The Biggest Names in iGaming You've Never Heard Of

Behind the keyboard, these operators and technical leads have built the platforms, payment systems and infrastructure that underpin the global betting economy.

While these figures may not be household names, the impact they have had on modernising legacy brands and market expansion should not go ignored.

Phillip Donegan - The Pools

Almost unknown outside the industry, Donegan, CTO of The Pools, has been central to uplifting one of Britain's oldest betting brands into the digital era. By moving decades of fragmented data into the cloud and rebuilding systems around scalable, modern tech, he has quietly ensured The Pools can compete in today's fast-moving iGaming and payments landscape.

Maciej Smolarek - BetGames

Smolarek is hardly a household name, yet his technical leadership is shaping the future of BetGames as it expands from live casino into RNG. His focus on platform stability, payments integration and user experience are laying the groundwork for one of the industry's fastest-growing suppliers to scale globally.

Vladimir "Tristan" Burke - Pagava Holding

Little known outside closed circles, Vladimir Burke is a Polish-born Belizean based in Dubai, working across payments networks in Japan and the Gulf. Through his work with Pagava Holding, a payment service provider, he has played a significant role in iGaming transactions in pre-regulated markets. Though rarely visible, his influence on payment flows and operator access makes him a significant figure in the undercurrent of global iGaming.

Georgi Stalev - Delasport

Stalev has operated largely in the background, but his decade-long role as Delasport's CTO makes him one of iGaming's most influential hidden figures. He has overseen the development of sportsbook and casino platforms that quietly power operators worldwide, while pushing for real-time systems and AI-driven payments innovation that keep Delasport ahead of the curve.

These stories prove that the iGaming world's biggest stars aren't always in the public eye. The industry's real heroes are the technical trailblazers working in the background—the ones whose brilliant innovations in data, payments, and platform stability are quietly shaping the future of online betting.