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Sergio Aguero: The history of the FA Cup meant it was always a special competition to play in

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Stake’s global representative, Sergio Aguero, reveals his memories of playing in the FA Cup, why it was a special competition for him to win, how Pep Guardiola will keep his players motivated against Peterborough in their fifth round tie, and what this side could achieve this season.

The FA Cup has an amazing history and I am proud to have won the competition 

The FA Cup was always one of my favourite competitions to play in because of its history and because of the many famous players and teams to have won it.

When I was living in Spain and here in Argentina, everyone knew about the competition and its history.

We came so close to winning the FA Cup in 2013 but were beaten by Wigan in the final. It was hard for us because we had a very good team, Carlos Tevez, Yaya Toure, David Silva, Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta all started that game.

But we were all very new to the club and it was only the start of our journey. I think we did okay in the end!

We were back at Wembley for my second FA Cup final in 2019 and that day went much better for us when we beat Watford.

We were so happy to win it and to be a part of FA Cup history was a very proud moment for me.

The tradition of the FA Cup is one of my favourite things about the competition, it was fun to meet Prince William to get my medal after the game and the celebrations with the fans afterwards was so special.

Everyone says that the FA Cup is magical and it is true, it was always really fun to play in and you felt proud to represent your team in the competition.

The day we played in the FA Cup was

always special because there was so much excitement in the team and the fans were always extra happy to see us play well.

Playing teams in lower divisions in the FA Cup is harder than you think, so Pep will have the City players focused ahead of the Peterborough match 

Not many people know how hard it is to play in the FA Cup. In England, you play a lot of matches and a lot of competitions, but as a player, it’s really exciting because you have the chance to try and win lots of different competitions, and winning finals is something that you are always proud of as a footballer, which means every game is important.

To get to the final you have to play against lots of different teams and some new ones that you might not have ever played against before. Playing against new teams and new players and at new stadiums is always hard because you don’t know 100% what you’re going to be playing against. We watch the teams in the Premier League and Champions League a lot and we all have friends and international teammates that play for them, but when you draw a team in the FA Cup that you don’t regularly get to play against or know too much about, it’s always a difficult experience.

When we played against a new team or a side in a different division, we were always expected to win, but it’s not as easy as that. Every manager always made sure the preparation for an FA Cup game was exactly the same. The training was the same, we worked hard on our jobs for the match and we went into the game knowing what we had to do, it made no difference if it was the final or first round.

This is exactly what Pep Guardiola will be doing with the team this week. Pep is a winner and he hates to lose, you don’t win the number of trophies he has without this attitude. He will be making sure the Manchester City players are ready for the game against Peterborough in the same way as if it was any other match.

There’s added pressure on Manchester City to win in the FA Cup and Peterborough will look to familiar tactics to beat them 

When you are the team in a higher league and you have to travel to a team in a league below you it is difficult because the crowd are always so excited that their team might cause an upset and get to beat a Premier League team! When you get to the ground you are quickly aware that everyone really wants you to lose – the fans let you know when you arrive. It’s not just the

home crowd that are extra excited to see you lose, but it is everyone watching at home also, we know this and try not to think about it and focus on our job for the day.

We played against Wigan, again, in 2018 in the Cup at their stadium and it was one of the hardest matches. They defended so well and frustrated us, we had all of the possession and so many chances, but they scored late and knocked us out, that’s how it is in knockout football. If Peterborough think that they can win then they should watch that game and do the same as Wigan did.

Peterborough will be tough for Manchester City because the team has just travelled to Portugal in the Champions League, had a tough game against Tottenham, then they’ll play away in the Premier League threes days before the match and then they have to play Manchester United after the FA Cup game, but the team has so many good players in every position and everyone is used to this way of playing now.

Manchester City are hungry to win every competition 

At Manchester City, we wanted to win everything, every match and every trophy, and that will always be the case at the club now. I think Manchester City are in a great place to win the Premier League again, they also have a good chance in the FA Cup and in the Champions League too, but this might be competitive, but I think it is possible that they win all three. Winning a treble like this would be a huge achievement and they have a team and manager that can do it this season.

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G Gate Awards 2026

N1 Partners in Three G Gate Awards Nominations

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N1 Partners has been shortlisted for the G Gate Awards 2026 in three categories. Following the first round of voting, N1 Partners remains in the race for victory in the following nominations:

  • iGaming Advertiser of the Year
  • PR Campaign of the Year
  • Event of the Year

Reaching the final stage of the G Gate Awards 2026 reflects N1 Partners’ key achievements over the past year, including the growth of its affiliate program and product portfolio, the launch of the N1 Puzzle Promo with a €500,000 prize pool, and the organisation of the “Because We Can” Grand Final during iGB Affiliate Barcelona.

The second and final voting round is now open and will run until June 22. The winners of the awards will be determined at this stage, and every vote counts.

How to Vote for N1 Partners

Supporting N1 Partners in the final round takes just a few clicks:

  1. Visit the G Gate Awards website.
  2. Select N1 Partners in the following categories:
    • iGaming Advertiser of the Year
    • PR Campaign of the Year
    • Event of the Year
  3. Click the “Vote” button.
  4. Enter your phone number.
  5. Confirm your vote via the incoming call or Telegram verification code.

Support N1 Partners at the G Gate Awards!

Each of these nominations reflects the work of the N1 Partners team, the trust of our partners, and the support of a community that continues to grow alongside the company.

There is not much time left until the final voting stage closes.

Your vote is very important — thank you for the support!

Why work with N1 Partners

  • 14+ casino and sportsbook brands with high Reg2Dep 
  • 10+ Tier-1 GEOs
  • CPA up to €700 and RevShare up to 55% + NNCO for top partners

Be number one with N1!

The post N1 Partners in Three G Gate Awards Nominations appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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N1 Partners x RAZE Case: ROI+ in Canada within 3 Days

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Gambling traffic in Tier-1 markets rarely forgives mistakes. Especially when it comes to Facebook, where CPM costs are high, auction volatility is significant, and testing is expensive.

This was exactly the challenge the RAZE team faced when entering the Canadian market together with N1 Partners in spring 2026. The goal of the campaign was not just volume — the team needed to find a setup capable of maintaining FTD quality, preserving ROI, and scaling in one of the most expensive iGaming GEOs on the market.

In this case study, N1 Partners and RAZE will explain:

  • why only 2 out of 10 tested slots remained profitable;
  • how the acquisition strategy for Tier-1 Facebook was built;
  • how the N1 Partners funnel influenced conversion rates;
  • and what helped maintain ROI during scaling.

Initial Data

GEO: Canada

Vertical: Gambling (iGaming)

Traffic type: Facebook (PWA) 

Campaign period: April, 20 – May, 8 

Goal: FTD + ROI

Volume (FTD): ~300 deposits

N1 Partners brands: N1 Bet, RollXO, Slot Lounge, Slot Mafia, Lucky Hunter, Retro Bet и Goldex Casino

N1 Partners comment: At the start, we decided not to limit ourselves to a single brand and tested seven brands simultaneously to identify combinations with the highest conversion rates and profitability for the RAZE team’s approach. This allowed us to collect a larger data sample and thoroughly analyse traffic behaviour across our brands.

The main challenge remained traffic quality. In Tier-1 GEOs, generating deposits alone is not enough — it is crucial to understand how traffic performs over time and how players behave after making their first deposit.

Additionally, RAZE had limited historical data on running N1 offers in Canada, which created uncertainty regarding which approach, slot, and “creative + funnel” combination would deliver the best projected ROI.

Why Canada?

Canada was chosen as one of the most stable Tier-1 GEOs for the gambling vertical due to its highly solvent audience, large Facebook traffic volume, and consistent demand within the niche.

Another factor was the state of the Facebook auction. During the campaign period, competition in Canada was lower than in several other English-speaking GEOs, allowing for more comfortable CPMs and faster scaling of successful setups.

However, along with volume came the primary Tier-1 challenge — the high cost of mistakes. As a result, the team deliberately avoided a single-offer strategy and opted for broad testing instead.

RAZE Strategy

Facebook PWA is the core traffic source and key media-buying specialization for the RAZE team.

To begin, the team requested a list of top-performing slots for Canada from N1 Partners and analyzed them using spy tools: which approaches were already active in the auction, what mechanics competitors were using, and which creatives were generating the highest CTR.

N1 Partners comment: Along with a list of top-performing slots, the RAZE team received recommendations regarding Canadian audience specifics, target metrics, and minimum data thresholds required to evaluate traffic quality from N1 Partners. This enabled RAZE to build tests based on advertiser-focused metrics rather than operating blindly.

A custom funnel featuring N1 Partners bonuses was also created.

At the same time, three optimisation models were launched:

  • Auto Bid
  • Min CPA Cap (when triggered, budgets were aggressively scaled up to ~$10,000+ for optimal delivery)
  • Max Bid

The primary goal was to quickly determine which model provided the best buying control and allowed Facebook’s algorithm to learn most effectively under expensive Tier-1 traffic conditions.

N1 Partners’ involvement extended beyond simply providing offers and slots.

N1 Partners comment: In addition to recommendations regarding top slots and audience specifics, it was important for us to evaluate how partner traffic interacted with different brands. Therefore, from the very beginning, we established profitability benchmarks and KPIs that became our key reference points after the first tests.

One of the main characteristics of Tier-1 Facebook traffic was its inconsistency even within high-quality traffic segments. Because of this, campaigns could not be evaluated too early — the algorithm needed sufficient time to accumulate data.

This later became one of the key factors behind the campaign’s success.

RAZE Strategy Analysis

At launch, the RAZE team tested 10 slots from N1 Partners. The slots were analyzed through spy tools to determine which creatives were running and which approaches were currently trending.

After evaluating the feasibility of each approach, the team selected 2 slots and developed custom creatives based on identified patterns.

However, initial tests revealed that most hypotheses were not economically viable.

Only two slots from the N1 Bet brand remained profitable:

  • Gates of Olympus 1000
  • Coin Volcano

 

Examples of Coin Volcano creatives that were used

Approaches That Worked and Why

The Coin Volcano funnel delivered the best results in terms of the traffic-to-FTD conversion path.

N1 Partners comment: From the N1 product side, this performance was further supported by the funnel structure itself: users were sequentially presented with a welcome bonus, available payment methods, and the most popular games for their region.

On the N1 Partners side, the team evaluated not only the final number of deposits but also the efficiency of the entire funnel. Average campaign performance reached 39.83% for Click-to-Registration (Click2Reg) and 37.99% for Registration-to-Deposit (Reg2Dep). This made it possible to identify specific buyer–creative–product combinations with strong potential for further scaling.

As a result, users understood the offer faster and the overall setup became more cohesive. This is especially important in Tier-1 GEOs, where the cost of mistakes at every stage is significantly higher.

      

PWA and landing page design featuring the advertiser’s bonus offer

N1 Partners comment: One of the key success factors was a properly structured funnel. The landing page focused exclusively on essential information and guided users through a clear post-registration flow: a welcome bonus as the primary hook, payment methods, top regional games, and continued interaction with the product.

Additionally, the N1 Partners team continuously monitored page loading speed and technical landing page performance to minimise traffic losses before registration.

Creatives and Approaches

During testing, the team experimented with several approaches:

  • video creatives
  • reaction-style scenarios
  • offline casino aesthetics
  • classic static ads

However, nearly all complex approaches underperformed compared to simple static creatives.

The best-performing setups were the most straightforward combinations: slot + bonus + winnings + clear CTA.

Static creatives offered lower installation costs, enabling faster offer changes, slot rotation, and testing of new angles without rebuilding production assets from scratch. As a result, most of the budget was ultimately shifted toward static creatives.

Scaling and Optimization

Initially, the team tested three acquisition models simultaneously: Auto Bid, Min CPA Cap, and Max Bid. The primary focus was not only deposit cost but also FTD quality, which meant decisions were made only after collecting sufficient data.

Working Approaches

    • Min CPA Cap + aggressive scaling.
      Once a stable CPA was achieved, budgets were increased aggressively, reaching approximately $10K in some cases. This allowed the team to capture volume while maintaining ROI.
  • GEO segmentation.
    English-speaking provinces with lower CPMs delivered the strongest performance.
  • Time-based optimisation.
    Most conversions occurred during evenings and weekends, so budgets were allocated more aggressively during those periods.
  • Delayed campaign evaluation.
    Traffic quality improved after 30-40 deposits, so campaigns were not shut down prematurely. N1 Partners analytics played a major role here.
    The product team analysed performance by individual buyers and setups, allowing them to assess traffic quality more deeply than standard CPA or initial deposit metrics and provide timely recommendations regarding scaling or stopping campaigns.
N1 Partners comment: Across numerous tests, we observed that campaigns generating 40+ FDs were significantly more likely to deliver stable profitability. Prematurely stopping campaigns with limited volume often resulted in shutting down potentially strong setups before the algorithm had fully learned.

At the same time, aggressive scaling only worked for proven setups. Increasing budgets too early caused CPM and CPA to rise faster than the volume of quality deposits.

N1 Partners comment: Before launch, we established the following profitability benchmarks:

  • Week 1 → >30% DepSum/Payout
  • Week 2 → >45%
  • Week 3 → >50–55%
  • Week 4 → >65–70%

Average deposit count: from 2.2.

Players with only one deposit: no more than 70%.

This enabled us, as the advertiser, to receive traffic of the required quality while allowing the partner to maintain profitability during scaling.

Where Profit Was Lost

  • Only 2 out of 10 tested slots remained profitable, meaning part of the budget was spent on ineffective tests.
  • Video and reaction-based approaches lost to simple static creatives featuring slots and bonuses.
  • Premature scaling of weak ad sets increased CPM and CPA without improving FTD quality.
  • Some campaigns were stopped before Facebook had enough time to complete its learning phase.

Campaign Results

Over 18 days, the team achieved:

  • FTD Volume: ~300 deposits
  • Traffic: 2,659 installs
  • CTR: 0.9–1%
  • CPC: $2.5–4
  • CPA: $140–156
  • Best Optimization Model: Min CPA Cap + aggressive budget scaling

Positive ROI was achieved as early as the third day of traffic acquisition.

After the first 30 deposits, the team stabilized at approximately 30 daily FTDs and, on some days, reached up to 50 deposits despite account bans and market turbulence.


Ad Account #1


Ad Account #2

Day 1 of Ad Campaign

Day 3 of Ad Campaign

One of the key success factors from the N1 Partners side was the continuous feedback exchange between the media-buying and product teams.

N1 Partners comment: Simply acquiring players is not enough. For long-term cooperation, traffic profitability must work for both the advertiser and the buying team. Regular feedback and in-depth traffic analysis by buyer and setup enabled us to quickly determine which campaigns truly deserved scaling.

Case Takeaways

The RAZE × N1 Partners case once again proved that in Tier-1 markets, finding a strong creative or a winning slot alone is no longer enough.

Success comes only when several factors work together:

  • strong Facebook media buying;
  • deep traffic quality analytics;
  • an effective product funnel;
  • continuous data exchange between partner and advertiser;
  • scaling only validated setups.
N1 Partners comment: Even before launch, both teams established unified traffic quality criteria and scaling benchmarks. This approach accelerated decision-making, eliminated subjective evaluations, and helped focus on setups that were profitable for both parties.

FAQ: RAZE x N1 Partners Case Study

1. What was the main insight of the campaign?

The main insight was that in Tier-1 GEOs, you cannot rely solely on creatives or bidding. Canadian traffic is expensive, and if your funnel fails to meet user expectations, you start losing money.

We succeeded through a comprehensive approach: we took top-performing slots from the advertiser, validated them using spy tools, filtered out weak hypotheses through testing, built a custom funnel around a specific slot, and only then began scaling.

Ultimately, we realised that the right funnel can be just as important as the creative itself. It directly impacts FTD quality and overall profitability. “— Artem Mayskiy, Team Lead at Media Buying, RAZE.

2. What surprised you during launch?

What surprised us was how traffic quality improved with scale. Initial deposits do not always provide an objective picture: campaigns may appear unstable, CPA fluctuates, and at that point the temptation to stop everything is very strong.

However, traffic quality turned out to be better than expected. After 30-40 deposits, it became clear that the algorithm was finding the right audience much more effectively. That was a very important signal for us.” — Artem Mayskiy, Team Lead at Media Buying, RAZE.

3. What is scalable from this campaign and what is not?

From the advertiser’s perspective, it is crucial to monitor profitability benchmarks and quickly disable underperforming traffic. Before launch, we agreed with our partner on minimum acceptable traffic thresholds and adhered to them.

The percentage of players making only a single deposit (without repeats) could not exceed 70%. By strictly following these metrics during testing, we received traffic of the quality we required as an advertiser, while the partner maintained profitability.” — Alexey Gusarov, Team Lead of Affiliates, N1 Partners.

4. One piece of advice for affiliates and the market.

Don’t stop campaigns too early. Keep driving installs and determine your acceptable deposit and install costs. This allows you to evaluate any funnel objectively and make informed decisions rather than guessing. It’s also important not to spread yourself too thin.

We tested 10 slots, but only 2 remained in active use. Growth started when we stopped distributing budget across numerous hypotheses and focused on setups that had already demonstrated proven audience interest.

It’s better to fully optimise one working funnel than to superficially test ten.” — Artem Mayskiy, Team Lead at Media Buying, RAZE.

It’s important not only to monitor your own metrics as an advertiser but also to understand your partner’s needs.

Everyone talks about win-win relationships between advertisers and media-buying teams, but in practice, this only works when both sides genuinely understand each other’s objectives and make decisions based on overall traffic economics rather than isolated metrics.

This approach is exactly what allowed the team to become profitable by the third day and maintain stable volume in one of the market’s most expensive GEOs.”Alexey Gusarov, Team Lead of Affiliates, N1 Partners.

Subscribe to the RAZE team on Telegram, where they share fresh case studies, campaign results, proven setups, and scaling insights based on real-world experience rather than theory.

Work with N1 Partners and scale gambling traffic alongside a team that helps build long-term profitable setups:

  • 14+ casino and sportsbook brands with strong Reg2Dep performance
  • 10+ Tier-1 GEOs
  • CPA up to €700 and RevShare up to 55% + NNCO for top partners

Be Number One with N1!

The post N1 Partners x RAZE Case: ROI+ in Canada within 3 Days appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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G Gate Awards 2026

N1 Partners in Three G Gate Awards Nominations

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N1 Partners has been shortlisted for the G Gate Awards 2026 in three categories. Following the first round of voting, N1 Partners remains in the race for victory in the following nominations:

  • iGaming Advertiser of the Year
  • PR Campaign of the Year
  • Event of the Year

Reaching the final stage of the G Gate Awards 2026 reflects N1 Partners’ key achievements over the past year, including the growth of its affiliate program and product portfolio, the launch of the N1 Puzzle Promo with a €500,000 prize pool, and the organisation of the “Because We Can” Grand Final during iGB Affiliate Barcelona.

The second and final voting round is now open and will run until June 22. The winners of the awards will be determined at this stage, and every vote counts.

How to Vote for N1 Partners

Supporting N1 Partners in the final round takes just a few clicks:

  1. Visit the G Gate Awards website.
  2. Select N1 Partners in the following categories:
    • iGaming Advertiser of the Year
    • PR Campaign of the Year
    • Event of the Year
  3. Click the “Vote” button.
  4. Enter your phone number.
  5. Confirm your vote via the incoming call or Telegram verification code.

Support N1 Partners at the G Gate Awards!

Each of these nominations reflects the work of the N1 Partners team, the trust of our partners, and the support of a community that continues to grow alongside the company.

There is not much time left until the final voting stage closes.

Your vote is very important — thank you for the support!

Why work with N1 Partners

  • 14+ casino and sportsbook brands with high Reg2Dep 
  • 10+ Tier-1 GEOs
  • CPA up to €700 and RevShare up to 55% + NNCO for top partners

Be number one with N1!

The post N1 Partners in Three G Gate Awards Nominations appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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