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Virgin Bet Acts as Headline Sponsor for Easter Saturday Raceday at Musselburgh Racecourse
Virgin Bet has been announced as the headline Easter Saturday Raceday sponsor at Musselburgh Racecourse – ahead of one of the biggest days of racing in the Scottish calendar.
Featuring the £100,000 Queen’s Cup and The Scottish Sprint Cup – regarded as Scotland’s fastest race – The Virgin Bet Easter Saturday Raceday will see some of the country’s top horses, trainers and jockeys converge on the East Lothian course on March 30.
Bill Farnsworth, Racecourse Director with Musselburgh Racecourse, said: “In Virgin Bet we have a headline sponsor that matches our ambitions, to continue growing our Easter event and building its reputation as the pinnacle of horse racing in Scotland.
“We have a packed programme for avid racing fans. The £100,000 Virgin Bet Queen’s Cup, a Heritage Handicap staged over 1m 6f, is the feature race. With total prize money nudging £300,000, there is also a superb supporting card boasting contests such as the Virgin Bet Scottish Sprint Cup and Virgin Bet Silver Arrow, which are run over five-furlongs and seven-furlongs, respectively.
“Last year’s winner of the Queen’s Cup, Wise Eagle, went on to finish second in a Group 3 contest at Ascot while the 2022 hero Enemy was a close runner-up in a race in Saudi Arabia worth a whopping £1.2 million.
“The Scottish Sprint Cup attracts some of the fastest horses in the country, and twelve months ago, was won in blistering style by Silky Wilkie, who, just four weeks later, was just pipped by a short-head at Epsom on Derby Day. He was also second twice in Listed grade at Beverley and York.
“Musselburgh’s five-furlong track record was set in this race by 2018 winner Caspian Prince, who stopped the clock at 56.77sec, and meant he was travelling quicker than the cars on the adjacent road!
“Top jockey Hollie Doyle landed the 2019 renewal with Saheeq, who, like Caspian Prince, was trained by Mick Appleby. Last year’s Silver Arrow winner, Gweedore, was successful for the second year running, and his Galashiels trainer, Katie Scott, reports that she is preparing her stable star for the hat-trick!”
Ric Leask, Marketing Director at Virgin Bet, said: “We are thrilled to announce Virgin Bet as the headline sponsor for Easter Saturday Raceday at Musselburgh Racecourse.
“We are passionate about delivering an unparalleled sports betting experience, and there’s no better way to showcase this commitment than by supporting one of the biggest days of racing in the Scottish calendar.
“Musselburgh holds a special place in the hearts of racing enthusiasts, and we are excited to be a part of the excitement and tradition that the Easter Saturday Raceday brings.
“This sponsorship reflects our dedication to being a leading player in the horseracing world, and we’re delighted to continue to be deeply embedded within the highlight moments of the sport.”
Aisling Johnston, Head of Marketing and Business Development with Musselburgh Racecourse, said: “Easter Saturday is one of our biggest annual events that has grown over the years, gaining the royal seal of approval along the way.
“Virgin Bet coming on board is helping us to be even more ambitious with our plans, so that we can put on the perfect holiday weekend event for all manner of racegoers.
“This includes us expanding the off-track entertainment and hospitality offering. We believe it will be our best easter raceday to date.”
The post Virgin Bet Acts as Headline Sponsor for Easter Saturday Raceday at Musselburgh Racecourse appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Crash Games
ICONIC21 launches Arrow Chase, a continuous multiplayer multiplier game
ICONIC21 has launched Arrow Chase, a new iGaming title the supplier says is designed as a continuous experience rather than a round-based game.
The game is built around an arrow that “endlessly” moves across the screen towards multiplier blocks. ICONIC21 said players choose multiplier blocks to bet on and receive instant payouts when blocks are hit, with the experience running without “rounds, resets” or downtime.
ICONIC21 is also positioning Arrow Chase as a multiplayer product, with all players watching the same on-screen action at the same time. The company said the concept aims to combine timing-driven play associated with crash-style mechanics with a continuous flow.
Edvardas Sadovskis, Chief Product Officer at ICONIC21, said: “Every few years, something comes along that makes the industry stop and reconsider what a game can be. We believe Arrow Chase is one of those moments. We built something with no round, no reset, no interruption, because we believe that is what the next generation of players will come to expect. What comes after it is a conversation we are very much looking forward to having.”
ICONIC21 said Arrow Chase was informed by ongoing discussions with operator partners on player behaviour and demand, and suggested the format could evolve into a new category with naming still to be defined.
The post ICONIC21 launches Arrow Chase, a continuous multiplayer multiplier game appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Betina Todorova Smartico Partnerships Manager
Honoré Gaming and Smartico Join Forces to Drive Player Engagement
Honoré Gaming, the trailblazing online sportsbook platform and tech provider, has teamed up with Smartico, a specialist in CRM automation and gamification, to improve its player engagement and retention features.
In preparation for the expanded World Cup, the incorporation of Smartico’s sophisticated CRM solution transforms the Honoré Gaming platform into a holistic entertainment ecosystem, signifying a strategic advancement in its progression toward a more intelligent, automated, and player-focused future.
Smartico’s adaptable features will bolster Honoré Gaming’s broader goal of providing operators with top-tier tools to enhance revenue and improve customer analytics, establishing CRM as a fundamental element of its platform offerings. Intelligent interactions will be a crucial factor for achieving favorable outcomes in Honoré’s main markets in French-speaking Africa and Central America, where comprehending player behavior and providing pertinent interactions are vital for long-term growth.
Emphasizing gamification and automation, Honoré Gaming will implement tailored engagement strategies influenced by local market specifics, while adhering to the key elements that contribute to a platform’s success – from deposits to gameplay, winnings, withdrawals, and return play.
Honoré Gaming CEO, Christophe Casanova said: “Smartico’s CRM solution is a critical pillar in our mission to better serve our operators and end users. Our partners can now implement data-driven customer experiences that increase player LTV ahead of a major World Cup summer. The integration of Smartico’s AI-driven technology represents a pivotal shift in Honoré Gaming’s operational scale, transforming its analytical depth and redefining how the platform communicates and interacts with players.”
Betina Todorova, Smartico Partnerships Manager added: “We believe that the combined strengths of our AI-driven technology and Honoré Gaming’s platform will deliver significant value to operators. Working together across African and Central American markets will benefit local partners and ultimately create more engaging player experiences.”
The post Honoré Gaming and Smartico Join Forces to Drive Player Engagement appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
AI
SportVot raises $3.6m to expand sports production platform into Europe, US and West Asia
SportVot has raised $3.6m in a new investment round as it plans to expand across Europe, Australia, the United States, and West Asia. The company said the funding will support international growth and further development of its AI-led production and analytics capabilities.
The round was led by Indian Angel Network’s IAN Alpha Fund, with participation from Anicut Capital, SucSeed Indovation Fund, LVX (LetsVenture), Capital-A, and other global investors.
SportVot positions its platform as a unified workflow covering capture, production, distribution, and monetisation for competitions outside top-tier broadcast ecosystems. The company said its cloud-based setup supports remote production in real time and includes automated highlights, graphics, insights, multi-angle viewing, decision review systems, and virtual advertising.
The company lists customers and partners including Junior Super Kings (Chennai Super Kings’ Junior’s Tournament), All India Football Federation, Rugby India, the International Table Tennis Federation (Oceania) and the International Padel Federation. It said that since launching operations in 2025 in Australia it has worked with organisations including Table Tennis Australia, Table Tennis Queensland, Netball Victoria, the National Pickleball League and KommunityTV.
SportVot said it has delivered over 500,000 matches across its core markets, reaching more than 100 million viewers in 30+ countries. In Australia, it said it streamed 12,000 matches over the past year across 30+ partner organisations.
Tim Anderson, Managing Director, SportVot Australia, said: “Over the past year, we’ve seen strong adoption from sports organisations across Australia looking to scale how their competitions are captured and distributed. The ability to deliver consistent, high-quality production across different sports and formats has been key. This next phase allows us to build further on that momentum, both within Australia and in closer alignment with global markets.”
Sidhhant Agarwal, Founder & CEO, SportVot, said: “What we are seeing globally is not a lack of sport, but a lack of structured systems to capture and distribute it at scale. Our focus has been to build something that can work across geographies, sports, and formats without adding operational complexity. As we expand into new markets, the goal is to enable more competitions to be seen, experienced, and sustained.”
The post SportVot raises $3.6m to expand sports production platform into Europe, US and West Asia appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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