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Uri Poliavich is the founder and CEO of Soft2Bet, an iGaming technology and operator business launched in 2016. His route into entrepreneurship was not a conventional gambling story: it began with legal training, moved through international business development, and eventually led to building a company serving regulated online gambling markets.
Who Is Uri Poliavich Soft2Bet CEO?
Uri Poliavich was born in 1981 and moved with his family from Ukraine to Israel at the age of 14. He later studied law at Bar-Ilan University, gaining an LLB before beginning his professional career.
His early experience was in commercial and real estate law, including work involving international transactions and mergers and acquisitions. That background gave Poliavich exposure to contracts, commercial structures, and cross-border business skills that would become relevant when he moved into international business development.
The transition from law to business was an important stage in the development of the future Soft2Bet founder.
From Law to Business Development
Uri’s career changed direction around 2010 when he moved into business development with WK Group. Industry biographies and company material describe his work as involving operations in Central Asia and relationships with companies operating in the emerging online gaming sector.
This period was significant because it placed Uri closer to the commercial side of iGaming. Rather than entering the industry purely through gambling itself, he gained experience in developing markets, managing business relationships, and identifying commercial opportunities.
He subsequently worked with Playtech in an emerging-markets consultancy role and became involved in the operational side of iGaming businesses before establishing Soft2Bet.
This combination of legal knowledge, international business development, and operational experience helps explain Uri Poliavich career as an iGaming entrepreneur.
Uri Poliavitch Soft2Bet Founder
Uri became the Soft2Bet founder in 2016. The company began as a small operation and developed into a business combining B2B technology provision with B2C online gambling operations.
Soft2Bet’s early development was based around providing technology and services for online casino and sportsbook businesses. Over time, its model expanded to include proprietary technology, multiple brands and operations across regulated international markets.
The company has described its development as a progression from using third-party solutions towards building more of its own technology. That evolution is important to understanding the Uri Poliavich career in business: the objective was not simply to operate gambling brands but to develop technology that could also be supplied to other operators.
Building an iGaming Technology Business
A defining part of Uri Poliavich’s Soft2Bet is the company’s dual B2B and B2C model.
Soft2Bet has operated consumer-facing brands while also developing technology and turnkey solutions for external operators. This creates a feedback loop in which technology can be tested in the company’s own operating environment before being offered to business customers.
By 2024, Soft2Bet was operating across a growing collection of regulated markets and had established a presence in Malta, including a larger headquarters operation. The company has subsequently continued expanding its B2B ambitions.
For an iGaming entrepreneur, the distinction is important. Building an online gambling company involves more than launching a website. Licensing, compliance, payments, technology, customer acquisition, content, responsible gambling, and localisation all become part of the business model.
MEGA and the Focus on Gamification
One of the most visible products associated with Poliavich’s leadership is MEGA — the Motivational Engineering Gaming Application.
Soft2Bet introduced MEGA as a gamification solution designed to bring mechanics associated with casual and mobile gaming into real-money gambling environments. Its development reflects a broader change in online gambling, where operators compete not only on games and odds but also on user experience and engagement.
In interviews, Poliavich has discussed the idea of adapting familiar casual-game mechanics for regulated gambling markets. The concept became an important part of Soft2Bet’s technology strategy.
Industry coverage reported strong performance figures associated with MEGA, although those figures should be understood as company-reported results rather than universal evidence that the technology produces identical outcomes for every operator.
MEGA also became an important part of Soft2Bet’s international expansion and helped establish Uri Poliavich iGaming as a search topic beyond the company’s original operator activities.
Expanding Across Regulated Markets
International expansion has been another major element of the Soft2Bet story.
The company has pursued licences and market access across Europe and North America, including activity connected with markets such as Sweden, Denmark, Greece, Romania, Malta, Ontario and Mexico. In 2024, Soft2Bet announced its Ontario market entry, while its European expansion continued through launches such as ElaBet in Greece.
For Poliavich, operating across multiple jurisdictions means dealing with substantially different regulatory requirements. An iGaming entrepreneur therefore has to combine technology and commercial strategy with licensing, compliance and local-market knowledge.
That is particularly relevant to Soft2Bet’s B2B strategy because technology suppliers must understand the requirements faced by the operators using their systems.
Recognition for Uri Poliavich
Poliavich’s profile has grown alongside Soft2Bet.
In 2024, he received the Leader of the Year award at the SBC Awards. Soft2Bet also received industry recognition for aspects of its technology and innovation during the same period.
In 2025, Soft2Bet reported three Global Gaming Awards EMEA wins, including Executive of the Year for Poliavich, Platform Provider of the Year for Soft2Bet, and Product Launch of the Year for MEGA.
These awards do not by themselves establish the commercial performance of the business, but they demonstrate the level of industry recognition surrounding Poliavich and Soft2Bet.
Soft2Bet Invest and Supporting Entrepreneurs
Poliavich’s entrepreneurial activities have also extended beyond Soft2Bet’s core operations.
In 2024, Soft2Bet launched Soft2Bet Invest, an innovation fund intended to provide financial and business support to entrepreneurs in iGaming and casual gaming.
The initiative reflects an important development in Poliavich’s career. Having built a company from the startup stage, he was positioning Soft2Bet to support other businesses and technology ideas within the wider gaming ecosystem.
It also illustrates how an iGaming entrepreneur can evolve from operating one company towards investing in the next generation of businesses and products.
What Can Be Learned From Uri Poliavich’s Career?
The career of Uri Poliavich demonstrates a route into iGaming entrepreneurship that combines several disciplines rather than relying solely on gambling experience.
His progression moved from law to international business development, then into iGaming operations and finally company ownership and technology development. Soft2Bet’s evolution also shows the importance of combining regulated-market knowledge with technology, product development and international commercial strategy.
The story is therefore less about gambling itself and more about building an enterprise around the infrastructure, technology and customer experience that support modern online gambling.
Conclusion
Uri Poliavich, founder and CEO of Soft2Bet, built his career through a combination of legal training, international business development and iGaming operations before launching the company in 2016.
Soft2Bet subsequently developed from a small startup into an international B2B and B2C iGaming business. Gamification, proprietary technology, and regulated-market expansion became important parts of its strategy.
Uri’s career provides a useful case study of how an iGaming entrepreneur can combine commercial, technological, and regulatory expertise to build a business in the gambling industry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Uri Poliavich?
Uri Poliavich is the founder and CEO of Soft2Bet, an international iGaming technology and gambling business. He studied law before moving into international business development and the online gaming industry. He founded Soft2Bet in 2016 and has overseen its development across B2B technology, B2C gaming operations, and regulated international markets.
What is Uri Poliavich known for?
Uri Poliavich is principally known for founding Soft2Bet and developing it into an international iGaming business. He is particularly associated with the company’s technology strategy and MEGA gamification product. His industry profile has also been recognised through awards including the 2024 SBC Awards Leader of the Year.
Who founded Soft2Bet?
Soft2Bet was founded by Uri Poliavich in 2016. The company initially developed as an online gaming business and subsequently expanded into both B2B technology and B2C operations. Its technology offering includes casino and sportsbook solutions and the MEGA gamification platform.
How did Uri Poliavich become an iGaming entrepreneur?
Uri Poliavich entrepreneur, took his first steps into iGaming after a career in law and international business development. His experience with commercial transactions, emerging markets, and gaming businesses provided exposure to the sector before he founded Soft2Bet in 2016. This makes his career an example of an entrepreneur entering iGaming through business and technology rather than through professional gambling.
What does Soft2Bet do?
Soft2Bet provides iGaming technology and turnkey solutions for operators while also operating consumer-facing gaming brands. Its activities include online casino, sportsbook technology, and gamification. The company has expanded its B2B operations as its international regulatory footprint has grown.
What is MEGA by Soft2Bet?
MEGA stands for Motivational Engineering Gaming Application. It is Soft2Bet’s gamification technology, designed to introduce mechanics associated with casual and mobile gaming into real-money gambling products. Soft2Bet has promoted MEGA as a tool for improving engagement and retention.
When was Soft2Bet founded?
Soft2Bet was founded in 2016. Industry coverage has described the original business as a small team that subsequently expanded into a larger B2B and B2C iGaming operation.
What awards has Uri Poliavich won?
Poliavich received the Leader of the Year award at the 2024 SBC Awards. In 2025, he received the Executive of the Year award at the Global Gaming Awards EMEA, while Soft2Bet and MEGA also received awards at the same event.
What is Soft2Bet Invest?
Soft2Bet Invest is an innovation fund launched in 2024 to provide financial and business support to entrepreneurs working in iGaming and casual gaming. Soft2Bet described the initiative as a way of supporting promising entrepreneurs and technology businesses.
Is Uri Poliavich still involved with Soft2Bet?
Yes. Current industry reporting identifies Poliavich as Soft2Bet’s founder and CEO. In 2026, he continued to discuss the company’s strategy, expansion, and B2B ambitions publicly.
Reference List:
SBC News. (2024, February 29). Uri Poliavich, Soft2Bet: Tapping into mobile gaming’s two billion players with MEGA. SBC News. SBC News
SBC News. (2024, March 1). Soft2Bet reports “strongest year to date” in latest 2023 financial overview. SBC News. SBC News
SBC News. (2024, September 30). SBC Awards: The 2024 winners revealed. SBC News. SBC News
SBC News. (2025, March 26). Reuters film shines a light on Soft2Bet’s philanthropic streak. SBC News. SBC News
SiGMA World. (2024, November 12). Uri Poliavich at SiGMA Europe: “Who wants to be an innovator?” SigmaPlay
Soft2Bet. (2024, June 27). Soft2Bet launches the “Soft2Bet Invest” iGaming Innovation Fund. Soft2Bet. Soft2Bet
Soft2Bet. (2025, February 5). Soft2Bet wins three major awards at prestigious Global Gaming Awards EMEA 2025. Soft2Bet. Soft2Bet
Soft2Bet. (2025, March 24). Soft2Bet to launch award-winning iGaming solutions and products in the United States. Soft2Bet. Soft2Bet
Soft2Bet. (n.d.). Uri Poliavich: iGaming founder, investor, and philanthropist. Soft2Bet.
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