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Cheltenham: Next steps for horse racing

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Horse racing is one of the oldest activities in the world and the Cheltenham Festival is one of the spiritual homes of the sport. While the meeting is guaranteed to deliver strong engagement rates for UK-facing operators, there’s less interest among sportsbooks further afield in Europe. However, as horse racing continues to grow on the international stage, are European operators missing a trick by not identifying ways to make Cheltenham Festival and other UK meetings appealing to their own audience?

With the festival kicking off this week, European Gaming spoke to experts in the field on how the sport can make an impact internationally and the best practices required to make it relevant to a wider audience, while maintaining its status in the UK.

Alan Casey, CEO of AllSported

Adam Conway, Head of Trading at SIS

Dylan Casey Head of Paid Media, Checkd Media

 

Huge opportunities abound throughout the festival which brings a great deal of competition. How can horse racing operators make sure they stand out from the crowd during the event?

Dylan Casey: Too many operators allow their messaging to become like wallpaper throughout Cheltenham week. The ones who succeed are those that offer something unique or present their offer in a way that captures the customer’s eye and paid social advertising can allow operators to do just that.

A major advantage of paid social for horse racing operators is the guarantee of eyeballs and the sequencing of the messaging. The control of adverts being seen in a particular order can allow operators to get creative and even allow them to tailor the offer a customer sees based on their behaviour.

When running paid social for partner’s during the festival, we like them to refresh their messaging and offers daily. By tailoring it to certain races, horses or even jockeys, the messaging is always fresh and can help to avoid ad fatigue.

Not all operators will have the flexibility and resources to promote a different offer for each day of the festival. However, even if an operator’s offer isn’t unique enough to stand out, paid social advertising provides them with a huge opportunity to present that offer in a way that will allow them to do so.

Alan Casey: Content is king. Creating a sense of familiarity and comfort is all-important in cross-selling. Time and again, we see that racecards that feature plenty of content, predictions and ratings improve dwell time significantly.

However, even when an operator has this all-important content, how do they balance the integration times with the results? Separate integrations and multiple API feeds can take time and a lot of resources to put in place. It’s true that content is not always the priority compared to revenue-generating add-ons like cashing out, but without the content to engage customers, it’s likely a sportsbook will only get customers who are there to make a specific bet.

As well as that, consistency and balance matters a great deal, operators don’t need to be stand-out price every race, but an operator needs to be competitive in every race in terms of pricing and place terms. An operator can acquire a lot of customers by having the headline offer of the day or week, but it leaves the door open for customers to exploit that offer and leave.

Adam Conway: Aside from the traditional marketing techniques that operators adopt for the week of Cheltenham Festival, such as attractive promotional offers, offering a vast range of markets that are appealing to both existing bettors and newcomers is important. This includes the use of derivatives, which complement classic markets and allows those with little experience of racing betting to get involved.

Through our partnership with RACELAB we can offer the latest in trading technology which can help operators stay ahead of the smart money and offer prices at opportune times that standout from the crowd.

 

To what extent is there an appetite for UK horse racing outside the UK and Ireland? How does the sport need to adapt to appeal to this audience?

Alan Casey: From a customer perspective, there is a huge appetite, especially with regards to Cheltenham. It’s an easy sell with the best horses, jockeys and trainers on show and there are always magical storylines that capture the public’s imagination around the festival.

The obstacle for international operators is that the sport requires a huge level of expertise to work within it. The time and financial investment necessary to building a team to monitor the landscape is formidable.

The obvious solution is to outsource, but even then, there are pitfalls. It’s possible that an out-of-the-box service will leave an operator open to inaccurate pricing and following the exchanges blindly is dangerous based on liquidity and latency issues. It can be difficult to acquire and retain horse racing customers and even more so if there is no differentiation in the offering.

Operators need to invest in a flexible solution with a great deal of two-way communication. It’s vitally important to be able to react to your own customers’ bets and factor this into pricing. If an operator is reacting to the market alone, that lag will eat away at their bottom line.

Adam Conway: The cultural significance of major UK horse racing meetings means less for international operators and their customers, but there are still opportunities for non-UK sportsbooks to make the most of these events. The betting product needs be optimised differently for markets where there is less racing heritage, otherwise bettors are not going to be as likely to engage. This means promoting certain markets that can be more relevant to them. For instance, derivatives are becoming increasingly popular with international operators, with markets such as match betting and odds vs. evens far easier to understand. Ultimately, these types of markets don’t require as much insight into the sport itself, which encourages a wider audience to engage with the product. Horse racing needs to attract a new generation of bettors, and outside of the UK these kinds of markets are important to this approach.

Of course, establishing an in-house trading team to cover 24/7 racing events can be costly. In addition, the availability of traders that have the specialist knowledge required can be difficult to find in markets where there is a modest racing culture, which means they cannot efficiently manage pricing and risk. Our SIS Trading Services can help operators in these markets by offering them a fully outsourced solution that leaves the entire racing proposition in the hands of our experts.

 

How can international operators capitalise on UK horse racing meetings like Cheltenham Festival, which are proven to generate strong bettor engagement in its home market? What can domestic operators do to maintain a slice of the action amid such intense competition?

Adam Conway: One of the main challenges that UK operators face during major UK meetings such as the Cheltenham Festival is profitability. Promotions which include offers like extra places paid can impact the overall margins they can make. These sportsbooks require products and tools that can grow business and maximise margins. At SIS, we are working hard to make this possible by enhancing our Trading Services with the addition of next generation trading tools. In partnership with RACELAB, our traders now have the very latest technology advantage, ensuring we can stay ahead of the smart money and produce more intelligent prices. This includes the Odds Engine compilation software, which has the biggest breadth of content and the most sophisticated trader controls and the highest number of priced horses (including all the local pools).

For international bettors from regions where there is less racing heritage, we have found that it has been useful to offer additional levels of support to operators new to the sport. This means increasing the emphasis on those betting markets that are simpler to understand and don’t require specific in-depth racing knowledge. We can offer operators a managed trading service to help them manage their risk.

Alan Casey: A little education goes a long way. A huge number of people that aren’t full-time racing fans flock to bet on Cheltenham every year because of the status it holds. Investing in the right odds and pricing package that includes content as part of the deal can go a long way towards engaging these fans, as well as seasoned ones.

Cheltenham simply lends itself to this kind of content with some captivating narratives every year. Rachael Blackmore and Henry de Bromhead combining throughout last year’s event and taking the festival by storm stands out as a great example. There are always interesting narratives surrounding Ruby Walsh and Willie Mullins as well. It all captures the imagination and if international operators can gain the means to educate their customers on the ins and outs of the sport, they will be on to a winner.

Domestically, it’s about finding the right balance between trading and marketing teams. Consistency is essential in this product offering throughout the week. Single race odds boosts or acquisition offers don’t guarantee you a customer’s wallet for the four days of the festival or even for an entire day. The key is giving customers a choice of races that spreads out the positions more evenly and then helps the operator engage the customer in each race throughout the festival.

How is price latency and odds generation different in horse racing compared to other sports betting activities? What challenges does this present for operators?

Alan Casey: If we take a traditional sport like football, the teamsheets are announced an hour before kick-off and we see the market shifts as a result. Outside of that, there isn’t a lot of other information flowing into the market.

In horse racing however, there is more information in the market and operators are exposed from the minute they put bets up with no set times as to when information will enter the market. Latency issues become far more apparent in horseracing, dealing with large bets can result in loss of margin from a day’s racing. During the final minutes before the off, any latency or speed issue can result in operators being left badly exposed.

With the market constantly flocculating like this, Push APIs that inform operators the instant a price has changed can be invaluable, leaving no time for incorrect pricing on a sportsbook. Mere seconds of inaccurate pricing can be the difference between profit and loss.

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Reliability in Motion: Why Modern Digital Businesses are Abandoning the Single-Vendor Model

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In the fast-paced environment of digital businesses, communication isn’t just a utility – it’s the heartbeat of the business. Whether it’s a high-stakes trade confirmation or a time-sensitive user’s notification, a lost message is often a direct precursor to lost revenue. Today, we sat down with Bohdan Bulatsan, CTO at CommsHub to discuss why the industry is shifting away from traditional messaging setups toward a more resilient, “strategic redundancy” approach. We explore how CommsHub is redefining delivery standards through intelligent routing and financial transparency.

In the high-stakes world of digital businesses, we often talk about “guaranteed delivery,” but the reality of infrastructure is that things break. From a technical leadership perspective, why is the “Single Vendor” model becoming a terminal risk for modern enterprises?

That’s right. No technical system is infallible. Downtime and glitches are inherent to infrastructure; the real differentiator is how you manage those failures to protect the business. Relying on a single vendor creates a “Single Point of Failure.” If that one provider goes down, your entire operation grinds to a halt.

At CommsHub, we address this by implementing a sophisticated provider cascading system. This architecture ensures that if one path is blocked, the traffic finds another. By eliminating the reliance on a single provider, we transform communication from a financial gamble on uptime into a stable, predictable business process.

CommsHub moves the conversation from “sending messages” to “strategic redundancy.” Can you walk us through the logic of your automated routing – how does the platform decide which path a message takes in milliseconds to ensure the highest delivery rate?

Our cascading logic functions as an intelligent safety net. When our system detects a failure signal from a provider, it triggers a reaction in milliseconds. The mechanism immediately consults a predefined routing roadmap and reroutes the message through the next optimal path in the chain.

Crucially, we allow clients to configure response wait times in both static and dynamic modes. This is a game-changer for businesses where speed is as vital as the delivery itself. Ultimately, our system is built for flexibility; we don’t just send messages – we architect a logic that supports virtually any messaging scenario a business requires.

Integration speed is often a bottleneck; you’ve managed to cut the industry standard from 45 days down to just 10. How does this technical agility impact a brand’s ability to scale into new, unpredictable international markets?

In the modern economy, standing still is the same as moving backward. Our clients are constantly expanding into new geographic territories and they need a partner that moves at their speed. By shrinking integration time to around 10 days, we allow businesses to respond to market opportunities almost instantly.

Our priority is the continuous onboarding of validated providers. This doesn’t just give our clients access to new GEOs; it gives them the power of choice within their existing markets, ensuring they always have the most competitive and reliable options available.

We’ve seen that “lost messages” translate directly to “lost revenue.” How does CommsHub’s unified dashboard bridge the gap between technical delivery logs and the financial transparency that C-level executives need?

Data is only useful if it’s actionable. C-level executives need to see the “why” behind the spend. The CommsHub analytics module is divided into two pillars: Performance and Finance.

The Performance section allows teams to monitor delivery rates and message statuses by country in real-time. Meanwhile, the Financial section provides total visibility into spending, broken down by provider and region. This bridge between technical performance and cost-efficiency allows Finance and Marketing departments to make data-driven decisions rather than educated guesses.

Looking at the mission of CommsHub – to make communication “simple, clear and predictable” what is the one technical myth about bulk messaging you want to debunk for businesses currently struggling with delivery stability?

The most dangerous myth is the belief that finding one “perfect” or “premium” provider is enough. The reality is that no provider – regardless of their size – is immune to regional outages, regulatory shifts or sudden performance drops.

If you want stability, stop looking for the perfect provider and start building a resilient strategy. True reliability comes from intelligent routing, multi-vendor redundancy and the ability to adapt to changing conditions in real-time. That is the mission we fulfill at CommsHub.

As we’ve discussed, the transition from a single-vendor dependency to a diversified, intelligent routing system is no longer a luxury – it is a necessity for survival in high-growth sectors. CommsHub continues to lead this charge, proving that when technical agility meets financial transparency, businesses can scale without the fear of silence. For those looking to turn their communication infrastructure into a competitive advantage, the path forward is clear: prioritize resilience over the illusion of a “perfect” single source.

 

The post Reliability in Motion: Why Modern Digital Businesses are Abandoning the Single-Vendor Model appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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AI Meets Accountability: DSTGAMING on the Future of Regulatory Automation

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As the Lanyard Sponsor of HIPTHER Baltics: Vilnius 2026, DSTGAMING brings more than a decade of iGaming technology expertise to the Baltic stage. Known for white-label and turnkey casino solutions, advanced game aggregation, secure payment gateways, and GLI-19 compliant platforms certified by BMM Testlabs, DSTGAMING represents the next generation of scalable and regulation-ready gaming infrastructure.

Ahead of the conference, we speak with John Tan, Digital Marketing Analyst at DSTGAMING, about one of the most important topics shaping regulated industries today: The role of AI and automation in regulatory processes.

 

Regulation is becoming faster, stricter, and more data-heavy. Where do you see AI making the biggest immediate impact in regulatory and compliance workflows?

AI is already proving valuable in areas where large volumes of operational data must be processed quickly and accurately. One of the most immediate impacts is in automated data validation, reporting preparation, and anomaly detection. Regulatory workflows often involve reviewing player activity logs, financial transactions, and system records, which can be time-consuming when handled manually.

For platform providers like DSTGAMING, AI can assist operators by flagging irregular patterns, organizing compliance-related records, and improving the speed and consistency of reporting processes. This reduces the burden on compliance teams while helping ensure that submissions to regulators are more accurate and timely. The ability to turn raw operational data into structured insights is where AI delivers strong short-term value.

 

Many businesses still view compliance as reactive and manual. How can automation transform it into a smarter, proactive function?

Automation shifts compliance from a task-driven activity into a continuous monitoring function. Instead of waiting for scheduled checks or audits, automated systems can monitor key indicators in real time and notify operators when thresholds are exceeded or unusual activity is detected.

This proactive approach allows operators to address potential risks before they escalate into compliance issues. Over time, automation also creates consistent records and audit trails, making regulatory reporting more structured and transparent. From a platform perspective, embedding automation into workflows ensures that compliance checks become part of daily operations rather than a separate responsibility handled only during audits or investigations.

 

From AML monitoring to player protection and fraud detection, which regulatory areas are best suited for AI-driven decision support today?

Fraud detection and transaction monitoring are among the most mature use cases for AI-driven support, as they rely heavily on identifying patterns across large datasets. AI models are particularly effective at detecting irregular transaction behaviors, unusual login patterns, or activity sequences that differ from typical user behavior.

Player protection is another area where AI can add value by identifying behavioral signals that may indicate risk, such as sudden changes in activity intensity or spending patterns. While AML monitoring also benefits from AI, the most practical applications today involve supporting human analysts by highlighting suspicious cases rather than replacing manual decision-making entirely. The strength of AI lies in prioritizing risk signals so compliance teams can focus their attention where it matters most.

 

How can operators balance efficiency through automation while still maintaining human oversight, judgment, and accountability?

Automation should be viewed as a decision-support layer rather than a decision-maker. The most effective balance is achieved when automated systems handle repetitive tasks—such as monitoring, logging, and flagging—while human teams retain authority over final decisions and interpretations.

Clear governance frameworks are also essential. Operators should establish defined escalation paths, validation checkpoints, and audit procedures to ensure that automated outputs are reviewed when necessary. This hybrid approach preserves accountability while still benefiting from improved speed and efficiency. Human judgment remains critical, particularly in complex cases that require contextual understanding or regulatory interpretation.

 

What are the biggest mistakes companies make when trying to introduce AI into regulated environments?

One of the most common mistakes is adopting AI without clearly defining its role within regulatory workflows. Without structured objectives and validation processes, organizations risk creating systems that generate outputs without meaningful oversight or traceability.

Another challenge is underestimating the importance of data quality. AI systems depend heavily on reliable, well-organized datasets, and inconsistent data can lead to inaccurate outputs. Companies also sometimes move too quickly without aligning AI deployment with regulatory expectations, which can create compliance risks instead of reducing them. Introducing AI gradually, with clear documentation and validation processes, helps ensure responsible adoption.

 

As a technology provider, how does DSTGAMING approach building solutions that are both innovative and regulator-ready from day one?

DSTGAMING prioritizes architecture that supports transparency, scalability, and operational clarity. From the early stages of development, systems are designed to maintain structured logs, clear data flows, and configurable reporting capabilities that help operators meet regulatory expectations across different jurisdictions.

Innovation is approached with practicality in mind. New technologies, including AI-driven features, are integrated in ways that enhance performance and usability without compromising system reliability. The focus is on delivering tools that support operators in maintaining operational discipline, while also enabling flexibility to adapt to evolving regulatory standards.

By aligning technical development with industry compliance requirements from the outset, DSTGAMING ensures that innovation and regulatory readiness progress together rather than in conflict.

The post AI Meets Accountability: DSTGAMING on the Future of Regulatory Automation appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Expanding on excellence: The power of sequels

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Relax Gaming CEO Martin Stålros explores the growing power of slot sequels, revealing how data, player feedback and innovation are driving franchise success in today’s gaming landscape.

Relax has built a reputation for turning strong titles into even stronger sequels. What signals tell you a game has the potential to evolve into a franchise rather than remain a one-off success?

The main signal is the engagement response from both players and operators. Within the first couple of weeks following a launch, we get a clear indication of whether a game has long-term potential, as there needs to be strong demand for a sequel to even be considered.

From there, our in-house studios analyse behavioural patterns to understand what resonates with players, identifying how a game can be further developed while aligning with both player preferences and operator requirements.

We typically see franchise potential when player retention is driven by the core gameplay loop and the excitement of “near-miss” moments, rather than simply high RTP or jackpot size. Increasingly, the response from the streaming community also plays a role, with titles that deliver high volatility, watchable moments tending to sustain interest over time.

Mechanical versatility is another key factor, and we look for frameworks where the underlying math model is robust enough to support feature layering. If a mechanic can be expanded or refined without breaking the game’s logic, it becomes a strong candidate for a sequel.

Alongside this, distinct character and theme identity are crucial. Memorable protagonists, such as the Money Train crew or the duo in Bill & Coin, help build an emotional connection with players. For example, in Bill & Coin 2, we introduced Dicey and The Mummy to extend the narrative and integrate them into gameplay.

Looking at Relax’s most successful titles like Bill & Coin 2 and the Money Train series, how do you approach evolving mechanics and features without losing the simplicity and appeal that made the original resonate with players?

Our approach is to retain a familiar base game while introducing one major new layer or hero mechanic. This allows us to deliver an exciting experience that still feels natural and recognisable to players.

As mechanics become more complex, such as the addition of more symbols in Money Train 4, we rely on intuitive visual cues. We use distinct animations and sound design to ensure that players clearly understand why they have won, even if the underlying math behind it is more sophisticated.

At the same time, we focus on retaining the soul of a title and preserving what we consider the non-negotiables, which are the specific features that players loved in the original. These elements remain the anchor of the experience, even as we expand volatility or increase maximum win potential, maintaining that balance is key to evolving a game without losing the original appeal.

The Money Train series is often cited as a benchmark for sequel success. How important has player and operator feedback been in shaping each iteration of the franchise?

Operator feedback is crucial when it comes to technical and UI refinements, while player feedback directly influences feature frequency and volatility curves, and together these insights play an important role in shaping how each instalment evolves and improves on the last.

Building on this, each Money Train sequel has been developed using the data from its predecessor; for instance, the introduction of persistent symbols was a direct response to player desire for high-anticipation, long-tail bonus rounds. This allows us to refine the experience while continuing to build on what players already enjoy.

As a result, the Money Train series has become part of the Relax DNA, with each instalment somehow managing to take the game even further. Everyone has their favourite Money Train slot, and that is a testament to all of the teams involved in creating such a powerful series over a number of years.

With recognisable IP now proving so effective, how do you balance investing in established franchises versus taking risks on entirely new concepts?

Established franchises act as an anchor for stability and performance within our roadmap, which is carefully planned, and this foundation allows us to invest in new concepts and bring fresh ideas to market.

We believe taking risks on new titles is essential, as this is how future franchises are discovered. Without backing original concepts like Bill & Coin, we would not be able to create the “new classics” of tomorrow.

From a resource perspective, this balance is reflected in how we operate, with our core internal studios focus on developing flagship sequels, while our Silver Bullet and Powered By partners are empowered to explore more niche or experimental gameplay. This ensures we can continue to innovate while building on proven successes.

Looking ahead, do you think the industry is moving toward a more franchise-driven approach?

We are seeing a clear trend shifting from simple sequels to broader ecosystems, where a franchise can span multiple verticals, including slots, crash games, and even brand-integrated jackpot systems like Dream Drop. This reflects a move towards more connected, long-term player experiences, where a title can evolve beyond a single release into something more expansive.

Franchises will continue to play a dominant role, but the breakout hit will always come from a new concept, with the future belonging to those who can build a franchise around genuine innovation rather than simply reskinning existing ideas.

The post Expanding on excellence: The power of sequels appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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