Casino Guru Insiders Christmas special: A year of growth & improvement

As we wrap up another year, we are looking forward to spending the holidays with our loved ones, as well as celebrating the professional achievements that have shaped the year 2024 for us with our colleagues.

This special Casino Guru Insiders Christmas edition goes into the progress across almost every team at Casino Guru—data, complaints, community, content, and beyond—to pay tribute not only to the most wonderful time of the year, but also the passion and expertise that drives our efforts.

With tasty traditional food and a warm Christmas punch at our annual office Christmas party, the mood is set perfectly for a festive special interview.

Join us for a small Christmas celebration to catch up on our standout moments and gain a glimpse into the goals guiding us into 2025.

Happy holidays from Casino Guru!

Q: David, you look like the right person to kick off our Casino Guru Insiders special. As our UX Lead, can you tell us what was this year's most impactful technical advancement on the Casino Guru site? How did it enhance the user experience?

David Marecek, UX Lead: Hey! Well, easily the most important thing this year was the launch of our redesigned homepage, which we had been working on for more than a year.

The old homepage could no longer effectively represent the scope of our activities, and we all agreed that it needed a little bit of a facelift.

We wanted to show that we're not just another casino site; we're serious about what we do. And now, when people open our website, they can see how much energy we put into it. We highlight important graphs, we add new information about bonuses, casinos, and games every day, as well as many other unique features that players will not find elsewhere.

So, there you go. Yeah, I think we’ve created a great gateway to the Casino Guru world for our visitors.

Q: And one more question: if you could give our visitors one Christmas gift, what would it be and why?

David Marecek, UX Lead: Maybe you're looking for a simple answer like a pair of fuzzy socks. But no. If I could give our visitors one gift, it would be some sort of mind-reading machine connected to our internal system. [laughter]

You have to understand, this would be a dream come true for me—and for them as well! They would get what they wanted simply by thinking about it, without having to search for anything, click anywhere, or filter anything. Oh, that would be gorgeous! [laughter]

Q: Hey Šimon, thank you for not fleeing when you saw us coming. But then again, you're our go-to person for standing in front of a microphone.

So, I've got a question for you: Looking back, as our Head of Sustainable and Safer Gambling, which 2024 conference stood out the most to you, and why? Are there any topics you'd like to explore in panel discussions next year?

Šimon Vincze, Head of Sustainable & Safer Gambling: Always glad to help, but let me think…I guessthe conference that resonated with me the most this year was the 1st International Conference on Responsible Gambling and Gaming Addiction in Manila.

It was pretty awesome. It was the first-ever conference organized around player protection in the Philippines. I was part of the international speaker's delegation with a legend in addiction psychiatry, Marc Potenza.

And what panel topics I’d like to see in the future? I love to discuss player behavior and the ways we can nudge them towards safer gambling. You know, because almost all areas of problem gambling come down to players' decisions, education, intention, and perspective at some point.

Also, we’ve been collecting data on Google searchers for offshore and local casinos in several jurisdictions for the whole year. I can’t wait to share it with others!

Q: Sounds interesting! On a festive note, what do you consider to be ultimately the best Christmas present ever?

Šimon Vincze, Head of Sustainable & Safer Gambling: To be completely honest with you, my biggest wish for Christmas is to do absolutely nothing for a couple of days.[laughter] And I think a lot of people feel the same way.

Q: Here we have Petronela, our always cheerful Complaints Team Lead. Petronela, can you tell us about the most challenging case you handled this year and how you worked through it? Can we call it a Christmas miracle?

Petronela Kontos, Complaints Team Lead: Christmas miracle?Well,if I had to pick one case that I would call a Christmas miracle, it would be the case of a player from Greece.

He had his winnings confiscated by a casino because of his use of a VPN, which, while it in fact was a violation of their terms and conditions, was not a situation where the player gained any unfair advantage.

We worked on this case for almost two months. It was a beast. When dealing with such cases, the arguments you present to the casino are very important. Everything has to be clear, logical, and fair.

And guess what? We did it! In the end, the casino accepted our position, paid the player his entire €19K+ winnings, and, as a bonus, we received a lovely 5-star review from him on Trustpilot.

It’s such a nice feeling to be able to help, although it can be challenging at times. But it’s all worth it.

Q: That’s good to hear! One more question for you, what's the most memorable Christmas tradition you or your team celebrate each year?

Petronela Kontos, Complaints Team Lead: I’m so glad you’ve asked me that! Every year during Christmas time we all get very excited about our Secret Santa. Coming up with small gifts for colleagues and revealing who’s behind them—what’s better than that?

And this year, it will be even more special because we’ll be visited by the real Santa! Okay, he's not that real—I’ve got his costume on a coat rack at home—but I think he'll shake his belly like a bowl full of jelly anyway. [laughter]

Q: We also have a question for our Public Relations & Creative Projects Director. Daniela, we knew we would find you where the cookies were!

Could you share with us what campaigns or initiatives captured Casino Guru's mission the best this year and truly resonated with the public?

Daniela Sliva, Public Relations & Creative Projects Director: Truth be told, only a few people know that I became a mother in March, which, of course, affected our PR department. But my team was incredibly supportive of me and managed to work independently on new projects when I wasn't available. So, you’d better ask them! [laughter]

However, one thing that stands out is the Casino Guru Awards 2025, which will be held live for the first time in Malta! Woohoo! [laughter] I'll reveal more next time, but for now, save the date: June 6!

Q: And how do you like our office Christmas Party so far? Are you having a good time?
Daniela Sliva, Public Relations & Creative Projects Director: Oh, I love the entire holiday season, including the office Christmas party! I've been preparing for this since summer. [laughter]

And I always have such a good time with my colleagues—but they’re more than that, they’re also my great friends. We're not just sitting around lifeless with a glass of punch in our hands. We're actually having fun! And, of course, to the sound of Wham's Last Christmas. [laughter]

Q: It comes as no surprise that our Lead UI/UX Designer, Matus, is standing next to the most aesthetically pleasing addition to our Christmas party, the Christmas tree.

Hello, Matus. Please, tell us which projects were your personal highlights of the year. And what are you most proud of as a team?

Matus Mlej, Lead UI/UX Designer: Hello, hello.The biggest highlight of this year? The new Casino Guru homepage, for sure. But listen, it’s not only the biggest thing we did this year from a technical point of view, it’s also the foundation for the brand's new visual language.

We pushed modern design, functionality, dynamic content, and overall user experience to the next level. We utilized a box/grid layout, we achieved clarity, and, most importantly, we’ve met the expectations of our users.

And for me and my team, I am most excited about the updated visuals. I think we managed to blend modern features with 3D elements and neon accents, while maintaining Casino Guru's original aesthetics and identity.

Q: And now a real mindblower for you: If you could change Santa's style for one day, what would he look like?

Matus Mlej, Lead UI/UX Designer: Wow, that’s a good one! It would be cool to imagine Santa as a delivery guy. Instead of a red suit, he would be dressed in a crisp blue delivery uniform and a warm, waterproof jacket with a hood pulled almost down to his beard.

Pair it with comfortable sneakers as well, because this Santa would be athletic, and he would be riding a bike with antlers and a red horn, you know, Rudolph-style. And yet, he could still deliver presents stored in his big thermal bag.

Q: Maros, our Head of Content, tries to avoid the question by sipping on a warm Christmas drink, but we'll try anyway.

Maros, so that we don't keep you long, if you had to sum up Casino Guru's content this year in one sentence, what would it be?

Maros Gasparik, Head of Content: Well, I’d sum it up using the words growth and improvements. We’ve been really putting a lot of effort into improving the content we already have, and we try to provide as much value to our visitors as possible.

Of course, to keep up with the increased workload, we’ve grown as a team, taking on great new colleagues. I think it’s safe to say we’re now stronger than ever.

Q: And if Casino Guru had a Christmas wishlist, what do you think would top it, and why?

Maros Gasparik, Head of Content: That’s hard. But I know we definitely wouldn’t mind a favorable Google update. After all, our goal is to assist more and more players looking for anything related to online casinos.

I truly believe we’re doing a great job of guiding players towards making better decisions. So, if more people can find their casino-related information on Casino Guru, it would be a benefit for them, too.

Q: How about you, Peter, as our Casino Data Team Lead & Complaint Specialist, can you share any interesting data points or trends from the past year?

Peter Matuska, Casino Data Team Lead & Complaint Specialist: Sure, glad to. To paint a picture, in 2022, we added over 900 new casinos to our database, but in 2023, there were more than 1,100 new casinos. This year, we hit this number by the end of October. And I have to say, not so humbly, that that’s a great success on our part.

This also shows that there's a lot of new online casinos being opened almost every day, which suggests growth and success in the whole industry as well.

Q: Great! In the spirit of the holidays, if you could choose one Casino Guru accomplishment to celebrate as the 'star on top of the tree,' what would it be?

Peter Matuska, Casino Data Team Lead & Complaint Specialist: Again, I want to put some spotlight on my great team. We managed to process over 770 casinos in October alone, which is our new monthly record. It was a very busy month for us, but as you can see, we can find the time to be festive and celebrate as well.

Q: Our HR rep is, as usual, in a group debate with colleagues. Bibiana, I'm going to interrupt you for a moment. What can you tell us about the new team members who joined Casino Guru recently? What strengths do they bring?

Bibiana Zemanikova, HR Business Partner: Oh, sure, but there have been quite a few! If I remember correctly, many of our teams have grown recently, including the Affiliate, Data, and Content Team. But I can tell you for sure that they are all great people, and I love working with new colleagues.

It’s the fresh point of view they bring, you know? I think people tend to fall into a stereotype after a while, but when a new colleague joins us, we get a chance to review our processes, challenge ourselves, and raise our standards.

Q: And what is, in your opinion, the best Christmas-themed project to spread holiday cheer among employees?

Bibiana Zemanikova, HR Business Partner: Personally, I love spreading the holiday spirit by helping others, I mean, that is what Christmas is all about. This year, we’re spreading the cheer among the elderly in nursing homes.

We joined the project "How much love can fit into a shoebox", and packed shoeboxes with little gifts to make Christmas merrier for the elderly around us. And I am so very thankful to all the colleagues who joined this initiative!

Q: And last but not least, Daniel, Head of Community & Social Media. Daniel, how has the Casino Guru community evolved this year, and what are your expectations for the forum and user reviews in 2025?

Daniel Dolejsi, Head of Community & Social Media: I don’t even know where to start, there are so many things that we improved or created from scratch this year! Off the top of my head, I can name a few: tournament newsletters, new social media channels, forum polls with thousands of votes, and so on.

We’ve also become faster, as we started to focus on prompt replies to the new posts on our Casino Guru Forum, which has immediately increased activity to more than 7,000 posts per month.

We’ve also dedicated a lot of effort to the user reviews improvements, but I won’t go into the details, all our readers should post a user review and see for themselves. [laughter]

And when it comes to my expectations for 2025, I’m already working on a concept for a major Forum redesign. Plus, we’d also like to add a special Casino Guru currency, as well as a whole new user profile that should make the players’ user experience even more pleasant.

Q: How exciting! And as Christmas is approaching, what's your Christmas wish for Casino Guru and its community?

Daniel Dolejsi, Head of Community & Social Media: Well, first of all, I’m so grateful for all the people in our community! I just wish there were fewer players who were mean to each other and to the Casino Guru employees.

As you can imagine, it takes a lot of effort to constantly explain what we do, how we do it, and why, but some players simply refuse to listen or read the evidence. That’s why I appreciate any kind words; they really make our day. So, my Christmas wish? Be nice.

This interview is part of Casino Guru Insiders, a series of interviews during which experts from Casino Guru share their unique workflow, reveal insider information, and offer an exclusive overview of experience-packed know-how.

Image credit: Casino Guru News