Black Cow Technology Brings in IGT Veteran Ernie Lafky as Chief Product Officer

Black Cow Technology has hired long-time IGT executive Ernie Lafky as Chief Product Officer, a move that underlines the supplier’s shift from pure RGS infrastructure toward developing its own real-money multiplayer content. Lafky, whose two-decade résumé spans WagerWorks, GSN, PlayStudios and most recently IGT PlayDigital, will oversee Black Cow’s product roadmap at a time when synchronous gambling experiences are inching from concept to commercial reality.

Context: Why Multiplayer, Why Now?

Real-money iGaming has traditionally been a solitary pursuit: one player, one screen, one RNG. Yet retention curves are flattening, and operators are chasing the same pool of bonusing tools. By contrast, multiplayer mechanics, live tournaments, team-based slots, co-operative bingo, even “crash” races, promise organic engagement loops and deeper session times. Black Cow’s Multiplayer Remote Gaming Server (RGS) aims to provide the real-time state management and transactional safety net that these formats require.

Max Francis, Founder and CEO of Black Cow, said:“Ernie is one of the most experienced and respected product specialists in the industry, and I can’t think of a better person to fill the CPO role at Black Cow. “The industry is in the very early days of multiplayer, but with our powerful Multiplayer RGS and Ernie on board, we can continue to push technological boundaries and help our partners unlock the full potential the vertical has to offer.”

The Experience Lafky Brings

Lafky produced the original Wheel of Fortune online slot during his early WagerWorks tenure and later helped scale GSN’s social-casino lineup and PlayStudios’ free-to-play portfolio. At IGT PlayDigital he coordinated distributed slot production across four countries, experience that should translate well to the cross-disciplinary demands of multiplayer, where back-end network code meets front-end UX and community management.

Ernie Lafky, Chief Product Officer at Black Cow, said:“Joining Black Cow as CPO is a dream come true. This role brings together everything I’ve learned in iGaming and social casino over two decades. “Since I started in this industry, I have wanted to create online multiplayer slot games. And now Black Cow and its talented engineering team have invited me to bring this new vertical to market. “Multiplayer games will bring a new level of engagement and entertainment to our players, and Black Cow provides the technology needed to deliver this at scale.”

Technical and Commercial Hurdles Ahead

Delivering real-time, multi-player gambling at scale means solving for latency, session reconciliation and regulatory scrutiny around collusion and AML. Black Cow says its Multiplayer RGS can flex across slots, table games, crash, plinko, live dealer and non-gambling events—an ambitious remit that will require careful, phased deployments. Early operator integrations are earmarked for Q4 2025; performance metrics from those roll-outs will test whether the technology—and player appetite—can match the hype.

Tony Plaskow, Commercial Director at Black Cow, added:“I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome Ernie to the Black Cow team as we look to establish ourselves as a leader in the multiplayer space. “Our Multiplayer RGS is unrivalled in its flexibility, capability and power, and we look forward to supporting operators and suppliers as they further explore the vertical.”

With Lafky now steering product strategy, Black Cow is positioning itself at the confluence of social engagement and regulated wagering. If the supplier can translate its infrastructure pedigree into compelling multiplayer formats, it may help redefine what “slot play” looks like in the second half of the decade.