The affiliate company Game Lounge, well known within iGaming industry circles, is once again experimenting with a four-day work week. Starting in April 2025, the company’s employees officially switched to a shortened schedule: they now work from Monday to Thursday, with Fridays off.

   This is the second such initiative by Game Lounge — the first test took place in August 2024 and was reported to be a success by team members. At the time, the company stated that the format had a positive impact on employee well-being, the overall office atmosphere, and even productivity. Now, Game Lounge has decided to take it a step further and test how sustainable the results are when the new work model is applied over a longer period.

   For now, the four-day week is being implemented as a temporary measure, but the company is clear: if everything goes smoothly, the model could very well become permanent. A final decision will be made at the end of the month, following an internal evaluation of key metrics and team feedback.

   In an industry where the pace is often driven by 24/7 launches, tight deadlines, and the need for rapid response, such experiments remain rare. This makes it all the more interesting to watch as one of the major affiliates in the iGaming sector attempts to implement a model that still sounds like “something out of theory” to many.

How It All Started: The Pilot Launch in Summer 2024

The idea of a four-day work week at Game Lounge first surfaced in July 2024. At that time, the company decided to run a pilot program for two summer months — July and August. The format was simple: employees worked Monday through Thursday, with Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off. Contract terms, including salary, bonuses, and vacation days, remained unchanged. In other words — fewer working hours, but the same employer commitments to the team.

The decision to run the experiment during the summer had a very practical explanation: Game Lounge’s office is located in Malta, and in the Mediterranean climate, where temperatures often hover around 35°C (95°F), motivation to stay productive indoors drops significantly. Considering that the company’s core work revolves around analytics, content, SEO, and marketing — all of which require creativity and focus — the idea of a more humane schedule seemed perfectly reasonable.

“Let’s be honest: it’s hard to stay highly productive in the Maltese summer heat. The weather doesn’t help — people naturally want to be outside, by the sea. So we thought, why not try giving the team more room to rest, without sacrificing work results?” the company shared at the time.

At the end of August, the HR department conducted an internal survey. The vast majority of employees responded positively to the four-day week: stress levels decreased, there was more time for personal matters, and people returned to work on Mondays feeling more energized. Some teams even reported working slightly faster — less time meant a more focused approach.

What Is Game Lounge and Why It’s Worth Watching

To understand the significance of this experiment, it’s important to know that Game Lounge is far from just another affiliate site in the iGaming space. Founded in 2011 in Sweden, the company has spent over a decade establishing itself as a leader in affiliate marketing, with a specialization in gambling and casino content.

Today, Game Lounge is part of Cherry AB, a major Swedish gaming group. The company operates offices in Malta, Spain, and across the Nordic countries. Its main focus is developing and promoting websites that help users discover licensed online casinos and betting operators, offering reviews, rankings, and bonus offers. Well-known platforms such as CasinoToplists, SlotTracker, and Betting.com are all part of the Game Lounge portfolio.

As of 2025, the company employs over 250 people. Its workforce is spread across departments including marketing, development, SEO, design, analytics, and support. It’s a full-fledged product team with a strong focus on content quality and sustainable organic traffic.

On one hand, Game Lounge is a textbook example of a player in the iGaming ecosystem. On the other, it’s a company that has, in recent years, made a noticeable effort to build a culture centered around employee well-being. The introduction of flexible schedules, development of mentorship programs, internal upskilling courses, and the option for remote work are all part of its broader corporate strategy.

April 2025: The Return of the Four-Day Work Week

Following the positive experience in the summer of last year, Game Lounge wasted no time in bringing back the four-day work week, launching a new test in April 2025. The conditions remain the same: employees work four days a week (Monday to Thursday), with Fridays off. The company emphasizes that neither salaries nor vacation days are being reduced.

The decision to run a second trial wasn’t driven by hype, but based on internal observations. According to the company, the summer experiment resulted not only in an emotional boost but also in tangible outcomes: some teams began completing tasks more quickly, creativity increased, and overall engagement in work processes remained steady.

Game Lounge’s COO, Rosie Bremec, highlighted in her official statement that this move is part of a broader strategy:

“We’re happy to announce that the workweek in July and August will be four days long. This is all about improving our team’s well-being and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. At Game Lounge, we believe that a happy, healthy work environment drives productivity and innovation. This initiative reflects our commitment to creating a flexible and supportive workplace. We’re confident our team will embrace this change!”

Though this statement was originally made in 2024, the company’s approach has remained consistent. The April test is built on the same logic: to give the team more flexibility and recovery time without compromising the quality of work.

According to internal sources, the main focus this April is on monitoring operational efficiency under the adjusted schedule. Special attention is being paid to departments whose work has a direct impact on partners and clients — such as support, account management, SEO, and editorial. Each team has been encouraged to independently adapt its workflows to the four-day week while maintaining key performance indicators.

Fridays in the new schedule are not “optional” or “once a month” — they’re full days off. Internal communications are structured so that no one feels pressure to stay “available” during non-working hours. This is one of the core principles the company is committed to strictly upholding.

A Four-Day Workweek in Gambling: How Is That Even Possible?

At first glance, the idea of a four-day workweek might seem odd for an iGaming company — especially not a game development studio, but an affiliate business. In this space, success often hinges on the dynamics of search traffic, responsiveness to market shifts, optimization for ever-changing algorithms, and partnerships that still come with deadlines and KPIs.

Yet, at Game Lounge, there’s strong confidence that a flexible schedule is entirely possible — even in such a fast-paced environment — if approached the right way. It all comes down to how internal workflows are structured. According to the company, even before launching the April 2025 trial, each department independently reviewed its task flows and switched to more precise planning. Some teams adjusted their sprint structures; others shifted their weekly focus. The result? Time was allocated more efficiently, without any drop in quality.

Interestingly, the shortened workweek isn’t treated as a “perk” or “bonus” here. Instead, it’s viewed as just another tool to help teams work more sustainably. Nothing more — but certainly nothing less.

“The funny thing is, you have less time but just as many tasks. It really forces you to rethink your priorities. All the little time-wasters — unnecessary calls, duplicate tasks — they fall away. And suddenly, things start moving better,”
shared a content team member, who preferred to remain anonymous.

It’s also worth noting that Game Lounge isn’t a support team, a call center, or a casino operator that needs to be online 24/7. Yes, some areas of the business require timely responses, but much of the work revolves around content creation, optimization, UX, and analytics — tasks where quality and precision matter more than immediate turnaround. For these functions, a shorter workweek isn’t just an experiment — it could become the new normal.

Why This Isn’t Just Another “HR Gimmick”

Reducing burnout, focusing on well-being, promoting work-life balance — all of these sound like standard buzzwords from corporate slides. But at Game Lounge, the four-day week isn’t presented as some trendy initiative. Internally, it’s seen as a way to ensure long-term sustainability.

In a market where competition for talent is fierce — especially in roles like SEO, development, product design, and data analytics — working conditions themselves have become a key advantage. In the iGaming space, conversations are increasingly shifting beyond just salaries and bonuses, toward working hours, mental health, and flexible schedules. So, a shorter week isn’t just a way to “attract” specialists — it’s a move to help them stay engaged without burning out after six months.

The company is clear: this initiative didn’t come from HR or outside consultants. It was an internal decision, rooted in real data, experience, and direct feedback from the team.

What Could Change for the Entire iGaming Industry?

While experiments with four-day work weeks are still relatively rare in iGaming companies, this trend is gradually changing. This is especially true for affiliate companies like Game Lounge, where creativity, analytics, and quality content are emphasized, rather than around-the-clock responses to user requests.

Game Lounge’s example could serve as a benchmark for other players still hesitant about such a work model. If these trials show that the four-day work week doesn’t negatively affect results and even boosts productivity, it could send a powerful signal to the entire industry. Questions about employee mental health, satisfaction, and stress levels are becoming increasingly important for businesses, particularly in the post-pandemic era, when many have begun rethinking their approaches to work.

Affiliate marketing and gambling, like many other online industries, have become accustomed to an intense work pace, which includes constant activity, traffic analytics, content optimization, and advertising strategy adjustments. In such environments, employees often face workloads that lead to burnout and decreased motivation. Over the past few years, more companies have been searching for ways to balance employees’ work and personal lives, and the four-day workweek is one such alternative.

How Will This Affect Talent Acquisition and Retention?

It’s no secret that competition for specialists in the iGaming sector is fierce, particularly for roles such as SEO specialists, analysts, designers, and content managers. These professionals value not only good financial conditions but also the opportunity to work in a comfortable environment that respects their time and personal space. By adopting models like a shortened workweek, companies can stand out among the many other players in the job market.

If Game Lounge’s experiment proves successful, there’s a good chance that other companies will begin adopting similar practices. This could become a competitive edge in the race for top talent. Particularly in a climate where many professionals are choosing between working for large corporations, startups, or affiliate companies, flexible schedules could become a deciding factor.

Let’s not forget Generation Z, which is becoming increasingly active in the job market. Young professionals, who are already accustomed to remote work and flexible conditions, are more often choosing employers who offer non-traditional approaches to work. In the future, initiatives like the four-day workweek could become an integral part of the strategy for companies focused on retaining talented employees.

Could This Become an Industry Standard?

While it’s unlikely that the four-day workweek will become an immediately widespread standard in iGaming, its influence as the “new norm” could gradually grow. Such experiments might become a popular trend among more flexible and progressive companies that aim to build harmonious relationships with their employees, improve workplace culture, and increase retention rates.

However, it’s important to acknowledge that not all companies in the industry will be able to adopt this schedule. For example, large operational and client-facing teams in online casinos, betting companies, and payment services in the iGaming sector, where round-the-clock support, quick responses to inquiries, and continuous operations are crucial, might find a four-day week to be a more complicated step. In these cases, other solutions to enhance efficiency, such as improved automation or flexible shifts, may be necessary.

Nonetheless, the success of Game Lounge’s experiment could serve as an inspiring example and a reason for companies to reconsider traditional approaches, especially in environments where fast-paced work often leads to burnout and, consequently, lower motivation.

Conclusion: A Step Into the Future or a Temporary Measure?

The experiment with a four-day workweek launched by Game Lounge in April 2025 is not only a significant milestone for the company but also a potential signal for the entire iGaming industry. Although it remains a temporary initiative, the successful results from last year and the positive feedback from employees already provide solid grounds for considering the permanent adoption of this model.

For iGaming companies, where employees often face high work tempos, the importance of balancing professional activities with personal life cannot be overstated. The industry, accustomed to round-the-clock deadlines and heavy workloads, is increasingly facing the reality that creative specialists, analysts, and marketers are seeking employers who value their time and aim to create long-term work conditions without burnout.

Game Lounge’s return to a four-day workweek is not merely a trendy move, but a conscious effort to improve working conditions and boost overall productivity. It is also an important step in proving that flexibility in schedules and employee care can yield results just as good, if not better, than traditional work models.

The company will continue to monitor the results of the experiment, and if the outcomes remain positive, the four-day workweek could become a permanent part of the corporate culture. Regardless, this experience can serve as an example for other players in the market, paving the way for innovative solutions aimed at improving operations within the industry.

Against the backdrop of growing interest in initiatives such as shorter work weeks and enhanced working conditions, it’s likely that other companies in the iGaming sector will begin experimenting with similar models. Ultimately, this could lead to more flexible schedules and greater attention to employee mental health becoming not exceptions, but the norm for the industry.