When it came to Covid-19 , Piasecki was in the right place at the right time . “ I ’ ve been working nonstop without much time to take in all that happened the last few years ,” he says . “ My career has been a rocket ship since March 2020 , largely due to the rapid expansion of online sports betting . The digital media business was the right space to be in , and I ’ ve been fortunate to work with almost every online operator and many other adjacent businesses .”
He launched The Props Network / PropsHQ . com several months prior to the lockdowns . The company had a few partnerships at the time with several online operators . When sports completely stopped , many friends were furloughed . “ I began questioning keeping the business open . I had to try something ,” Piasecki says .
That something was to put together a pro tennis event with an old college friend . He then sold the rights to an exhibition pro tennis series to a sports data company , which licensed the event to sportsbooks around the world . They launched May 4 , 2020 with women ’ s singles , then added men ’ s singles , and more .
“ By June 1 , we were streaming 30 matches per day , seven days a week ,” Piasecki says . “ We ran the exhibitions until October 4 , 2020 . By that time a lot of sports were coming back .”
By then , PropsHQ had started to take off . “ We began working with over a dozen sports and sports gambling podcasts .”
If this trip sounds like the results of a solo flight , think again . He thanks Steve Cotler , founder of VIP Gambling Tours , and Seth Young , chief operating officer for Fifth Street Gaming Digital for his acclimation . But don ’ t forget Aunt Luann , now CEO of Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort , in D ’ Iberville , Mississippi .
In May 2022 , Playmaker HQ acquired PropsHQ , and Piasecki stayed on as senior vice president of partnerships . On July 3 of this year , Better Collective acquired Playmaker , where he remains head of partnerships . “ My main focus is on securing sponsorships and commercial agreements with companies in the gaming industry across Better Collective ’ s network of digital assets ,” he says .
Working for Better Collective is a dream come true , Piasecki says . “ There is so much opportunity . I hope in five years I ’ ll have been successful in my current role and I am leading new initiatives with the company across the globe . They have a vision of becoming a leading digital sports media company , and I hope to be instrumental in making that happen alongside my peers from the Playmaker HQ team .”
Piasecki sees online casinos and customer loyalty initiatives playing a much larger role . Along with VIP casino marketing , this is where profits lie , he says . “ More states will realize that legalizing iCasino is the key to industry growth .” — Bill Sokolic
Labor of Love
Rob Procter
Vice President of Game Development , Light & Wonder
Rob Procter graduated college in 2007 . After that , you don ’ t hear from Rob again until 2014 . Anyone with a sense of curiosity would question what happened to the intervening seven years .
Procter ran and owned the local stationery business . While it put some money in his pocket , the real benefits of being a stationery store owner , he says , were the on-the-job lessons he learned for his career in the game business .
“ I acquired the business post-graduation from Leeds University . This was a 30-year established high street and B2B business ,” he says . But this proprietorship went beyond selling Hallmark cards and journals . “ Owning a small business , managing staff , handling accounts and dealing with customers was a fantastic education on many different levels .
“ The experience I gained working long hours , six days a week , made me determined to succeed in a field I was very passionate about .”
That field would be slots and their development , both online and off . “ Slots were always a form of entertainment that appealed to me , and given that growing up I played a lot of sports — rugby league mainly — I grew to enjoy having a flutter on key sporting events too ,” Procter says .
From the moment Procter , who is vice president of game development at Light & Wonder , landed his first post-stationery job , he knew this industry was special — the fast-paced nature , the fact that no two days were the same , and the excitement around new content . “ All this was instantly infectious ,” says the native of Keighley , West Yorkshire , U . K . “ During those days at Sky Betting & Gaming ( SB & G ), we were experiencing tremendous growth in all areas , and that too was an exciting environment to be a part of .”
Stationery business aside , none of what followed for Procter came as a surprise . “ I have always had a blue-sky , creative mind , from a game design degree that got me into the sector to testing and releasing the latest titles .”
Being around new games and products was exciting from early on . “ I knew that down the line I wanted to be on the other side of the fence , not releasing games but making them ,” he says . “ The freedom to be creative , innovative and work as a team were all big factors in my love of this field .”
Not even Covid-19 could shake his confidence . If anything , it was a booster .
“ Covid certainly made me rethink my goals and impacted not only myself , but also my wider team , Light & Wonder as a whole and the wider industry .
In a positive sense it made the team behave differently when it came to game production ,” says Procter , who spends time off with his young family and Freddo , a springer spaniel .
“ One of the highlights of working on new content has always been the buzz of a studio , the thrill of getting a game out on time and seeing it fly . Covid kind of cut into that , eliminating faceto-face contact . Coming up with new ideas and maintaining morale depended on virtual bonding . It was a huge challenge , but we produced some great games during this time that still rank highly in our charts across all markets .”
Mentors helped , like Samuel Downey , Procter ’ s manager for the bulk of his stay with SB & G . “ He was head of casino during my time with the operator , and his knowledge of the industry and forward thinking really made a mark on me ,” he says . The current manager and CEO of iGaming at Light & Wonder , Dylan Slaney , also has been pivotal to Procter ’ s growth as a leader . “ His passion , mentorship and dedication have driven me and many of my peers to new levels .”
Procter sees a future built on synergy between land-based and online gaming with Light & Wonder in prime position to deliver on this next generation of content .
“ Convergence of content , features and jackpots will all be huge . Engaging players through various forms of media at all touchpoints will also be key . Those that succeed will be the ones that can make this as seamless and entertaining for the player as possible ,” he says .
Time has progressed since he left the stationery store , but Procter would take nothing back . “ I am proud of my rise in this industry , and I know I have much more to achieve individually , for my team and for Light & Wonder .” — Bill Sokolic
SEPTEMBER 2023 www . ggbmagazine . com 39