Belianin

Founder, and CEO

Chief Commercial Officer

Chief Marketing Officer

Chief Marketing Officer - Africa

DAO.Casino

PokerArt (previously Macropoker)

Chief Marketing and Sales Officer (PokerArt)

Head of Marketing and Sales (Macropoker)

Hilead

● Developed company and positioning, business processes, corporate messaging architecture and corporate and sales presentations.
● Managed complex online marketing functions, including e-commerce, technology selection, and implementation as well as implementing industry best practices to deliver initiatives across multiple mediums and channels.
● Built marketing strategies across all relevant media to support clients' business objectives.
● Created growth strategy for clients, identified new business opportunities and optimized overall digital media and strategic partner mix.
● Generated over $500k in revenues for the clients during the first year.

Head of Marketing, Co-Founder

Various Companies

Self-employed for almost 8 years working alongside, media agencies, gaming companies on contract. List of responsibilities: marketing management, strategic marketing, web analytics, display advertising, inbound marketing, SMO, SMM, email marketing, video marketing, SEM, SEO, UI/UX improvement and much more.

List of companies:
- Full Tilt Poker.
- Partypoker.
- Perpetuum Poker.

And many others.

Head of Marketing / Marketing Advisor (Gaming, sports betting, online poker)

Experienced marketing strategist and leader in the sports betting industry. Over 17 years of experience in both marketing and gaming, and a proven record in building global teams, growing profits, and implementing high-growth marketing, digital, and product development strategies within the biggest gaming companies.

THE BIG REVEAL: Here’s the product I’ve been teasing for months…

When I was a CMO and CCO, I dreamed of having a product like this.

One that gave you accurate insights into the iGaming market.

Giving you the ability to make fast, data-driven decisions.

(like measuring brand marketing impact)

So, I’m excited to introduce you to my recent investment, in which I became a co-founder. 

Meet Blask, an AI-powered competitive intelligence tool that provides real-time data on key business metrics with up to 1-hour granularity

We're still in the early stages, with only 5% of our grand vision built.

But we are here to change the industry and the way people do their competitive market research.

This is just the beginning. We're developing a suite of AI-powered tools to bring iGaming into a new era of innovation.

I couldn't be more proud to lead this massive change, and I want to give special thanks to the following people:

🔶 My amazing co-founder and Blask CEO Max Tesla, whose incredible complementary skillset, tech mind, and entrepreneurship are key to succeeding here.

🔶 Support from my friends & partners Already Media during the very early stages after I left Parimatch and started working on putting everything in relation to Blask together alongside my investment into them

🔶 Those of you who have given us invaluable product feedback over the past six months and helped us rebuild the product completely.

🔶 Tim Heath and Julian Buhagiar at Yolo and sandford loudon FRSA and Paco Gaspar at Oakvale for their investment and belief in our business vision.

🔶 Jeffrey Haas, an early Blask investor and industry legend, whose continued advice is invaluable.

🔶 And early adopters of the product, Sportingtech, BC Game, bet365, and Already Media.

I’ll be building this product publicly and will keep you informed about what we’re working on.

So now…

Let the games begin!

P.S. We wanted Bruce Buffer to do the announcement, but as I said yesterday, we spent our marketing budget on product.

So all we had money left for was Duce Duffer :)

Dmitry Belianin

Belianin.com - Building an Ecosystem of High-Potential iGaming Businesses

Being busy is not being productive. I think this is the biggest challenge for leaders and entrepreneurs. 
 
Hear me out... 
 
It's so hard not to work 24/7 when you’re a business owner. 
 
There are always things you can do. And when your laptop is right next to you or in another room, you can always work. 
 
It's very hard to switch off. 
 
I've joked recently that I woke up on January 2nd and haven't slept since then. I work a lot. 
 
My work ethic cannot be questioned - but as I search for peak productivity, there’s one challenge that has become so obvious recently. 
 
You have calls, travels, and conferences. Lots of things and people demand your time. 
 
So I keep asking myself: 
 
How do I find time for focused, deep work? 
 
The fact is, you have to be very protective over your calendar and your mind as a leader. 
 
And as I’ve looked for a solution to this challenge, I’ve gone deep in search of answers. 
 
So, this month, I've written a very large research piece—a long article that helps me articulate my thoughts and devise a solution to my challenge. 
 
And I thought it would be valuable for others to read, too. 
 
I'll be publishing this somewhere that I will announce very soon. 
 
In the meantime - is this something you struggle with too? Is this a topic of interest? 
 
Let me know in the comments.

My May conference lineup is stacked! 3 events, 2 countries, 4 speaking gigs. Here's where you can find me: 
 
I’m so excited about the month I have ahead of me. Here are the events and the topics I’ll be speaking about. 
 
🔶 NEXT Valetta: 
 
- Navigating the Crypto Stigma (panellist) 
- Supercharge your ROI (moderator) 
 
🔶 iGaming club Malaga: 
 
- Affiliates and Operators: Deals, listing fees, commissions - what are the dos and don'ts? (moderator) 
 
🔶 Casino Beats Malta: 
 
- How AI-driven personalisation can enhance user engagement and foster player loyalty (panellist) 
 
Which events will you be at? Let me know in the comments if you’ll be there! 
 
P.S. My first essay drops via my newsletter tomorrow - link in the comments. Don't miss it!

No alternative text description for this image

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT COMING 
 
Here's my Kanye Superbowl-inspired moment 👀

Revealed: The country with the most new iGaming brands launched every week: 
 
One of the projects I’ve been building has some unique capabilities. 
 
One of the unique things it can do is accurately show how many iGaming brands there are in the world. 
 
(...it’s being released in mid-May btw, so keep your eye out for more info) 
 
But based on the 67 markets we analysed to see where most brands were being launched... 
 
One market stood out: 
 
Brazil. 
 
There’s an average of 4.3 brands being launched in Brazil weekly. 
 
It’s also interesting to see how many of them are being shut down. 
 
I’ll provide more data on that soon. 
 
But it’s really interesting to see the landscape developing there in Brazil, and how regulation will impact this. 
 
What are your opinions on the future of the Brazilian market? 


This week’s lessons as I build my businesses in public: 
 
There’s nothing like the sweet mix of anticipation, excitement, stress, and nerves as you prepare to launch a product you’ve worked so hard on to the world. 
 
This week, preparing for this launch has been my biggest focus. 
 
We go live on May 14th (stay tuned, this is going to be massive!) 
 
But this week hasn’t been ideal in terms of preparation. 
 
I flew to Cyprus this week, and I’m also preparing for three back to back conferences, starting next week at the NEXT event. 
 
I’m away from home for 22 days, the longest time on the road since 2019. 
 
And my inbox tasks are piling up with over 200 tasks.  
 
To be honest, I’ve never felt so overwhelmed. 
 
Often in a situation like this, our instinct is to fight against the overwhelm, and just dive headfirst into it like a firefighter. 
 
But I learned some time ago, that this will quickly lead to burnout. 
 
You may accomplish more today, but the sum of your output will decrease over the next few weeks. 
 
So I recognised how I was feeling, and even though every fibre of my being was telling me to stay in my hotel room and burn the midnight oil... 
 
I took some time for myself and watched the Madrid game. 
 
Hala Madrid! 
 
Anyway, that time for myself (and the result) has left me energised and ready to tackle a big 3 weeks! 
 
Have a safe trip everyone, I’ll see you soon. 
 
P.S. What is the biggest lesson you learned this week?

Listing fees - what’s the deal? This is my advice to both operators AND affiliates. 
 
As a former CMO/CCO of a major operator and now an investor in a major affiliate company... 
 
I have a unique 360-degree view of the operator/affiliate dynamic. 
 
And specifically, how listing fees are viewed by both parties. 
 
I will cover this important topic in my latest newsletter (published on Thursday). 
 
In it, I cover: 
 
- The 3 market phases that shift the affiliate/operator power balance 
- My advice to operators to protect themselves from getting burned 
- My tips for affiliates to building thriving relationships (including how to avoid shady operators) 
 
In my humble opinion… 
 
This is a must-read for anyone on either side of the affiliate/operator equation. 
 
So check the first link in the comments and let me know once you sign up :) 

Brazil's iGaming market has grown 10x since Nov 2020. 🤯 
 
Why? 3 key reasons...including 1 you may not expect. 
 
A few days back I was using the market research tool I’m developing to look at the Brazilian market. 
 
(It’s SiGMA America's week after all - massive FOMO that I’m not there BTW!) 
 
I wanted to check some theories I had for the growth of the market. 
 
And here are the key drivers that I see: 
 
1. Pix Payments 
 
Pix, a new payment method introduced during the pandemic, has been a game-changer. 
 
It enabled the market to shift from offline Boleto payments to fast, secure online payments - removing friction for players. 
 
A great example of how innovative technology can drive rapid market growth. 
 
2. Increased Marketing Spend  
 
Key brands like Betano and PixBet have significantly upped their regional marketing budgets and efforts.  
 
3. New Market Entrants  
 
International operators like Superbet and Novibet have entered the market, increasing competition and overall market size. 
 
Their presence validates the opportunity in Brazil. 
 
What do you think has been the biggest driver? Let me know in the comments.

Brand marketing is NOT a cost centre. It's the most powerful growth weapon for iGaming operators who understand how to use it: 
 
There's a pervasive myth in iGaming that brand marketing is an expense, not an investment.  
 
The thinking goes: "If it doesn't drive immediate revenue, cut it when times get tough." 
 
I couldn't disagree more. 
 
Operators dominating their markets know brand spending is key to long-term growth and profitability. 
 
How? 
 
Market share reflects brand strength. 
 
And brand strength is built through smart, sustained investment - not knee-jerk budget cuts. 
 
Example: One brand in India is pouring massive resources into branding. 
 
The result? They're now the country's fastest-growing operator. 
 
Strong brands understand that true competitive advantage comes from persistent, calculated brand building - not just short-term direct response hacks. 
 
Curious about which brand I'm talking about and how they're doing it? Stay tuned. 
 
I'll detail their brand strategy so you can apply it to your business. 
 
For now... 
 
Which brand do you think I’m talking about?

I recently surveyed 6,000 gamblers across the UK, Germany and Canada to uncover the key attributes they desire most from sports betting operators. 
 
The results were eye-opening. 👀 
 
In a massive behavioural shift, the most sought-after trait (62.5% of the group surveyed) is now: 
 
Regulatory compliance and licensing. 
 
That's right. Tier 1 gamblers today care more about whether an operator holds a local license than factors like trust, speed, or product. 
 
And not for the reason you may think... 
 
Why? It's simple: 
 
Tightening regulations in local license markets are making life much tougher for gamblers. 
 
So punters are flocking to offshore operators to avoid getting shut out of the action. They want assurance that they can keep betting without disruption. 
 
It's a stunning pivot from just a few years ago when other attributes topped bettors' wish lists.  
 
And it underscores just how quickly consumer priorities can shift with the legal landscape.  
 
The key takeaway? Compliance is now a major disadvantage in mature betting markets. 
 
Curious to see how the top desired attributes differ in Tier 2 and 3 markets? Stay tuned - I'll be sharing those surprising findings in upcoming posts. 
 
In the meantime, let me know your thoughts! Have you seen a similar shift in your markets?  
 
How are you adapting?

Our industry desperately needs a reality check regarding how we approach marketing and innovation. 
 
While other industries are rapidly innovating with fresh ideas and technology, we're too often stuck in our insular bubble, slow to evolve. 
 
In my latest NEXT article, I dive deep into: 
 
🔹The current challenges holding iGaming back 
🔹The power of embracing external perspectives 
🔹A 5-step blueprint for sparking iGaming innovation 
🔹The cultural & structural shifts needed to move forward 
 
I've received great feedback that it's a must-read for anyone who cares about the future of iGaming. 
 
(check the comments to find it) 
 
Then let me know - what are your thoughts? 
 
Do we need to change? Or are things fine as they are?

What's the most critical thing iGaming is lacking when it comes to market research? 
 
Market research has always been a "nice-to-have" rather than a "must-have" in iGaming.  
 
Companies are spending hundreds of millions on marketing yearly. 
 
Yet they’re operating completely blind and don't clearly grasp the market dynamics. 
 
In my experience, the key missing pieces have been market capacity, market share, and competitor market dynamics. 
 
This is the vital information I always found myself wishing I had. 
 
Now, I finally have the chance to change that. 
 
How about you? What do you think is most critically lacking in iGaming market research? 
 
I'd love to hear your perspectives in the comments!

This week has been all about one thing... 
 
Deep Work. 
 
As I prepare for my upcoming tour in May, I’ve had to make space for lots of deep thinking. 
 
After cleaning up my calendar I've realised that deep work has been one of the biggest discoveries in the last few years. 
 
It’s so important not to just create the time for deep work. 
 
But also the right environment and mental preparation. 
 
No distractions, pure quiet, and a clear outcome you want to achieve. 
 
I also played around with time blocking but I realised that it's just too early to implement. 
 
When you're combining a lot of techniques into one your brain and all of your processes start to decay. 
 
So my suggestion here is not to try to apply hundreds of frameworks at the same time but try to do it step by step. 
 
I think one really cool thing helped me here is a book by James Clear called Atomic Habits. 
 
So I’m going to be stacking my habits and rituals methodically from now on. 
 
Overall, this space I’ve created for deep work has helped me prepare for a big announcement I’m making next week. 
 
I'm really excited about something I’ve been building for a long time for a long time, and the launch has to be perfect. 
 
So keep your eyes peeled for that. 
 
And tell me... what’s the number one thing you’ve learned this week?

Listing fees in iGaming: necessary insurance or highway robbery? 
 
Having worked for an operator and in affiliate businesses, I see both sides...and the solution. 
 
(I break it down in Thursday’s newsletter btw - link in comments) 
 
It’s a conversation I empathise with both sides on. 
 
👉🏻 Affiliates argue that listing fees are the only way to protect against rogue operators who play nice but then disappear without paying up. 
 
It's a necessary shield in an industry where some abuse the affiliate-operator relationship.  
 
Those upfront fees help cover the real setup costs that affiliates shoulder. 
 
👉🏻 But operators have a different take. 
 
Too often, big listing fees never generate the promised traffic, leaving them in the red before they even start. 
 
And some affiliates demand king's ransoms just to get in the game, making it nearly impossible for new operators to get traction. 
 
So who's right? 
 
The truth is, there is no definitive answer. But there are ways to make them safer for both parties. 
 
So tell me... 
 
What is your opinion on listing fees? And tell me if you’re an affiliate or operator when sharing your perspective :)

Already Media is serious about our “affiliate 2.0” vision. Here are details of our latest acquisition:

As I’ve discussed before...

We have a vision that I’m calling “affiliate 2.0”.

Which is to transition away from the performance marketing focused funnels that have dominated the industry.

And become a “global media company”.

So, we’ve been building and investing in high-quality products that users want to return to.

And this week, we’ve purchased a gem of a media site.

You may not have heard of it yet, but I’m really excited about it.

Let me introduce SportsKhabri.

SportsKhabri is a media website that covers news related to sports sponsorships, endorsements, and branding.

It has been built by niche experts, specifically Akshata Shukla who has incredible vision, skill, and talent.

This site has incredible potential for growth and entering new markets.

We have a long way to go rebuilding the product. The UI, etc it is very early stage but we have a solid foundation.

And in due course, I’ll share some more details about how we do that.

So in the mean time, tell me…

Is there anything you want me to write about related to this deal?

Let me know in the comments.

NEXT Valetta Day 1:

The NEXT.io content is always the best. The panels, speakers, etc, are always on another level.

The events always bring a top vibe and energy, and it makes the consumption of material far better than watching via a recording.

Today, I’ve just had an awesome panel discussion with Tim Heath about how overcoming the stigma can help us tap into unexplored avenues with crypto.

And shortly, I’ll moderate a panel about driving ROI with performance marketing.

And of course... it has been great catching up with many of you so far.

Who is here?? Let me know in the comments.

PSA: You can't build a personal brand with ChatGPT. 
 
This post may come across as a rant. 
 
But I'm saying it because I genuinely want to help. 
 
Your ChatGPT written posts and comments are so obvious guys, come on. 
 
It is so good to see more people in our industry sharing, and building their profiles. 
 
The network effect is in full force there. The more people creating good industry content, the more iGaming people will use the platform. 
 
So it's in my interests to help. 
 
But this generic ChatGPT stuff is going to have the opposite effect. 
 
It's going to drive people away!  
 
And after investing a LOT of time into my content, this trend is killing me. 
 
You may not notice it, because the writing sounds fancy. 
 
But the formatting, word choice, and sentence structure SCREAMS ChatGPT. 
 
In the world of iGaming... ZZZzzzzzz. 
 
I'm not against AI, far from it. I'm a big advocate, and it has been a life-saver in streamlining some of my processes. 
 
But this is the era of real authority, real leadership, and real thinking. 
 
There is NO shortcut for that.  
 
Anyway.... 
 
How do you feel about this generic ChatGPT content? Is it killing your experience on LinkedIn?

This week’s lessons as an investor in multiple businesses: 
 
As I mentioned before, one of my goals is to build Belianin in public. 
 
So, most Fridays, I’m going to do a recap of my week. 
 
I’ll share what I’m working on, what went well, and what didn’t. 
 
🔶 WHAT I’M WORKING ON 
 
Operational excellence.  
 
These are my favourite words of 2024. I have spent a lot of time finding and implementing frameworks to improve businesses. 
 
It’s so important to build the systems and processes and find efficiency before you scale your team. 
 
An hour or two of inefficiency per day per person won’t kill you when you have a small team. 
 
But when you multiply that by 20... 30…50 people? 
 
It’s a LOT of time and resources wasted. 
 
🔶 WHAT WENT WELL 
 
We’ve been doing business development for one of our products during SiGMA.  
 
We’re in the soft launch stage right now and having lots of good conversations. 
 
Everyone we’re talking to is excited, so we feel confident we’ve validated the need for the product. 
 
We’ll be going live in mid-May, probably before the NEXT event. 
 
🔶 WHAT DIDN’T GO WELL: 
 
I’ve been having WAY too many calls. It’s not sustainable for me to have as many as I’ve had. 
 
I’ve spent 6.7 hours per day this year on calls. Sometimes at 4 am or 6 am. 
 
Now, many of these have been really important. 
 
But here’s my plan to fix it: 
 
1. Be more intentional with the calls I book. No “fancy a catch-up” type meetings. 
 
2. Ask if it requires a call or if it can be done via another medium, such as Loom. 
 
3. Challenge the call length. Parkinson’s Law says a task will take as long as you give it. 
 
Calls lasting one hour are often overkill. But making them shorter forces you to get to the heart of the matter quicker. 
 
4. And last but not least… Set clear agendas for the calls and follow them. 
 
So anyway…. 
 
This is a new content type, so let me know if you found it valuable. 
 
(Unless you let me know, I don’t know if you want me to do more of these) 
 
Also, tell me in the comments - what went well for you this week?  


Why I’m dedicating time to writing essays - despite being busier than EVER. 
 
To some, it seems crazy... 
 
I’m invested in or incubating 10+ projects right now. 
 
Each demands my time, attention, and energy. 
 
I also invest a lot of time and energy every week into writing. 
 
These LinkedIn posts for one, take up a lot of time. 
 
But as I mentioned the other day, I’m going to start publishing essays. 
 
It’s something my business idols, people like Peter Theil, Paul Graham, and the Reforge guys do. 
 
And once I started doing it myself, I realised why. 
 
Publishing your ideas to the world for free may seem like a generous activity. 
 
But actually… 
 
There’s a HUGE benefit for you as a writer. 
 
In 2023, I finished a writing course. 
 
I learned how to structure my thinking, find connections between ideas, and communicate the results. 
 
This process is making me a better decision-maker, leader, and strategist. 
 
Articulating your ideas forces you to make them sharper. 
 
The first essay I will publish is about the importance of being intentional about meetings and some strategies for managing them. 
 
Drop a comment below, and I’ll DM you the link to sign up for free. 
 
It drops on Thursday.

Affiliates are ALWAYS getting screwed, and it’s not just in iGaming. 
 
Recently, I discovered a product I LOVE. 
 
It’s called Waterdrop, and it’s a little cube you can put into water with vitamins and even caffeine if you want it. 
 
Hydration + extra energy = win-win. 
 
Recently, my friend visited me in Portugal, and I showed him the product. 
 
He loved it, too, so I sent him an affiliate link to join. 
 
(He joked that the affiliate marketer in me will never die haha) 
 
But he went home and placed a big first order through my link. 
 
Did I get my commission? 
 
NOPE. 
 
Now who knows why - maybe the tracking was rubbish, or maybe they are genuinely shady. 
 
But this is not just a big problem in iGaming. 
 
What the hell is wrong with the affiliate industry?

Taplio

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