International Game Technology PLC announced that its latest multi-level progressive (MLP) game, Diamond Mania, has launched in Spain’s Amusement with Prize (AWP) “salones” sector. Diamond Mania will follow the success of IGT’s Magic Fortune Link AWP game in Spain, a high-performing title that recently surpassed a 1000-unit deployment milestone.

“IGT is committed to growing its footprint in Spain by supplying researched-backed, market-attuned games that meet the player preferences in the region. Building on the successful deployment of IGT’s debut title for the salones sector, Magic Fortune Link, we are excited to expand our offering to include Diamond Mania, a unique multi-game jackpot that can help operators achieve excellent results and diversify their gaming floors,” said Maria Aldana, IGT Director of Sales Western Europe and Africa.

Specifically adapted for the salones market, Diamond Mania features four lively base game themes: Samurai Takeo, Majestic Stallion, Ramosis Treasures and Wish Mistress. Featuring proven mechanics for a highly engaging experience for players, Diamond Mania offers three special bonuses, a reel boost, a prize boost and a jackpot bonus, which can combine to activate the super games and mega games features and ultimately lead to the chance to win one of the four progressive jackpots.

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Diamond Mania is available on the BINTIA 27-inch multi-game cabinet, which offers dual HD monitors and a topper option for casino-like styling. It features an ergonomic design, programmable LED lighting, vivid high-resolution graphics, an immersive sound system and can be configured with the TITO function.

The game will be exclusively distributed through Orenes Grupo, Spain’s salones sector market leader in operations and gaming machine distribution. Later this year, IGT plans to introduce Treasure Box, the Company’s third MLP developed specifically for Spain’s salones sector, which represents approximately 3000 gaming and bingo halls.

Sportradar Group AG announced that Behshad Behzadi has been named Chief Technology Officer and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer of the Company (CTO and CAIO), effective May 1.

As Sportradar’s CTO and CAIO, Behzadi will be based in the organisation’s headquarters in Switzerland and report directly to Chief Executive Officer, Carsten Koerl. Working collaboratively across the organisation, Behzadi will drive the usage and adoption of AI and cutting-edge technology to enhance its product offerings and roadmap to deliver hyper-personalised experiences for sports fans. Additionally, his extensive experience in leading initiatives aimed at improving internal operational efficiency will help optimise processes and drive innovation across the business. Sportradar has the largest global coverage of sports data, fan insights and betting liquidity. The usage of cutting-edge AI will help to drive the Company’s future efficiency and can create significant value for clients and stakeholders.

Koerl said: “We are proud to welcome Behshad, a world-renowned leader in harnessing generative AI and other advanced technologies, who marries a unique blend of technical expertise and business acumen. His proven track record in developing and commercializing product strategies to accelerate growth and innovation, as well as spearheading initiatives aimed at improving internal operational efficiency, will bolster our leadership position, keeping Sportradar at the forefront of technological advancement.”

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With more than 20 years of experience, Behzadi is a distinguished computer scientist and recognised global technology leader with expertise in algorithms, search ranking, natural language processing, speech recognition, machine learning and generative AI. Behzadi joined Google Zurich in 2006 and has played a key role in Google’s AI-first strategy as co-founder of Google Assistant, Google Lens, Google Smart Display and the Next Gen Assistant, a breakthrough in mobile assistant technology with on-device Machine Learning. Most recently, he led Google Cloud’s Conversational AI and applied Generative AI initiative focusing on applying the latest AI advancements to reimagine and automate customer services and operations for large enterprises. Behzadi earned a PhD in Bioinformatics from Ecole Polytechnique in Paris and did postdoctoral research at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics.

Behzadi said: “Sportradar is an exceptional company and category leader operating at the global intersection of sports, technology and digital content. I am very excited to join an organization that pushes the boundaries on technology and puts a premium on innovation. I look forward to working alongside Carsten, the rest of the executive management team and their talented group of creators to continue Sportradar’s history of innovation as the Company enters its next exciting chapter.”

Innovative Technology (ITL) had a successful few days at the Retail Technology Show (RTS) in London showcasing innovations from both their cash and biometrics divisions. ITL supply a series of products to the retail sector which manage cash transactions, and estimate a customer’s age when purchasing age-restricted products.

Chris Wright, UK Business Development Manager, said: “The team had some interesting conversations at RTS last week with retailers keen to implement our latest technologies. We had a busy couple of days networking with all the big UK retail brands under one roof. Our AI-powered biometrics attracted much attention, indicating that retailers are now actively starting on the journey to employ age estimation technology into their business.”

MyCheckr is ITL’s all-in-one solution with an integrated screen and camera designed for retailers to simply plug in and get started with age estimation technology.

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John Vallis, Senior Business Development Manager for biometrics, said: “MyCheckr can also be used to push alerts to staff members to notify them that a customer is potentially underage. It was encouraging to hear from the large retail outlets who could see real benefit in this feature to further help staff with Challenge 25. Unlike other solutions on the market, our range boasts a one-off device cost with no subscriptions, no internet required, and no biometric personal data or ID stored; making our technology affordable, available and completely anonymous.”

Innovative also offer a range of cash validation and cash recycling solutions to assist with the handling of note and coin payments.

Chris added: “We had an interactive point-of-sale (POS) demo on the stand using our NV4000 multi-note recycler and SMART Coin System (SCS), plus age check technology all working together. Collectively these devices help retailers accelerate customer throughput with fewer refills and automated float management, as well as ensuring age-restricted goods are not sold to minors.

“It was great to see so many partners demoing our cash and biometrics products on their stands over the two days too. The team look forward to following up with prospective customers to see how we can help generate cash handling efficiencies and automate age checks.”