Industry News
WH Partners Opens Office in Rome, Italy
WH Partners announced the opening of a new office in Rome, Italy. WH Partners Italy will operate under the leadership of Quirino Mancini and Andrea Marchetti.
Quirino Mancini is one of the leading Italian sports, media and gambling lawyers, having over 20 years of partner level experience. He acts for many online and land-based companies operating in Italy and internationally, advising them on legal, licensing, regulatory compliance and other operational matters. Andrea Marchetti is a seasoned corporate and M&A attorney with extensive experience across a wide range of industries including new technologies, energy and manufacturing. He has successfully advised clients on complex mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures, specialising in cross-border transactions.
This expansion marks the firm’s latest step in strengthening its European footprint.
“We are excited to launch WH Partners Italy and welcome Quirino, Andrea and the rest of the team to our firm. Our partnership is built on a long-standing professional relationship with them. We have worked with both Quirino and Andrea for many years and have been consistently impressed by their commitment to deliver outstanding results for clients. Recognizing that our clients need an evermore multi-jurisdictional approach, we believe this is a significant step forward in growing our firm’s international reach in a manner which strategically benefits our clients,” James Scicluna, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at WH Partners, said.
Quirino Mancini, Partner & Director of WH Partners Italy, said: “It is a true pleasure to join WH Partners, a firm known for its global outlook, forward thinking approach, and commitment to clients. The Italian legal market is complex and full of opportunities at the same time. I have worked closely with the WH Partners team for years; thus, our partnership is a natural fit, and we are excited to be able to service clients across multiple jurisdictions.”
Andrea Marchetti, Partner & Director of WH Partners Italy, added: “We’ve built a practice in Italy that’s adept at navigating the intricacies of both local and international legal landscapes, and now we have the opportunity to leverage WH Partners’ resources and experience to better serve our clients. We join a dynamic organization that values innovation to offer globally informed legal services. My partners and I look forward to establishing the Italy office as one key part of the firm’s international network.”
At the onset, WH Partners Italy team includes 3 partners: Quirino Mancini, Andrea Marchetti and Pietro Rossi, although the firm plans to progressively and organically grow its team in the coming months. The Rome office will provide a full range of legal services across corporate/M&A, commercial litigation, gaming and gambling, technology, insurance, real estate, banking & finance, intellectual property, insolvency & restructuring and corporate services. WH Partners Italy’s lawyers will work closely with WH Partners’ lawyers in other jurisdictions, as part of WH Partners’ multi-territory practice groups, servicing both domestic and international businesses.
WH Partners is a law firm with a strong focus on assisting businesses fuelling the digital economy and not only in the territories it operates in. It has offices in Malta, Italy, Romania and it operates Czech, Polish and UAE desks, as well as having a worldwide network of correspondent firms. The firm has a well-established practice advising clients on (in no particular order) fintech, gaming & gambling, corporate, M&A, tax, dispute resolution, corporate finance, intellectual property, data privacy and personal data processing, consumer protection & advertising, real estate, employment & immigration matters, sports, technology & media, competition & state aid.
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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.
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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.
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Belatra
Belatra marks 33 years with April anniversary campaign
The slots supplier says its portfolio now exceeds 150 games and highlights recent LatAm expansion from its Buenos Aires base.
Belatra is marking its 33rd birthday with an anniversary campaign running throughout April, the iGaming slots developer said.
The company said it was founded in 1993 and has since transitioned from building gaming machines for land-based casinos to producing digital content. Belatra added that its portfolio has grown to more than 150 games.
Belatra also pointed to its strategic Latin American headquarters in Buenos Aires as a key base for regional partnerships and growth.
Misha Voinich, Head of Business Development at Belatra, said: “We’re only just getting started, but birthdays provide the perfect chance to reflect on our successes and the path that’s brought us here. From launching our innovative ‘multi-universe’ content strategy to our rapid expansion in Latin America, the successful launch of our first Crash game, and multiple high-profile industry award wins — we are always developing, creating, and evolving. 33 years of innovation, dedication, and gaming excellence — and the best is yet to come.”
Belatra did not provide additional detail on upcoming releases or the timing of any new product announcements beyond saying updates will land during April.
The post Belatra marks 33 years with April anniversary campaign appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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