Just how important is it to read the market and understand what players and operators are looking for?
It’s very important, and that’s why it’s a fundamental pillar at Dreidel. We have developed a process that allows us to read the market with precision and agility, and then easily feed that insight into our development cycle. We know that we operate in a highly dynamic environment where player preferences can shift quickly, driven by trends, global influences and evolving technologies. This is why we invest so heavily in continuous market research and pay close attention to player and operator feedback, as this enables us to act fast, adapt effectively and launch innovative products that stand out and gain traction from day one.
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You mentioned your team as being critical to the early success you have achieved. Who are the key people behind the business?
Dreidel was formed as a joint initiative by a group of entrepreneurs with extensive operational experience in the gaming industry. This includes Isaac Shemaria and Moisés Shemaria, who came up with the initial idea for the business. Since our launch in 2020, we have grown with a structure that balances an ambitious strategic vision with strong on-the-ground execution. Today, the company is led by José Shemaria and Rafael Levy, and has a highly skilled multidisciplinary team driving key areas of the business.
The direction of the project is led by a collaborative leadership group that ensures every decision is aligned with our long-term goals. This synergy allows us to maintain a strong commercial focus, efficient operations, and sound financial planning, all aimed at meeting the evolving needs of the market. It’s worth highlighting our technology and innovation team, which plays a vital role in developing unique gaming experiences, turning ideas into functional products that resonate with both operators and players. This is complemented by the daily work of our developers, technicians, operators and commercial staff, who bring deep industry knowledge to ensure our products reach the market with both impact and quality.
We firmly believe that our true value lies in the strength of our collective talent. Every area and every person play a key role in turning ideas into reality. This integration of strategy, creativity, execution, and consumer insight is what has shaped our growth and continues to drive our success in such a competitive industry.
You’ve quickly established Dreidel as a leading slot machine manufacturer in Mexico. How did you do this, and what sets your product apart?
The market-leading position we have achieved is the result of a long, challenging yet rewarding journey. It’s been a step-by-step process, marked by both setbacks and incredible achievements, all of which have shaped us into the company that we are today. What sets us apart from other suppliers? I’d say it’s our ability to deeply understand and analyse what players want and enjoy. We don’t create generic products, we listen to the end user, study their behaviour, preferences, and playing habits, and design games that resonate with them on a personal level.
We focus on meeting the unique demands of the gaming sector, tailoring our offerings for each market we target. Mexico is our primary market, but we are making moves into other LatAm markets and North America, too. Our goal is to deliver games that are not only innovative in terms of technology and design but also captivating for the player, grabbing their attention from the very first spin to the last.
Today, we offer Class III products that are ranked among the top performers in the Mexican market. That leading position is the result of a clear vision, a player-focused approach and a passionate team committed to creating experiences that truly stand out.
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What makes the land-based slot market so difficult to crack?
The land-based slot machine market is one of the most complex and demanding areas within the gaming industry, mainly due to the high barriers to entry, both technological and regulatory. It’s not enough to have a good idea; you need a product that is technically solid, commercially viable and fully compliant with strict industry standards.
One of our biggest challenges was developing the right product, one that would truly succeed in the market. This required significant investment in research, development, certifications and continuous testing. We also faced the challenge of competing against well-established brands, which pushed us to stand out not just through innovation, but through product quality and a deep understanding of the player.
We overcame these challenges by being patient, strategic and consistent. We had to earn the trust of operators and players one step at a time, proving that our products meet the highest standards while also delivering unique experiences that resonate with end users. It’s been a journey of perseverance, but one with highly rewarding results.
What is your top-performing game, and what made it so popular?
Our top-performing game is Imperial Ascension, a Class III title that stands out for its innovation and its ability to truly engage players. It’s more than just a slot game—it’s an immersive experience that captures attention through its functionality, visual appeal and the excitement it creates.
What has made Imperial Ascension such a success is its unique touch: it offers high rewards and a strong element of mystery that keeps players engaged throughout their session. The game continuously surprises players with multiple progressive jackpots embedded within the gameplay, which not only increases anticipation but also significantly boosts the potential for big wins. This combination of innovation, excitement and rewarding mechanics has made it one of our standout titles.
You also have a portfolio of online slots. What are your plans for the online segment, and what opportunities have you identified?
The online segment represents a completely different universe for Dreidel, with its own dynamics, audience profiles and player behaviours. That’s why we’ve developed a dedicated approach for this channel, with a specialised team that understands the nuances of the digital player experience.
Our online strategy is not about replicating the land-based model but rather adapting to new consumption habits by leveraging the advantages of technology and the accessibility of online platforms. We’ve identified significant growth opportunities in this segment, particularly driven by the increasing demand for digital entertainment, flexible formats and the ability to reach a much broader audience.
We are currently in a phase of deep market analysis and building a solid, tailored offering. Our goal is to deliver innovative, responsible and engaging experiences for online users. The online segment is a key path for our future expansion, both within Mexico and internationally.
You mention international markets. What are your plans to take Dreidel beyond Mexico?
This is the perfect time for international expansion and particularly into the United States because it’s the largest and most dynamic market in the gaming industry. It offers tremendous growth opportunities, a highly diverse base of end users, and presents many exciting challenges that we are fully prepared to take on.
The variety in player preferences within the US market pushes us to continue innovating and refining our approach. Our focus is on adapting to that diversity by delivering customised products that offer unique and engaging experiences.
The United States is one of our main strategic priorities, as we see the potential for exponential growth in that region. We’re confident that this is the natural next step for Dreidel and that we have the strength, creativity and vision to compete successfully on an international scale. Of course, we are also looking at other markets within Latin America and to replicate the success we have enjoyed in Mexico in the jurisdictions we chose to enter.
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