Industry News
Barrière Group consolidates its position as leading casino company in France with six casinos in the Top 10
Following The Issue Of French Casino Ratings For Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR), The Barrière Group, A Leading Player In The Casino Sector In France And Europe, Has Consolidated Its Position With Six Of Its 27 French Casinos In The Top 10 (Casinos Barrière Enghien-les-bains, Blotzheim, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Deauville And Lille) And Has Seen A Significant Increase In Visitor Numbers. Casinos Barrière Are The Group’s Number One Business Area For Turnover (75.5% For The 2019 Tax Year Ending 31st October).
These figures are the result of a proactive Group strategy, with increased investment in gaming. Despite complex social and economic conditions (the increase in the CSG social security contribution 2 years ago), Barrière – headed by Dominique Desseigne – has redoubled its initiatives and innovations, including the regular diversification of its slot machines and electronic games, new game testing, an increasingly proactive targeted marketing strategy and an ever-changing programme of lively events.
The new “Carré VIP” loyalty programme is a clear success and the roll-out continues: over 50% of turnover is now achieved through cardholders, enjoying numerous benefits offered by the Group to thank them for their loyalty.
In order to attract new clients, especially a younger clientele, Barrière organises and hosts the Barrière Esport Tour, fun and innovative shows that attract the biggest digital influencers in France.
For 18 years in a row, Casino Barrière Enghien-les-Bains has held its position at the top of the ratings, achieving GGR of over 160 million euros. For the coming year, it plans to continue investing in new concepts, including the creation of a high-end gaming table room.
Casino Barrière Blotzheim maintains its number 2 position for the second consecutive year, with a GGR in excess of 50 million euros.
To maintain their advance and continue offering a quality client experience, four Casinos Barrière – located in Toulouse, Blotzheim, Saint-Raphaël and Carry-le-Rouet – will be carrying out renovation and expansion work in 2020. This investment is a reflection of the Group’s desire to beef up its offering, in terms of both gaming (new slot machines and electronic games) and catering (new bars and restaurants, terraces and smoking areas etc.).
“At a time when there have never been as many options for entertainment on offer, it is gratifying to see that casinos are still really popular with the French. Our family-owned and managed Group saw over 9.5 million visits to our Casinos in 2019. This level of popularity clearly shows that, more than ever, casinos are places that bring different generations together: fun and friendly places, with over 3,500 shows and events on offer every year,” said Dominique Desseigne, CEO of Barrière.
Finally, Barrière celebrated the 1oth anniversary of Responsible Gaming in 2019 – its innovative national programme devoted to information and preventing the risks of excessive gambling for its casinos in France. Responsible Gaming mainly consists of a network of experts and a unique system: VLA or Voluntary Limited Access. This allows clients to choose a maximum number of visits over a set period across all of the Group’s casinos. The system consolidates the initiatives that the Group has been trialling for over 10 years.
Groove
Groove Technologies Targets High-Growth Sweepstakes Market Following Strategic Appointment
Groove Technologies, a prominent iGaming aggregator and platform provider, has today revealed a strategic enhancement of its sweepstakes operations through the internal elevation of Michael Kitseliuk to the newly established position of Sweepstakes Account Manager. This action highlights Groove’s dedication to continue expanding in one of the industry’s most vibrant and swiftly growing sectors.
The appointment comes after a phase of rigorous technical advancement and evaluation, placing Groove’s enterprise-grade platform to provide unmatched sweepstakes solutions. The platform, famous for its cutting-edge player engagement features, live analytics, and a collection of more than 15,000 games from over 150 leading providers, is now enhanced to achieve new heights of scalability and profitability for operators using the sweepstakes model.
Michael Kitseliuk, with three years of essential experience from Groove’s technical operations team, will lead this initiative in his new role. His profound technical knowledge guarantees a smooth and straightforward integration experience for partners.
“I’m thrilled to be leading the charge on Groove Sweepstakes,” said Kitseliuk. “This vertical represents the forefront of market accessibility. The lighter regulatory footprint allows operators to launch faster and tap into vast audiences with incredible speed. We’re not just following a trend; we’re empowering our partners to unlock a significant new revenue stream and open doors to previously complex markets.”
The need for high-quality sweepstakes material has reached unprecedented levels. Groove’s strong entertainment ecosystem, which introduces more than 150 new games each month, is distinctly suited to drive this expansion. The firm has assembled a robust stream of content, prepared for delivery via its sophisticated platform.
Rachel Tourgeman, Head of Partnerships at Groove, highlighted the extensive preparation and market offering: “This isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. We’ve undertaken rigorous, bespoke technical testing for each provider to guarantee a flawless experience for both the operator and the player. This diligence means we can now offer our operator cluster access to a vast network of nearly 50 premier game providers specialising in sweepstakes coins, all integrated and ready for launch.”
This strategic focus amplifies Groove’s core strengths: speed, variety, and technological excellence. By dedicating new leadership to the sweepstakes vertical, Groove ensures its partners can capitalise on this growth with a competitive edge.
Yahale Meltzer, Co-Founder and COO at Groove, concluded: “Our promotion of Michael into this dedicated role signals a new era for our sweepstakes platform. We are harnessing its full potential to offer operators super-fast integrations, a proven and diverse game library, and a technically superior platform. This is a definitive step in providing a complete, market-leading solution for every segment of the iGaming industry.”
The post Groove Technologies Targets High-Growth Sweepstakes Market Following Strategic Appointment appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Adam Kamiar Commercial Director at Wildz Group
Wildz Group unveils Blingi
The Wildz Group has launched a new online casino offering to enhance the company’s expanding portfolio. Blingi aims to connect with new audiences through an innovative strategy for iGaming entertainment.
Says Adam Kamiar, Commercial Director at Wildz Group, “Blingi is a product we feel simplifies many of the processes customers experience when exploring an online casino. Our teams have focused on optimising the journey, making it easier and faster from the first click. The result is an online casino product that focuses on what matters: the world’s most popular games in a seamless environment from start to finish”.
Blingi offers players the chance to get stuck right into the good stuff, offering:
- Trustly Pay N Play – players can receive their winnings to their bank account within minutes of approval, with instant money transfers 24/7 – 365 days a year.
- No registration required.
- A huge range of big-name games from world-renowned providers.
- Frequent promotions | value adds | bonus opportunities
Operators licensed by the MGA have indicated that the casino’s branding and product range will particularly attract players in the region where it operates.
Wildz Group’s online casino brands, including Wildz, Wheelz, Caxino, Spinz, Chipz, and Tuplaus, present appealing iGaming options to players, whereas Blingi provides a distinctive user experience featuring Daily Cashback.
Kamiar further comments on shifting market conditions: “Our consumers are keen gamblers, so we’re making sure to offer superb products based on top-notch security and compliance so that they can play with complete peace of mind. Our goal is to ensure that we’re leading the way when it comes to player protection across world-class products in every market in which our brands are available.”
Wildz Group has established key collaborations with top game providers globally to guarantee that players enjoy casino platforms tailored to their desires—an approach centered on players that has secured the company substantial market share. The selection of games is enhanced by the deliberate implementation of reliable and secure payment methods. Blingi is the inaugural brand of Wildz Group to provide Trustly, an open banking payment method favored by iGaming customers.
“2026 is not without its challenges,” concludes Kamiar, “but we feel that we’ve got all our resources in place to make a lasting impact in industry, so we’re confident that we can say ‘watch this space’, knowing that good things are to come”, he concludes.
The post Wildz Group unveils Blingi appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Adam Lewis Chief Executive Officer at AxiumAI
AxiumAI taps ex-Entain leader Claire Painting to lead customer experience as CXO
Extensively experienced Painting collaborates to develop experience strategy as AI revolutionizes sportsbook interaction.
AxiumAI, a frontrunner in AI-powered autonomous player engagement, has announced the appointment of Claire Painting as Chief Experience Officer (CXO), enhancing the company’s leadership team as operators transition to AI-enhanced player engagement.
Recognised for uniting marketing, product, UX, and technology teams to create seamless, consumer-focused experiences at scale, Painting will play a key role in aiding AxiumAI’s ongoing growth and future vision as the provider enhances its AI-driven engagement platform for global operators.
Painting brings over 20 years of experience in the international sports betting and gaming sector to AxiumAI. Most recently, she worked as the Director of Player Experience at Entain, where she managed a worldwide cross-functional team of more than 100 experts located in the UK, Gibraltar, Vienna, Hyderabad, and Manila.
While at Entain, she defined and executed the player experience strategy for the operator group’s global range of brands. This encompassed supervision of essential processes like registration, payments, account management, compliance, promotions, and gamification, along with the creation of worldwide UX/UI design systems and frameworks for measuring customer experience.
The appointment strengthens AxiumAI’s leadership as the company enhances its autonomous player engagement abilities and aids operators in providing real-time, personalized 1:1 player experiences.
Claire Painting, Chief Experience Officer at AxiumAI, said: “The future of player experience will be defined by technology that understands context, adapts in real-time and delivers meaningful interaction at scale. AxiumAI is building that capability, and I am excited to help shape autonomous engagement that will inspire players and drive step-change growth for operators.”
Adam Lewis, Chief Executive Officer at AxiumAI, added: “Claire brings exceptional expertise in player engagement across marketing, product and customer experience. Combined with her ability to connect teams and technology around the player, she is uniquely positioned to lead this area at AxiumAI. She will play a key role as we continue to build intelligent, customer-led solutions for operators globally.”
The post AxiumAI taps ex-Entain leader Claire Painting to lead customer experience as CXO appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
-
Adjusted EBITDA7 days agoBragg Gaming Announces Select Preliminary Unaudited Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results, and Issues Full Year 2026 Guidance
-
Bagley-Keene Act7 days agoCalifornia Gambling Control Commission Issues Critical Guidance on Stakeholder Communications and Ex Parte Rules
-
iGaming6 days agoPRAGMATIC PLAY UNEARTHS PROGRESSIVE MULTIPLIERS IN ROLLING IN TREASURES
-
Comatel5 days agoCOMATEL CELEBRARÁ UNA FIESTA PARA CIENTOS DE OPERADORES TRAS FINALIZAR EL PRIMER DÍA DE LA FERIA ESPAÑOLA, INTERAZAR
-
Betty Casino7 days agoBetty Casino Announces Partnerships with Toronto FC and Toronto Argonauts
-
Africa7 days agoGroove Targets Africa’s iGaming Boom at SiGMA Cape Town 2026
-
Booming Games6 days agoBooming Games Introduces Instastrike, the Latest Diamond Hits Trio
-
ELA Games6 days agoELA Games Powers the Reels with Retro-Electric Slot “Rapid Wild”



