Interviews with Alea Play (2025)
Have you ever wondered what is a game aggregator and benefits it can bring to operators, game studios, and players? We had the pleasure to video interview Alex Tomic, the Founder of Alea Play.
Have you ever wondered what is a game aggregator and benefits it can bring to operators, game studios, and players? We had the pleasure to video interview Alex Tomic, the Founder of Alea Play.
Date: June 19, 2025
Location: SBC Summit Malta 2025
Date: July 15, 2025
Location: iGB L!VE London 2025
Date: September 8, 2025
Location: SiGMA Euro-Med 2025 (Malta)
Alex Tomic, Founder and founder of Alea Play, shared the evolution of his company. Originally launched in 2012 as an online operator, Alea transitioned to a B2B game aggregator model in 2018. Today, it holds licenses from MGA, UKGC, and SGA, and is the leading aggregator in LATAM and Brazil.
In addition to aggregation, Alea has developed Alea Pay to deliver payment and banking solutions to clients. The company now connects operators to over 15,000 games from 150+ providers through one contract and one integration.
Alea acts as a single access point to hundreds of game studios, simplifying integrations for operators. Rather than signing dozens or hundreds of deals and doing Know Your Business checks for each provider, operators connect to Alea’s unified API. According to Alex, this results in faster onboarding, fewer legal headaches, and typically better pricing thanks to Alea’s volumes.
“You just pass through us and you have one integration, one contract, and usually better prices.”
Alea adds further value by offering features like jackpots, RTP and tag data via API, and ready-to-use assets like game thumbnails and images.
Though players never see an aggregator, they directly benefit from its backend efficiency. Alea ensures that every game API integrated into its platform adheres to robust standards. This wasn’t always the case, Alex recalls a time when many new game providers had unreliable APIs that lacked basic security.
“Some providers didn’t have credentials, you could just log in and generate bets.”
To combat this, Alea now asks providers to integrate Alea’s API instead. The result is a safer, more standardized chain of communication, from player to operator to provider.
Penetration tests by Continent 8 and other audits have helped Alea establish secure connections. This ensures that operators avoid exposing their platforms to security risks stemming from poorly built third-party APIs.
Alex acknowledged a key concern in aggregation: single-point dependency. If an aggregator goes down, the entire casino could go offline. However, Alea is fully hosted on Amazon AWS with redundancies in place.
“We have 99.9% uptime. If we’re down, it’s because Amazon is down.”
New operators negotiating directly with top studios like Evolution or Pragmatic receive standard pricing. Alea’s massive scale, processing 80 to 100 million EUR in GGR monthly enables it to secure better terms and pass on savings.
Alex broke down a typical example: a provider might offer its game for 10% to the public, 6–7% to Alea, which then adds 1–2% on top, still cheaper than the direct deal.
“Even middle-sized operators doing 5 to 10 million per month can’t match the pricing we get.”
Alex described iGaming as an industry with energy and risk-takers. What began as an easy money space has matured into a complex, innovation-driven environment.
“We may not be the smartest in the room, but there is energy in this industry that glows.”
It’s the maverick culture and constant evolution that keep him invested.
Personally, Alex enjoys titles by No Limit City and Push Gaming, but he still plays classics like Book of Ra when visiting land-based casinos. He also mentioned Wicked Games, a new provider backed by Ikigai Ventures with edgy and humorous titles like “Big Black Cock” and a satirical “Transformers” slot.
“They’re bringing back that rebellious spirit No Limit City had when they started.”
Game success can be hard to predict. Alex recalled dismissing Bonanza for its banjo music and basic design, only to watch it become a massive hit.
He also praised Aviator for breaking through in the crash game category. Elements like leaderboards, chat, and founder charisma made the difference.
For Alex, three elements are key:
“If you go to 4–5% house edge, you get greedy and players will see it.”
While the final responsibility lies with operators, aggregators like Alea can monitor transactions and alert on suspicious behavior. However, Alex emphasized that game developers face a delicate balance: building engaging and not addictive experiences.
The competition isn’t just other gambling providers, it’s any platform fighting for player attention, from Fortnite to ChatGPT.
“We’re not just competing with other casinos. We’re competing with time itself.”
Alea has made a conscious choice to avoid holding player data. Instead, they store only game-related information to reduce regulatory risk.
The real focus is on protecting this data pipeline. Alea’s reverse API model gives it full control over the communication chain, minimizing exposure to malicious actors.
“Hackers today look like players. Our job is to make sure the API is as secure as a bank’s.”
Alex Tomic’s interview offers deep insights into how game aggregation works and why it’s more than just a content pipeline. From pricing and security to innovation and passion, Alea Play is shaping the future of iGaming infrastructure from the inside out.
In our second interview with Alex Tomic at iGB L!VE London 2025, he emphasized the unique value Alea brings to game studios. For emerging developers, Alea dramatically reduces time-to-market. Instead of navigating a maze of contracts, Know Your Business checks, and negotiations, studios integrate once with Alea and access hundreds of operators.
“One integration, one negotiation, and then you have Alea's network of hundreds of casinos.”
Many new game developers underestimate the complexity of building secure gaming APIs. Alex explained that while banking APIs face strict scrutiny like PCI and 3D Secure, game APIs often lack such protection. Alea’s approach flips the integration model: studios use Alea’s API, benefiting from built-in security.
“You’ll use our API and go through our governance. The whole chain, from operator through Alea to you, is secured.”
Alex candidly shared incidents of software providers losing millions due to weak API security. These breaches often go unnoticed for months, silently draining funds.
“We’ve seen software providers losing $2 million per week, undetected, for over a year.”
Ultimately, it’s the operators and providers who suffer most. Hackers blend in as players, while Alea’s approach prevents such vulnerabilities through enforced reverse integration, audits, and penetration testing by Continent 8.
Alea’s model is deliberately constructed to avoid AML and player data liability. Instead, Alea collects only game data with anonymized player IDs, enabling deep behavioral insights without compromising privacy.
“We don’t want player data. We want game data, depersonalized but actionable.”
This allows them to analyze betting behavior, game popularity, and game-specific KPIs across their network, without handling sensitive information.
To enforce high standards, Alea is developing a visible “Alea Trust Mark” for partners who pass security audits. Reverse integration is mandatory, and in cases where software providers cannot meet the requirements, they are rejected, even if operators demand them.
“We're losing business, but we're protecting the ecosystem.”
Alea offers more than games. They provide tools like:
And with one API, operators always receive the latest features and updates across all studios.
While Alea doesn’t operate its own RGS, it partners with studios like Felix Gaming and Spinthon to deliver exclusive content. Some studios are also backed financially by Alea, though the platform remains studio-neutral in game promotion.
“It’s not about what Alea owns. It’s about offering what the players want.”
Even seasoned industry leaders like Alex can’t always predict hits. He initially dismissed Bonanza and underestimated Aviator. Yet these games became icons. This uncertainty is why Alea focuses on providing access, data, and tools, letting the market decide what thrives.
“You didn’t know Fortune Tiger would be a hit in Brazil. Nobody did.”
Competition is fierce with 150+ providers on Alea’s platform. For smaller studios to be prioritized, they must bring demand, usually from operators who specifically request their titles. Once integrated, games with early traction are easier to promote internally.
“A gem starts with a spark, then it spreads like wildfire.”
Finally, Alea is investing heavily in AI-based analytics. While human-led account management remains vital, AI now supports two advanced tools:
This shift will eventually let operators, and even players, get smarter, data-informed recommendations.
This follow-up interview with Alex Tomic reinforces Alea’s bold position in the industry: not just an aggregator, but a secure, innovative, and data-driven iGaming backbone. Alea continues to evolve, setting the bar higher for both studios and operators alike.
This is our third on-camera conversation with Alex Tomic, the charismatic founder of Alea Play. While previous interviews focused on game aggregation and platform development, this latest discussion, recorded at SiGMA Euro-Med 2025, takes a more personal and reflective turn. Alex opens up about regulation, risk management, underage gambling, and why the video gaming world may be getting away with what the iGaming sector is punished for.
The interview began with a lighter topic: Alex’s recent acquisition of a painting called "Where is Alice?" by Maltese artist Lucian Spiteri. The piece was bought for €8,000 during a SiGMA Foundation charity auction, but for Alex, it was about more than just the artwork.
“We already bought one two years ago, 'The Goddess of Good Fortune,' because it resembled the statue we have in our office. I love her work.”
He shared how the Foundation's efforts in Ethiopia and Peru caught his attention. Alea even sponsors a room in one of the facilities there. For Alex, it is not just about giving back, but about doing it in a way that channels ego into impact.
“There’s a little bit of competition. I’m going to put more money than you. I like that because it funnels ego into something that helps people who don’t have money.”
When asked to define gambling, Alex paused and delivered one of the most memorable lines of the interview.
“Gambling is the only game where, if you are wounded in the game, you come back wounded in real life. If you are victorious, you come back victorious in real life.”
He described this link between digital play and real-world consequence as mystical and uniquely powerful.
“It follows you in real life. That’s a very powerful setup.”
Alex traced his journey from doing SEO for an online casino in 2004 to launching Slots Million and eventually shifting Alea to a B2B model in 2020. He has operated under some of the toughest regulatory frameworks, including the UKGC and the Swedish regulator.
“I’ve been through four or five audits. I can still feel the heat.”
While acknowledging that regulation can improve the industry, he warned against overprotection that ends up backfiring.
“UK is one of the biggest black markets in Europe. Players self-exclude, then continue playing on non-regulated sites.”
Alex proposed a central registration model that would remove sensitive data collection responsibilities from operators entirely.
“As an operator, I should not know where your revenue comes from. The regulator should onboard the player, track their activity across casinos, and simply allow or deny access.”
According to him, operators are currently being tasked with investigations they are not authorized or equipped to perform.
New game studios often underestimate the importance of secure APIs. Alex warned that many APIs in use today are dangerously vulnerable.
“Gaming APIs today are very easy to hack. You can literally print money by generating wins without placing bets.”
This is why Alea reversed its model. Instead of integrating provider APIs, Alea demands that studios integrate into their secure framework.
“Even then, some can’t handle it. They lack basics like authentication, session IDs, or rollback support.”
Alex expressed strong concerns about how the video gaming world remains largely unregulated, despite offering features he believes qualify as gambling mechanics.
“Kids play on platforms like Fortnite or Steam and they are gambling. This market is bigger than ours and it is not regulated.”
He illustrated how virtual items, such as a $500 sword from a Steam account, can be deposited into casinos.
“There is a real crossover there. We absolutely need to regulate that.”
While Alex does not support overregulation in general, he was clear on one issue: underage users.
“We cannot touch kids in any shape or form. You should not be able to access video games with hidden gambling mechanics if you're underage.”
He questioned why adult websites are gated by age verification, but video games that simulate gambling are not.
In a brutally honest moment, Alex recounted receiving a €200,000 fine from the UKGC for a previous operation. When he arrived at a symposium titled “Raising Standards”, he expected judgment. Instead, he got laughter.
“They said, ‘Welcome to the club.’ One guy was fined 1 million, another 5 million. They all had been there.”
He realized that in the UK, a fine is almost a rite of passage for serious operators.
“The gambling industry pays its tax. It also pays its yearly fine tax.”
He contrasted this with the video game sector, which profits off gambling-style mechanics with no regulatory oversight.
“They are not even regulated. And everything is fine for them. No pun intended.”
Alex Tomic’s reflections offer an unfiltered look at the contradictions in today’s gaming and gambling landscape. While regulated operators are scrutinized and fined, entire ecosystems remain unchecked under the guise of entertainment. This interview challenges us to rethink what fairness means in this evolving space.
“We’re small, we pay taxes, we pay fines, and we get audited. But who’s watching the bigger platforms hiding gambling in plain sight?”