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Anzu.io Raises $9 Million To Fuel Expansion of the World’s Most Advanced In-Game Advertising Platform

Published

5 years ago

February 2, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Anzu, the global advertising platform dedicated to gaming, has announced $9 million in new funding. The round was co-led by BITKRAFT Ventures and HBSE Ventures, with participation from the world’s largest marketing services organization WPP and Sony Innovation Fund, the investment arm of one of the world’s largest gaming groups and the owner of PlayStation, as well as Alumni Ventures Group, the leading LGBT+ VC Gaingels, iconic baseball team The Chicago Cubs, Goal Ventures, and prominent angel investors Marc Merrill, Co-Founder, Co-Chairman, and former Co-CEO of Riot Games and Dylan Collins, Co-Founder and CEO of SuperAwesome, the industry’s leading kid-safe ad platform recently acquired by Epic Games. This funding will be used to catalyze Anzu’s commercial growth and fuel sales and marketing activities to propel the company forward on a global scale. The investors will act as strategic partners and Anzu will remain an independent company.

The gaming industry is now larger than the music and film industries combined and is expected to reach approximately $257 billion by 2025. Brands have recognized the potential of gaming and have finally begun to venture into gaming as an advertising channel. “Gaming is one activity that has exploded over the past year and increasingly an important advertising channel,” said WPP CEO Mark Read. “In partnership with Anzu, together with our agencies, we can make it simpler for them to reach the growing audience in the esports and gaming space.”

Operating across console, PC, and mobile platforms, Anzu’s state-of-the-art programmatic technology blends real-world ads into the highest quality video games, esports tournaments, and live streams, enhancing games’ realism and transforming game objects into valuable advertising opportunities. Clients include game publishers Ubisoft, Lion Castle, and Nacon and global brands Pepsico, Samsung, American Eagle, and Vodafone.

“Anzu has been delivering the technology they promised and growing their industry footprint. We are excited to join this funding round and support Anzu, entering a new phase of growth in in-game advertising. The company’s gamer-first attitude will enable developers to access new business models and bring advertisers closer to gamer audiences without disturbing gameplay,” says Gen Tsuchikawa, CEO and Chief Investment Officer at Innovation Growth Ventures, Sony Innovation Fund.

With battle-tested technology in place, Anzu’s roadmap includes new products that will complement and amplify its core technology. Planned expansion to the U.S., starting with Los Angeles and New York, as well as to Singapore, China, and other core locations will strategically position Anzu globally, facilitating opportunities to network and nurture relationships with global game developers and local advertisers critical to Anzu’s growth.

“We are proud to have global leaders in advertising, entertainment, gaming, esports, and venture capital invest in Anzu’s next stage of growth,” says Itamar Benedy, Co-Founder and CEO at Anzu. “These trailblazers are the perfect combination of strategic partners to help us maintain our dominating position as we enter 2021.”

“Since our initial investment, the Anzu team has built the most sophisticated platform to deliver blended in-game advertisement at scale in the higher-end games segment. The impressive line up of game integrations combined with brands executing unique campaigns on the platform has validated Anzu’s market position and technology. We are proud to invest alongside this stellar group of co-investors and look forward to seeing the Anzu team continue to redefine in-game advertisement!” says Jens Hilgers, Founding General Partner at BITKRAFT.

bet365

Octoplay launches with bet365 in the UK

Published

23 minutes ago

May 8, 2026

Wladimir P.

Octoplay has gone live with bet365 in the United Kingdom, adding the operator to its roster of tier-one partners in the regulated UK market.

The supplier said the bet365 rollout follows recent UK launches with Virgin Bet and BetVictor as it expands distribution with major local brands.

Outside the UK, Octoplay pointed to recent go-lives with Paf in Finland, PokerStars in Spain and Italy, and Superbet in Brazil.

“Our partnership with bet365 represents another step in our accelerating UK expansion,” says Ralitsa Georgieva, CEO at Octoplay. “Working with one of the industry’s most recognized operators validates our approach and builds on the momentum we’ve established through successful integrations with leading UK brands throughout 2025.”

“We are pleased to partner with Octoplay and introduce their game portfolio to our UK players,” says Clement Le Scanff, Head of Gaming at bet365. “Their focus on quality content and player engagement aligns with our commitment to providing the best entertainment to our customers.”

Octoplay said it holds active licenses in 17 jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom, Malta, Romania, Sweden, Slovakia, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Greece, Spain, Finland, Brazil, New Jersey, Michigan, Ontario, and Georgia.

The post Octoplay launches with bet365 in the UK appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Barcelona Technology Campus

Zitro Achieves ISO 27001 Recertification at its Barcelona Technology Campus

Published

23 minutes ago

May 8, 2026

Wladimir P.

zitro-achieves-iso-27001-recertification-at-its-barcelona-technology-campus

Zitro has successfully renewed its ISO 27001 certification for the Information Security Management System (ISMS) at its Barcelona Technology Campus. This achievement, framed within the company’s ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) commitments, reinforces its ongoing commitment to cybersecurity and ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and availability of sensitive customer and employee data.

ISO 27001 is part of the ISO 27000 family of international standards for information security. This framework enables organisations to identify risks, implement effective controls and ensure information protection in line with global best practices, while also ensuring compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

For Zitro, this recertification confirms the rigorous and continuous work the company carries out in the field of information security. The Barcelona Technology Campus—dedicated to the development of software and hardware for the gaming industry—maintains the highest standards, and this recognition reflects the level of commitment embedded across all its processes.

The post Zitro Achieves ISO 27001 Recertification at its Barcelona Technology Campus appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Asia

Kazakhstan Orders Telecom Providers to Block Illegal Online Casino Payments via Mobile Balances

Published

23 minutes ago

May 8, 2026

Wladimir P.

kazakhstan-orders-telecom-providers-to-block-illegal-online-casino-payments-via-mobile-balances

Kazakhstan authorities have moved to tighten controls on illegal online gambling payments after uncovering schemes that use mobile phone balances to fund unlicensed casino activity.

The Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA) issued instructions to telecom providers to strengthen monitoring and introduce systems to detect and block suspicious transactions.

According to the FMA, mobile operators including Tele2, Altel, Beeline, Kcell and Activ were called to a working meeting where regulators demonstrated how illicit payment flows to online casinos are being processed.

To verify the issue, the FMA carried out test purchases across 10 illegal online casino websites using services from all major mobile operators. The tests confirmed that payments via mobile balances were possible.

The agency stated that the goal is to cut off financial access to illegal operators and reduce public exposure to unregulated platforms. Further enforcement actions are expected as monitoring continues.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan is preparing to significantly tighten rules on the promotion of illegal gambling. A group of senators is advancing an initiative to introduce criminal penalties for influencers who advertise online casinos and organise “giveaways.”

In related developments, a Kazakhstani influencer has recently been arrested in Vietnam on suspicion of running an illegal gambling operation.

Furthermore, the country is also restricting citizens’ access to legal gambling options, indicating a broader anti-gambling stance towards locals while still pursuing gambling tourism.

Lawmakers introduced rules restricting access to casinos, slot machine halls and betting venues in several regions to foreign nationals only. The changes will take effect on 17 May.

In March, President Tokayev signed a law establishing four new gambling zones for foreigners in the country.

The post Kazakhstan Orders Telecom Providers to Block Illegal Online Casino Payments via Mobile Balances appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.