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How to play Velvet Gems
“We fully support consumers having the tools and information they need to gamble responsibly, this week, like every week, is about ensuring our customers’ safety.”
The AiA has urged stakeholders of Africa’s gambling sector to collaborate, something the association said will prove increasingly important as the continent’s industry continues to develop.
The AiA has called for collaboration in the form of strengthening cooperation, sharing good practices and maintaining safer gambling at the forefront of policy agenda.
What is Velvet Gems?
The operator declined to comment on losing its spot in the FTSE 100, but recent sentiment from the senior management team has been positive in recent quarters as its turnaround efforts have shown green shoots amid growth returning to its core markets. This is despite various regulatory and tax headwinds across Europe.
In Q1 2025, the group reported double-digit digital growth, thanks to strong UK, Brazil and US online performances. The period marked Stella David’s first quarter in the full-time group CEO role.
David, at the time, said she was “optimistic but prudent” about Entain’s Q1 performance.
How to play Velvet Gems
While this initially seemed terrifying, I quickly discovered that this outsider status was a gift. It has allowed me to view the industry through fresh eyes. I do not have any preconceptions about companies or products. This has become my superpower, allowing me to analyse the industry without bias and, hopefully, help shape its future.
iGaming was not the industry I set out to work in. Before 2021, I worked in finance and business – agro companies, management consultancy and investment funds, none of which were remotely linked to the industry.
In 2021, I joined an investment fund focused on startups harnessing AI and machine learning. In the process, I had a chance encounter with an iGaming investor. This sparked a conversation that would change the course of my career. He pointed out that iGaming was dramatically underutilising its data potential. There was an opportunity here, and once we began exploring it, the thread just kept unravelling.
