About Us
The Real Story Behind GamblingBaba

Meet the Baba: I’m Jonas, and I’ve Seen It All.

So who’s the madman behind this operation? That’s me, Jonas Stenmark. But you can call me Baba.

My journey in this crazy iGaming world kicked off back in 2014. I wasn’t some remote analyst; I was forged for five years in the very heart of it all—the iGaming mecha of Malta. I started right at the bottom, handling player complaints in customer support for a giant like Betsson Group. I’ve worked in the back rooms, in payment and risk analysis, figuring out why your deposit is stuck or who’s trying to pull a fast one. I’ve been on the marketing side, learning all the tricks they use to get you in the door.

But I wasn’t just there to punch a clock. I climbed the ladder, fast. I ran the tough night shifts, making the hard decisions to shut down bonus abusers and vet documents, while also helping players on the edge with responsible gaming. I got certified in everything that matters—AML, Responsible Gambling, courses I don’t even remember the names of. That expertise got me noticed. Soon I was trusted to help build out new teams, run major marketing campaigns, and take meetings with game providers about their next big slot release.

Eventually, the headhunters started calling. That’s how you go from the back rooms to the fancy hotel lobbies in London, talking shop with bosses from Las Vegas casinos. I’ve shared a cramped hotel room with a top marketing exec from Unibet. I’ve been on the so-called “business trips” to Spain that were more about Sangria and backroom deals than strategy. I’ve been to the parties, on the boats, at the flashy events.

But hanging with the big dogs and seeing how the deals were really done changed things for me – I didn’t want that as my own end destination. I’d been building sites on the side since 2016—a passion project that could have gotten me in serious trouble with my contract from the inside. The more experience i got, the more I knew my real mission wasn’t to climb their ladder, but to build my own. I had to go independent, where I could be brutally honest without corporate lawyers breathing down my neck. It wasn’t an easy road, but this site is the result of that journey.

I’ve seen how the sausage is made, bru. And honestly, sometimes it’s not pretty.

I’m a Swedish industry vet. After running successful sites in markets like the United Kingdom, Ireland, India, and New Zealand, I’ve pivoted to bring all that insider knowledge and experience right here, with a sharp and exclusive focus on the South African player.

My goal is simple: to help you, the player, make smarter decisions. To give you the real data, the honest scores, and the tools to find exactly what you are looking for.

The GamblingBaba Philosophy: Calling the Industry’s Bluff

Let’s be dead-on honest. We need to keep the lights on. And in this industry, the dirty little secret is that most review sites will sell the top spot on their lists to the highest bidder.

Here’s our promise to you. On our homepage, we might give a trusted partner a prime spot at the table. Think of it as the featured seat—it helps us pay the bills so we can keep doing this.

BUT—and this is a big but—the score you see next to their name? That number is sacred.

That score is generated by our system, based on dozens of real data points, and it can NEVER be bought. We might change a casino’s position in that one featured list, but we will NEVER inflate its score. A 3/5 is a 3/5, whether it’s sitting at the top of the page or the bottom.

Every other list on this website—from “Best Online Casinos“, “Best Betting Sites“, “Best Online Lottery” to “Top Bonus Offers“—is sorted 100% by its true, unfiltered score. No exceptions. No favours.

We’re giving you the keys to the bakkie. You can sort, filter, and compare based on what matters to you, not what makes us the most money.

We stand by this promise, and we expect you to hold us to it. If a score feels off, a bonus term is outdated, or you think we’ve missed something—call us out on it. Drop a mail to info@gamblingbaba.com . We’re not some faceless corporation that hides from feedback. We’re in this together.

A Tool Built From the Ground Up

You might notice that GamblingBaba feels a bit different from other sites. That’s because it is.

This isn’t a generic template. I built this entire platform myself, from the very first line of code. It took six months of dedicated development to create a tool powerful enough to handle the constant changes of the iGaming world and deliver on the promise of 100% accurate, filterable data.

It’s our own in-house product, and we’re constantly developing it to better serve you.

The Team: Just Two Blokes Making a Plan

We’re not some faceless, multi-million Rand corporation with a call centre in another country. It’s just two of us.

Jonas Stenmark: Gambling Baba

My job is to set the direction. With over a decade of seeing how this industry really works from the inside, I use that experience to make the tough calls on who to trust and who to call out.

I’m the one who actually signs up, deposits my own Rands, and plays at these casinos. I test the games, hound the customer support, and time the withdrawal process down to the minute. I need that gut feel, that hands-on experience, before I can even think about recommending a site. Ultimately, I write the final reviews and have the last word on every score we publish. The buck stops with me.

Jonas LinkedIn

Adrian Estremos: The Trusted Side Bet

Every good captain needs a top-class navigator, and that’s Adrian. He’s not just helping out; he’s my essential partner in this. While I’m focused on the overall strategy and hands-on testing, Adrian is the master of the details.

He’s my partner-in-crime who helps me hunt down every bonus, promotion, and new casino out there. He then dives deep into the fine print—that 40-page T&C document that no one ever reads—double-checking the terms and verifying every single fact. He’ll bring his findings to me, pointing out a dodgy withdrawal clause or a lekker hidden gem of a bonus we need to feature. He’s the sharp, competent second set of eyes that ensures our data is rock-solid and trustworthy.

Adrian LinkedIn

Because we’re a small team, we might miss something now and then. A bonus term might change overnight. If you spot something, let us know. We’re in this together. We’re just like you: gamblers who got sick and tired of the over-hyped, dishonest, and algorithm-driven nonsense out there. this together. We’re just like you: gamblers who got sick and tired of the over-hyped, dishonest, and algorithm-driven nonsense out there.

So, How Do We Pay for the Braai Broodjies?

Simple. We’re an affiliate. If you find a casino you like on our site, click our link, and decide to sign up and play, the operator might send a small commission our way.

This costs you absolutely nothing extra. Think of it as a finder’s fee paid by the casino, not you. It’s what allows us to keep this whole thing free for you to use.

Our Journey: Forged in Fire, Focused on SA

GamblingBaba wasn’t born yesterday. Our story starts back in 2020, but not in South Africa. We cut our teeth in one of the wildest, most competitive gambling markets on the planet: India.

For years, we served millions of players there, building our sites (GamblingBaba, OnlineLottoBaba, and LiveDealerBaba) into trusted names in a chaotic space. We learned the hard way what works, how to spot a dodgy operator from a mile away, and how to build data systems that could handle anything.

Then, the Indian government decided to flip the whole table and change the rules overnight. It shut the party down.

To be honest, our old platforms were messy and built on a system that was becoming impossible for our small team to keep up with. So when the opportunity came, we didn’t just move our business. We scrapped everything.

We took every hard lesson learned from our years in the trenches and rebuilt our entire platform from the ground up, with the South African player exclusively in mind. This site is the result—a clean start, built on a trusted domain, consolidating all our expertise. We didn’t just change our focus; we re-forged our entire operation.

We chose South Africa.

So when you browse this site, know you’re not getting a new kid on the block. You’re getting a team that’s been through the fire, now 100% dedicated to serving you, the South African player.

A Final Word From the Baba

We do this for the love of the game. Seriously.

You won’t find a “donate” button here. We don’t want your tips. If you like what we’re doing, if you find our reviews helpful and our data honest, that’s more than enough for us.

All we ask is that you stick around. Use our tools. Read our guides. Make better bets.

Welcome to the family.

Jonas Stenmark | Yours in the punt, Gambling Baba