Latest News
Allwyn Announces New Leadership Team to Spearhead Delivery of the National Lottery
Allwyn has announced the new leadership team that will oversee the delivery of the Fourth National Lottery Licence, which begins on 1 February 2024, and the transformation of the National Lottery over the next decade.
Robert Chvàtal, Allwyn CEO who will handover the reins of the UK leadership to Andria Vidler in October, said: “This is a talented team with deep experience and a strong personal commitment to delivering the very best for communities across the UK through ever greater returns to Good Causes from The National Lottery. Andria and I look forward to working with them all over the coming years.”
From 1 October 2023, the new Allwyn leadership will be:
- Chief Executive Officer – Andria Vidler
- Chief Assurance and Participant Protection Officer – Gaby Heppner-Logan
- Chief Commercial Officer – Lucy Buckley
- Interim Chief Data Officer – Martin Novak
- Chief Financial Officer – Alan Artz
- Chief Operating Officer – Chris Lyman
- Chief People Officer – Sam Sheriff
- Chief Strategy and Corporate Affairs Officer – Alastair Ruxton
- Chief Technology Officer – Mark Smith
- General Counsel – Harry Willits
- Operations Director – Jenny Blogg
- Operations – Transformation Director – Eddie Bennett
- Technology – Transformation Director – Paul Lumb
Advisors to 4NL Executive team/3NL leadership representation to support transition and integration:
- Camelot and 3NL Co-CEOs – Neil Brocklehurst, Clare Swindell
The leadership team includes new recruits: Andria Vidler, whose appointment was announced in July; Alan Artz, who joined Allwyn in this summer from William Hill; Chris Lyman who will move from his role as CEO of Lotto New Zealand back to the UK to join Allwyn in October; and Mark Smith, currently Group Chief Technology Officer at ITV who joins in November.
Current Camelot co-CEOs, Neil Brocklehurst and Clare Swindell, are supporting the handover to the incoming Allwyn UK CEO Andria Vidler before their departure.
Robert Chvàtal added: “I’d like to express my huge thanks to Clare, Neil and all the Camelot leadership team for their sterling work over many years supporting The National Lottery. The National Lottery makes a huge contribution to communities across the UK through the money it generates for Good Causes. They have a great deal to be proud of. I wish them all the very best for the future.”
Olga Levshina, CCO at BGaming, said, “This deal with PokerStars will provide massive exposure for BGaming and help us strengthen our presence in key regulated markets.
PokerStars has built a strong reputation as a leading operator over the years, and we’re thrilled to bring our content to more players worldwide”.
The post BGaming Secures Major Deal with PokerStars appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Key Findings
- Nevada recorded the highest combined casino game search interest nationally, achieving a perfect 500/500 score in 2025, the only state to do so.
- Home to Las Vegas—the world-renowned center of casino gaming and entertainment—Nevada recorded casino game searches 181% above the national average last year, reinforcing the city’s dominance in gambling culture.
- Michigan led all legal online casino states for overall search interest across major casino game categories.
- The most-searched casino games nationwide were slots.
- Search interest across legal online casino states was closely matched last year, led by Michigan.
- The District of Columbia showed the lowest search interest, searching 38% below the national average.
Casino Game Online Search Results
| Game | Score
*Maximum 5,100 |
Search Interest |
| Slots | 2831 | 31.2% |
| Casino | 1717 | 18.9% |
| Roulette | 1607 | 17.7% |
| Poker | 1594 | 17.6% |
| Blackjack | 1329 | 14.6% |
Legal Online Casino States Where BetMGM Operates
| Legal Online Casino States | Casino Game Search Interest Score (Out of a total of 500) | National Ranking |
| Michigan | 172 | 20 |
| West Virginia | 171 | 21 |
| Pennsylvania & New Jersey | 169 | 22 |
Key Insights from Legal Online Casino States
Here are a few of the key findings from this research:
1. Slots Dominate Regulated Markets
Slots are the top-searched casino game in every legal online casino state except New Jersey, reinforcing slots as the primary driver of online casino interest in regulated U.S. markets.
2. New Jersey Stands Out with Roulette-Led Interest
New Jersey is the only legal online casino state where roulette outranked slots as the most searched game in 2025. This indicates a more diversified player base with a stronger interest in live dealer and table games.
3. Search Interest is Tightly Clustered Across Legal States
Michigan, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey all ranked closely together nationally (positions 20–22), with very similar search interest scores.
Methodology
BetMGM Casino analysed Google search trends to assess nationwide interest in casino games over a 12-month period, covering January 1 to December 31, 2025.
Search interest was measured across five core casino game categories:
- Casino
- Slots
- Poker
- Blackjack
- Roulette
Only the generic category terms (for example, “slots”, “poker”, and “casino”) were analyzed. No modifiers such as “online”, “real money”, or brand-specific keywords were included. This approach ensures the data reflects overall interest in casino games, rather than being influenced by regulatory differences, platform availability, or other variables in individual states. It is critical to note Google Trends is strongest when you compare high-volume, generic terms.
Google Trends scores were used to compare relative search interest by state, with values scaled from 0 to 100 per category, where 100 represents the highest level of search interest observed during the period analysed.
This methodology allows for a consistent, like-for-like comparison of casino game popularity across the United States, highlighting regional interest patterns and broader gambling trends rather than online-only behavior.
Play Your Favorite Online Casino Games at BetMGM
Whether you search for online slots, casino table games, or live dealer casino game experiences, you can find your favorite online casino games at BetMGM Casino.
When you sign up to enjoy any of these great games, you’ll also get access to great ongoing and limited-time promotions, as well as the BetMGM Rewards loyalty program that offers both online and in person benefits for BetMGM players.
The post BetMGM Reveals 2025’s Most Searched Casino Games appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Betsson Group
Betsson Group Celebrates Multiple Wins; Jesper Svensson Takes Home GGA 2026 Executive of the Year
At the close of Day 1 of ICE 2026 in Barcelona, the Global Gaming Awards (GGA) took place, celebrating outstanding achievements across the gaming industry. The awards recognise excellence across the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region and remain one of the most prestigious honours in the sector due to their commitment to transparency and industry credibility.
Jesper Svensson, CEO of Betsson Group, was recognised as Executive of the Year, underscoring the impact of his leadership over the past year. What makes this accolade particularly significant is that it is determined by senior leaders from across the international gaming industry. Being selected by peers who understand the complexity of steering a large-scale, multinational operator highlights the respect Jesper commands and reinforces the influence he continues to have on the sector. This follows his Outstanding Contribution to Gaming award at the SiGMA Euro-Med Awards 2025.
Alongside Jesper’s individual recognition, Betsson Group was also honoured with multiple accolades at the Global Gaming Awards 2026:
- Social Responsibility of the Year – Winner
- Affiliate Programme of the Year – 1st Runner-Up
- Sports Betting Operator of the Year – 2nd Runner-Up
These achievements build on Betsson Group’s strong performance in 2025 at the same awards, when the company also won Social Responsibility of the Year and was recognised as Runner-Up for Sports Betting Operator of the Year.
The Global Gaming Awards are widely regarded as a benchmark of excellence within the industry, supported by a respected voting panel composed of experienced executives from across the EMEA region and independently adjudicated by KPMG to maintain the highest standards of integrity.
The post Betsson Group Celebrates Multiple Wins; Jesper Svensson Takes Home GGA 2026 Executive of the Year appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
-
AI7 days agoPrimero Games Uses XGENIA for Their First AI-Generated Slot Game
-
Baltic Tech Week7 days ago
HIPTHER Baltics Announces Riga Event and Strategic Partnership with LexLegas
-
ALGS 2026 Championship7 days ago
S8UL Esports secures historic top five finish at ALGS 2026 Championship; bags INR 1 crore in prize money
-
Compliance Updates7 days ago
SEON Launches Identity Verification Built on Real-Time Fraud Intelligence
-
Latest News3 days ago
N1 Partners Hosts the N1 Puzzle Promo Grand Final and Reveals the Helicopter Winner at iGB Affiliate 2026 in Barcelona
-
Games Global3 days ago
Games Global and Stormcraft Studios extend the supernatural franchise with Immortal Romance: Sarah’s Secret Power Combo
-
Birgit Wimmer6 days ago
Birgit Wimmer Named Chairwoman as NOVOMATIC AG Reshapes Supervisory Board
-
Compliance Updates5 days ago
Dabble introduces GeoComply’s digital identity platform, achieving 90%+ KYC pass rates and gaining deeper fraud visibility through device and location intelligence
