25 PEOPLE TO WATCH 2025
Micro Revolution
Tomash Devenishek
Founder and CEO , Kero Sports
To founder and CEO Tomash
Devenishek , Kero Sports gives fans an avenue during stretches of boredom within games . That avenue is microbetting , wagers on the smallest of moments within a game .
“ We create thousands of predictive probabilities during each game that you can add the word ‘ next ’ to ,” says Devenishek , who made his mark with a series of digital companies before Kero .
Next shot , foul , free throw , pitch , etc . Baseball is the kind of game made for that interaction . The clockless nature of the sport can bring slow periods where only the most devoted fan can cull something from it . To cite one example , take stretches of a game after the visiting team jumps to a 7-0 start by inning 2 and the next five innings are marked by trading outs .
Enter proposition bets , the next pitch , the next hit , and so on . Let ’ s say the home team erupts in the 8th for five runs and three more in the 9th to win . Think of the possibilities to wager .
“ Our technology automates the availability , odds and settlement of all of these propositions in real time ,” Devenishek says . “ And we are very proud to have sportsbook operators , sports broadcasters and professional sports teams as customers of this technology .”
Sports , he says , represent the last frontier of linear content . “ To bring about additional engagement seemed like a very important opportunity , not just for engagement with the broadcast and in arena experiences .”
Take the passion for sports and blend it with a fan experience like entertainment products . The result is a “ cadence of highly contextual and fast content that is relevant to what I am watching ,” Devenishek says . “ This is what Kero stands for today with our curated microbetting products for sports like soccer , basketball , baseball and American football .”
Devenishek spent most of his formative years in Toronto before moving to the U . S . in 2019 . But he also spent time growing up in the U . S . S . R . and Israel .
His outlets prior to Kero included technology products which crossed the intersection of entertainment and social . “ The knowledge around how to build tech coupled with the experience of learning what types of digital experiences create engagement is what drove me to start Kero .”
He credits Kero board members for lending their expertise to create the company , such as Christopher Barnard and Benjie Cherniak .
Barnard served as president of Points International , a loyalty rewards technology and data intelligence company which he founded in 2000 . He sold the company in 2022 for $ 380 million in cash .
Cherniak served as president of Don Best Sports , which sold to Scientific Games in 2018 . As managing director at Scientific Games , he forged partnerships across the Americas , Europe and Asia .
“ We will be the most dominant player in next-gen sports betting content and odds making ,” said the Miami-based Devenishek , dad to three young children . “ My days are maxed out between family and work .” — Bill Sokolic
People First
Heather Seebald Vice President of Human Resources Operations , Station Casinos
W
ith 18 properties across Southern Nevada ,
Station Casinos is big and getting bigger , with a plan to double its presence in the next decade . Yet among the rank-and-file , the company maintains a familial , all-for-one feeling .
In a recent Trust Index review , 82 percent of employees called Station a great place to work . A current Indeed survey ranks it above average in 11 out of 15 categories , including employee satisfaction and support .
Last year , Forbes magazine named Station a “ Best-in-State Employer ,” and for the fourth year running , Station was commended for cultural excellence by Nevada ’ s Top Workplaces .
“ There ’ s a strong emphasis on communication at all levels ,” says Heather Seebald , vice president of human resources operations . “ We listen to our team members both through formal surveys and informal feedback . Station Casinos has also made a huge investment in ongoing leadership training . Our survey scores reflect that it ’ s working .”
The Atlanta native once aspired to a career in education , but after college and a year of teaching abroad , she landed her first HR position . To her surprise , it combined all the disciplines she loves : teaching , writing and learning .
“ I teach others through onboarding , training and mentoring ,” explains Seebald , who joined the company in 2023 . “ I really enjoy drafting policies and related communications . And I ’ m always learning something new as laws and regulations change .”
Seebald enjoys being a people-first HR leader . “ A typical day includes planning and strategy and numerous meetings to ensure our platforms are working as they should ,” she says . “ But my favorite days are when I visit our properties to see
24 Global Gaming Business JANUARY 2025