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Flashscore unveils ‘flagship enhancement of 2025’ with Follow Player feature
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New Follow Player feature lets fans track their favourite footballers with real-time notifications
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Cristiano Ronaldo is most-followed globally of 590,000 players
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Expansion planned for basketball and hockey
Flashscore, the world’s most popular live scores app, has released its Follow Player functionality, allowing users to get real-time updates on their favourite football stars.
After phenomenal demand among its 100 million-plus monthly users, Flashscore has added what it calls its “flagship app enhancement of 2025”.
Fans can add up to 100 favourite players to receive updates and notifications in the same way they do with teams. Notifications include information whether the player appears in the starting lineup, goals, substitutions, red cards and post-match player rating. Notifications including assists, yellow cards, missed penalties and transfers will be released in a forthcoming update, along with players from other sports including basketball and hockey.
Flashscore has also expanded the array of statistics available to fans to include player-focused data points, including expected goals (xG), passing accuracy and duels won.
Cristiano Ronaldo is fans’ favourite
Flashscore’s database includes almost 590,000 players and 350,000 users have already selected at least one player to follow in the past month. Users follow an average of six players – meaning about 2 million favourites in the first month.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the most popular player globally is Cristiano Ronaldo, with the Portugal forward ahead of Argentina’s Lionel Messi. Spain and Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal is third on the list, ahead of France and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe. Jude Bellingham is the most-followed England player in 10th place on the list, behind the likes of Neymar, Vinicius Jr and Robert Lewandowski.
Among UK users, the top four most popular players are the same, with Liverpool’s Mo Salah in fifth and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer in sixth. New Liverpool signing Alexander Isak is seventh, ahead of Chelsea’s Joao Pedro in eighth and Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz in ninth.
Flashscore is announcing the Follow Player feature ahead of tonight’s Legends Charity Game between Portugal Legends and World Legends in Lisbon. Flashscore is the official strategic partner of the match, which will feature former players, including Luis Figo, Kaka and Carles Puyol. Flashscore will provide users with real-time updates from the match, provided by Opta data from Stats Perform.
The match at Sporting’s Estádio José Alvalade has been organised by Sport Global with the aim of raising €1m for charities and serves as a spectacular curtain-raiser for the SBC Summit iGaming conference.
Tomáš Pondělík, Chief Product Officer at Flashscore, said: “This is our flagship app enhancement of the year. Fandom is evolving and we’re seeing a significant shift from fans following only their favourite teams to a deeper interest in individual players. Our community has been asking for this feature for some time but we wanted to launch it at the right moment, when we had the strongest player data on the market and a clear understanding of what fans expect. That’s why we focused on delivering fast, non-intrusive notifications during live matches, without cluttering their feed.
“We also know fans crave real insights, so we’re already working on adding more meaningful player data – from pre-match previews and live statistics to post-match ratings – giving them a richer understanding of performance. With Follow Player, fans can finally track their football heroes in real time, and this is just the beginning. We’ll be expanding to basketball and hockey later this year, alongside more notification types and new ways to explore upcoming fixtures.”
The post Flashscore unveils ‘flagship enhancement of 2025’ with Follow Player feature appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Editor’s Take
Why this matters: Belatra has been a steady hand in the slots world for a long time, but 2025 marked a distinct shift in strategy. By entering the Crash vertical with Goose Boom Bang and winning big at SiGMA Africa, the studio is clearly pivoting to capture the high-growth, high-frequency players in emerging markets. They are no longer just a “classic slots” developer; they are diversifying the portfolio to ensure relevance in regions like LatAm and Africa.
The Full Story
Belatra Games, the specialist online slots developer, has issued a strategic review of its 2025 operations, celebrating a 12-month period defined by entry into new game verticals, significant franchise expansion, and high-profile industry recognition.
The year was characterized by a dual strategy: deepening engagement in established markets while aggressively expanding its content portfolio to suit local preferences in emerging territories.
Portfolio Evolution: Crash and Battles 2025 saw Belatra move beyond its traditional slot roots. The company made its debut in the high-demand Crash game vertical with the launch of Goose Boom Bang, a title designed to tap into the fast-paced gameplay preference of younger demographics.
Additionally, the studio introduced a fresh game concept with the launch of Battles, a new format unveiled for the first time in 2025, with further development planned for 2026.
The ‘Mummyverse’ Expands For fans of classic slots, the highlight of the year was the aggressive expansion of the Mummyverse. Belatra nearly doubled the size of this franchise over the year, making it the most extensive game universe in their entire catalog.
The developer also focused on B2B localization, releasing a number of exclusive bespoke games created specifically for selected operator partners to meet specific local market tastes.
Awards and Recognition The company’s strategic shifts were validated by industry accolades. Belatra secured over 30 nominations throughout the year, with standout wins including:
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Best Slot Provider (awarded by BitStarz).
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Most Played Game of 2025 for Make It Gold at the SiGMA Africa Awards.
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Player’s Pick Award.
Management Commentary Misha Voinich, Head of Business Development at Belatra, commented on the studio’s momentum:
“This year has truly defined who we are as a studio – ambitious, creative and focused on building long-term partnerships. We’ve expanded our universes, launched new ones and entered exciting new markets that will all help us carry this momentum into the New Year.”
The post From ‘Mummyverse’ to Crash Games: Belatra Reviews a Landmark 2025 appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.
Editor’s Take
Why this matters: The “Instant Game” vertical (Crash, Plinko, Mines) is becoming crowded, but Ebaka Games is cutting through the noise with a distinct brand personality. By securing BMM Testlabs certification so quickly after launch, they are signaling to Tier 1 operators that despite their “chaotic” marketing vibe, the math underneath is solid and compliant. The backing of industry veteran Dmitry Belianin also adds immediate commercial credibility to the startup.
The Full Story
Ebaka Games, the fledgling studio that promises to bring “chaos and soul” to the iGaming sector, has outlined an aggressive growth strategy for 2026 following a landmark launch period in late 2025.
The studio, which officially debuted in November, reports that its initial rollout reached more than five million people worldwide. The launch saw its portfolio go live with the operator Menace, serving as the initial testbed for its mechanics and “Ebaka modes.”
The Product: Instant Games with Personality Ebaka is bypassing traditional slots to focus on the high-growth vertical of fast-paced, instant-win games. Their initial lineup includes:
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Plinko
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Mines
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Tower
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Limbo
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Crash
Differentiation is achieved through unique mascots and signature gameplay tweaks designed to offer high win potential and distinct visual identities, moving away from the generic interfaces often found in this genre.
Regulatory Milestone Crucially for its 2026 roadmap, Ebaka Games has confirmed it has secured certification from BMM Testlabs. This accreditation validates the fairness and integrity of its RNG (Random Number Generator) and game engines, removing a major barrier to entry for regulated markets. With this certification in hand, the studio plans to launch with a number of “major brands” in the coming year.
Management Commentary Vitalii Zalievskyi, CEO of Ebaka Games, commented on the studio’s unorthodox approach:
“It’s only been a few weeks since we first introduced Ebaka Games to the world. The feedback has been breathtaking, and it vindicates the decision for us to take a different path to the rest of the industry. You don’t need huge marketing budgets to grab people’s attention if you are building something truly innovative.”
Industry Backing The studio describes itself as being “created by players for players” but boasts significant industry firepower in its corner. The team includes Dmitry Belianin, a well-known figure in the sector who is the co-founder of Blask and Menace, as well as Managing Partner at Already Media.
The post ‘Chaos and Soul’: Ebaka Games Plots Global Expansion After Viral Launch appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.
Editor’s Take
Why this matters: British racing has a well-documented demographic problem; its core audience is aging. “Friday Night Live” is a direct attempt to fix this by blending high-stakes racing with the “experience economy” (DJs, nightlife vibes) that appeals to Gen Z and Millennials. Bringing SBK on board—a mobile-first, app-only sportsbook—is a perfect demographic fit, while the Racing Post adds the necessary credibility to ensure the actual racing product remains the focus.
The Full Story
Arena Racing Company (ARC) has unveiled the strategic commercial lineup for its upcoming Friday Night Live series, confirming SBK as the Exclusive Betting Partner and The Racing Post as the Official Media Partner.
Set to launch in January 2026, Friday Night Live is a new initiative created in collaboration with youth-focused events company INVADES. The series is designed to overhaul the traditional race day experience, featuring fast-paced fixtures under floodlights, DJ sets, and significant entertainment elements sandwiched between races.
The Commercial Deal
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SBK: As the exclusive betting partner, the Smarkets-owned sportsbook will take naming rights and on-course branding for all 35 races. Crucially, these races will be broadcast live on mainstream television via ITV Racing as well as Sky Sports Research.
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The Racing Post: As the Official Media Partner, the publication will provide content, coverage, and promotion across its digital platforms, aiming to bridge the gap between established racing purists and the new audience ARC hopes to attract.
A High-Stakes Experiment The series is not just a marketing exercise; it carries serious sporting weight. Each of the five scheduled nights will feature over £200,000 in prize money. The fixtures will rotate across three of ARC’s all-weather tracks: Wolverhampton, Newcastle, and Southwell.
Management Commentary David Leyden Dunbar, Group Director of Commercial Strategy at ARC, was clear about the target audience:
“We have been very clear that one of the aims of Friday Night Live is to engage the next generation of racing fans… Both [partners] have shown real enthusiasm to work with us… as well as using the platform that these fixtures will offer them to also engage with more established racing and sports fans.”
Adam Baylis, Marketing Director at SBK, added:
“Friday Night Live [is] a fresh and engaging concept that brings a new energy to British racing. SBK has always been built around sport… our focus is on enhancing the live race day experience in a fun, social and responsible way.”
The 2026 Schedule The series kicks off immediately in the new year:
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9th Jan: Wolverhampton
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6th Feb: Newcastle
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20th Feb: Southwell
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20th March: Wolverhampton
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27th March: Newcastle
The post Racing Meets Nightlife: SBK Backs ARC’s New ‘Friday Night Live’ Series appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.
