Continent 8 designed, planned and executed full-service VMware-to-Nutanix migration effort, helping Sportingtech avert 42% increase in virtualisation costs.
Continent 8 Technologies, the leading provider of global managed hosting, connectivity, cloud and cybersecurity solutions to the iGaming and online sports betting industry, is pleased to announce an expanded partnership with multi-award-winning global betting and gaming provider, Sportingtech. In a strategic collaboration to optimise its virtualisation environment, Sportingtech entrusted Continent 8 to successfully oversee and implement their VMware-to-Nutanix cloud migration initiatives.
In the wake of Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware, Sportingtech encountered an unexpected increase in costs, rising by as much as 42% due to licensing changes. This development significantly impacted the cost structure of their VMware-based virtualised enterprise private cloud architecture. To mitigate against these cost fluctuations, Sportingtech chose Continent 8, a Nutanix Authorised Service Provider and their current cloud infrastructure and cybersecurity services partner, to provide professional and managed services for a VMware-to-Nutanix migration.
Continent 8 executed a comprehensive assessment, prioritisation plan and migration journey of hundreds of virtual appliances. The significant efforts led by Continent 8, in close collaboration with Sportingtech, ensured no disruptions in operations or to users and were completed well within the originally anticipated target date. As a result, Sportingtech now benefits from a more predictable, manageable and cost-efficient virtualisation platform and environment.
Michael Jack, Chief Technology Officer at Sportingtech, said: “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.”
Justin Cosnett, Chief Product Officer at Continent 8, said: “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.”
Read the full Sportingtech virutalisation migration case study here.
Global games developer deploys Continent 8’s Compliance Audit, Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) and Vulnerability Scan (V-Scan) services to swiftly meet multi-state regulatory compliance requirements.
Continent 8 Technologies, the leading provider of global managed hosting, connectivity, cloud and cybersecurity solutions to the iGaming and online sports betting industry, is pleased to announce an expanded partnership with global leading Asian game developer, Rising Digital Corporation. Through this enhanced collaboration, Rising Digital has selected Continent 8 as its dedicated cybersecurity services provider.
Rising Digital, a current infrastructure partner leveraging Continent 8’s cloud solution for high-performance connectivity, high availability and uninterrupted uptime of gaming platforms, has established a strategic alliance with Continent 8 to enhance its cybersecurity program and standards. This initiative allows Rising Digital to utilize Continent 8’s complete suite of regulatory cybersecurity services, ensuring full compliance within each US state it operates in.
Rising Digital has successfully launched its cybersecurity program across multiple states, including Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, as well as the Canadian province of Ontario, to comply with the specific regulatory requirements of each jurisdiction. In collaboration with Continent 8 and its cybersecurity specialist division, C8 Secure, Rising Digital has successfully completed a Compliance Audit and Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) and Vulnerability Scan (V-Scan) services. These comprehensive regulatory cybersecurity services ensure compliance with local regulatory standards and identify potential vulnerabilities, providing actionable insights to strengthen the organization’s overall cybersecurity posture.
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.”
Continent 8 will be at SBC Summit Americas, from May 13-15 at Booth D750. Schedule a show meeting to learn more about the best practices and strategies for your organization’s regulatory cybersecurity requirements.
Tachi-Yokut Tribe of Santa Rosa Rancheria-owned and operated casino now equipped with world-leading 24/7/365 monitoring, proactive threat prevention and rapid response capabilities to safeguard its tribal gaming operations
Continent 8 Technologies, the leading provider of managed hosting, connectivity, cloud and cybersecurity solutions for the tribal gaming industry, is pleased to announce a new cybersecurity agreement with Tachi Palace Casino Resort to oversee and optimize their Security Operations Center (SOC) and Security Incident and Event Management (SIEM) cybersecurity operations.
In collaboration with Continent 8 and its cybersecurity division, C8 Secure, Tachi Palace Casino Resort will implement their managed SOC and SIEM services. The customer will gain instant access to a comprehensive SOC and SIEM solution featuring round-the-clock monitoring, sophisticated threat detection to pinpoint anomalies and potential risks, integrated threat intelligence to anticipate evolving threats and an advanced SIEM architecture designed for high-performance analytics and streamlined incident management.
Patrick Gardner, Chief Security Officer at Continent 8 said: “We are honored that Tachi Palace Casino Resort selected Continent 8 through a rigorous selection process as their trusted Managed Security Operations Center partner. As a leading Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) specializing in the gaming industry, we have deep insight into the unique cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities facing our customers today. Tachi Palace Casino Resort’s proactive commitment to safeguarding their infrastructure demonstrates exceptional leadership and a clear understanding that robust, continuous security is vital for protecting their customers, data and gaming operations.”
Jerad Swimmer, Regional Sales Director at Continent 8 added: “It’s inspiring to see an increasing number of tribal gaming and casino organizations such as Tachi Palace Casino Resort making cybersecurity a core component of their strategic initiatives and organizational culture.
“We are delighted to support Tachi Palace Casino Resort as their trusted MSSP, ensuring a secure and strategic cybersecurity journey.”
David Clark, Information System Director at Tachi Palace Casino Resort said: “I am looking forward to our new partnership with Continent 8 and what the future brings for us.”
Join Continent 8 at the SBC Summit Americas from May 13-15 at Booth D750. Book a meeting to explore top cybersecurity practices and strategies tailored for the tribal gaming community.
Continent 8 is committed to efficient energy management, reducing energy consumption and ensuring sustainability across various facilities
Continent 8 Technologies, the leading provider of global managed hosting, connectivity, cloud and cybersecurity solutions to the iGaming and online sports betting industry, is pleased to announce its recent achievement of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) 50001:2018 Energy Management Systems (EnMS) standard.
The ISO 50001 certification is an internationally recognised benchmark for energy management. As part of the ISO 50001 certification initiative, Continent 8 is committed to implementing both short- and long-term energy management strategies, identifying energy-saving opportunities and promoting environmental sustainability across its data centre operations. Continent 8’s commitments include:
Michael Tobin, CEO and Founder of Continent 8 Technologies, stated: “For over 25 years, we have been dedicated to delivering best-in-class managed data centre services to our global customers. In recent years, we have equally prioritised sustainability and decarbonisation. We recognise the impact our data centres have on energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint.
“Achieving ISO 50001 certification is a significant step in our commitment to sustainability, and I’d like to congratulate all involved in this accomplishment. This certification ensures that our organisation is responsible for continuously enhancing our energy management system and implementing objectives and best practices for energy efficiency.”
Continent 8’s compliance-driven infrastructure and cybersecurity services accelerate the launch of secure, resilient, zero-compromise gaming platforms
Continent 8 Technologies, the leading provider of global managed hosting, connectivity, cloud and cybersecurity solutions to the iGaming and online sports betting industry, is pleased to announce its continued expansion in the US with the launch of its data center and managed and professional services in Missouri.
Following the approval of Missouri Amendment 2 on November 5, 2024, the Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) is preparing the state for the launch of its regulated online sports betting market, scheduled for December 1, 2025. Continent 8’s first-to-market strategic approach provides Missouri online sports betting operators and suppliers with immediate access to Continent 8’s data center, along with a full suite of best-in-class services that facilitate the rapid deployment of secure, resilient, zero-compromise gaming platforms.
The US continues to be a strategic market for Continent 8, as it remains not only the fastest growing, but only end-to-end solutions provider for the gaming industry in the nation. Continent 8 possesses requisite regulatory licenses, certifications, approvals and registrations across more than 30 states, including Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and now Missouri. The most recent EGR Power US Rankings underscores Continent 8’s position as the premier service provider in the industry, servicing and supporting 95% of the listed operators.
Michael Tobin, CEO and Founder of Continent 8 Technologies, stated: “The approval of Missouri Amendment 2 highlights the continuous growth of the regulated and highly competitive US online sports betting market. We are thrilled to already be engaged with numerous customers and actively preparing their environments for the soon-to-open market.
“Our approach, anchored in regulatory compliance, ensures that gaming operators and suppliers are equipped with market-ready solutions to swiftly establish state-compliant, secure and uncompromising infrastructures, while providing ample time to optimize their platforms well in advance of the state’s launch date.”
For insights into Missouri’s online sports betting market, schedule a meeting with Continent 8 at NEXT Summit New York 2025 (Booth 7), from March 12-13.
Continent 8 Technologies’ Principal of Innovation & Technology, David Brace, recently attended ICE 2025. With a new home in Barcelona, the event was busier than ever with a footfall of 56,000 attendees!
Here, David shares his key takeaways from the industry’s biggest ever event.
This year’s ICE was hosted in a significantly larger venue than in previous years. This expansion allowed for larger exhibition stands and provided ample space for engaging, meaningful discussions. It was a really great job from the organisers.
On Monday, the organisers also held a memorial for NEXT.io’s Nico Jansen, who passed away on January 9, just before ICE. Members of the iGaming community gathered to share memories of Nico. It was a heartfelt tribute to honour and remember a cherished member of our community.
That’s certainly a wonderful and touching gesture by the ICE organisers.
The World Gaming Forum – ICE’s three-day learning, networking and knowledge sharing exchange – featured various tracks, with my role as Chair of the cybercrime stream. The organisation was once again exemplary, with the event producers assembling a distinguished lineup of speakers. The four panels I participated in or chaired included CEOs, CISOs, company founders and expert consultants from various companies.
The first session, ‘Risks to the gaming industry: cybersecurity & organised crime,’ was a terrific opening presentation by AlixPartners. The US-based cybersecurity consultants delivered a global overview of cybersecurity, highlighting the potential impact of cyberattacks on organisations and sharing key statistics, such as the estimated average cost of a data breach exceeding 4.88 million USD, according to IBM’s 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report.
Although I wasn’t involved in the subsequent session, ‘Meet the modern day hacker: What’s wrong with gaming’s current information security?’, Greg van der Gaast, Hacker & Ex-Undercover FBI Asset and Managing Director from Sequoia Consulting, did an exceptional job of translating cybersecurity risk into real-world analogies that people could use in boardrooms and for presentations.
In the panel session I moderated, ‘Convincing your boss that cyber matters: building a strong cybersecurity culture’, Alexandre Tomic, Founder of Alea, offered valuable insights on API security and its critical role in safeguarding against third-party vulnerabilities.
In the same session, Brian Harris, CISO of DraftKings, provided insights on third-party library vulnerabilities, illustrating a common scenario where engineers might download code snippets from the Internet and integrate them into their applications, potentially compromising their own systems. Brian emphasised that while human behavior cannot be entirely controlled, implementing static code reviews can help identify potential vulnerabilities.
The biggest operators are now at the forefront of promoting cybersecurity adoption and advocacy. In the US and EU, publicly listed companies are legally required to ensure cybersecurity, leading them to implement stringent cybersecurity and business practices for their suppliers to ensure comprehensive security measures are in place. This topic was discussed on the aforementioned panel session, where it was noted that companies such as Alea, DraftKings and Entain conduct thorough due diligence on their suppliers, especially from a cybersecurity perspective, as part of any provisioning or tender process.
ICE was extremely well-attended – there literally wasn’t a quiet moment!
Over the course of three days, it facilitated numerous good-quality discussions, interactions with existing customers and engagement with potential prospects. Our brand-new stand was busier than ever, and the team welcomed customers and partners to a must-attend cocktail and networking event on the Tuesday evening at the Terraza del Sercotel Rosellón.
The show is certainly a must-attend for Continent 8. We’re already looking forward to ICE 2026!
Continent 8 provides comprehensive, multi-layered threat prevention, detection and response solutions to secure your iGaming and online sports betting organisation’s digital assets in the face of evolving cyber threats. For more information on how Continent 8 can support your cybersecurity initiatives, email sales@continent.com or fill out our Contact Us page.
In 2022, Continent 8 Technologies launched the Gaming Exchange, an exclusive community for iGaming businesses, allowing them to connect faster and more securely than through the standard internet, without requiring additional configuration.
In this blog, Justin Cosnett, Chief Product Officer at Continent 8, explores the product’s latest updates, its benefits and the future development plan. An important update is provided for Public Cloud customers – read on for more information!
Gaming Exchange is a private internet service that allows Continent 8 customers to connect directly to other Continent 8 customers via a virtual private network (VPN) through the company’s MPLS backbone network, bypassing the public internet. This type of service enables customers to share traffic at the lowest possible latency, ensuring secure and private communication.
Our current and new cloud customers will be pleased to learn that Gaming Exchange is now included as part of their Public Cloud platform, further differentiating this industry-leading service. Consequently, all Public Cloud customers will be included on Gaming Exchange, enjoying most of the service’s benefits – without any increase in bandwidth transfer fees. Note, the Premium Portal is not included as standard.
Customers will benefit from traffic being routed automatically via the quickest path available, whether through the public internet or Gaming Exchange.
Customers won’t have to take any action to benefit from this – Continent 8 will enable iGaming exchange seamlessly during a suitable scheduled maintenance window. This ensures that our Public Cloud customers will soon experience the benefits of private connectivity with other Continent 8 customers.
Gaming Exchange is specifically designed for the iGaming and online sports betting market to address four critical challenges.
Gaming Exchange allows various gaming businesses – including aggregators, data analysis providers, games providers, odd feeds, operators, payment gateways, platform providers, regulators, sportsbooks, among others – to connect securely to their operators, brands or each other. This extensive network also helps in expanding businesses reach, forming strategic partnerships and entering new markets.
Gaming Exchange delivers the fastest, most resilient and minimal latency connections, ensuring users benefit from the very best internet performance possible.
Gaming Exchange minimised the customer’s public attack surface area. By enabling connections over a private internet, it eliminates the threat of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, where hackers inundate a network with artificial traffic, causing service interruptions and financial losses.
Gaming Exchange provides flexibility for businesses to scale their operations as they evolve with new technologies and market trends. This type of flexibility ensures long-term success and a competitive edge in a dynamic, fast-paced industry.
Any Continent 8 customer can join. The process is quite simple. For non-cloud customers, all we require is access to a physical port. We can provision it to them to get them onto Gaming Exchange within 24 hours. They will also have access to the Premium Portal so they can start monitoring and analysing traffic patterns and performance to make informed, data-driven decisions.
The industry is highly interconnected, and the demand for Gaming Exchange is increasing among gaming businesses – including payment providers and sports betting feeds – who recognise the platform’s privacy, latency, security and networking advantages. We intend to continue and expand these discussions.
We’re also exploring additional use cases for Gaming Exchange. Regulators, for instance, are interested in using Gaming Exchange for monitoring and reporting purposes, whether through data vaults or API access.
From a product perspective, we’ll soon be unveiling our new Content Delivery Network (CDN) and Object Storage services to the market. Both services have the potential to be integrated with Gaming Exchange and the Public Cloud. This integration means customers can access the CDN privately, directing their origin traffic through our network rather than through the public internet.
Gaming Exchange is opening new connectivity opportunities, and we’re happy to explore how it can provide iGaming and online sports betting customers with a groundbreaking private internet experience.
To learn more about Gaming Exchange for your iGaming and online sports betting operations, email sales@continent8.com or complete the Contact Us form.
The International Gaming Standards Association (IGSA) is pleased to welcome Continent 8 Technologies, the award-winning global managed hosting, connectivity, cloud and cybersecurity solutions provider to the global online gaming industry, as its newest association member.
Continent 8, an IGSA Silver member, is a trusted industry partner for global leading brands in the iGaming and online sports betting market. With over 25 years of experience, Continent 8 brings unparalleled expertise to the association. Their well-respected regulatory and cybersecurity practices make them an obvious choice in supporting IGSA, advocating true industry standards for the gaming industry. As a member of the IGSA Cyber Resiliency Committee, Continent 8 will have an immediate impact, empowering suppliers, operators and regulators with best-practice recommendations to meet current and evolving regulatory and cybersecurity requirements.
Jeremie Kanter, Continent 8 Director of Regulatory Affairs said:
“Continent 8 and its dedicated cybersecurity company, C8 Secure, have helped our global network of operators and suppliers achieve sustainable, long-term success. This is largely due to our commitment to industry standards. We are excited to collaborate with the IGSA and industry peers to develop and establish comprehensive compliance and cybersecurity standards with the goal of elevating regulatory and cybersecurity excellence, performance and innovation across the gaming
industry.”
“IGSA is very excited to welcome Continent 8 to our membership. As a long-time champion of industry standards, they are intimately familiar with the regulatory and cybersecurity challenges, opportunities and requirements that today’s gaming stakeholders face,” said Mark Pace, IGSA President.
“We look forward to their participation within our Cyber Resiliency Committee and other various IGSA groups. We believe their contributions will be significant and of great value to the industry.”
For media inquiries, contact press@continent8.com
Continent 8 Technologies, the award-winning global managed hosting, connectivity, cloud and cybersecurity provider to the iGaming and online sports betting industry, augments its US offering having received approval in the state of Nevada.
The company has received two approvals from the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB). The first authorizes Continent 8 to provide its cutting-edge services via its data center site located in the state, and the second allows it to service Nevada-licensed operations from its New Jersey site. This enables licensed iGaming operators and suppliers utilizing Continent 8’s state-of-the-art data center in Atlantic City to launch in the Silver State and benefit from zero-compromise connectivity, performance and latency for optimal user experiences.
Continent 8’s full suite of solutions designed to meet regulatory compliance in each state and jurisdiction is available to customers in Nevada. These solutions cover managed hosting, connectivity and cloud. This includes supporting hybrid cloud deployments with hyperscale partners like Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Continent 8 has consistently demonstrated its leadership in the industry with a first-to-market approach across North America. Working closely with regulators ensures that its customers are the first to go live when each state opens its doors to regulated iGaming and online sports betting for the first time. Continent 8 is live in 30 US states, with further launches in the pipeline.
This first-to-market approach, unrivalled regulatory experience and cutting-edge suite of solutions have seen Continent 8 emerge as the go-to infrastructure provider of choice for 95% of operators on the EGR US Power Rankings for 2024.
“Our bold and customer-centric approach has positioned us as the number one iGaming infrastructure provider for operators and suppliers targeting the US market, and adding Nevada to our growing network of states strengthens this position.
“That we have also uniquely secured approvals to service Nevada customers from both in-state and out-of-state is further evidence of how we provide our customers with solutions they simply can’t get elsewhere. And this has only been possible because of our close relationship with regulators and the prowess of our infrastructure.”
Continent 8 Technologies has grown its regulated and community public cloud offering ,both in terms of locations and capability. And as we have done so, we face the reality of economic headwinds in both hardware and software licensing, as well as wanting to differentiate our high-touch customer culture, and security by design approach.
Therefore, we are making some changes to our cloud portfolio offering, changing pricing where we must, but adding value where we can, to provide a best-in-class high-value offering to our customers.
We are increasing prices for public cloud resources, whilst adding Edge Cloud to support virtual server, Network as a Service Edge (NaaS), CDN capability and support future container-only deployments and further up-the-stack managed offerings.
We are removing optional “Product” customer support as an uplift fee, and baking this into our service inclusively for all new or renewal subscriptions – all customers will benefit from our trained, certified, and dedicated support team access.
We are deprecating our “FLEXIBLE” model of public cloud subscription for primary public cloud, moving all subscriptions to “COMMITTED”, utilising the FLEXIBLE model for secondary business continuity use for all new or renewal subscriptions. The relative discount in COMMITTED versus FLEXIBLE will remain.
Due to the growth in our network and internet capacity and capability, we are bringing down the cost of per GB bandwidth charged to customers in all locations for all new or renewal subscriptions.
We have created committed bandwidth tiers allowing customers to fix their bandwidth fee costs and achieve greater savings through that commitment.
We are bundling WaaP (WAF) protection licensing within our public cloud, on top of the existing DDoS mitigation included, to offer full L3-7 protection.
To summarise, for all new and renewing customers;
Continent 8 faces the same economic challenges as many businesses, with increases in costs for co-location space and power, technology hardware and software licensing as well as other inflationary pressures. As a result, we have no choice but to pass on as little as we can of these costs to customers in resource fees.
Being customer-focussed and high touch is part of our culture and values, therefore committing to provide product support from the outset inclusively differentiates us from the public cloud market. We also acknowledge that the majority of our customers want the certainty and budgeting ease of committed cloud resources and bandwidth.
Adding additional cyber-protection capabilities leverages our own growth in capability and allows customers to benefit from the investments we have made in providing security services to protect customers infrastructure and technology.
Growing our bandwidth capacity for not just world class peering and reachability, but also DDoS mitigation, we can pass on savings in our reduced per GB bandwidth costs.
New pricing is in effect for all new quotes and renewals undertaken through our RSD and CSM teams. To benefit from the additional services and lower bandwidth pricing we encourage existing customers to look at how they can benefit from earlier commitment to renewal.
By adding WaaP (WAF) to new and actively renewing customers we are taking a secure by design and delivery approach to our customers infrastructure. As we have added NaaS services such as Firewalling and Advanced Threat (IDS / IPS) capabilities we are proud to offer customers the benefits of our investments in cyber protection.
Remember, all Continent 8 public cloud services are;
To learn more about the changes and take advantage of the new bundled capabilities and pricing benefits, please contact your Regional Sales Director or Customer Success Manager.