Peter Matúška: "As of now, we have more than 4,300 active online casinos in our database"

Peter Matúška is Casino Data Team Lead & Complaint Specialist at Casino Guru. He ensures the accuracy and completeness of casino data. Peter dedicates his time to both partner and casino communication and addressing complaints. His responsibilities extend to overseeing the creation and maintenance of the largest online casino database while fulfilling his leadership duties.

In this interview, Peter sheds light on the Data Team's significance within Casino Guru and his associated leadership responsibilities. He highlights the challenges his team confronts, outlines their future aspirations, and shares their proudest achievements.

How does the Data Team figure in creating the Safety Index? What does it focus on when collecting information about online casinos? What curious terms and conditions did they find in their research? Keep reading to find out!

Q: Peter, you've been part of the Casino Guru for some time now and have held various roles. Can you share your perspective on your journey?

My first application to work for Casino Guru didn't lead to a position. However, Iwas persistent and succeeded on the second attempt. [laugher] Before this, my background was in the hospitality and gastronomy sectors abroad, but when I returned home, I sought a career change, hence Casino Guru and the gambling industry.

I joined the company during its early stages when our team was smaller. Over time, the company expanded, and I grew alongside it, gaining more experience than my colleagues who joined later.

Eventually, our team divided into two groups - the Data Team and the Complaint Resolution Center. Management decided to promote me to a leadership role, recognizing the need for department heads as we experienced rapid growth. I took charge of the Data Team, while my colleague, Petronela Kontos, led the Complaint Resolution Center.

Regarding the satisfaction, I have a very positive outlook on this entire journey. I have an excellent team, daily engagement with foreign languages, which I find rewarding, and my job constantly evolves, offering a degree of flexibility that suits me well.

Q: How do you feel your background has influenced your current role at Casino Guru? Is there any synergy between the two?

Absolutely, my prior experience has been valuable, despite the distinct nature of the gambling industry. The language skills I acquired, specifically in English and German, have proven indispensable. Additionally, my experience working with people has been incredibly beneficial.

The Data Team I'm a part of and our entire business as well, rely heavily on effective communication with people, a skill set I had the opportunity to develop in my previous roles. So, there are definitely significant parallels between my past and current work.

Q: Can you explain the content of your work and the work of the entire Data Team you lead?

Our work primarily involves collecting and structuring data about various casinos. We gather a wide array of information based on over 300 parameters, including numerical data like win limits, withdrawal limits, and bonus details.

Additionally, we review the complete terms and conditions of these casinos. This isn't limited to numerical information; we also assess the fairness of these terms. The outcome of this process is what you see as our casino reviews.

From this data, we also calculate the Safety Index for each casino. Our experience has shown that certain practices are detrimental to players, involving unfair terms and conditions. When we identify such issues, it negatively affects the Safety Index of a casino.

We strive to inform players about unfair practices, like overly restrictive win limits that can cause inconveniences. Our intention is to prevent these issues, something players and casinos themselves generally want to avoid.

On the flip side, we aim to highlight casinos with the fewest issues and no player complaints, rating them as highly as possible. Essentially, our goal is to provide players with safety and fairness in their gambling experience.

We focus on providing valuable knowledge to players for their gameplay, such as bonus information and payment details. Our website is a repository of comprehensive and accurate information, ensuring that visitors get a complete understanding of the casinos they're interested in.

Q: How do you identify unfair practices?

Ultimately, our evaluations are based on the wealth of experience we've accumulated over time. We have a Complaint Resolution Center that provides invaluable insights. They help us understand where issues arise, what players encounter, how casinos handle problems, and the outcomes of such scenarios.

Sometimes, when you read the terms and conditions, it might seem like a perfectly ordinary, harmless rule at first glance. However, it's through player complaints that we gain a true understanding of how these rules function in practice and how casinos apply them.

When we observe patterns of unfair treatment or practices, we often flag them as unacceptable. This recognition usually comes from repeatedly seeing these issues across multiple casinos.

It's important to note that terms and conditions are typically drafted by lawyers to protect the casinos, not necessarily to serve the players. These terms are sometimes copied from one casino to another, even if a specific casino may not actually use certain clauses. This can occur when the same lawyer drafts the terms, resulting in standardized terms and conditions.

Q: Is there a specific framework or criteria you follow?

We do have guidelines and standard practices to help us navigate the complexities of the industry, but a significant part of our judgment also relies on common sense. In many cases, we encounter conditions that are outright nonsensical and blatantly unfair. When we come across such issues, we flag them immediately.

Even after five years in this role, I continue to be surprised by some conditions that are simply baffling. We sometimes find ourselves scratching our heads, wondering what they even mean. And the astonishing part is that some of this nonsense is actually put into practice.

Q: Could you share an example of an unfair condition you've encountered?

I came across a condition that's quite perplexing. It stated that if a player hasn't made a deposit in the last month, they can't withdraw any winnings from their account, even if they won it fairly. Essentially, the casino didn't approve the additional deposit made by the player during that time.

We attempted to reason with the casino, explaining the illogical nature of restricting the player in this way. All they had to do was allow the player to make a deposit, and the issue would be resolved. However, our efforts were in vain.

The casino's defense was that the player should have made the deposit earlier. Consequently, even though the player didn't actually do anything wrong, they were denied their winnings. Such cases are clearly traps set by casinos, and we take appropriate action by penalizing them for such unfair practices.

Q: Do you have a back check when reviewing a casino to make sure you covered everything of importance?

Yes, we have a systematic approach to this. Every time we update our information on a casino, a different team member takes on the task of reviewing it. This approach helps prevent the recurrence of the same mistakes and ensures that several sets of eyes check the content.

The more updates on a casino we make, the more accurate our information becomes, particularly for larger casinos where terms don't change as frequently. While we strive to avoid errors in the process, occasionally they may occur, as with any operation.

Another step we take is random checks on our employees. While it's impossible to review everything comprehensively due to the volume of work, we conduct random checks to verify that our team is up to date.

We also have a feedback loop with the casinos themselves. When we update and make changes, we inform them, giving them an opportunity to provide feedback. They can point out any potential errors on our part, but in most cases, our assessments prove to be accurate.

In these feedback interactions with casinos, we also clarify our assessment methodology. For instance, we consider the strictest withdrawal limits, as these limits can vary for new players and those with a history of gaming.

So, there are multiple layers of control in place. We have our internal checks, feedback from the casinos, and feedback from the players. Players often reach out to us when they spot discrepancies or outdated information, helping us maintain the accuracy and reliability of our data.

Q: Can you tell us more about the composition of your team?

Our team is structured in a way that everyone starts in the Data Team. This is where they gain experience and learn about the business, what we stand for, and what they can expect to learn here. Essentially, we provide training from the ground up.

Apart from me, several team members, including Matej Novota, often provide guidance and instruction. The foundation established in the Data Team is essential also for handling complaints. This led to some team members transitioning to the Complaints Team, while the Data Team continued to provide support during the transition.

We do have a few individuals who perform both roles – updating casino information in the database and reviewing terms, in addition to addressing complaints. It's a kind of benefit, as it allows employees to have a more varied experience. So, despite the formal division, our collaboration is close.

Q: What are some common challenges you face in your role at Casino Guru, and does it require a different skillset or additional responsibilities as a team leader?

One of the primary challenges is the need to expand our team. We deal with a substantial amount of data and information, and our database continues to grow, so we can't afford to rest on our laurels.

Leading the team has certainly brought about new skills and responsibilities. At Casino Guru, we maintain high standards and pay close attention to details, which can sometimes make our work more complex.

My typical day involves resolving complaints and handling emails, but the majority of my time is spent communicating with our partners. When casinos are dissatisfied with their ratings, I step in to explain, propose solutions, and suggest changes to casinos that want to enhance their ratings on our platform or even be listed.

I also oversee various organizational aspects within the team, such as managing employee vacations, ensuring the smooth operation of our office, and addressing any inquiries or issues from team members. Availability is key for me in this regard.

Additionally, I'm responsible for maintaining and sharing statistics so that my colleagues are aware of what's happening in our department. Employee evaluations and various checks are also part of my responsibilities, which tend to intensify toward the end of each quarter. So, there's no shortage of tasks on my plate. [laugher]

Q: Are there any notable achievements that your team has accomplished?

Our primary goal is to have the largest online casino database, and the fact that we continue to remain the market leader is a great achievement in my opinion. As of now, we have more than 4,300 online casinos in our database, and we continue to grow. The total number of casinos we listed is over 6,100, but only a little over 4,300 of them are currently active.

To put it in perspective, launching a review for a new casino or updating an existing one typically requires approximately 4 hours of work. Ideally, we aim for regular updates every six months, although we're still working towards achieving that frequency. That's a lot of work to do, and we do it persistently.

In August we processed 561 casinos, of which there were 105 newly added and 456 updated casinos, which is a significant achievement. We continue to push our boundaries and set new records. When compared to the same time last year, this number has nearly doubled.

Q: What changes or improvements would you like to see in your department in the future?

We have several plans in the works to streamline our processes. We're exploring the use of artificial intelligence to enhance the analysis of terms and conditions, which is one of the most demanding aspects of our work.

We're currently developing a system that we hope to have in place by the end of the year. This system will assist us in flagging unfair, questionable, or problematic conditions. Our long-term goal is to actively compare these changes as they occur. These are technical solutions that will save us time, allowing us to focus on new challenges.

Our ongoing objective is to maintain our position as the market leader. However, the standards and demands are continually rising, so my team and I must adapt to meet these evolving expectations.

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.

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