Kaizen (Stoiximan): How she doubled her staff in the pandemic and is heading for new markets

By Matina Harkoftaki

Expanding into new markets and continuing on the path of dynamic growth are the main goals of Kaizen gaming, which is known for the Stoiximan brand, in which OPAP now has an 85% stake and for the international brand Betano. It currently has a presence in Greece and Cyprus as well as in 10 more markets in Europe and Latin America, while the plans of the Greek company iGaming include the addition of new countries, as foreseen by its strategic plan for extroversion.

“The goal is to expand to 2 to 3 markets a year, which are not located exclusively in Europe but also in other geographical areas. This is the company’s plan in three years,” said Stoiximan vice-president Panos Konstantopoulos on the sidelines of the event. which announced the start of Stoiximan’s collaboration with SEGAS as its official sponsor for the next two years, while among others present were the track and field Olympians, Katerina Stefanidi and Miltos Tentoglou.

“Apart from Greece, where Stoiximan has a leading position in the sports betting category, among the strong markets abroad are Portugal, where we are major sponsors of Porto, Sporting Lisbon and Benfica, Brazil, where we are sponsors of Atletico Mine. “Romania with sponsorships in Craiova and Steaua. These are all markets, where the sports-sponsorship imprint of the company is large and this is reflected in the market shares we have in these countries”, Mr. Konstantopoulos underlined.

It doubled its staff during the pandemic

The company is “running” with significant growth rates, a fact that is reflected in the rapid increase in the number of its employees recently. It is characteristic that during the pandemic alone, it recruited more than 700 people and now has a staff of 1,200 employees, of which about 950 are in Greece and the rest abroad. In fact, in the last quarter of 2022 and more specifically next November, it plans to relocate its headquarters to a new building in Maroussi, the so-called Kaizen Campus, a much-discussed project, the construction of which began about a year ago and is being developed by Dimand in collaboration with Prodea.

The central core of the company’s activities remains in our country, where there are the most important sectors such as research and development, technology and marketing, sectors in which it is expected to be directed and a significant part of its planned investments.

Regarding the recent decision of the government to increase to 20 euros the maximum bet amount for online casino games, Mr. Konstantopoulos said that after this move, the players who had left the players are gradually expected to return. legitimate companies looking for alternatives to illegal paths, which had a negative impact on the amount of tax revenue.