About

• Università degli Studi Niccolò Cusano

  Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and International Relations (L-36)

• Pearson College London

  Diploma in Strategic Management & Leadership — Edexcel BTEC Level 7

• University of Derby

  Master of Business Administration (MBA) — Business Administration and Management

The Roots: Rome, Law, and Live Microphones

Cristiano Blanco was born in Rome — a city that doesn't allow you to be ordinary. He grew up between Roman law studied in books and debated at the bar. He enrolled in Law school, convinced that the law was the key to understanding power.

Then something unexpected happened: he fell in love with journalism. He joined Michele Plastino's workshop, the renowned "Piccolo Gruppo" — a training ground for many successful journalists. It wasn't a hobby. It was a calling.

By 2000, at twenty, he was already on radio. Not just any station — the voices that shaped opinion in Rome: Tele Radio Stereo, Rete Sport, Radio Rock. He was a host, a reporter, the person on the ground when things happened.

He holds dearest the experience at Teleradio Stereo and Radio Rock, particularly the programme "Voci nella notte" — night-time investigations, endless live broadcasts, pure adrenaline. It was another world. And he inhabited it completely.

At the same time, he worked in sports entertainment television on cult programmes in Lazio, including Gol di Notte and Gol Senza Frontiere. For years he was an editor, author and a constant presence behind and in front of the camera.

He also collaborated with print media: Corriere Laziale, Corriere dello Sport, Il Giornale d'Italia.

He first became a registered freelance journalist, then passed the State Examination and entered the professional register. Formally and substantially. Communication was home.

Then Texas Hold'em Arrived.

It started as a hobby, but became an opportunity. In 2007 he finished second at the European Poker Tour Dortmund. Starting from a few euros, he won amounts that changed his perspective.

At that point the question was stark: continue with journalism and politics — his great passion — or enter a nascent, economically powerful and globalised industry?

He chose the second path. Not to abandon the first, but to widen the playing field.

He signed a sponsorship contract. For a few years he travelled the world as a professional Texas Hold'em player. He travelled, competed, won. But he quickly understood something fundamental: it wasn't just the game that interested him — it was the industry, digital, technology and corporate work.

He wanted to be behind the desk. He wanted to build his career, his life. Thus began a managerial ascent in the world of online gaming. Not by chance. Not improvised. He held key roles: PR Manager, Country Manager, Online Casino Manager, Head of Sportsbook, Head of Casino, Director of Gaming, Chief Product Officer — ultimately becoming CEO of SpinCore Group.

Today he leads local and international brands, including global names like Hard Rock Casino, managing operations across several regulated European markets.

He's not a "desk-only" manager. He's someone who saw the industry born from the ground up.

The Legal Battle That Changed Italian Law

In 2010, one of the toughest phases of his life began: a tax dispute of nearly €700,000.

Unjustly accused of evasion, he faced four difficult years. Limited operations. Constant pressure. This gave rise to the Blanco-Fabretti case (2014). After a battle that reached the European Court of Justice, he was vindicated. Italy was forced to amend its legislation. Today, if an Italian citizen wins gaming prizes in another EU state, they pay no tax in Italy.

A principle established in part thanks to his fight. It's one of the chapters he's most proud of. Read the full case details →

The price? Enormous.

Forced Emigration and International Renaissance

When you fight the tax authorities over significant sums, life gets complicated. In 2011, he was forced to leave Italy. Not by romantic choice. By necessity.

He lived three years in London, three years in Dublin, then from 2017 permanently in Malta. What was forced emigration became international acceleration. He built a European career. He became a global manager. He kept a Roman eye.

He never stopped loving politics. Not the shouted kind. The strategic kind. The kind you study. The kind you build. Proof? While working, he graduated — not out of need but pleasure — in 2026, in Political Science and International Relations.

Communication remains his first love. Whether it's a microphone, a negotiating table or an international board, the focus is always the same: understanding power dynamics, anticipating moves, building consensus.

Where Three Worlds Meet

Cristiano Blanco stands at the intersection of three worlds:

• Journalism and storytelling
• Gaming and probability
• Corporate and strategy

With one constant: never be a passenger — always transform what happens.

In Brief