Kambi Group, a provider of premium sports betting services to licensed B2C gaming operators, announced that it has extended its retail sportsbook platform deal with PENN Entertainment. As a result, Kambi will continue to supply its partner’s land-based casinos with its sports betting suite.

Under the terms of the original partnership deal, Kambi was set to provide PENN with its sportsbook platform until July 2024. However, the extended deal will instead see the former firm provide the American entertainment company with sports betting solutions through December 31, 2025.

As per the original deal, Kambi will power PENN’s retail casinos across the United States with market-leading retail sports betting products, such as kiosks, point-of-sale terminals, odds board and Bring Your Own Device technology.

The deal currently spans 13 states and covers 30 PENN Entertainment properties.

Kambi Secured an Important Additional Revenue Stream

The announcement also pointed out that, over the course of the extended term, PENN Entertainment plans to migrate its retail sportsbook to its proprietary technology. Because of that, the amended agreement makes it clear that “any retail sports betting revenue generated by PENN, either via Kambi’s platform or via PENN’s proprietary sportsbook in jurisdictions previously supported by Kambi, will be subject to the same level of revenue share payments to Kambi through December 2025.”

Kambi’s co-founder and chief executive officer, Kristian Nylén, commented on the extended agreement, sharing his excitement about the opportunity to support PENN Entertainment through December 2025. This, according to him, will be an important additional revenue stream for Kambi.

Nylén promised that Kambi will continue to leverage its best-in-class products to help PENN maintain its presence in the US.

As the industry’s leading sportsbook provider, both online and in retail, we are committed to providing our partners with cutting-edge technology and a premium service which PENN’s vast retail estate will continue to benefit from throughout the duration of the extended contract.

Kristian Nylén, co-founder & CEO, Kambi Group

Speaking of Kristian Nylén, the CEO recently announced his intention to depart from the company. He, however, agreed to remain on board until a suitable successor has been appointed.

In December, Kambi agreed to power Bingoal’s new sportsbook in Belgium and the Netherlands and empower its business with reliable sports betting solutions.

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Crypto casino Thunderpick has unveiled a $1 million Counter-Strike 2 tournament, providing the best esports teams in the world with another chance to showcase their skills. The so-called Thunderpick World Championship 2024 will kick off on April 1 and will run until October.

As the title suggests, the championship will welcome professional esports teams from all over the world. As a result, the crypto casino will host six qualifier rounds across three different global regions, including Europe, North America and South America. The qualifiers will be remote events that will be held locally.

Details about the schedule of the qualifier events are set to be published at a later date on Thunderpick’s official website.

This is not the first time Thunderpick has graced the esports sector with such a tournament. The previous edition of the Thunderpick World Championship saw FaZe Clan, one of the most influential esports organizations in the world, dominate the finals.

Kelly Sanders, Thunderpick’s head of strategy, promised that the Thunderpick World Championship 2024 will be “one of the most exciting tournaments of the year.” She said that the event will feature many of the fan-favorite CS teams as they battle it out for a huge prize. 

This tournament not only underscores our dedication to the diverse and growing esports community but also marks a new milestone in our event series.

Kelly Sanders, head of strategy, Thunderpick

Thunderpick Renews Partnership with Grid ahead of the Event

Thunderpick has celebrated the announcement by renewing its esports services and data deal with Grid. As a result, the latter company will continue to provide its partner with tournament and data visualization tools and an automated infrastructure.

Grid’s head of tournament operations, Fabian Logemann, expressed his team’s excitement about supporting Thunderpick through 2024. He praised the crypto operator for its invaluable contributions to the Counter-Strike esports sector and said that his team is proud to support the Thunderpick World Championship with its Grid Esports Solutions.

Our team is looking forward to supporting this world-class CS2 championship series again, providing tournament services and important data points behind every incredible play to come.

Fabian Logemann, head of tournament operations, Grid

Last year, Evil Geniuses, one of the top esports organizations in the world, selected Thunderpick as its marquee partner.

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Gaming Innovation Group, the industry-leading platform and media provider, has extended its deal with Casumo, one of its long-term partners. Under the extended agreement, GiG will continue to provide the online operator with its robust iGaming platform.

According to the announcement, GiG will now continue to provide Casumo with its platform until 2027. The expanded deal will also see GiG inject its innovative new suite of solutions into Casumo, providing its Dunder brand with many opportunities to grow and evolve.

The operator will benefit from GiG’s enhanced new frontend and marketing managed services, which include its customer relations management, search engine optimization, affiliate management and casino lobby tools.

The Dunder brand will leverage GiG’s advanced AI-led capabilities to reinforce its decision-making abilities and secure access to intelligent data insights. Thanks to the agreement, the operator will be able to bolster its acquisition and retention rates, allowing it to expand its overall footprint.

In the meantime, the Dunder brand will continue to rely on GiG’s cutting-edge account and commercial support. The latter company’s profound experience in the sector will help Casumo’s brand scale up its business and operations across many core markets.  

Last month, GiG unveiled next-gen iGaming and sportsbook solutions, further growing interest in its solutions. The announcement was made just in time for ICE 2024, allowing the GiG team to capitalize on the prestigious industry event.

GiG Looks Forward to Bolstering the Dunder Brand

GiG’s chief business officer, Andrew Cochrane, welcomed the expansion of the deal with Casumo, thanking the operator company for its trust. He added that his team expects a lot from its partner’s Dunder brand and is looking forward to providing it with cutting-edge tools.

Our anticipation and expectation for the brand are understandably high, aligning perfectly with our mission to drive sustainable growth and profitability of our partners through product innovation, scalable technology and quality of service.

Andrew Cochrane, CBO, GiG

Tim De Borle, Casumo’s chief operating officer, also commented on the matter, praising the partnership and the opportunities it has provided to the Dunder brand.

Through our continued and strengthening partnership with GiG, we are looking forward to taking full advantage of the opportunities we see for Dunder, having been impressed with the commitment to service management and innovative product development from the team at GiG.

Tim De Borle, COO, Casumo

Speaking of Casumo, the operator recently enhanced its RG and AML capabilities through a deal with Neccton.

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Global esports betting powerhouse GG.BET has renewed its existing partnership agreement with Team Vitality, an international esports club. Now extended through 2024, the deal will see the bookmaker continue its support of the club’s Counter-Strike team.

GG.BET first penned a partnership agreement with Team Vitality’s CS roster back in 2022 and has supported it ever since. Throughout their partnership, the two parties participated in a variety of activations, both online and real-life.

Some of the previous activations, for example, saw GG.BET and Team Vitality promote V.Hive, a mobile blockading application that has so far been downloaded by more than 80,000 Team Vitality fans.

In addition, Team Vitality participated in GG.BET’s Match of LeGGends, a spectacular event, during which they clashed with NAVI, another professional esports club. The match was seen by over a million fans across the world.

Vitality, which is currently considered the top CS team in the world, won its first major title at the BLAST Paris Major 2023.

The Two Parties Are Looking Forward to Participating in Joint Activations

GG.BET commented on the deal, reaffirming its commitment to supporting Team Vitality. The company pointed out that its 2023 projects reached more than 150 million fans on social media, inspiring countless esports enthusiasts across the world.

In 2024, we’re setting ourselves new goals, and we’ll be taking the strategic partnership between GG.BET and Team Vitality to new heights!

GG.BET statement

Team Vitality CEO Nicolas Maurer weighed in on the matter, saying that his team is likewise pleased to extend this partnership. He lauded GG.BET as a leading esports company and said that this cooperation has always been about “having fun and creating unmatched experiences” for esports fans.

Like our meet & greet event in Rio, which gathered over 3.5 million reach, and the unforgettable show match against NAVI. We’re looking forward to unveiling the exciting projects we’ll be putting in place over the next two years, to make the CS community shine and grow.

Nicolas Maurer, CEO, Team Vitality

GG.BET teased that it will continue to organize joint online initiatives alongside the team, as well as large-scale real-life events for true fans of esports.

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The leading supplier of technology and solutions, powering gaming and lottery operators across the globe, International Game Technology (IGT), announced a partnership extension with the Virginia Lottery. Announced Monday, the new collaboration extends the partnership between the duo for three years through October 2033.

IGT confirmed that the deal was signed between the Lottery and its subsidiary, IGT Global Solutions Corporation. Besides the three-year extension, the newly inked deal delivers options for further collaboration between the duo via three extensions for one year each.

Per the new agreement, the Virginia Lottery will benefit from enhanced solutions supplied by IGT. It will upgrade its lottery central system, communications network and at the same time, introduce new point-of-sale terminals, promising engaging experiences. The launch of the aforementioned features is expected around October 2025, IGT explained in a statement.

Under the newly extended and enhanced contract, the Lottery will benefit from Aurora, IGT’s newest central retail system. Some 5,500 retail terminals will be replaced with the Retailer Pro S2, allowing the Lottery to benefit from high-speed terminals that are also capable of dealing with large volumes of data.

The contract extension represents an important milestone for the Virginia Lottery and IGT. This is because the duo has been collaborating for more than two decades. Back in 2020, the Lottery selected IGT as the prime provider for instant tickets, while back in 2000, it first gained access to IGT’s leading technology.

Extended Contract to Bring New Experiences

Jay Gendron, IGT’s chief operating officer, global lottery, spoke about the long-term business relationship between the company and the lottery. “The upgraded technology being deployed for the Virginia Lottery as part of our latest extension will offer increased flexibility for the Lottery to easily manage its back-end operations,” he added. Finally, Gendron said that the introduction of IGT’s progressive jackpot feature promises to deliver exceptional experiences for players in Virginia.

“Since first partnering with the Virginia Lottery in 2000, IGT has helped us responsibly modernize our lottery offerings and drive sales growth for our business.“

Tony R. Russell, interim director of the Virginia Lottery

Tony R. Russell, the Virginia Lottery’s interim director, also praised the collaboration between the Lottery and IGT which spans more than two decades. He explained that this strategic long-term partnership enabled the Lottery to grow its operations while ensuring responsible offering. Finally, Russell predicted that the improvements under the new contract will not only deliver new experiences for players across the state but also help raise revenue for public education via Virginia’s K-12 program.

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Leading iGaming publisher committed to delivering state-of-the-art online gambling solutions and innovative content to players, partners, and clients, Yggdrasil, has reached a new milestone in its growth plan. 

The provider has inked a fresh and “strong” partnership with Campeón Gaming, the 2017-founded “esteemed iGaming operator” that offers customized content that fits customers in worldwide markets and an immersive in-house platform. 

Yggdrasil, Expanding Its Reach in LatAm

The new partnership with Campeón Gaming will assist Yggdrasil with its LatAm expansion plans. 

Originally, the publisher that welcomes everyone to a “world of entertainment” debuted in the region in May 2022 after it made a selection of games available to Colombian operators. 

This highlighted its clear intention to grow in the regulatory markets in LatAm, following a more complex strategy to grow its international business.

As a result of the newly announced collaboration, Campeón Gaming’s brands will benefit from Yggdrasil’s iconic game portfolio as well as its YG Masters content. 

The list will feature games that incorporate the provider’s Game Engagement Mechanics, with freshly launched titles Legend of Dragon Wins DoubleMax and high-performing games throughout the year including 10 000 BC DoubleMax and Starfire Fortunes TopHit. 

The YG Masters portfolio of slots includes releases from some of the most popular software providers and studios in the iGaming world. 

All games are highly innovative and they employ Game Adaptation Tool & Interface, which is Yggdrasil’s top-tier technology that allows its partners to generate “cutting-edge content followed by rapid distribution.”

The Partnership Mixed the Innovative Strengths of Both Parties 

As explained by Campeón Gaming’s group chief commercial officer, George Merodoulakis, the collaboration “combines the innovative strengths of both Campeόn Gaming and Yggdrasil.” 

The CCO also spoke about their intention to hit the refresh button on their game portfolio with Yggdrasil’s content, thus providing “a broader range of entertainment” to their users. 

Yggdrasil’s commercial director, Jose Kadala, also took the opportunity to comment on the new agreement. 

He spoke about the warm welcome that their proprietary content and YG Masters studios have received from both players and operators in LatAm while expressing excitement to further extend their reach in the market via Campeón Gaming, which he called “an established and prominent operator with expertise in the field.”

Earlier in the week, Yggdrasil announced the launch of ReelPlay’s King Arthur 10K WAYS slot. 

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BoyleSports, an Irish gambling company, has unveiled a new partnership deal with Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) Racecourses, HRI’s arm responsible for running the company’s racecourses throughout the country. The three-year deal will see the two parties collaborate until 2027.

As per the arrangement, the bookmaker has renewed its sponsorship of the Irish Grand National, a major racing event in Ireland. In addition to that, BoyleSports will serve as the official betting partner for the Leopardstown summer series. Additional sponsorships will see the bookmaker sponsor the Grade Three Joe Mac Novice Hurdle and the Grade Two Webster Cup Chase.

The deal with BoyleSports will once again cement the Irish Grand National as the richest race in the Irish National Hunt calendar, allowing it to offer a prize pool of €500,000 ($543,000).

BoyleSports’ commitment as principal partner of the Fairyhouse Easter Festival will also see it sponsor two more Easter weekend races, further reaffirming the operator’s overall commitment to Ireland’s betting sector.

HRI Racecourses Praised BoyleSports’ Commitment to Irish Racing

BoyleSports’ chief executive officer, Vlad Kaltenieks, commented on the agreement with HRI, saying that racing is an integral part of the Irish DNA. Because of that, his team is happy to continue supporting the sector.

With our new extended sponsorship as official betting partner to the summer series, we look forward to switching from a thrilling Easter Festival at Fairyhouse to a cracking summer of racing and entertainment at Leopardstown.

Vlad Kaltenieks, CEO, BoyleSports

HRI Racecourses’ chief executive officer, Paul Dermody, also commented on the matter, praising BoyleSports for supporting Irish racing. Dermody thanked the bookmaker for its continued support and the extension of multiple sponsorship agreements.

Partnering with Irish racing continues to deliver significant commercial opportunities and value to brands and we look forward to supporting BoyleSports in the activation of this agreement.

Paul Dermody, CEO, HRI Racecourses

In the meantime, BoyleSports continues to oppose Ireland’s proposed gambling reforms and, along with Sky Sports Racing, has warned that it might leave the Irish sector if it’s not exempted from Ireland’s proposed gambling ads ban.

However, James Browne, the Irish minister tasked with revamping the industry, slammed the scaremongering efforts and the misinformation attempts.

In other news, BoyleSports recently expanded its leadership team, welcoming Michail Koutsoukos as head of customer engagement.

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Betfred, the renowned UK-based bookmaker, has extended its partnership with The Jockey Club, further solidifying its support for The Derby Festival, set at Epsom Downs. The renewed collaboration secures Betfred’s involvement with The Jockey Club until at least 2026 and should be welcome news for fans of the sport.

The Two Parties Strengthen Their Collaboration

Betfred and the Jockey Club, the UK’s largest commercial horse racing organization owning 15 of the country’s famous racecourses, first announced their collaboration in April 2023. The deal saw the leading independent bookmaker in the UK become the new sponsor of The Oaks and The Derby at Epsom Downs, setting the stage for future collaboration.

According to the newest sponsorship deal, starting in 2024, the iconic two-day flat race will officially be known as The Betfred Derby Festival as the operator strengthens its commitment to one of the most prestigious events in the racing calendar. Fred Done, Betfred Group chairman, emphasized the company’s eagerness to elevate the festival’s prominence.

We are delighted to further develop our support of the Betfred Derby Festival and… keep the fixture at the forefront of world racing.

Fred Done, Betfred Group Chairman

The partnership extension secures Betfred’s involvement with The Jockey Club until at least 2026. In addition to the naming rights for the festival, Betfred’s agreement includes bolstering their support for the event by backing an extra race on each day of the Festival. This augmentation brings the total sponsored races across the two days to six, enhancing the racing experience for participants and spectators.

Horseracing Remains at the Core of Betfred’s Business

Betfred, founded in Salford in 1967 by Fred Done, has grown into the largest independent bookmaker in the UK with 1,400 high street shops. Beyond its significant presence in the UK, the company operates globally, expanding into South Africa and the USA. The operator’s willingness to expand into new verticals has also bolstered its considerable momentum.

This newest collaboration extension follows Betfred’s sponsorship involvement in major racing events, including The Oaks and The Derby at Epsom, demonstrating its continuous commitment to supporting British horseracing. Amy Starkey, managing director at Jockey Club Racecourses, also hailed the extended partnership as a significant development, expressing enthusiasm for the future collaboration.

Our relationship with Betfred spans many years and many major races, and we are delighted to be strengthening our partnership at Epsom Downs.

Amy Starkey, Jockey Club Racecourses managing director

The extension of the partnership between Betfred and The Jockey Club underscores a shared dedication to enhancing the quality and prestige of The Derby Festival, promising an exciting future for racing enthusiasts worldwide. It also further bolsters the operator’s leading position in this vertical, serving as an exciting start to 2024.

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Sports content pioneer Stats Perform has unveiled an extension of its exclusive data agreement with the WTA Tour, the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. As a result, the sports data specialist will continue to collect and distribute official WTA data and live streams to its network of partnering sportsbooks.

This deal extends the two parties’ long-standing partnership and will make official WTA live scores, stats and content available across Stats Perform’s worldwide distribution network. As a result, WTA data will reach a number of sports betting operators, media and tech giants and broadcasters.

The partnership between Stats Perform and the WTA Tour reflects the former company’s dedication to women’s sports. Since its inception, the tie-up has seen the two parties introduce many innovations, including:

• full coverage of outer courts and qualifiers
• new AI enriched Opta metrics like clutch points and win probabilities
• interactive AI enriched live streaming features like instant highlights and tailored insights that display on-screen during games
• expert Opta research support for commentators and interviewers
• the addition of a more detailed in-venue data feed, alongside the umpire data feed.

Stats Perform added that WTA tennis sits alongside official live streams and data from Tennis Australia in its exclusive media rights portfolio. The company also has data agreements with a number of professional soccer, basketball, cricket, rugby, ice hockey and badminton leagues, among others.

An Exceptional Partnership

Martina Storti, WTA Ventures’ chief executive officer, commented on the partnership, saying that she is excited to continue working with Stats Perform. She praised the latter company’s data and insights, saying that they are in line with the WTA’s plans to drive fan engagement.

The development of long-term relationships with industry partners is an important source of commercial revenue underpinning our ambition to reinvest in the sport and help the WTA achieve the goal of equal prize money for women at all top events.

Martina Storti, CEO, WTA Ventures

Alex Rice, Stats Perform’s chief commercial officer, also commented on the matter, saying that the stats specialist’s team is likewise delighted to deepen its ties to the WTA.

We’re proud of what our respective teams have achieved together so far and excited to continue to elevate fan and bettor experiences with the most reliable, comprehensive and innovative official WTA content.

Alex Rice, CCO, Stats Perform

Rice added that now that the Tour is set to feature more tournaments and matches, it will provide even more opportunities for sportsbooks and media partners to engage fans.

Stats Perform added that this partnership extension comes just after the company secured the Best Sports Data Product accolade at the 2023 SBC Awards for the second year in a row.

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One of the leading B2B iGaming development studios, RubyPlay, is officially expanding to the Italian market! Earlier this year, the company signed a deal about direct integration, which is now followed by a partnership with PokerStars.

Extended deal

PokerStars is a renowned operator owned by Flutter Entertainment, and the two companies successfully launched their products together earlier this year. The initial deal included hit releases such as Shake Shake Money Tree and Diamond Explosion 7s.

The deal is now extended, and it means that Italian players will be able to enjoy other captivating titles as well in the near future. RubyPlay’s titles became popular because of its dynamic gameplay and unique and advanced solutions, which captured the hearts and minds of not only Italian players but also of ones all over the world.

However, the expansion to the Italian market is a significant step for the company since it’s one of the key European markets when it comes to the iGaming industry. After the recent launch of the long-expected franchise Immortal Ways, this is the next major step towards RubyPlay’s expansion. The franchise was a great success, and it hit all of the previous records the company set when it came to retention and engagement.

Global expansion

The provider works hard towards the expansion to key regulated markets all around the globe, and over the past year, it has grown. In 2024, the company plans to continue its global expansion and conquer the most important European markets, such as Romania and Spain, which would be significant steps towards strengthening its position in the global iGaming market.

According to European Gaming, Dr Eyal Loz, Chief Product Officer at RubyPlay, said: “We are proud to announce our expansion into the Italian market following a highly successful period with PokerStars. This strategic move marks our first direct integration in Italy, a key market with a dedicated player base eager to explore our diverse content. Our commitment to global growth in regulated markets continues as we look forward to introducing our titles in Italy and soon in Romania and Spain, furthering our significant strides in the industry.”

The company currently has a vast network of partners from all around the world, including some of the biggest industry names, such as Pariplay, BetConstruct, NetBet, 888 Casino, and many more. Its focus lies in providing the players with an exceptional player experience and not only creating slots. The combination of captivating gameplay and fantastic technologies and mechanics focused on providing a safe and secure environment while establishing fantastic rewards for its players and providing them with unforgettable fun is RubyPlay’s winning combination.

Source: Campbell, Alan, “RubyPlay Enters Italian Market with Expanded PokerStars Partnership”. EuropeanGaming. November 29. 2023.

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