Q&A: Harry Heynes joins Soft2Bet as Business Development Director

Soft2Bet has unveiled Harry Heynes as its new Business Development Director, who will work on growing the commercial capabilities of the B2C and B2B company. As he joins the company, Heynes speaks to SBC News about why he joined the company, what challenges he wants to help operators solve and his ambitions in his new role. What drew you to Soft2Bet at this stage of its B2B growth? The timing was perfect because Soft2Bet is investing so much on building what a true B2B partnership should look like, complementing a very powerful proprietary suite of solutions that directly answers the biggest challenges operators face today. Having been a part of B2B commercial teams in iGaming for years, I immediately recognised the immense value in what Soft2Bet has created. I joined now because I see a unique opportunity to take a platform that is already performing at an industry-leading level and make it the go-to standard for top-tier operators globally. Where do you see an overlooked opportunity for Soft2Bet’s turnkey solutions? A business may have a strong brand and loyal customers, yet struggle to enter another market or improve its player experience with its current setup, and Soft2Bet’s turnkey offering can support that expansion. For me, the opportunity is to help those operators build on what already works, with technology adapted to their brand and the markets they want to serve. Platform migration is notoriously painful, and operators are naturally risk-averse. When you are asking a business to essentially replace its core engine rather than just plugging in a new service, how do you handle that skepticism in the initial conversations? It becomes a much deeper operational discussion. We aren’t just a vendor; we’re handling the engine of their business. That requires a realistic look at their commercial targets and the resources they actually have in-house. Before we even talk about going live, we have to map out the exact implementation process, ongoing costs, and who handles what on a day-to-day basis. How does your turnkey approach reduce the complexity of entering new regulated markets? Our platform seamlessly integrates the core gaming experience with payments, customer relationship management, player verification, and compliance tools. Connecting these functions reduces the work of coordinating separate systems and suppliers. Operators have one technology partner for delivery and support, freeing their teams to focus on the brand and its customers. Each launch still needs a market-specific implementation plan, and we make sure all teams are involved before commercial terms are agreed, so the operator knows exactly what is included and what its own team needs to provide. You mentioned bringing in product and compliance experts early in the process. When you are leading a business development team for such a complex B2B offering, what specific mindset or skill set are you trying to build within your team? When you are pitching core infrastructure, a hard sell simply doesn’t work, so we need people who deeply understand the daily operational realities of our partners. Our focus is on building a commercial team that listens carefully to an operator’s challenges and knows exactly when to bring our technical or compliance specialists into the room. A strong BD team doesn’t operate in a silo; they act as the bridge between the partner’s commercial ambitions and our internal delivery capabilities. That covers operators who are ready for a full turnkey migration. But what about established brands that are locked into legacy platforms and can’t afford a full overhaul right now? Is your 2026 focus on gamification aimed at solving that specific problem? The aim is to give partners more ways to develop the player experience without replacing their core platform. MEGA is a standalone, API-based product for casino and sportsbook brands, offering gamification engines built around missions, challenges, and progression. Operators can configure rewards, bonus triggers, player segments, and difficulty levels. I want each partner to start with a specific retention goal, then choose the engines and settings that suit its audience. Agreeing on how success will be measured before integration gives that investment a clear purpose. What can iGaming platforms learn from social media, gaming and creator culture? I would focus on giving people something they want to participate in. A distinctive narrative, recognisable characters, or optional challenges that develop over time can help, as long as they reflect the audience’s interests. Any creator partnership should be judged on that same fit with the brand and its players. Attention is limited, so every addition should earn its place by making the product more enjoyable. The aim is to give players a reason to choose the brand beyond the latest promotion.