The iGaming sector came together on Monday 15th September for the Legends Charity Game as Portugal Legends ran out 4-1 winners over the World Legends XI.
Organised by Sport Global, Legends Charity Game brought together some of the world’s most iconic players such as Kaka, Luis Figo, Alessandro Del Piero and Pepe, and was supported by some of the iGaming sector’s leading lights.
One of the main sponsors of the event was Alea, a casino aggregation provider whose founder Alex Tomic presented the trophy to the Portuguese team after their emphatic victory.
After the game, iGaming Expert caught up with Ramon Glieneke, Alea’s Chief Operating Officer, to explore the aggregator’s partnership with the landmark charity event.
An alignment of values
The genesis of Alea’s partnership with Legends Charity Game came earlier this year, when Glieneke met with Rasmus Sojmark, founder and CEO of SBC and Sport Global.
“He pitched me the Legends Charity Game and I said ‘yes, of course’,” Glieneke told iGaming Expert. “We were talking directly with Rasmus for months to organise it. From day one we were pushing for it and to also be a sponsor of the event because it really aligns with what we are doing at Alea in terms of charity and culture.
“Whenever there is something in or out of iGaming that we can do that aligns with our culture, we are always on board.”
Glieneke outlined that Alea puts a lot of time and resource into building its brand values both internally and externally, adding that the company is always eager to participate in initiatives that reflect those values.
These values include health, community and making a direct impact – whether that is in business, with employees or in the wider community.
“At Alea, we want to build something lasting which is part of our core values, but we also want to have an impact outside the iGaming industry which was at the core of the event. We always want to have an impact both externally and internally. That’s why we are nominated for Best Employee of the Industry.”
So aligning with Legends Charity Game, which raised funds for Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa, International Alert, Caritas Portugal and the Ukrainian Red Cross Society fit neatly with Alea’s goals.
Having an impact outside the industry
Legends Charity Game was an extension of some of the impact the iGaming sector can make when it comes together. Fundraising in the industry is nothing new, but with the ambition of raising over one millions euros – this event raised the stakes.
And by letting in the public and broadcasting the game all around the world, Legends Charity Game projected the iGaming sector to a much wider audience.
“At the end of the day, we are a community; in iGaming we all know each other well, we always meet at conferences,” he added. “But at the same time, through initiatives like this, we have the opportunity to show how much we are dedicating an effort to not just changing how we are perceived but also creating a genuine impact outside of the industry.
“Sometimes there is a stigma around the iGaming sector but it is good to show that we are moving forward and having a bigger impact away from our own sector.”
A Trusted Partner
Alea looks to create as big of an impact within the industry as it has done outside with Legends Charity Game. The company noted that its generous streak is reflected in its operations as well as charitable endeavours.
It points towards the fact that it does not lock operators into a specific platform as a key example of this. Alea instead takes a more collaborative approach with its partners to find the solutions for their specific business needs.
Glieneke said: “Alea’s strength comes from having already operated in these markets ourselves. That experience means we can see challenges coming before our partners do. For example, we anticipated the certification bottleneck in Brazil and acted early to stay ahead. We’re data-driven and we understand what actually works on the ground. That’s why our clients see us as a true partner, not just another provider.”
Legendary moments
It wouldn’t be a post match interview without chatting about the action, and with five goals, a penalty save and the woodwork being struck, there was certainly lots to chat about.
Glieneke, as an Inter Milan supporting Italian working for a Spanish-headquartered company, had plenty of players to support including 2006 World Cup winners Marco Materazzi and Alessandro Del Piero, ex-Inter captain Javier Zanetti and former La Liga greats like Carles Puyol, Roberto Carlos and Gaizka Mendieta.
“The entire concept and event was one massive legendary moment,” he said. “It’s so hard for me to pick a specific moment because all over the pitch I saw players I loved when I was growing up.
“The atmosphere was amazing. Beyond the community we created, what really resonated was that we were giving back to Portugal and supporting causes that truly matter. Having Alexandre present the trophy at the end was the perfect moment for us.”
Linking football and business
Glieneke’s time with iGaming Expert came to a close with a conversation about what type of footballer he would be in a business perspective.
Is he more of a flair player like Kaka, bringing spontaneity and ideas to the table, or more akin to Tiago Mendes with the element of control and tactics?
It was fairly easy for Glieneke to respond: “I run operations at Alea, so I’m probably a bit more squared,” he explained. “I’m more about the analysis and understanding things before taking on any kind of risk.
“I’m just not that impulsive player, I’m more strategic. You have people like Ronaldinho and Neymar who can make something special out of nowhere but I’m more tactical. Even when I run operations in this company or others, I’ve always been the one analysing things rather than being an improvisational guy.”
Finally, bringing the conversation back towards raising funds for good causes, Alea’s COO reiterated that the company would be open to doing more initiatives like this to help reflect its brand values both internally and externally.
He concluded: “The main thing that we are doing now internally as part of our company values is encouraging our people. Impact comes when you have good people and that is going to be our first goal if we decide to move forward to support any specific causes. The situation in the world is tricky at the moment and more complicated, but we are ultimately talking about people.”
