Industry News
PokerStars Players Can “Level Up With Lex” with Innovative Personalised Poker Advice Videos
The PokerStars community will now be able to “level up” their poker strategy and hone their poker skills with the help of one of the most well-known faces in poker and a ground-breaking innovation from PokerStars.
“Level Up With Lex” with PokerStars Ambassador Lex Veldhuis provides clear, simple and personalised poker advice videos based on a player’s real money Spin & Go game, helping to improve their skills in a safe environment and create more winning moments.
Veldhuis’ tips are highly personalised to the player and focus on improvement and education. Each piece of advice is based on data generated by PokerStars’ proprietary machine learning platform, which reads and analyses hand histories to detect mistakes. Each is therefore correct and true to the individual’s actions at the table.
“Level Up With Lex aims to help the PokerStars community develop their skills in a unique way and I’m proud to be part of this innovation. Learning poker strategy as a beginner can be challenging as there’s so many resources out there, but Level Up With Lex gives clear and simple advice that’s easy to take on board, meaning players get the most out of their time at the tables. It’s taken a lot of hard work and effort and I’m looking forward to seeing players benefitting from this technology,” PokerStars Ambassador Lex Veldhuis said.
The personalised videos can be created by opting in on “The Rail” in the PokerStars software. The videos can then be viewed on The Rail or received via email or push notification if players have their poker communication preferences enabled in “settings”.
Severin Rasset, PokerStars Managing Director & Commercial Officer, Poker, Product and Innovation, said: “Personalisation of our players’ experience and making their time with us more beneficial is at the heart of this innovation. We wanted to give our players a seamless and interesting way to improve and learn. When people are improving and progressing their skills, they generally enjoy the experience more and this is great for the game. This is the first large-scale, consumer facing use of AI for online poker and we are truly excited to bring this to our players who get the benefit of learning from Lex and one of the most sophisticated tools in online gaming.”
PokerStars recognised and invested in the potential of machine learning early on and its proprietary technologies have been active for some time. Today, they are an important tool to vigorously police poker tables to protect the integrity of the game, ensure a level playing field for all and enhance the customer experience.
Lex is one of the most well-known and successful faces in poker and has the biggest poker stream on Twitch. He has had big scores in major tournaments like the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) and the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) and has a personal record of a massive 58,543 concurrent viewers watching his stream in the 2020 SCOOP Main Event High.
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branded content
RubyPlay launches Firerose studio for operator-specific casino games
RubyPlay has launched Firerose, a new studio aimed at building operator-specific casino game experiences, as suppliers and operators push for more branded content to stand out in crowded markets.
The company said Firerose is designed to let operators combine RubyPlay’s existing game catalogue with the studio’s technology and creative resources, using operator-led insight to shape games around an operator’s brand identity rather than standardised supplier content.
RubyPlay said Superbet is among the first operators to launch Firerose-powered titles. The supplier did not disclose game names or specific performance figures, but said early results showed “strong engagement metrics”.
Firerose becomes part of RubyPlay’s multi-studio structure alongside Koala Games, Mad Hat Games, Ruby Studio, and Xslots, which the company said share technology, infrastructure and distribution.
Dima Reiderman , Chief Commercial Officer at RubyPlay, said: ”Firerose represents a deliberate shift in how we think about content creation and partnership. The market is no longer driven solely by volume, but by identity. Operators want experiences that feel native to their brand and help them clearly differentiate in increasingly competitive casino environments.”
Dr. Eyal Loz, CPO at RubyPlay, added: “Firerose was created to put the operator’s voice at the centre of the creative process. Every game starts with their brand, their audience and their story, and our role is to bring that to life through the full weight of RubyPlay’s creative capabilities.
“We’re shaping experiences that players immediately associate with the operator itself. That level of ownership is what allows operators to stand out in increasingly crowded casino environments.”
The post RubyPlay launches Firerose studio for operator-specific casino games appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Expanse Studios
Expanse Studios Launches Proprietary Jackpot and Tournament System
Expanse Studios, a subsidiary of Meridian Holdings Inc., announced the deployment of proprietary jackpot and tournament mechanics across its portfolio, providing B2B operator partners with engagement tools designed to enhance player entertainment value.
The system introduces two jackpot formats—Happy Hour Jackpot and Mystery Jackpot—alongside four tournament competition variants. Operators can control prize structures, scheduling parameters and promotional configurations through platform interfaces.
Happy Hour Jackpot provides scheduled jackpot events aligned with operator promotional strategies, enabling coordinated marketing campaigns and player communication around jackpot opportunities.
Mystery Jackpot delivers multi-tier progressive prize mechanics integrated into gameplay, with operator-configurable prize values and event parameters that support diverse promotional objectives.
Tournament mechanics include four competition formats:
• Bonus Buy tournaments create competitive environments for players who choose to engage with bonus purchase features, with scoring designed to reward strategic gameplay decisions.
• Spin Count tournaments track player activity across gameplay sessions, offering multiple entry opportunities and achievement-based progression that accommodates different play styles.
• Combo tournaments combine multiple competition elements, enabling operators to design promotional events that appeal to diverse player preferences and gaming behaviours.
• Time-based tournaments operate within defined promotional windows, allowing players to participate according to their own schedules while competing for tournament prizes.
“Content providers increasingly compete on operational capabilities, not just game quality. This positions our portfolio as solutions-oriented infrastructure that helps operators execute diverse promotional strategies while maintaining control over player engagement parameters,” said Damjan Stamenkovic, CEO of Expanse Studios.
Tournament formats integrate with game interfaces through standardised promotional systems designed to enhance entertainment value while providing operators with promotional flexibility.
For Expanse Studios, the deployment strengthens competitive positioning in B2B partnerships where operators increasingly evaluate content providers based on promotional feature capabilities in addition to game performance metrics.
The post Expanse Studios Launches Proprietary Jackpot and Tournament System appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
AI
Former German Air Force officer launches Sparky Space AI platform for iGaming teams
Nils Ristau and Daniel Schmitz debut a work enablement platform aimed at day-to-day execution across product, retention and AI adoption.
Sparky Space, a new AI-powered work enablement platform founded by former German Air Force officer Nils Ristau and tech leader Daniel Schmitz, has launched and is now available globally for iGaming operators and suppliers.
The founders are positioning the product around execution support inside daily workflows as teams face tighter regulatory demands, faster product cycles and higher player expectations. The company cited industry research suggesting only 10-20% of learning is consistently applied in day-to-day work, creating a gap between training and on-the-job outcomes.
“In military operations, performance depends on clarity, structure, and disciplined execution in changing environments,” said Ristau. “The iGaming industry operates under similar pressure.
“Competitive advantage does not come from knowledge alone – it comes from how effectively teams apply it every day.”
Sparky Space said its platform supports areas including product development, player retention and AI adoption, with use cases spanning customer-centric experimentation, agile product and game development, decision-making and prioritisation, practical generative AI prompting, and cross-functional collaboration. The company said the tools are intended to help teams launch features, respond to regulatory change, and optimise marketing and support processes.
While initially focused on iGaming, Sparky Space said it has been built for broader use in other fast-moving, technology-driven industries.
Relevant data as follows:
- Sparky Space: https://www.sparkyspace.com Official company site for product and launch details.
- UK Gambling Commission: https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk Regulatory context referenced in the article’s discussion of increasing compliance pressure.
- Malta Gaming Authority: https://www.mga.org.mt Key European regulator relevant to operators and suppliers navigating shifting regulation.
The post Former German Air Force officer launches Sparky Space AI platform for iGaming teams appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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