Just where will the next big thing explode onto the iGaming scene? This is a conundrum that echoes around many studios, with NetBet and CEO Marcel Prioteasa certainly not averse to this.

However, before attention switches to the here and now, iGaming Expert discovers the path that Prioteasa’s professional life has taken and challenges encountered along the way, as well as just what will shape the future of the industry and how the company plans to capitalise.

iGaming Expert: Could you begin by talking us through any past experiences that have been gained outside of the gambling industry? Could your career have taken any different paths?

Marcel Prioteasa: Before entering the gambling industry, my career path was shaped by two key experiences that deeply influenced my approach to leadership, communication, and business development.

I began my career as a professional basketball player in Romania. The sport instilled in me an enduring appreciation for teamwork – the idea that success is achieved collectively, not individually. 

Whether it was winning championships or learning from tough losses, every experience reinforced the value of unity, trust, and accountability. These principles have stayed with me and continue to define how I build and lead teams in business settings today. The discipline, drive, and resilience gained on the court are foundations that I still rely on.

After retiring from sports, I joined a Romanian news TV channel, starting in a sales role before becoming their PR Director. This was a transformative period for me professionally. Sales taught me how to build persuasive narratives and tailor solutions that met the needs of clients, not just pitching products, but creating value-driven partnerships. 

I eventually developed event concepts that companies genuinely wanted to support, integrating sponsorship opportunities with advertising packages, rather than pursuing one-off commercial deals. This strategic packaging approach was instrumental in my rapid growth within the company.

However, when the company centralised operations in Bucharest and I was living in Timisoara, I made the decision to step away. I felt it was the right time to challenge myself with something entirely new.

I applied for what I thought was a PR specialist role at an online casino, only to realise during the interview that it was a customer support agent position. That unexpected turn that I accepted because I was very keen to learn more about the gambling industry marked the beginning of a journey that has lasted way over a decade. 

Since then, I’ve grown within this field, discovering a passion for innovation, customer experience, and business growth in a dynamic, ever-evolving sector.

iGX: You will undoubtedly have come across a number of challenges during this time. Could you talk us through of the major obstacles encountered and how these were overcome?

MP: Throughout my career, I’ve encountered a wide range of challenges, each one demanding adaptability, resilience, and a forward-looking mindset. In many ways, these obstacles have been catalysts for personal and professional growth. They’ve kept me energised, driven by the pursuit of solutions and continuous improvement.

One of the earliest and most formative challenges I faced was back in 2013, when we set out to build our customer support office in London. Bringing the Romanian way of working into a London setting was anything but smooth. 

There were cultural misalignments, communication gaps, and differing expectations that created friction. But rather than deter me, this experience became a defining learning moment. It taught me how to navigate multicultural environments and lead with cultural sensitivity and adaptability. 

That experience didn’t just shape my management style, it ultimately led me to move to London, a city I’ve grown to love and call home.

A more enduring and complex challenge has been navigating the ever-evolving landscape of international iGaming regulation. Our ambition was to expand rapidly into new markets, launching operations across multiple territories. 

And for a time, we did just that… covering a significant portion of the globe. But the German market in particular brought us back down to earth. Regulation there hit us hard, as it did for most licensed operators, and it forced a strategic reassessment. From that point on, I learned one of the most valuable lessons in business: to choose your battles wisely.

This meant saying ‘no’ more often, even to markets that looked attractive on the surface. We opted not to pursue Ontario and Brazil, acknowledging the sheer scale and financial muscle of the competition entering those regions. 

We also made the difficult decision to close operations in Mexico due to its regulatory complexity and the operational difficulty of managing the market from abroad. These choices were tough, but they allowed us to reallocate focus and resources where we could truly compete and thrive.

These challenges, while tough, have been essential in shaping both the company’s direction and my own growth as a leader. They’ve taught me resilience, strategic patience, and above all, the importance of aligning ambition with reality.

iGX: What would you say have been the major changes during your time working in the industry – both for better and worse?

MP: Over the years, the iGaming industry has undergone profound transformations; some for the better, others more complex in their consequences. Two major forces stand out to me: regulation and AI.

One of the most impactful changes has been the tightening of regulatory frameworks across jurisdictions. While I fully support the intent behind these efforts, particularly when it comes to player protection and market integrity, their implementation has not always yielded the desired outcomes. 

In many cases, the measures introduced are so restrictive that they end up pushing players toward unregulated ‘.com’ sites. These rogue entities, unencumbered by compliance obligations, often lure players with aggressive acquisition tactics and high-cost CPAs that licensed operators simply cannot match. Ironically, the rules designed to protect players may, in effect, funnel them into less secure environments.

The crux of the issue lies in finding the right balance between protection and prohibition. Without the technical means to fully block access to these offshore sites, overly rigid regulations risk becoming counterproductive. The goal should be a regulatory framework that safeguards players without undermining the viability of the legal, responsible operators.

On a far more optimistic note, the integration of AI across the iGaming ecosystem has been a game-changer. AI is now at the heart of numerous functions: personalised game recommendations, predictive behavioral analytics, gamification, and customer service automation, to name a few.

This broad adoption has already begun to reshape the player experience in meaningful ways.

I’m incredibly enthusiastic about AI’s potential. It’s helping us automate repetitive tasks, improve efficiency, and unlock deeper insights about our customers. Most importantly, it allows us to refocus our attention on what truly matters: creating a seamless, personalised, and engaging player experience. 

Without AI, much of our time and resources would still be tied up in manual processes, compliance monitoring, and operational firefighting. Instead, we’re now able to invest more in innovation, customer-centric strategies, and long-term vision.

AI has changed, and will continue to change the industry in a big way. It’s not just a trend; it’s a foundational shift that is empowering forward-thinking operators to thrive in an increasingly complex environment.

iGX: How would you assess NetBet’s current standing within the industry? What major accomplishments have paved the way for the company to grow?

MP: NetBet is now recognised as an agile, strategically positioned European iGaming operator. With licences in the UK, Romania, Italy, Greece, Denmark, Germany, and under the Malta Gaming Authority, we have built a resilient pan-European presence rooted in adaptability and deep local insight. Consistent performance across both mature and emerging markets shows our ability to marry operational excellence with strict regulatory compliance.

Our recent growth has been fueled by a number of key accomplishments, such as leadership restructuring. Since I became CEO, we’ve restructured our leadership and overhauled our operational model to better align strategy, execution, and profitability. This work has had a direct and significant impact on the business, driving meaningful growth.

We’ve also strengthened our ecosystem by partnering with leading game providers and payment platforms, enabling us to expand and localise our offering while enhancing user engagement.

I must also mention the full redesign of the website that has already improved core performance metrics, including retention and conversion. And a noticeable achievement is the new, faster update cadence we’ve put in place; the second redesign is already in development, 14 months after the launch of the actual one. This ensures we stay ahead of user expectations and reach product excellence.

And one of the most important and gratifying achievements is that we managed to bring on board top-tier talent that has accelerated our ability to innovate, operate efficiently, and remain competitive across markets. We have an amazing team.

These pillars, and the bold partnerships we’ve done, such as the UFC, have positioned NetBet as a forward-looking, performance-driven operator, focused on sustainable growth, operational excellence, and delivering best-in-class experiences across regulated markets. We still have work to do, but I have full faith in the team.

iGX: What can we expect in the future from both yourself and the company?

MP: You can definitely not expect me to sprout a full head of hair… that ship has sailed! But you can expect me to keep pursuing the kind of innovation that turns heads, bald or otherwise.

At NetBet, we’ve already made exciting progress. One moment I’m especially proud of was becoming the first brand to create an AI assistant for sports betting. Beyond helping players place bets or check statistics, the assistant also watches for signs of risky behaviour and steps in proactively. That sort of responsible, intelligent innovation is the future of our industry, and I want NetBet to stay at the forefront.

I’m not stopping there. I’m driven to discover the next breakthrough, something that doesn’t just improve our product but genuinely shakes up the gaming world.

As for NetBet itself, expect a company that stays bold, curious, and committed to doing things differently. Whether through technology, partnerships, or the way we serve our players, we refuse to settle for ‘good enough.’ By leading with ideas, we aim to lead markets too.

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