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Sightline Payments Expands Management Team with Appointment of New Chief Financial Officer and Chief Legal Officer

Published

4 years ago

April 19, 2021

Recent $100 million capital raise helps Sightline also recruit talented Chief Marketing Officer, Chief People Officer and Chief of Staff executives

LAS VEGAS, April 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sightline Payments, a dynamic Financial Technology company that is enabling the next generation of cashless, mobile and omni-channel payment solutions for the gaming, lottery, sports betting, entertainment and hospitality ecosystems, today announced it has appointed five new executives to its senior leadership team.

John Gronen joins Sightline as Chief Financial Officer of the rapidly growing FinTech provider, while Jennifer Carleton will serve as the Company’s Chief Legal Officer. Through its recent $100 million funding round announced on April 1, Sightline Payments has also appointed Muriel Lotto as Chief Marketing Officer, while Katrina Sevier will serve as its Chief People Officer and Felicia Gassen will be Chief of Staff. The executive appointments strengthen Sightline Payments’ leadership as the company scales to support rapid growth and customer demand.

“We are pleased to welcome John, Jennifer, Muriel, Felicia and Katrina to Sightline Payments. The collective expertise and proven track record that they bring from working with some of the world’s most recognized companies will play an instrumental role in managing the company’s hyper-growth and expansion,” said Joe Pappano, CEO of Sightline Payments. “In the near- and long-term, we plan to invest significant capital in recruiting diverse and expert talent to drive key Sightline priorities around market growth and innovation. Our goal is to have the most talented and diverse team in the gaming and payments industries.”

John Gronen, Chief Financial Officer
John Gronen has been appointed CFO for Sightline where he will oversee all finance operations including banking, treasury, budgeting, and reporting. His experience delivers deep value to the Company having recently served as CFO for payments processor VPay, Inc. and head of operations for VCE, a subsidiary of EMC, Cisco Systems and VMWare. Previously he held senior finance and accounting roles with Technisource, Alltel and Delta Trust and Bank.

Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2025 (25-26 March)

John will also play key roles for Sightline in M&A and fundraising in support of the Company’s high-octane organic and inorganic growth strategies.

Jennifer Carleton, Chief Legal Officer
Jennifer Carleton joins Sightline having spent her entire legal career in the gaming sector. She was in-house counsel for an Indian casino and for the last 14 years an adviser to some of the premier public and private gaming and investment companies in the world.

Working in gaming for the past two decades has enabled Jennifer to develop a unique expertise in payments, mobile, internet and sports gaming, as well as an insider’s familiarity with the unique issues that arise when technology and regulation intersect. Jennifer is helping to establish an advanced Indian law and advanced gaming curriculum at the UNLV Boyd School of Law through her teaching at the law school and her work with the Dean’s Advisory Council.

Jennifer also dedicates a substantial amount of time to professional development and corporate philanthropy within her community. She is currently the chair of the Tyler Robinson Foundation, the charitable arm of the Grammy-winning band Imagine Dragons, dedicated to raising funds for pediatric cancer families.

Muriel Lotto, Chief Marketing Officer
Muriel Lotto brings over 25 years in International Marketing to her new role as Sightline Payments’ Chief Marketing Officer. Muriel has worked in France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and in the United States at leading companies including Nestle, Unilever, Royal & SunAlliance, Bupa and Western Union.

Muriel will lead transformative marketing strategies across audience definition and targeting, customer journeys, messaging, and media mix optimization. In her role, she will drive brand awareness and commercial results through public relations, creative, and advertising partners.

Katrina Sevier, Chief People Officer
Katrina Sevier brings expertise around the ever-changing organizational landscape of culture and talent. Katrina will be tasked with growing Sightline Payments’ team, which will double in size this year.

Prior to Sightline Payments, Katrina led comprehensive talent strategies delivering growth and implementing change across global organizations in the financial services, technology, media, and advertising industries including Western Union and IPG Mediabrands.

A steadfast believer that the employee and customer experiences are connected, Katrina will build and implement the company’s talent plan to support business growth.

Felicia Gassen, Chief of Staff
Felicia Gassen has been appointed Chief of Staff to CEO Joe Pappano and the executive leadership team. She is the former Executive Director of Global Gaming Women where she managed the executive board of directors, committees, sponsorship, and global membership. Previously her work included the management of research, grants and education programs in the fields of bioengineering, biotechnology, and bioinformatics. Felicia strongly believes in collaboration, amplifying voices and building connections with people across disciplines. Felicia attended both the University of California, Berkeley and University of Nevada, Las Vegas and holds a BFA in Fine Art and Art History.

For Executive Leadership headshots, please visit: https://sightlinepayments.com/leadership/

About Sightline Payments
Sightline Payments (“Sightline” or the “Company”), is a dynamic Financial Technology (FinTech) company that is enabling the next generation of cashless, mobile and omni-channel payment solutions for the gaming, lottery, sports betting, entertainment and hospitality ecosystems. The Company has more than 1.5 million enrolled Play+ accounts across its current portfolio of more than 70 programs in 39 States, and is poised to build on this presence, commensurate with the expansion visible in the underlying markets it serves. One of the key segments the Company serves is online gaming (both sports betting and iGaming), which is expected to build from $3 billion in total revenue to $22 billion over the next five years. In addition, the Company’s digital payment solutions directly address the wider gaming industry’s opportunity to transform traditional gaming floors into cashless ecosystems, a $90 billion revenue market serving over 100 million customers annually. Sightline is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Learn more at https://sightlinepayments.com.

Media Contact:
Susan Donahue
Skyya PR for Sightline Payments
[email protected]

Latest News

About 59% of Germans Aged 6-69 Play Video Games

Published

2 hours ago

May 14, 2025

Niji Narayan

about-59%-of-germans-aged-6-69-play-video-games

Reading Time: 2 minutes

About 59% of people aged 6 to 69 in Germany play video games. Overall, the number of players in the country has risen significantly in the last several years. Across all age groups, some 37.5 million Germans – more than ever before – play video games on consoles, PCs and smartphones. This represents an increase of around 9% in the number of players since 2020. These are the new figures released by game – the German Games Industry Association, based on data collected by YouGov.

The development among players over 60 is especially dynamic, with this group having grown from 6.4 to 7.7 million in just 12 months. The growth in the proportion of older gamers is partly due to the fact that many gamers have been playing games for decades. On the other hand, more and more older people are discovering the joy of video games. Thus the trend of recent years continues, with the average age of German players also surpassing 39 for the first time – rising from 38.2 in 2023 to 39.5 in 2024. In total, 8 in 10 players in Germany (79%) are over 18 years old. With regard to the gender of players in Germany, the distribution has remained balanced in the last several years, at around 48% women and 52% men.

“Games fascinate millions of people in Germany – young and old, women and men. The majority of Germans have been playing games for a long time and the number is increasing. The steadily rising average age of gamers is also exciting: we are fast approaching the age of 40. This makes clear what still surprises many people: whether they are 17 or 70, games inspire people of all ages and the proportion of older players is growing particularly strongly,” said Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – The German Games Industry Association.

After attaining unprecedented heights in recent years, the German games market saw a dip in its growth trajectory in 2024. Last year, sales revenue from games, gaming hardware and online gaming services in Germany totalled 9.4 billion euros – a 6% drop from the year before. This downturn was especially pronounced in purchases of games for PCs, consoles and smartphones (−17%, to 921 million euros), as well as in hardware purchases (−10%, to 2.9 billion euros). Running counter to the overall market trend, revenue from online gaming services saw a double-digit increase, rising 12% from the level of 2023, to 965 million euros.

The post About 59% of Germans Aged 6-69 Play Video Games appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Latest News

TaDa Gaming Celebrates GiftCode’s Successful First Year Since Launch

Published

1 day ago

May 13, 2025

Niji Narayan

Reading Time: < 1 minute

TaDa Gaming celebrates GiftCode’s successful first year since launch. Applicable to both slots and TaDa’s unique fishing-shooting games, GiftCode offers immediate rewards which can be effortlessly tailored and adapted to any operator requirement or marketing campaign.

Hitting its first anniversary, a minimum of 1,000,000 GiftCodes are now issued monthly through 300+ streamers with 100% take up. This strong creator eco-system enables codes to be delivered across media and platforms with tournaments, introductory rewards and churned player campaigns leading the way for operator success through powerful marketing alongside player rewards.

An uplift of Daily Active Users by a minimum of 18% and a 15% increase in engagement and player acquisition levels has confirmed that GiftCode is the simple and highly effective gamification tool the industry was lacking.

The 2024 initial test run in Brazil saw 100 streamers receive 500,000 GiftCode links. An instant redemption rate of 95+% and new player sign up increasing by more than 30,000 per month confirmed TaDa’s research and development and gave operators confidence to incorporate GiftCode to their offering.

Now, with the addition of personalised codes for player segmentation, regionally specific influencer packs and multi-brand and aggregator deployment, few other gamification tools can offer such consistently high impact and measurable results, meaning this is a very happy anniversary for TaDa.

Sean Liu, Director of Product Management at TaDa Gaming, said: “GiftCode’s inherent simplicity is the key to its success. It does what it is supposed to do and does it fantastically well for both operators and players. Our new enhancements make GiftCode even more engaging, securing its future as our go-to gamification tool.”

The post TaDa Gaming Celebrates GiftCode’s Successful First Year Since Launch appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Latest News

South Africa is Leading the Call for Responsible Gambling in African Countries

Published

2 days ago

May 12, 2025

Zoltan Tundik

South Africa is once again positioning itself as a leader in ethical gambling practices, with the upcoming Responsible Gambling Summit 2025 set to take place on 13–14 November 2025 at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Gauteng. This landmark event will gather international experts, regulators, and industry professionals to address the most pressing challenges in responsible gambling across Africa.

Hosted by the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation (SARGF) in collaboration with major regulatory bodies such as the National Gambling Board, Eastern Cape Gambling Board, and Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board, the summit aims to drive forward an evidence-based, solutions-focused agenda that ensures gambling growth does not come at the cost of public well-being.

As South Africa continues to see rising participation in both land-based and gambling online, the summit is timely. It will tackle issues ranging from technological safeguards and public health integration, to policy harmonisation and vulnerable population protection.

Advocating for Safer Online Gambling

As South Africa strengthens its role in setting responsible gambling standards, SouthAfricanCasinos.co.za remains at the forefront of this effort in the online casino space. Our portal is more than a online casino listing site — it is a trusted source of expert advice, consumer guidance, and responsible gambling advocacy.

Since our inception, we have maintained a clear policy: we only recommend licensed, regulated casinos in south africa that adhere to strict player protection measures. These include transparent terms, fair bonus practices, and built-in tools such as deposit limits, time-outs, and self-exclusion options.

“The online gambling landscape in South Africa is growing rapidly,” says a spokesperson for SouthAfricanCasinos.co.za. “But with growth comes responsibility. Our mission is to ensure players have access to safe, ethical gambling environments. We support the goals of the Responsible Gambling Summit and encourage every operator to prioritise the welfare of their players.”

Practical Frameworks for Change

The Responsible Gambling Summit 2025 will focus on seven key thematic areas:

Understanding gambling behaviour and disorders through science-led approaches.
Overcoming barriers to effective policy implementation, including gaps in education and enforcement.
Leveraging technology, such as AI-driven risk detection and real-time player monitoring.
Adopting global regulatory best practices tailored to South African realities.
Protecting at-risk individuals and communities, especially youth and those in lower-income brackets.
Educating the public on the risks of gambling and how to stay safe.
Building international networks to ensure future readiness and consistency across borders.

Each session is designed to lead to real-world outcomes, with progress monitored and reported biennially. This commitment to transparency aligns with broader calls for industry-wide accountability.

How Players Can Gamble Responsibly

Whether you’re new to online casinos or an experienced player, here are some essential responsible gambling tips:

Treat gambling as entertainment, not a way to make money.
Set a time limit before you start and stick to it.
Only gamble with money you can afford to lose.
Avoid playing when you are upset, stressed, or intoxicated.
Use built-in responsible gaming tools provided by licensed operators.
Keep track of your play history and regularly review your habits.
Seek help if gambling is no longer fun, or if it begins to impact your personal life.

At SouthAfricanCasinos.co.za, we make these practices easier by highlighting casinos that offer responsible gambling features as part of our review process. Each recommended site undergoes a thorough evaluation based on licensing, fairness, transparency, and player protection standards.

Our Commitment to the South African Gambling Community

With a growing base of South African users, SouthAfricanCasinos.co.za plays an important educational role in the online gambling space. Our platform offers in-depth guides, news updates, free bonus casinos, free spins casinos and strategy articles designed to help players make informed decisions.

We actively follow developments in gambling regulation and work to ensure our listings are in line with the latest responsible gambling initiatives. As the conversation around ethical gambling evolves, so does our content — reflecting the high standards that South African players deserve.

South Africa’s leadership in responsible gambling sets a high standard not just for the continent, but for the global industry. By playing at casinos that are transparent, regulated, and committed to safety — such as those featured on SouthAfricanCasinos.co.za — players can enjoy the entertainment of gambling while staying in control.