Future of Penn Entertainment: Sale or No Sale?

In the fast-paced world of the iGaming industry, maintaining a competitive edge requires not just expertise and experience, but also a deep understanding of this unique sector.

Staying ahead means staying informed, and one of the most effective ways to stay updated is by learning from others. Everyone has something valuable to share, and for this reason SiGMA constantly engages with industry professionals, bringing their insights directly to our readers. is delighted to feature a conversation with Glenn Debattista, Chief Operating Officer at Revpanda.

LH: Can you share your journey in the iGaming industry and how it led you to your current role as the COO of Revpanda?

Glenn Debattista: I’ve been in this industry for over 19 years now, and I would describe this journey like the Beatles’ song, “The Long and Winding Road.” I started out working as a trader in a German sportsbook right when iGaming companies started coming to Malta. From there, I climbed my way up to eventually become a Trading Manager with Operators in my first 15 years within this industry.

Then, I moved on to Affiliation to work more on the product side. As Head of Product, I discovered I always had an inclination for understanding and building the products themselves. Eventually, a great opportunity came up and I took on the role of Chief Operating Officer at Revpanda, a digital marketing agency. This meant that I gained experience with most verticals in this industry, from Operators to Affiliates to Service Providers.

LH: As the COO of Revpanda, what are some of the biggest challenges you face in overseeing the day-to-day operations and how do you overcome them?

Glenn Debattista: Some of the biggest challenges include making sure that we are delivering a quality service to our clients in a timely fashion. This means dealing with people who need to follow processes that are dynamic and constantly updating in order to improve on a daily basis. Nothing can be perfect, but having the right mindset, ideas, and contingency plans for any eventuality is imperative.

LH: Can you share more about the company’s mission and the key services it provides to help businesses dominate their industry?

Glenn Debattista: What makes us special is that we are dedicated digital marketing enthusiasts, where we accept the client’s mission as our own. We do so through up-to-date SEO support to cutting-edge development services, providing our clients with everything they need to dominate their industry.

LH: You have your skills influenced your approach to your role at Revpanda?

Glenn Debattista: I think that the fact I worked with both operators and affiliates has helped me understand the other side of the fence, that is, put myself in the shoes of the client. I can therefore understand what the client needs, why they need it, and also anticipate what they need. I think that being able to understand your client is fundamental in order to provide the right service.

LH: Could you elaborate on your experience with odds compilation, risk management, and trading? How have these competencies helped you in the iGaming industry?

Glenn Debattista: I still enjoy playing around with mathematical algorithms for odds compilation, and this is something that my previous roles, along with a fancy for playing with numbers on Excel sheets, allowed me to acquire new skills that helped me during my Sportsbook days.

Reflecting back to our beginnings nearly two decades ago, most sportsbooks’ trading departments manually handled odds compilation, risk management, and trading. However, the landscape has significantly evolved since then. Today, these processes are largely automated or managed through third-party services. This shift in approach means that newcomers might not have the same opportunities we had to learn this role from a theoretical perspective.

Indeed, these experiences have been invaluable not only to me but also to others from my generation in our iGaming journey.

LH: What strategies do you employ to ensure the highest standards of quality and performance at Revpanda?

Glenn Debattista: As mentioned earlier, it’s about having the right processes in place. Ensuring the highest standards of quality and performance is imperative for any successful company, let alone for a service provider who needs to make sure that their clients are getting over and above the results they expected from an agency.

LH: How do you balance the execution of the company’s vision and goals with the ever-changing needs and expectations of the iGaming market and customers?

Glenn Debattista: It’s all about adapting and anticipating the market. Adapting by making sure that any new needs are catered for, whereas anticipating is about predicting what the next trend or demand in the market is. If you do these two things right, then you have the perfect recipe to succeed in the ever-changing iGaming market.

LH: Looking ahead, what are some of the trends or innovations in the iGaming industry that you believe will have the most impact on Revpanda’s operations?

Glenn Debattista: I think over the past year people have realised that AI content does not seem to work too well with Google. Therefore, services like ours have become much more important to drive traffic via SEO to the clients’ websites, and in some cases even fix issues generated by AI content. It’s probably a case of like the French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr said, “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” – the more things change, the more they stay the same, which means that digital marketing services like ours will always be in demand.

With 19 years of experience spanning operators, affiliates, and agencies, Glenn Debattista honed his skills as a problem solver, networker, and connector of people and companies. From his early days as a sports writer for European football websites to his current role at Revpanda, Glenn’s career has been marked by a relentless pursuit for excellence.

A certified Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO), Glenn is not just an iGaming expert; he’s a passionate board game player and holds much admiration for football legend Zinedine Zidane. If not for his role as at the helm of operations at Revpanda, Glenn says would have pursued his entrepreneurial dream of starting his own business in iGaming.

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Social media influencers in Portugal are being accused of promoting illegal iGaming operators.

The Portuguese Online Betting and Gaming Association (APAJO) has filed criminal complaints against several influencers who allegedly promoted illegal iGaming content.

Combined, several million people follow these influencers on different social media platforms, including children. APAJO claims that some of the sponsored content reached minors, while it is illegal for minors to gamble in Portugal.

APAJO also claims that the ads were promoting illegal iGaming opeators. Determined to fight the black market, APAJO has asked the authorities to grant the Portuguese regulator, SRIJ, more rights to enforce current legislation. According to Ricardo Domingues, APAJO’s president, the black market costs the country 100 million euros a year in uncollected taxes.

An published in 2024 studied the impact on children of using social media influencers and celebrities to promote iGaming. According to the study, the use of influencers increases trust, legitimacy, and social acceptance of gambling among children, making gambling promotions more appealing and memorable.

“As soon as they see a famous YouTuber or TikToker or Instagram, they think that suddenly it’s cool, and they’re doing it, so they want to be just like what they’re doing,” explained a 13-year-old girl.

The report also notes that “some young people suggested that because celebrities and influencers lived aspirational lifestyles, their appearance in gambling advertising may give viewers the impression that gambling might help them achieve that same lifestyle.”

“I think you kind of get shown a bit of their lifestyle in it and think that if you can um win like they are then, um, then you can like have that lifestyle that they’re living in the ads,” declared a 15-year-old boy.

Several countries are considering or have already implemented bans on the use of influencers in . Norway, for instance, has against social media platforms promoting live streams or content on iGaming. In Spain, neighbouring country to Portugal, a decree bans gambling advertising from 5 am to 1 am and prohibits the use of athletes and celebrity endorsements, including influencers. have also decided to restrict the use of celebrities, role models, social media influencers, entertainers, cartoon figures, or even symbols that could appeal to minors.

In Ireland, amendments to the Gambling Regulation Bill have been under debate, following months of intense lobbying.

The Government of Ireland, facing what they called a "tsunami of social problems" related to gambling, decided to legislate. In 2022, Ireland's Gambling Regulation Bill started its journey through the legislative process. The reform should be enacted into law in 2024. Measures include a ban on daytime gambling advertising, the establishment of a fund aimed at combating gambling-related problems, and the creation of Ireland’s first gambling regulator.

Justice Minister, Helen McEntee, has proposed amendments to the current legislation, which have recently received government approval. Among those, one in particular has sparked controversy.

According to the amended legislation, children under 18 would now be allowed to enter premises such as racetracks where gambling takes place, provided these venues offer more than just gambling. However, minors will not be permitted to place bets. The rationale behind this amendment is to encourage venues to diversify their offerings beyond gambling revenue.

This amendment has faced criticism over concerns that it may expose minors to gambling and normalise the activity, as underage gambling is already an issue in Ireland. According to a , nearly one in four 16-year-olds gambled for money in the past 12 months, with over 15% experiencing excessive or problem gambling behaviours.

The development of the gambling law and its amendments has been eagerly anticipated by industry operators, who have engaged in extensive lobbying efforts to influence the bill's contents, and to water down some of the expected regulations.

Bookmakers,, and even charities feared potential financial losses from the new legislation. Charities like Arthritis Ireland have requested exemptions from the advertising watershed, arguing that lottery and raffle revenues are vital for their operations.

The proposed amendments aim to provide flexibility to these charities, NGOs, and sports organisations like the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), Ireland’s largest sporting body.

In Germany, the iGaming and gambling regulator, GGL, has recently published its 2023, marking the authority's third anniversary.

Regulation of the German gambling market dates back to 2012 with the introduction of the Interstate Treaty on Gambling. In 2021, the treaty was amended to include more regulations concerning the iGaming industry. German regulations are now a complex framework of state laws and federal laws. Online gambling is regulated at the federal level, at the exception of online casino games that are regulated at the state level. Land-based gambling (casinos, gaming halls, betting shops and lottery agents) is regulated both at the state and municipal level.

One of the regulator's main missions is to fight illegal gambling by shutting down and prosecuting unlicensed operators, and by increasing efforts towards channelisation. The GGL states that in2023 only, 1,864 websites were checked, and 438 cases of suspected unauthorised gambling or advertising for unauthorised gambling were investigated. This intense monitoring eventually allowed the GGL to close down 63 illegal operators.

GGL’s primary tool for enforcing its decisions is payment blocking, ensuring that illegal operators cannot perform payment transactions via the main payment service providers. The GGL declares that this tool has been very effective. Nevertheless, it also hopes to soon implement IP blocking, although the legal framework for this measure is still not fully established.

In preparation for Euro 2024, the regulator declares that it began preparations in 2023 and intensified the monitoring of sport-related activity and advertising.

The GGL proudly announced the issuance of 39 new licenses in 2023, acknowledging that the application process is lengthy and challenging. Each licensed operator will continue to be closely monitored even after receiving their licenses, along with the 142 operators already registered and listed on the GGL .

In the future, as a way to optimise administrative processes, the GGL could be involved in the creation process of games. "One way to speed up the application process could be to directly involve the manufacturers of the games, the development studios, in the application process for the approval of the individual games," says Ronald Benter, GGL board member. "That would speed up the process considerably."

The German gambling market has increased by 2%, according to the GGL reports. It represents 13.7 billion euros, with 22% attributed to online gambling only. Conversely, the report estimates the gross gaming revenue of the black market to range between 400 and 600 million euros.