Zigmas Pekarskas, Author at Magic Win Casino

Over 15 Years Building Inside the iGaming Industry

Zigmas Pekarskas is one of the most experienced independent voices in the iGaming affiliate space. Based in Vilnius, Lithuania, he has spent more than 15 years working directly inside the industry, not writing about it from the outside. That means registering accounts with operators, depositing and withdrawing real money, testing odds compilers, and stress-testing customer support across dozens of regulated markets. The platform he built from that process, SmartBettingGuide.com, grew into a multi-market publication covering sports betting, crypto gambling, and online casino reviews, now published under GG Group Media, the company he co-founded in 2020.

Alongside his editorial work, Zigmas holds 31 recorded live poker tournament results in the Hendon Mob database. He is one of the few iGaming content professionals who participates in the games he covers, which directly informs the depth and candour of his casino and poker analysis.

Background and Credentials

Zigmas holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and Management from Vilnius College / University of Applied Sciences (2006-2009). Before SmartBettingGuide, he co-founded PokerioMokykla.com, a Lithuanian-language poker education platform, which marked his first operational role at the intersection of gaming and digital publishing.

Areas of Expertise

Sportsbooks reviewed under his authorship are evaluated across more than 100 data points: odds margin, live betting depth, withdrawal processing times, payment processor coverage, and licensing status. Casino platforms are assessed on game library breadth, software provider diversity, RTP transparency, and the legibility of bonus terms.

Crypto gambling is a particular area of specialisation. Zigmas has tracked the development of provably fair gaming, Bitcoin sportsbooks, and stablecoin casino products since the earliest operators entered this segment. His coverage includes jurisdictional nuances, wallet compatibility, and the structural difference between crypto-native and crypto-accepting operators, a distinction routinely overlooked elsewhere.

“The first idea was to write honest reviews about the world’s betting operators. I wanted to test them and write an honest review, even if there is a small betting company in Poland with just two live betting points.”

Zigmas Pekarskas, Affiverse Affiliate Spotlight

Recognition and Publications

• Sports Affiliate of the Year — AffPapa Awards (SmartBettingGuide recognised for editorial quality and coverage breadth)
• Best Sportsbook Affiliate Nominee — Europe Gaming Awards (2022-2023)
• Affiliate Spotlight — Affiverse (in-depth interview on methodology and editorial independence)
• Expert Interview — AffiliateINSIDER (crypto betting strategy and market evolution)
• Casino Talks — Great.com (comparison methodology and player-first editorial approach)

Editorial Independence and Responsible Approach

Every operator reviewed on platforms authored or overseen by Zigmas is assessed against a fixed, published methodology. Affiliate relationships do not influence review scores, star ratings, or editorial recommendations. Operators cannot pay to improve their standing in comparison tables. Negative findings, including slow withdrawals, aggressive bonus terms, or inadequate support, are reported as found during testing.

Where a commercial relationship with an operator exists, this is disclosed at page level. The distinction between editorial content and sponsored placement is maintained across all GG Group Media publications.

Responsible gambling is treated as a substantive editorial concern throughout. Licensing verification, deposit limit availability, self-exclusion programmes, and problem gambling support are included as standard components of every operator review, regardless of that operator’s commercial relationship with the platform.

Review content is updated on a rolling basis. Operator details, bonus structures, and regulatory status change frequently in iGaming markets, and any material change in an operator’s standing is reflected in published content promptly.

Get in Touch

Zigmas is open to editorial enquiries, industry collaborations, speaking invitations, and expert commentary requests.

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/zigmas-pekarskas-08461875
• Website: smartbettingguide.com
• Company: GG Group Media
• Business enquiries: via LinkedIn or the SmartBettingGuide contact page