Continent 8’s end-to-end regulatory cybersecurity services ensure Rising Digital maintains full compliance within the six – and growing – US states in which it operates.
Rising Digital Corporation is a gaming company that develops and publishes slot games, table games, game systems and game platforms. Recognized as the leading developer of Asian slot games in the casino gaming industry, Rising Digital provides games to the major gaming manufacturers worldwide.
Rising Digital required a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) to architect and deploy regulatory compliance programs tailored to the diverse requirements of each interested US state jurisdiction, ensuring consistent, best-in-class security and regulatory standards across all operational states.
Rising Digital selected Continent 8, its existing cloud partner and the leading provider of infrastructure and cybersecurity solutions for the iGaming and online sports betting sector, to lead its regulatory cybersecurity strategy.
In collaboration with Continent 8 and its cybersecurity specialist division, C8 Secure, Rising Digital successfully completed a comprehensive suite of regulatory compliance assessments and services, including:
Rising Digital has successfully rolled out a comprehensive cybersecurity program across multiple jurisdictions, including Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia – as well as the Canadian province of Ontario – delivering compliance with state-specific requirements. In addition, Continent 8’s regulatory cybersecurity expertise has enabled the proactive identification of vulnerabilities and the delivery of actionable insights that fortify Rising Digital’s cybersecurity posture.
By partnering with Continent 8 and leveraging its regulatory cybersecurity services, Rising Digital is strategically positioned to proactively address and surpass evolving compliance requirements. This collaboration ensures a measurable competitive edge with regulators across both forthcoming US state market deployments and established jurisdictions.
Aimin Cong, CEO of Rising Digital, said: “We are delighted to formalize our relationship with Continent 8 for our growing iGaming operations business. With the utmost importance being placed upon compliance, performance and security, we believe Continent 8 is an excellent infrastructure and cybersecurity services partner.”
Patrick Gardner, Chief Security Officer at Continent 8, said: “We are honored that Rising Digital has placed its trust in Continent 8 as its infrastructure and cybersecurity partner as they expand their operations across the United States.
“At Continent 8, we pride ourselves as being a one-stop-shop provider of infrastructure, cloud, regulatory and cybersecurity solutions. Our services enable iGaming companies like Rising Digital to swiftly meet multi-state regulatory requirements, safeguarding their operations while providing peace of mind. We stand committed to setting the highest standards and value for cybersecurity and compliance services within the ever-growing iGaming and online sports betting sector.”
For more information on how to meet your jurisdiction’s regulatory cybersecurity requirements, visit continent8.com or contact sales@continent8.com.
surge in virtualisation costs mitigated
virtual appliances migrated seamlessly
to achieve ROI on migration services
for project completion
Sportingtech is a multi-award-winning provider of turnkey betting and gaming solutions designed for regulated and emerging markets around the globe. The omni-channel platform offers solutions for sportsbook, casino and retail betting operators, with over 10,000 products from more than 100 games providers.
With an ‘all-VMware’ virtualised enterprise private cloud architecture, the post-VMware acquisition licensing changes represented a significant cost burden to the business, up to a 42% increase in virtualisation costs.
In search of an experienced service provider to design, plan and execute a migration to a new, more cost-effective virtualised hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI), Sportingtech selected Continent 8 Technologies – a Nutanix Authorised Service Provider and current Sportingtech infrastructure and cybersecurity services partner – to provide professional and managed migration services to deliver the project using the Nutanix AHV virtualisation platform.
There were multiple requirements to be met from technical to commercial, with a requirement for minimal operational impact:
Continent 8 proposed and delivered a solution using Nutanix AHV and:
| 1. Availability | 2. Cost | 3. Speed |
|---|---|---|
Continent 8 created a migration plan and schedule which minimised impact to the customer and maximised productivity. By delving into the customer’s key operational requirements and understanding workload utilisation, this plan minimised the chance of failure or impact. During migrations, user experiences remained unaffected, although Continent 8 provided heightened support availability in case of issue or roll-back. | By migrating, Continent 8 was able to demonstrate: • Zero-change hypervisor licensing fees over remaining term of commitment. | Continent 8 performing the work allowed customer’s operational-focused teams to maintain their regular tasks, enabling the project to be undertaken at speed. From engagement to execution, the project was completed on-time and within budget. Continent 8 utilised project management resources to ensure all tasks were completed in order and key milestones achieved. |
Continent 8 successfully orchestrated a VMware-to-Nutanix migration, transitioning to a virtualisation platform that ensures predictable, manageable and lower costs, while circumventing VMware’s 42% increase in licensing fees. The project was executed with minimal-to-zero disruption to Sportingtech’s operations and users, delivering a seamless end-to-end migration experience.
“We are always looking for ways to enhance the solution we build for our customers and to keep costs down. Working with Continent 8, who constantly push to provide efficiencies, cost reductions and value-added expertise, made good sense to us. They continue to be a valued partner and managed to deliver the project on time with no service interruption for us or our customers, which is critical.”
Michael Jack, Chief Technology Officer at Sportingtech
“Continent 8 is able to use its experience with VMware, Nutanix, private and public clouds to provide professional as well as managed services to customers, enabling them to focus on core revenue-generating operations. Being able to demonstrate such a significant saving and ROI will be of interest to many enterprises in today’s market. It’s thanks to the experienced and highly qualified project and cloud engineering staff at Continent 8 that we were able to successfully complete this project, while earning Sportingtech’s trust to manage their critical operational infrastructure.”
Justin Cosnett, Chief Product Officer at Continent 8
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number of games accessible to B2C operators
transactions per second that need to be secured
critical cybersecurity issues identified
Global iGaming aggregator leverages Continent 8’s Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) cybersecurity services to securely connect B2C operators to over 16,000 games from more than 160 providers.
Alea is an award-winning leader in the field of online gaming, with a decade of experience in the industry. Alea aggregation platform handles over 21,000 transactions per second, with bank-level security, full regulatory coverage and local insights that helps their customers move faster in markets like Brazil, South Africa, Spain and beyond.
Alea is one of the industry’s most rapidly expanding game aggregators. By utilising a single API integration, Alea offers customers access to over 16,000 games from more than 160 providers, simplifying technical complexities and enhancing operational efficiency. The security and reliability of these game APIs and integrations are vital to Alea’s operational integrity.
To address the evolving cybersecurity challenges associated with a rapidly growing network, Alea engaged Continent 8 to conduct a thorough assessment and evaluation of their cybersecurity framework through a comprehensive Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) service.
Alea’s coding platform comprises over 100 microservices leveraging diverse technologies, databases and queue systems, presenting a significant technical challenge in securing all connections. Additionally, Alea processes over 21,000 requests per second, necessitating the demonstration of successful transaction management. With a complex aggregation platform, Alea aimed to ensure and demonstrate their status as a secure and robust game aggregator provider.
Continent 8, along with its specialised cybersecurity division, C8 Secure, conducted the cybersecurity audit. They employed their Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) service to perform a thorough security evaluation of Alea’s entire digital infrastructure, providing a complete view of their attack surface area.
The VAPT service from Continent 8 and C8 Secure enabled Alea to safeguard their API, code and services against vulnerabilities such as broken authentications, cross-site scripting (XSS), sensitive data exposure and SQL injection. As a result, the cybersecurity audit identified no critical issues within their aggregation platform.
The comprehensive VAPT assessment allowed Alea to detect potential internal and external IT vulnerabilities, enabling them to prioritise and implement security improvements to reduce risk exposure, thereby assuring their customers of a secure and reliable platform.
Patrick Gardner, Chief Security Officer at Continent 8, presenting Eduard Fumás, Chief Technology Officer at Alea, with their VAPT completion certificate.
Eduard Fumás, Chief Technology Officer at Alea said, “At Alea, security is at the core of everything we do. Our commitment to creating a secure, robust and scalable API solution sets a new standard in the iGaming industry, where data protection and system integrity are critical. Partnering with Continent 8 has been an important step for us in proactively safeguarding our platform and reinforcing the trust our partners place in us. This collaboration ensures that we continue to deliver a reliable, secure API experience to our clients. We’re proud to work with a partner that shares our dedication to cybersecurity excellence.”
Patrick Gardner, Chief Security Officer at Continent 8 said, “Alea’s three principles of security, scalability and robustness resonate with Continent 8. Given the number of APIs Alea is using, their proactive approach to assessing their business and guaranteeing security for its partners is imperative.
“It’s great to be supporting Alea; we encourage all businesses in this industry to take the cybersecurity threat seriously.”
Compliance Achieved
Cybersecurity Incidents Recorded
Security Controls Validated
Days Audit Turnaround
Continent 8’s Compliance Audit and Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) services facilitate the supplier’s annual licensing obligations in the Keystone State.
ODDSworks, a leader in Remote Gaming Server technology and interactive content, specializes in delivering world-class gaming content and interactive technologies for regulated and real-money gaming markets. The ODDSworks game portfolio features a diverse array of proprietary and third-party titles.
As a licensed supplier under the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), ODDSworks was required to conduct and submit a thorough audit of its cybersecurity measures for approval. ODDSworks chose its existing data center hosting partner, Continent 8, the leading provider of infrastructure and cybersecurity services to the iGaming and online sports betting sector, to design and implement an extensive regulatory compliance service, ensuring the content provider successfully met its regulatory requirements.
As an existing licensee offering third-party content to the online casino market, ODDSworks’ technology was already in compliance with the PGCB’s cybersecurity requirements. However, the regulatory body mandated ODDSworks to conduct an annual cybersecurity audit.
The primary challenge was selecting a cybersecurity services provider that was both capable and approved by the PGCB. The regulator is among the most stringent in the US regarding cybersecurity, requiring operators and suppliers to adhere to standards such as:
The audit was conducted by ODDSworks’ existing infrastructure partner, Continent 8 and its specialized cybersecurity division, C8 Secure. They utilized their Compliance Audit and Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) services to assess ODDSworks’ provisions in accordance with the requirements established by the PGCB.
Following the completion of the Compliance Audit and VAPT services, Continent 8 and C8 Secure identified cybersecurity vulnerabilities related to third-party platforms. As a result, ODDSworks required the third-party developers to implement necessary upgrades to comply with the iGaming supplier’s compliance standards.
The audit and VAPT reports were submitted to, and approved by, the PGCB.
Continent 8’s comprehensive regulatory compliance services have strengthened ODDSworks’ cybersecurity framework by validating existing measures, refining operational processes and ensuring their systems are well-equipped to meet evolving regulatory and security requirements.
To date, ODDSworks is pleased to report the absence of cybersecurity incidents and looks forward to continued collaboration with Continent 8 on various cybersecurity initiatives.
Steven DeMar, Executive VP at ODDSworks, said: “At ODDSworks, we are taking cybersecurity seriously – the industry is under attack. Continent 8 has done an incredible job of supporting us through our cybersecurity audit in the state of Pennsylvania. We were impressed by the speed at which the audit was planned, undertaken and reported on, as well as its scope and depth.
“We already knew that Continent 8 was at the top of its game having used its hosting solutions in other US states, but its cybersecurity audit for us shows that it really does set the standard for others to follow.”
Patrick Gardner, Chief Security Officer at Continent 8, said: “Cybersecurity is a hot topic in the online and land-based gaming industry, and ODDSworks are an example of a company that is prioritizing cybersecurity.
“Having cybersecurity provisions in place is not only a must when it comes to protecting the organization, but also when it comes to compliance. Pennsylvania is setting the standard when it comes to protecting the iGaming market.”
Download the case study here. For more information on how to meet your jurisdiction’s regulatory cybersecurity requirements, visit continent8.com or contact sales@continent8.com.
Downtime During Migration
Servers Migrated Daily
On-time Delivery
Licensing Cost Savings
The customer is a technology services supplier to iGaming and online sports betting customers operating globally.
With a legacy “all-VMware” virtualised enterprise architecture, and a requirement for high availability, scalability and multi-purpose workloads, they needed to replace the current hardware and future proof whilst maintaining 24/7 availability.
Needing a service provider to design, plan and execute a migration to a new, cost effective virtualised hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI), Continent 8 Technologies, a Nutanix Authorised Service Provider, provided managed and professional migration services to deliver the project.
There were multiple requirements to be met, from technical to commercial, with a requirement for minimal operational impact. The project’s migration requirements included:
Continent 8 proposed and delivered a solution using Nutanix Acropolis hypervisor (AHV) in two clusters in two geographically diverse locations. The solution involved multiple components:
On average four to eight virtual servers were migrated per day around an agreed, lowest impact schedule between Monday to Thursday.
“Infrastructure migration and management can be a costly and long process, with pitfalls for even the most skilled technical teams. Continent 8 has demonstrated that customers can achieve the benefits of lower cost, quicker deployment, and therefore swifter ROI, by engaging us to scope and execute this project with experienced and certified professionals. When Continent 8 is engaged, we don’t just try to achieve a migration – but a future-proof and scalable platform for growth.”
Justin Cosnett, Chief Product Officer, Continent 8 Technologies
Download the case study here.
Continent 8 (C8) is an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Advanced Consulting Partner and has built the capabilities to support customers accelerate the adoption of AWS cloud services. The company required a partner to deliver reliable and dedicated connectivity scalable to requirements. C8 worked to produce a suitable regulated solution to fit the various challenges faced.
The customer is the digital arm of an established brand in the gaming industry bringing their 50+ year history of providing world class entertainment to the sportsbook and interactive gaming world. Their mission is to build and unrivalled betting experience for sports and entertainment fans everywhere.
With a cloud native platform based on AWS technologies, and a regulatory requirement for dedicated in-state transaction processing, an AWS Outpost was the necessary infrastructure stack, connected to AWS regions.
Needing a provider to create a solution which would deliver reliable and dedicated connectivity scalable to requirements, Continent 8 (C8) worked to produce a suitable regulated solution to fit the various challenges faced.
There were multiple requirements to be met from technical to commercial, with an over-riding desire for repeatability through a template solution design:
C8 proposed and delivered a solution using its global network, Network Edge as a Service, and managed edge security products:
“We can offer Network Edge Services (NEaaS) to provide all of the functionality required to connect an AWS Outpost to the internet and to AWS, both private and publicly. Our customer utilised this infrastructure design to meet their vast needs including a regulatory approval solution and low latency, resilient connectivity. The customer now benefits from a regulated, scalable and cost-effective solution.”
Justin Cosnett, Chief Product Officer at Continent 8 Technologies
Continent 8 Technologies (C8)
Founded 25 years ago, C8 is an award-winning, multi-jurisdictional, global network solutions provider that connects, manages, and secures the world’s most valuable information.
The company has data centres and strategic points of presence in over 90 connected locations spanning Europe, the Americas and Asia, and is expanding rapidly. Its carrier-grade network powers some of the biggest brands in iGaming.
With a first-to-market strategy, C8 is currently live in 25 states with future sites planned in the near future, enabling customers to capitalise on the fast-growing market.
C8 is an AWS Select Consulting Partner and as a member of the AWS Partner Network (APN), the company can assist iGaming operators and suppliers with AWS services and solutions. This includes the deployment and hosting of AWS Outposts throughout the US, via an AWS Outposts Enablement Package, which provides a delivery team to lead, co-ordinate and support the deployment from pre-install to go-live.
AWS
In 2006, Amazon Web Services (AWS) began offering IT infrastructure services to businesses in the form of web services – now commonly known as cloud computing. One of the key benefits of cloud computing is the opportunity to replace up-front capital infrastructure expenses with low variable costs that scale with your business. With the Cloud, businesses no longer need to plan for and procure servers and other IT infrastructure weeks or months in advance. Instead, they can instantly spin up hundreds or thousands of servers in minutes and deliver results faster.
Today, Amazon Web Services provides a highly reliable, scalable, low-cost infrastructure platform in the cloud that powers hundreds of thousands of businesses in 190 countries around the world.
Learn more about C8’s AWS Outposts Enablement Package and how we can accelerate your cloud strategy here.
Download the Case Study here: C8 Case Study AWS
Continent 8 (C8) is an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Select Consulting Partner and has built the capabilities to support customers accelerate the adoption of AWS cloud services. The customer, a sportsbook operator, required a partner to meet multiple requirements for connectivity, and C8 was able to deliver a tailored template solution.
FanDuel Group is an innovative sports-tech entertainment company that is changing the way consumers engage with their favourite sports, teams, and leagues. The premier gaming destination in the United States, FanDuel Group consists of a portfolio of leading brands across gaming, sports betting, daily fantasy sports, advance-deposit wagering, and TV/media, including FanDuel, Stardust, and TVG.
FanDuel Group has a presence across all 50 states and over 12 million customers. The company is based in New York with offices in California, New Jersey, Florida, Oregon, Atlanta and Scotland. FanDuel Group is a subsidiary of Flutter Entertainment plc, the world’s largest sports betting and gaming operator with a portfolio of globally recognized brands and a constituent of the FTSE 100 index of the London Stock Exchange.
With an “all-AWS” platform design, and a regulatory requirement for dedicated in-state transaction processing, an AWS Outpost was the necessary infrastructure stack, connected to AWS East & West regions.
Needing a provider to create a solution which would deliver reliable and dedicated connectivity scalable to requirements, Continent 8 (C8) worked to produce a suitable template solution to fit the various challenges faced by FanDuel.
“Continent 8 are a key and strategic partner for FanDuel and the combination of Continent 8 Data Center services and Amazon Web Services has enabled FanDuel to focus on its mission of being absurdly fan-focused by delivering the best product in the industry.”
Shane Sweeney, VP of IT at FanDuel
There were multiple requirements to be met from technical to commercial, with an over-riding desire for repeatability through a template solution design:
Continent 8 proposed and delivered a solution using its existing MPLS network, Continent 8 Cloud Connect product and AWS Outpost Enablement Package:
“We have seen significant growth in AWS Outpost utilisation by our customers. To best serve our partners in the US, our team works closely with theirs to understand and meet their vast requirements. As a result, we were able to deliver a template solution to this customer, offering the most available and resilient connectivity.”
Justin Cosnett, Chief Product Officer at Continent 8 Technologies
Continent 8 Technologies (C8)
Founded 25 years ago, C8 is an award-winning, multi-jurisdictional, global network solutions provider that connects, manages, and secures the world’s most valuable information.
The company has data centres and strategic points of presence in over 90 connected locations spanning Europe, the Americas and Asia, and is expanding rapidly. Its carrier-grade network powers some of the biggest brands in iGaming.
With a first-to-market strategy, C8 is currently live in 25 states with future sites planned in the near future, enabling customers to capitalise on the fast-growing market.
C8 is an AWS Select Consulting Partner and as a member of the AWS Partner Network (APN), the company can assist iGaming operators and suppliers with AWS services and solutions. This includes the deployment and hosting of AWS Outposts throughout the US, via an AWS Outposts Enablement Package, which provides a delivery team to lead, co-ordinate and support the deployment from pre-install to go-live.
AWS
In 2006, Amazon Web Services (AWS) began offering IT infrastructure services to businesses in the form of web services – now commonly known as cloud computing. One of the key benefits of cloud computing is the opportunity to replace up-front capital infrastructure expenses with low variable costs that scale with your business. With the Cloud, businesses no longer need to plan for and procure servers and other IT infrastructure weeks or months in advance. Instead, they can instantly spin up hundreds or thousands of servers in minutes and deliver results faster.
Today, Amazon Web Services provides a highly reliable, scalable, low-cost infrastructure platform in the cloud that powers hundreds of thousands of businesses in 190 countries around the world.
Learn more about C8’s AWS Outposts Enablement Package and how we can accelerate your cloud strategy here.
Download the Case Study here: C8 Case Study AWS (FanDuel)
Gabriel Szlaifsztein, General Manager – LatAm at Continent 8 Technologies, shares some key insights into its partnership with Betcris and how the operator is leveraging its Public Cloud and DDoS solutions to drive growth in new markets
Entering new markets is a major driver of growth for international operators, allowing them to significantly increase their addressable audience in regulated jurisdictions around the world. But where there are opportunities there are also challenges, and, in most cases, overcoming these challenges requires working with third-party specialists to ensure entry into new markets is smooth and seamless, and that the infrastructure required for long-term success is in place.
Betcris needs no introduction. The Malta-licensed operator has global ambitions and is already live in the Caribbean, the Philippines, Poland, Mexico, Colombia and Peru where it offers players a highly localised and comprehensive online and mobile and sportsbook experience. It is also keeping a close eye on key jurisdictions on the cusp of regulation, such as Brazil where parent company TV Global Enterprises has already pledged to make a significant investment.
The operator is fully aware of the challenges that come with international expansion and first reached out to Continent 8 Technologies back in 2019. The company shared its new market expansion plan with our team and acknowledged that it needed an infrastructure partner to support its growth as and when jurisdictions opened up. In particular, it needed a partner that was compliant with these newly regulated markets and understood the often-complex regulations in place. It also needed flexibility and reach.
Security was a consideration, too. With the volume and sophistication of cyber-attacks on the rise across the global online gambling industry and beyond, Betcris wanted to ensure that its systems and data were as safe and secure as they could be.
As the leading provider of managed hosting, connectivity and security to the gambling industry, Continent 8 was unrivalled in its ability to support Betcris. Over the past two decades, we have built a network of 85+ connected locations across four continents and a comprehensive suite of solutions that allow operators and suppliers to scale their business in a highly secure environment. Having assessed Betcris’ needs, we suggested the operator leverage our Public Cloud hosting via Malta, a platform which includes DDoS protection as standard.
Our Public Cloud solution offers customers a multi-tenanted, scalable and resilient IaaS platform that allows them to host infrastructure as virtual machines. It is available in a number of Continent 8 locations including Dublin, Isle of Man, Atlantic City, Montreal and of course Malta.
Meanwhile, our DDoS services, built over many years, use an optimised combination of technologies and our customised development layer. We work with key technology partners for our monitoring, detection and mitigation environment.
A key benefit to Betcris using the cloud is that it removes the need for ongoing hardware investment which in turn provides the flexibility to pay for resources based on consumption. We also fully manage the cloud environment, removing the need for the operator to maintain and support infrastructure. Instead, it can focus on growing its business including entering new markets. What’s more, Betcris has been able to expand into new markets easily, thanks to our interconnected network, with the peace of mind that data is safe and secure and that it is doing all it can to fend off cyber-attacks.
By selecting Continent 8 as its infrastructure partner, Betcris has put in place the foundation it needs for long-term growth and success in both new and existing markets. These partnerships are key for Continent 8, and we pride ourselves on building strong relationships with our customers.
We have ambitious expansion plans of our own as part of our first-to-market strategy, with launches in LatAm jurisdictions such as Brazil, Argentina and Chile on the horizon. Our roadmap is vast, we are growing rapidly, and our ability to launch quickly and in line with our operators’ visions is what sets us apart.
In addition, in all markets, we work closely with the regulator to fully understand the requirements in place, and also share our experience and knowledge to help them develop their frameworks to meet the highest possible standards. Regulation can be complex, so operators need to have confidence in their strategic partners and we have the knowledge and experience to offer this.
We are incredibly proud of our partnership with Betcris and the success the operator has enjoyed since using our Public Cloud and DDoS solution. This is what Fernando Garita, Commercial Director at Betcris, has to say about Continent 8 and our solutions:
“Continent 8’s ability to provide services in different countries around the world in an agile and efficient manner has aligned perfectly with our growth strategy, making Continent 8 a trusted provider.”
New market expansion is key to operator growth, but it must be done in the right way and via a cutting-edge infrastructure that facilitates seamless launches while also protecting systems and data. From ambitious start-ups to global dominant players, it’s important to be in the driving seat to successfully deploy a sportsbook or casino brand in markets around the world.
José Hernández – Betcris IT Director, believes the company’s decision to use Continent 8 was the right one:
“Since we made the decision to use one of Continent 8’s Data Centers, we have had an excellent experience, providing us with a robust and above all, reliable cloud environment. Also, since working with Continent 8, we’ve not experienced any reduction in our service, which has only reiterated to us that we made the best decision when we chose them as part of our technological family. Their support function is always there to help round the clock. As a result of their excellent service, our company recommends them 100%.”
Source: SBC Noticias