Anastasiia Karmazina on MEGAFAIR’s Talent Strategy for Scaling iGaming Growth
Anastasiia Karmazina of MEGAFAIR is helping shape the people strategy behind the company’s expansion from a young skill-game studio into a broader iGaming provider with a growing portfolio of RNG and skill-based products. As MEGAFAIR scales its products, partnerships and international presence, its hiring approach is increasingly focused not simply on growing headcount, but on building what Karmazina describes as high talent density, bringing in people who can take ownership, operate independently and raise the standard of the wider team.
In this CasinoRank interview, Karmazina discusses how MEGAFAIR’s growth has changed the expertise it looks for, why the company hires for “culture add” rather than traditional culture fit, and what separates candidates who can thrive in a fast-moving environment. She also explores autonomy, AI in recruitment and HR processes, employer branding at SBC Summit Lisbon, and the challenge of preserving an entrepreneurial mindset as the company becomes a more established iGaming player.
MEGAFAIR has grown from a young skill-game studio into a broader iGaming provider with both RNG and skill-based products. How has this growth shaped the kind of talent and expertise you are looking to bring into the company?
Anastasiia Karmazina: We don’t just scale headcount, but we scale expertise. We believe every newcomer has a great potential to learn and not only to manage the workload, but elevate the entire team. We hire for impact, not just to fill seats.
As the company and the product grow stronger, the hiring bar gets higher, not the other way around.
As MEGAFAIR continues to expand its product portfolio and international partnerships, what are the biggest challenges of building a team that can keep pace with that growth?
Anastasiia Karmazina: First, most ideal candidates are experienced, ambitious, and bring an ownership mindset—which is great. But market conditions also demand that they stay hands-on and ready to build many processes from scratch, not be afraid of testing and expanding their expertise in a rapidly changing market, ready to experiment. In such a dynamic period, the ability to anticipate the future alongside having solid experience is very valuable.
Second, with many startups growing in parallel and building similar products, the key challenge is maintaining focus on our own roadmap and vision.
MEGAFAIR operates in a highly competitive iGaming and tech talent market. What qualities do you look for when identifying people who can genuinely thrive in the company’s fast-moving environment?
Anastasiia Karmazina: When we focused more on RNG, our candidate portrait became much sharper. Now we have a clearer understanding of which specific expertise correlates with success in our environment. We prioritize people who learn quickly and can effectively leverage AI tools. We try to assess how quickly candidates are able to grasp new concepts, adapt, and raise their own standards alongside the company.
On the other hand, we want to hire people who have already “been there, done that.” Especially when talking about senior roles, we look for specialists who have already solved similar challenges and can bring not only strong execution, but their own experience and decision-making track record.
You have described MEGAFAIR as a company where people are encouraged to take ownership and have a visible impact. How do you maintain that culture as the team continues to grow?
Anastasiia Karmazina: Not “culture fit”, but “culture add”, that’s what we expect. We don’t need identical people. We need specialists who share our core principles — ownership, speed, accountability, and high standards — and can bring something new to the table.
We look beyond what a person can do today and evaluate their rate of growth and resilience. It’s not so easy to maintain that culture; while scaling we’re building the system and structure. We are just learning to do this and facing some difficulties.
As our headcount increases, we prioritise establishing an efficient internal infrastructure to keep communication clear and fast. We value most the ability to work for a common result and openness.
As MEGAFAIR moves from a growing studio into a more established iGaming player, how do you approach building an environment where people can develop alongside the business while still preserving the entrepreneurial mindset that shaped the company?
Anastasiia Karmazina: We’re looking for owners, not just doers. People who treat their domain like their own business: they can identify a problem, propose solutions, and drive them to tangible results.
We prioritize autonomy over micromanagement, building an environment where strong professionals have the space to make decisions without constant control.
Ultimately we hire for judgment, not just CVs. At a certain level having just hard skills isn’t enough. What matters most is how a person thinks, how they navigate uncertainty, and how they take accountability for their decisions. Core to our approach is transparency and direct communication: we actively ask for employee input and implement ideas that bring real value. We try to listen to everyone’s opinion, even if it’s not always possible. Building a team at this speed means management becomes an art of compromise.
As MEGAFAIR prepares for SBC Summit Lisbon 2026, how do events like this help you attract talent, strengthen the company culture and connect with the wider industry?
Anastasiia Karmazina: Major events like SBC Summit Lisbon are a great opportunity to connect in person and to hunt for a HiPo. They allow candidates and partners to see how our team operates and communicates. You can see people face to face, how they talk and think, and what is the internal culture. Even if we don’t have open positions we try to connect with new people, our approach is all about staying ahead of the wave.
Strong people attract strong people. The higher our overall talent bar, the easier it is to bring other high performers on board. Every quality hire creates a cumulative effect for the company.
From your position at the intersection of people and business growth, how do you see the role of talent strategy evolving as MEGAFAIR strengthens its position in the iGaming market, and what will be most important for the company’s next stage?
Anastasiia Karmazina: High talent density is our top priority. Whether the company has 50 people or 500 – the objective is to maintain a high concentration of top-tier talent as we scale. To remain an employer of choice for exceptional specialists, we must deliver strong business achievements and keep current team retention high.
Our strategy involves automating HR processes with AI while keeping the human touch. A personalized approach to every team member is a gem that AI can’t replace. Seeing the individual behind every employee, their talents and ambitions, helping them grow is essential.