iGaming
Soft2Bet Powers NEXT Summit: New York as Headline Partner for Third Consecutive Year
New York has firmly established itself as the definitive US-focused iGaming and sports betting event on the East Coast. As one of the first major industry gatherings of the year, NEXT Summit: New York brings together senior leaders shaping the future of regulated gambling across North America and beyond.
Now entering its third year, the Soft2Bet – NEXT collaboration has evolved into a long-term strategic alliance, reflecting shared growth, stability, and a joint commitment to advancing meaningful industry dialogue. What began as headline sponsorship has matured into an ongoing partnership that has consistently elevated the Summit’s seniority, relevance, and commercial impact.
NEXT Summit: New York 2026 is expected to welcome more than 1,500 industry professionals, with a highly curated audience dominated by C-level executives, founders, and directors. The agenda will focus on regulation, market entry, M&A, player engagement, brand trust, and long-term value creation in regulated markets.
As Headline Partner, Soft2Bet’s collaboration with NEXT.io is designed to foster a collaborative environment for sharing market intelligence and strengthening professional ties across the iGaming ecosystem.
Senior Soft2Bet executives will play an active role in the programme:
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Andrew Cochrane, Chief Commercial Officer at Soft2Bet, will deliver a keynote session, drawing on over two decades of experience across regulated markets, international expansion, and commercial transformation.
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David Yatom Hay, General Counsel at Soft2Bet, will join a panel discussion exploring the evolving dynamics of player engagement, offering a legal and regulatory perspective on one of the industry’s most commercially critical challenges.
Pierre Lindh, Co-Founder and Managing Director of NEXT.io, said:
“Reaching a third year with Soft2Bet as our Partner says a lot about the strength and stability of this relationship. We’ve grown together, we’ve scaled together, and we share the same belief that meaningful industry progress comes from collaboration, not just visibility. Soft2Bet consistently shows up with insight, ambition, and a genuine commitment to moving the industry forward, which is exactly what NEXT Summit: New York stands for.”
Andrew Cochrane, Chief Commercial Officer at Soft2Bet, added:
“Our partnership with NEXT.io is built on alignment, not just sponsorship. We share a belief that sustainable growth in regulated markets comes from open dialogue, transparency, and collaboration across the ecosystem. Supporting NEXT Summit: New York for a third consecutive year reflects our commitment to contributing to the industry’s long-term development — bringing operators, suppliers, and regulators into the same room to exchange insight and raise standards together.”
Soft2Bet is widely recognised for its innovative iGaming product development, including its proprietary Motivational Engineering Gaming Application (MEGA), and its expanding footprint across regulated global markets. The continued headline partnership reinforces the company’s long-term commitment to North America and its active role in shaping the industry’s most important strategic conversations.
NEXT Summit: New York 2026 will also feature a dedicated side event, NEXT Focus: Emerging Verticals, alongside an expanded programme designed to maximise senior-level networking, deal-making, and knowledge exchange.
The post Soft2Bet Powers NEXT Summit: New York as Headline Partner for Third Consecutive Year appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Compliance
Xpoint rolls out pattern-analysis engine to flag coordinated bonus abuse
Xpoint has launched a proprietary pattern-analysis engine aimed at helping betting and gaming operators detect coordinated fraud, including organized bonus abuse and location spoofing. The company announced the product on 6th July 2026 and said it is currently rolling out with partners in North America.
Xpoint said the engine is designed to catch groups that cycle the same devices, accounts, and locations to farm sign-up bonuses and exploit promotions. Unlike conventional geolocation checks that assess each login in isolation, the new engine analyzes historical location activity to identify patterns that emerge over time.
As an example, Xpoint said the engine can flag groups of users that repeatedly appear together across locations, particularly where some members have previously been linked to location spoofing—signals the company associates with coordinated bonus-abuse rings. Xpoint added that the analysis runs in the background against historical data and is intended to avoid adding friction to the player journey.
The launch follows a new investment round earlier this year, which Xpoint said was dedicated to accelerating growth and supporting further product enhancement.
Manu Gambhir, CEO of Xpoint, said: “Attempts to defraud operators are becoming ever more coordinated and advanced, so operators need the best possible tools to spot areas of concern early.
“Our pattern-analysis engine examines historical data to uncover unusual patterns an operator needs to be aware of, without in any way adding friction to the player journey. It further underlines our commitment to innovative, adaptable compliance solutions for operators.”
The post Xpoint rolls out pattern-analysis engine to flag coordinated bonus abuse appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
central asia
Groove confirms attendance at SBC Summit Tbilisi 2026
Groove has confirmed it will attend SBC Summit Tbilisi 2026, scheduled for 15–16 July at the Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace, as it targets growth across Eastern European and Central Asian iGaming markets.
The conference is expected to draw more than 2,500 industry professionals, according to the company, following 2025’s record attendance with delegates from 44 countries. Groove said it will bring a full commercial delegation to pursue partnerships with regional operators.
Yahale Meltzer, Co-Founder and CEO of Groove, said: “Eastern Europe and Central Asia represent some of the most dynamic growth opportunities in iGaming today. SBC Summit Tbilisi is where the region’s decision-makers converge, and we are arriving with a platform built for scale, speed, and regulatory precision.” He added: “Our Unseen Architecture of predictive auto-scaling, atomic transactions, and a real-time compliance mesh ensures operators can launch fast and adapt locally, whether they are entering Georgia, the Balkans, the Baltics, or Central Asia.”
Meltzer also pointed to the SBC Regulators Summit as a factor in the company’s focus on the event, saying: “With regulation front and centre as a business-critical priority, and direct access to regulators through the SBC Regulators Summit, this event is where commercial realities are forged. Groove delivers the toolbox, the content, and the expertise to turn ambition into measurable growth.”
Ana Sokhadze, Operations Manager at Groove, who will lead the company’s presence in Tbilisi, said: “SBC Summit Tbilisi is the meeting point for the region’s most ambitious operators, affiliates, and technology suppliers. This is where high-value networking translates into real commercial opportunity.” She added: “We are not here to hand out brochures. We are here to have conversations that become partnerships.”
The post Groove confirms attendance at SBC Summit Tbilisi 2026 appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Business Development
Soft2Bet hires Ryan Collinge as EVP for business development and partnerships
Collinge joins as Executive Vice President – Group Business Development & Strategic Partnerships, bringing 20+ years across retail and online gaming.
Soft2Bet has appointed Ryan Collinge as Executive Vice President – Group Business Development & Strategic Partnerships, adding him to its senior leadership team.
In the role, Collinge will focus on supporting Soft2Bet’s growth plans and strengthening relationships with operators and entertainment brands, the company said.
Andrew Cochrane, Chief Commercial Officer at Soft2Bet, said: “Ryan brings the commercial judgement, industry relationships and operational experience needed to support Soft2Bet’s growth. His appointment strengthens our executive team as we expand our work with leading operators and global entertainment brands.”
Soft2Bet said Collinge brings more than 20 years of commercial, product and operational experience across retail and online gaming, including work with private equity-backed start-ups and multinational gaming groups. The company added that his background includes global sales, commercial strategy and business development, along with iGaming content, product development and studio management.
Soft2Bet also pointed to Collinge’s experience in the casino content vertical, which it said will support client needs analysis and solution optimization.
The post Soft2Bet hires Ryan Collinge as EVP for business development and partnerships appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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