The TRUSTED 10
- Gambling IQ
- Sep 11
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 15
GamblingIQ’s Tech Power List 2025 honours the people shaping iGaming’s most trusted infrastructure. Recognition is given for the daily work that keeps platforms stable, compliant, and resilient under pressure. The focus is on measurable performance - uptime, response times, integration maturity, security, and transparency - rather than slogans or promises. Those featured stand out for habits like rigorous testing, open post-mortems, and disciplined rollout practices that put regulation before rhetoric. The takeaway is simple: in 2025, competitive edge is defined by operational trust, not by marketing gloss - reliability, compliance, rapid incident response and clear accountability win deals, satisfy regulators and protect revenue.
Read the GamblingIQ Game of Trust: Platforms Edition 2025 magazine report here:
Jaakko Soininen
Jaakko Soininen, Managing Director of Finnplay, builds the company on Nordic principles — trust, openness, transparency, cooperation and low hierarchy. Raised in Helsinki with an MBA in Business Informatics from Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, he joined Finnplay five years ago and has introduced the telling tagline, 'Platform of Cooperation' which prioritises operator, supplier andregulator collaboration to improve the player experience. In 2021 Finnplay launched its first mobile app, entered Lithuania and the Netherlands, and was subsequently acquired by Entain. Soininen champions flawless core functionality, long-term partnerships and being a dependable partner in good and bad times.
Website: Finnplay.com
2. Alex Tomic
Along with his co-founder Charlotte Lecomte, Alex Tomic fashinoned one of the most reliable and secure aggregation platforms in the global market, offering over 16,000 games via a single API, through the Reverse Integration proprietary system, (read about itpages 20/21). But Tomic's influence extends far beyond traditional business metrics. A vocal advocate for brutal honesty about gambling's societal impact, he's currently funding groundbreaking research into psychedelic-assisted therapy for gambling addiction, exploring the future of AI, and pioneering what he calls 'luck sculpting'; a mystical approach to risk and fortune. Through initiatives like the Under Pressure podcast, where he interviews leading industry figures about exactly what it takes to reach the top, he continues to push boundaries while advocating for API governance and security.
Website: Alea.com
DMITRY Starostenkov
Dmitry Starostenkov founded EvenBet in 2001 and has steered the company from a small custom-software shop into a specialist online-poker technologyprovider with a global footprint. He led EvenBet’s strategic pivot into poker software in the mid-2000s and has since focused the business on scalable, localised poker platforms, turnkey poker rooms and white-label solutions for operators. Under his leadership EvenBet claims hundreds of client projects across dozens of jurisdictions and a player base measured in the tens of millions — evidence of the company’s emphasis on localisation, customisation and regional product fit. Beyond product delivery, Dmitry positions EvenBet as a partner to operators rather than a pure-play vendor, arguing for deeper integration, better retention tools and bespoke solutions for markets such as Latin America and the US. He also prioritises player safety around the world.
Website: EvenBetGaming.com
4. Michael Tobin
Michael Tobin, founder and CEO of Continent 8 Technologies, has been instrumental in building one of the iGaming industry’s most trusted infrastructure providers. Established in 1998, Continent 8 was an early pioneer in delivering secure hosting, managed services, and connectivity solutions tailored to the needs of online gaming operators. Under Tobin’s leadership, the company has grown into a truly global network, operating data centres and points of presence across Europe, North America, Asia, and Latin America. His vision has consistently centred on reliability, compliance, and security — ensuring that operators and platforms can scale in regulated markets while maintaining uptime and resilience. Widely respected as both an innovator and steady hand, Tobin’s work has underpinned the growth of regulated online gambling and continues to support its next phase worldwide.
Website: Continent8.com
Kris Saw
Kris Saw, CTO at Kambi, has 14 years' tenure at the company and is a recognised global leader in architecting and scaling sportsbook platforms for regulated operators worldwide. His core expertise lies in technical architecture, designing resilient, low latency systems and integrations that directly support commercial models. Kris translates complex operator requirements into practical platform solutions and has led multicultural engineering teams all over the globe. A persuasive communicator and hands-on leader, he champions product-driven development, operational excellence and rigorous testing. His specialties include system architecture, platform integration, project management and business development. Practical yet strategic, Kris combines deep technical craft with executive judgement to help operators launch, scale and comply in demanding jurisdictions. He advises boards, regulators and industry working groups around the world.
Website: Kambi.com
6. Michael Boylan
Michael Boylan is the Chief Operating Officer at Pragmatic Solutions. With over two decades in online gaming and entertainment, he has held senior roles at Entain, Ladbrokes Coral, Gala Coral, and Sportingbet. Headquartered in Gibraltar, Pragmatic Solutions delivers a flexible Player Account Management (PAM) platform with an open-API approach that now powers operators in regulated markets including the UK, Brazil, and Spain. Boylan leads global ope-rations, accountable for scalable, compliant infrastructure that enables rapid integrations and meaningful product differentiation. His career spans IT architecture, distributed development, and operational strategy, giving him a distinctive operator-first perspective. By aligning product innovation with resilience and compliance, he has helped position Pragmatic Solutions as a trusted partner for enterprise-scale operators.
Website: Pragmatic.solutions/pam-platform
Aida Vardanyan
Aida Vardanyan leads Digitain Malta as its highly trusted safe pair of hands driving operations at the heart of one of iGaming’s most important regulated hubs. Since joining Digitain in 2016, she rose through roles spanning financial and operational leadership to oversee large-scale, partner-centric platform strategy across global markets. As CEO, she has shaped Malta into a strategic operational and compliance centre—centralising commercial support, regulatory engagement, and European partnerships. Her leadership focuses on building scalable infrastructure and responsive support systems, ensuring Digitain delivers agile, innovative solutions tailored to operator needs.
Website: Digitain.com
8. Florian Diederichsen
Florian Diederichsen is the Chief Technology Officer at OpenBet, a leading provider of sportsbook software, content, and services. He joined OpenBet in January 2022 after senior roles at DAZN and Perform, bringing expertise in OTT video, content operations, and large-scale systems. As CTO he is responsible for evolving OpenBet’s modular sports product portfolio and driving innovation. Under his leadership, OpenBet focuses on immersive content, fan engagement, and personalisation in odds and markets, while ensuring high performance and reliability at peak sports events where millions of transactions occur in real time.
Website: OpenBet.com
Mihnea Dobre
Mihnea Dobre is the Group Chief Technology Officer at EveryMatrix, a role he stepped up to in May 2024. He first joined the company in 2016 as Head of Incident Management, leading a small team, and soon after created the Technical Support and IT Governance functions. Over nearly ten years, he has been central to building the processes and infrastructure that enable operational resilience and efficiency. As Group CTO he now leads technical strategy, supports business-unit CTOs, and drives innovation across the company.
Website: EveryMatrix.com
10. Warren Murphy
Warren Murphy is a seasoned executive with extensive experience in the sports betting and gaming sectors. He currently serves as a Strategic Advisor at Sportradar, following his tenure as Group Chief Delivery and Operations Officer. In this role, he led the integration of content operations, product development, and engineering across global markets. Previously, Murphy was Chief Product Officer and Managing Director of Betting and Gaming at Sportradar.
Website: SportRadar.com