With a distinguished career spanning boardrooms, casino floors, blockchain deals, and marathons across continents, Igor Kucherenko offers a singular perspective on modern luxury. From the structured discipline of European iGaming to the fast-evolving energy of African markets, he’s observed — and embodied — a shift from opulence as possession to luxury as presence. His insights are rooted in the belief that the richest experiences are not bought, but designed — with intention, immersion, and emotion. At the helm of Pateplay Africa, Igor leads a movement that seeks to redefine what it means to play, to win, and to live well.

Igor, you've lived through boardrooms, casino floors, blockchain deals, and marathons across continents. Let’s start at the top: How do you define success today?

Not that long ago, success wore a gold watch, drove a German engine, and announced itself loudly at dinner tables and private airports. Today, success travels quietly. It wears linen. Arrives early. Asks better questions than it answers. And doesn’t feel the need to post about it.

Today, it’s the mornings I wake up knowing something I built is running without me shouting. After two decades across continents, I’ve come to believe: luxury isn’t how much you own — it’s how little you need to feel whole.

That’s a powerful shift. So you’re saying luxury is no longer external — it’s internal?

Exactly. Business, pleasure, fitness, family, travel — they’re not compartments anymore. They’re lines in the same poem I’m writing in real time.

Whether I’m walking a casino floor in Dar es Salaam, negotiating a fintech deal in Lagos, or running a marathon in the Alps, I’m not chasing numbers or headlines.

I’m curating moments. For myself. For our partners. For our players.

This is luxury now: a life that feels designed, not defaulted.

What does this new form of luxury mean to you?

The new luxury is permission. Permission to say no. To go offline. To skip the meeting and watch the sunset — not as rebellion, but as strategy. Permission to live life by your own metrics. At Pateplay Africa, we stopped asking, “What do players want to play?”. We ask: “What do they want to feel part of?”. We’re not building games. We’re building spaces — for presence, play, and pause.

That’s an interesting approach — designing for emotion, not just entertainment. How do you see the modern iGaming user?

They’re no longer just gamblers. They’re experiencers. Many of them come from a world of cyber games and interactive media. They’re digital natives, not slot machine loyalists. They want immersion, intelligence, and a touch of identity in the entertainment they choose. That changes everything — from how we build products to how we brand them. Take one of our upcoming launches: the choices a player makes shape the game’s narrative. No two journeys are the same. It’s storytelling, not slotting. Emotion, not escape.

Speaking of culture — you’ve worked in both European and African gaming environments. What’s your biggest lesson from that contrast?

Culture still wins.

In European offline casinos, I learned that atmosphere matters more than algorithms.

The velvet chair. The low hum of the room. The glass of champagne placed just right. That’s sensory theater — and it builds trust.

In Africa, you have to add agility to that. You can’t arrive with a static pitch deck and think it’ll land. You need to co-create in real time — with players, regulators, teams. Here, innovation isn’t quarterly. It’s daily. It lives in WhatsApp groups, live feedback loops, and unspoken signals.

In Europe, you launch with polish. In Africa, you launch with people — and polish later.

How would you define your “Millionaire Concept”?

It’s a mindset.

A millionaire today may or may not drive a Lambo. They invest in their health, freedom, intellect, and time. They’re not chasing Rolexes. They’re chasing un-Googleable experiences. A silent retreat at the foot of Kilimanjaro. A spontaneous hike with their child on a weekday afternoon. A dinner under desert stars with no signal, no phone, just presence. That’s what they’re buying — rarity, reality, resonance.

So… is the luxury we all think of, gone?

Not gone. Just smarter. Luxury isn’t dead — it’s distilled. True wealth today is silent. It’s not status — it’s sovereignty. It’s the absence of stress. The presence of stillness. It’s owning your calendar. Choosing your clients. Taking the call — or not.

The new luxury doesn’t scream. It hums. And if you’re quiet enough, you’ll hear the one question it’s always asking:

What are you still chasing… that you no longer need?