About Us
Published: | Updated:From European and Asian roots to the heart of North American Gambling, your OG hosts, Catie and Liga, are here to help you navigate through the US gambling’s changing regulations within the different states.
Passion for Responsible Gaming and the USA
Nordic Affiliates LTD owns Online Gamblers, and the website was launched in the autumn of 2022 by Catie Di Stefano and Liga Tarasova, who are operating the brand.
With our lengthy background in iGaming and sports betting, we have learned the importance of Responsible Gaming (RG) in our industry. Because of this, we have developed Online Gamblers with a passion for bringing Responsible Gambling to the forefront.
Both of us firmly believe in the gaming sector’s capacity to provide entertainment, with an equal emphasis on player safety and wellness. We believe that with so many new states launching in the US almost every month, the importance of teaching American players how to prevent addictive behavior is crucial.
Our combined passion is not only a result of our casino and sports-related roles within the industry but also from personal experiences from our friends and families.
Additionally, we have both experienced the lack of RG within the industry itself in the past decade. As a result, we are on a mission to help the United States avoid the same mistakes that affiliates have made in Europe and prepare the US for more responsible regulation with the launch of OG.
Catie Di Stefano’s Journey in the Industry
Catie Di Stefano, Director of Community Marketing, started her gambling journey in 2011 as a customer support agent at age 19. She has since been working with a number of gambling operators and providers, mainly in the European market, to help with marketing, VIP management, and online gambling operations.
After the repeal of PASPA (Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act) in 2018, Catie switched her focus over to the North American market by helping Hard Rock Online Casino to go live in New Jersey, where she also earned her very own vendor license as a NJ gambling marketing consultant.
She has experienced the industry’s swift technical and regulatory transformations and its growing promise. Over a decade of experience and learning has led her to succeed among other inspiring industry colleagues.
Currently, Catie Di Stefano is a frequent panel speaker and moderator at iGamingNEXT and SBC Americas conferences, in addition to being featured in many gambling magazines and webinars like SiGMA, ICE365, GPWA, and Gaming America. She is also part of the iGaming Next American Responsible Gambling Advisory Board, which also includes members from the American Gaming Association (AGA), Entain, BetMGM, Princeton Public Affairs, and more.
Catie was born in Bandung, Indonesia, but spent most of her life growing up in Västerås, Sweden. After spending eight years in the tiny country of Malta to learn the basics of gambling, she has since relocated to Costa Del Sol, Spain, with her husband and two daughters. In true gambling spirit, she married in Las Vegas and now travels regularly to the United States for both business and pleasure to stay updated on the latest American news.
When she is not working with gambling, Catie is involved in the Spanish cannabis scene. She does volunteer work and gives free marketing advice to businesses that are interested in or are already active in this industry. With value in plant materials and their proven medicinal qualities, she believes there are many future opportunities.
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Liga Tarasovas’s Journey in the Industry
Liga Tarasova, Editor in Chief, stepped into the gambling sector in 2017 when she and Catie met at their joint office of Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) in Malta. Since then, the two have collaborated on different projects before joining forces to start Online Gamblers in 2022.
Liga has loads of experience in customer support operations, leading teams of professionals, and training people on customer-oriented journeys. Responsible gambling is close to Liga’s heart due to a personal situation where possible pre-caution actions could have saved a person’s health. Over the years, she has gained knowledge from multiple sides of the industry and is now working towards safer gambling in the US. Liga has also been honored with the title of Lean-In Circle Moderator for Global Gaming Women.
Originally from Latvia and widely known in the gambling industry as “Liga from Riga,” she still currently resides in Riga with her partner and their son. When she is not working with gambling, she spends her time exploring different art and AI projects. She is passionate about artificial intelligence, tool automation, and ways human talents and creations can become more and more efficient.
Liga often travels to the US to participate in North American gambling conferences, however. However, she plans on moving to Spain in the near future, where she will continue her work remotely in the US gambling market.
@onlinegamblers.com Online Gamblers is taking over New York for iGaming Next 2023 #gamblingindustry #igaming #sportsbook
The Birth of OG
The Birth of OGThe concept of the new Online Gamblers originated in New York in May 2022. Catie was attending the very first iGaming Next NYC conference in 2022 as an independent consultant when she met with one of the co-founders of Nordic Affiliates LTD for a coffee in Bryant Park, Manhattan. What originally started as a casual meeting between two industry friends turned into the bright idea of creating the new OG between the two.
The day after the meeting, Catie had her very first speaking panel ever, and she was so nervous about being on stage. In preparation for the panel, she met the co-founder of Nordic Affiliates again for lunch to discuss the possibilities of Online Gamblers to take her mind off her first speaking panel.
Considering how supportive the co-founder was of her dreams of helping the USA to combat Responsible Gambling and continuing her journey of speaking at conferences to educate the industry, she decided to take on the offer of rebranding Online Gamblers for the American market with the help of Nordic Affiliates LTD. Once the conference ended, the two sealed the deal with a handshake, and the new OnlineGamblers.com came to life.
Just a few weeks later, in June 2022, Catie started working on creating the new OG. Together with her husband, Catie designed the current OG logo and created the broader brand values and marketing strategy. However, she soon realized the challenge of handling both content and operations on her own – so Nordic Affiliates gave Catie permission to bring in another team member.
The OG Team
The OG TeamJuly 2022 marked a transformative phase. Identifying Liga‘s great experience and her eye for editorial distinction, Catie welcomed Liga to be part of the OG team. Finally, the two were reunited after many years apart!
Stepping up as Editor-in-Chief, Liga introduced a strong editorial approach and is taking part in all-round business ideas.
The OG team persistently monitors and reports on the exciting gambling legalization in various U.S. territories on the website and social media. Online Gamblers’ mission is to stay up to date with regulations and predict what’s coming next for this ever-changing industry. Therefore, OG invests time and resources in attending varied gambling conferences across the world to learn from other markets.
United in our vision, we pledge to deliver in-depth, precise, and current insights for all partners and players. Together, we’ll look into the boundless domain of sports betting and iCasino within the USA.
@costa_del_smoke Memories from the latest SBC event in New York with @onlinegamblers.com and @Liga 🌟🫶🍎 #gamblingindustry #casino #sportsbook #gambling ♬ original sound – Catie Di Stefano
Why Online Gamblers?
Online gambling has become a popular hub for news, casino and sportsbook reviews, and Responsible Gambling education. From retention and betting tips to sports content and fact-checking, our experiences have made us realize the flaws of some of the processes that North American operators are currently creating. We believe that there is too much focus on first deposit campaigns to attract new players, and very few casinos and bookies work to keep their valuable patrons.
Our team at OnlineGamblers.com strives to reduce harm to the next generation of players by educating them on safe and legal gambling practices. We believe generational health will generate generational wealth by teaching new players to be proactive in terms of RG. To create a better gambling future in the United States, we have united to provide a platform that guides players on the value of state-legal retention campaigns. We also strongly discourage unregulated operators that don’t offer consumer rights and the dangers of attracting vulnerable players.
Our OG guides offer information about loyalty programs, bonus offers, and sports vocabulary to enhance the overall gambling experience. We aim to take our community on a journey of the best-regulated online operators. This includes the most profitable offers and the latest gambling industry news.
OnlineGamblers.com Mission
OnlineGamblers.com website and social media platforms are content-driven, with original articles and videos based on in-depth research and reporting from Catie and Liga. We break down the operator’s marketing terms and conditions, share our operator competitor analysis, and serve our readers with inside views from influential industry events.
In addition, our team also provides weekly betting tips and sports content to enhance the readers’ overall gambling experience. We believe that by sharing our experiences and knowledge, we can guide players toward safe and responsible gambling practices.
- Online Gamblers Mission: To educate American players on safe and legal gambling practices.
Overall, we understand that gambling is enjoyable when done responsibly, but it can also lead to addiction and financial problems. Therefore, we urge our readers to gamble responsibly and seek help when necessary. We believe that educating players on safe and legal gambling practices will generate a more enjoyable gambling experience for everyone.
Follow OnlineGamblers.com on LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok, and learn more about us! Join our community, and let’s create a better gambling future in the United States.
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OnlineGamblers.com’s mission is to educate American players on safe and legal gambling practices, emphasizing Responsible Gambling and offering in-depth industry insights.
OnlineGamblers.com was launched by Catie Di Stefano and Liga Tarasova, both of whom have extensive experience in the gambling industry. The domain and brand of OnlineGamblers.com is owned by Nordic Affiliates LTD.
Online Gamblers puts RG at the forefront, teaching American players how to prevent addictive behavior, especially with the rapid state-by-state legalization of gambling in the USA.
Personal experiences, the industry’s past lack of RG emphasis, and a desire to prevent similar mistakes in the USA inspired the creation of OnlineGamblers.com.
Catie started in 2011 as a customer support agent and later shifted her focus to the North American market after the repeal of PASPA in 2018.
Liga Tarasova is the Editor-in-Chief of OnlineGamblers.com and has collaborated with Catie on numerous projects prior to OG.
The idea sparked in New York, May 2022, during a casual meeting between Catie Di Stefano and Havard Lehn, a co-founder of Nordic Affiliates LTD.
The OG team constantly monitors gambling legalizations in the US, attends global gambling conferences, and invests in research to predict industry changes.
OnlineGamblers.com focuses on educating players on safe and legal practices, offering insights into loyalty programs, bonus offers, and providing updated industry news.
You can follow OnlineGamblers.com on LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok for more insights and updates.
