George Daskalakis

George Daskalakis has over two decades of experience in the industry, which could explain why the two most recent companies founded by him – Stoiximan and Kaizen Gaming – have grown to become behemoths in the sports betting industry. Kaizen Gaming now employees around 2,700 people globally.

Major Achievements

Daskalakis understands the unique synergy between sports teams and the sports betting products that surround them, so almost all of the businesses founded and operated by Daskalakis have featured an extensive sponsorship programme.

Stoiximan’s sponsorship portfolio includes Olympiacos FC, Panathinaikos FC, PAOK FC, APOEL FC, Apollon Limassol FC, the Stoiximan Super League, the Stoiximan GBL, the Cyprus League by Stoiximan, the Greece Men’s and Women’s Water Polo National Teams, the Cyprus Men’s Football National Team, as well as many Olympic champions. The company is also the Official Sponsor of the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League in Greece and Cyprus.

Betano is the official global sponsor of the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League starting from 2024/25 until the 2026/27 season. The brand is also the sponsor for Aston Villa FC, Cupa Romaniei, Torneo Betano, FC Porto, SL Benfica, Sporting CP, Universitatea Craiova, FCSB, AC Sparta Prague, FC Victoria Plzen, HC Dynamo Pardubice, Copa Betano do Brasil and Brasileirao Betano. Betano was also the official regional supporter of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ for Europe and the official global sponsor of the UEFA EURO 2024™ and the CONMEBOL Copa America™ 2024

Kaizen Gaming also launched the Kaizen Foundation, which supports local communities and good causes. Its first project included a €3.8m donation that will go towards a large-scale renovation of the Children’s Hospital of Northern Athens in Penteli.

Daskalakis was also the driving force behind donating 150 defibrillators to sports clubs in 2021 and providing Basic Life Support training to Kaizen Gaming’s staff. Not only was the Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation training programme offered to all members of staff, but it was considered mandatory to anyone in the management team.

Employment

Daskalakis first entered the industry in September 2002 when he was appointed as Country Manager for bwin. This was a pivotal time for the company, as it had only just rebranded from Betandwin a year earlier and relocated to Gibraltar. Bwin had also just launched its first casino platform, so was experiencing significant amounts of both growth and change.

He specifically worked on improving the brand’s presence in Greece, with the company acquiring several platforms to expand its footprint within the country. Daskalakis would eventually leave this position to co-found his own company.

In May 2005, Daskalakis would officially launch 24media Digital Media Group, which would go on to become the largest digital publishing group in Greece. The brands are mostly focused at the male demographic, such as the OneMan magazine.

However, Daskalakis couldn’t stay away from the industry for too long, and in October 2006 he would launch Poker.gr as its primary founder. He would continue to oversee this business for five more years, until December 2011.

Daskalakis would launch his third business in March 2012 as the Co-Founder and CEO of Stoiximan. This would go on to become one of the largest sports betting and online casino providers in Greece and Cyprus.

Stoiximan has an extensive sponsorship portfolio as the main sponsor for Olympiacos FC, Panathinaikos FC, PAOK FC, APOEL FC, Apollon Limassol FC, the Stoiximan Super League, the Stoiximan GBL, the Cyprus League by Stoiximan, the Greece Men’s and Women’s Water Polo National Teams, the Cyprus Men’s Football National Team, as well as many Olympic champions. The company is also the Official Sponsor of the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League in Greece and Cyprus.

In 2016, Daskalakis found yet another online gambling brand, Betano, to expand Kaizen Gaming’s operations internationally. With Betano as its leading brand, Kaizen Gaming now employs around 2,7000 people globally.