iGaming CEOs Prefer Partnerships Over Fixed Salaries

The iGaming industry is undergoing a significant shift in how CEOs are compensated and motivated. Traditional models, where CEOs receive fixed salaries and bonuses, are being challenged by a partnership approach that aligns executive income with business growth.

Recently, a co-founder of a project within Fidel Group received a payout of $220,000, which was a percentage of the business result he helped build and develop. This model differs from the classic system, where a CEO's income is typically capped by their contract, regardless of the business's success.

In the classic system, a CEO receives a fixed salary and, at best, a bonus for achieving pre-agreed targets. Even if their decisions lead to multiple business growth, their upside is usually limited by the terms of the contract. In contrast, in a partnership model, the income of the person responsible for the business grows with the business. This approach changes not only motivation but also the leader’s entire attitude toward the project.

The Fidel Group team has conducted dozens of interviews with CEOs, Group CEOs, and business unit leaders from the iGaming industry. These interviews revealed that strong CEOs do exist in the market, but many of them no longer want to build someone else’s business under standard employment terms. The strongest entrepreneurial leaders cannot be motivated by salary alone. They seek opportunities where they can truly build a business and participate in its success.

To address this shift, some new projects within the holding are being developed as autonomous business units. This format is closer to a partnership, where the CEO receives investment for launch, participates in choosing the market, defines the development strategy, forms the team according to their own vision, builds the P&L, and takes responsibility for the result. The holding provides capital, infrastructure, expertise, recruitment, and operational support, but does not replace the entrepreneur in making key decisions.