Thirteen years ago today Relax Gaming came to life. With a vision to challenge the status quo and a deep-rooted passion for technology, the rest was history. Today we stand as one of the strongest players in the game, best known for our blockbuster hits, unrivalled speed to market, and the integrity that runs deep in every segment of our company. To commemorate this milestone, we gathered 10 learnings from some of the brightest minds behind the brand.
Starting from the top, our Co-founder and Chairman, Patrik Österåker, kicks things off with some top-level tips:
Our CEO is up next, Simon Hammon, an industry veteran who made his mark on Relax the minute he walked through its doors:
3. Never rest on your laurels: What initially drew me into Relax was the evident potential nestled in the business. I could see that the talent and foundations were there and I was looking to sink my teeth into something new. Five years on and I believe what truly differentiates us is the ability to keep innovating, keep impressing, and strive to continually challenge the norm.
Group CFO, Markus Kruk, follows up with 2 learnings from his tenure with Relax:
4. Be present: Throughout the pandemic, many lessons emerged. Resilience and flexibility were the key pillars that kept us thriving. Despite the company’s success during those trying times, one learning floated to the surface: nothing will ever replace face-to-face meetings and the magic of instinct and gut feelings. Go to the office as often as possible to feel the energy in the room, hear and see your colleagues, you won’t regret it.
Next, we hear it from Daniel Eskola, a key player in Relax’s journey and Director of Research and Development, here are his contributions:
5. Spot a diamond in the rough: A big part of my role in 2018 revolved around transforming Relax from a tech company into a fully-fledged multi-product supplier. Much of our success boiled down to spotting the leaders of tomorrow. Identifying those special few who were stuck or stagnant in their current place of work and wanted to connect the rise of Relax with their own advancement in career. The superstars that joined the journey back then are largely responsible for the incredibly strong organisation we have today.
6. Be human: Creating memorable moments along the way is part of the journey and helps you become a better leader. Let loose and listen to your team, a bit of fun never hurt anyone!
Director of Casino Products, Shelley Hannah applies her technical background to company management as she shares the following:
7. Keep it personal and structured: It’s hard to believe that Relax was a budding supplier when I joined just 4.5 years ago. When the pace picked up daily, it was key for us to have a solid technical foundation. Looking back, it was the personal approach from passionate teams balanced with the structured process and focus that ignited something special in our offering and changed the way aggregation was delivered forever.
Mattias Kluge, Director of Poker and Bingo takes this a step further, adding:
8. Clarify the objectives: A good idea becomes a great one only if we ask ourselves ‘Why’, ‘How’, ‘What’ and ‘When’ to understand the scope and reasoning. As keen players ourselves it comes natural to put ourselves into the shoes of our audience and prioritise accordingly. That said, it's just as important to keep returning to those objectives throughout the project to stay true to the vision!
Finally, we hear it from COO and long-time Relaxer, Martin Stalros, who sums up our thirteen years in 2 key takeaways:
9. Trust the process and hold tight: Our poker and bingo products taught us a lot along the years, having been trendsetters several times in the industry. To consistently be able to push the product verticals forward over such a long period has only been possible because we have held firm and trusted how we positioned the products in the landscape right from the get-go. We are adaptable and change strategy or priorities when needed, but a constant in our methodology has been to challenge the status quo and deliver a fair experience and a level playing field.
10. Embrace diversity: A core element of our growth has been our geographical spread. We highly regard the variety and out-of-the-box thinking that different experiences and cultural influences provide us. Our presence across Europe with a team from around the globe has given us an invaluable reach for talent acquisition and snowballed into new perspectives and ideas that few can match.
In an industry where opportunity lies around every corner, you have to be ready to level up and take on new challenges when they present themselves. There’s no time to rest on your laurels, the game is on! Here's to another thirteen years of iGaming greatness.
