Gambling in the USA
Kambi partners make same week market-first launches in Illinois and Michigan
Global sports betting supplier enables Rush Street Interactive and Penn National Gaming to take the first legal wagers in the Prairie and Wolverine States respectively
Leading global sports betting supplier Kambi has continued its US expansion with two historic on-property launches in three days, enabling partners Rush Street Interactive (RSI) and Penn National Gaming (PNG) to take the first legal wagers in the states of Illinois and Michigan respectively.
The launch with PNG at its Greektown Casino in Michigan took place on Wednesday afternoon, with the US state becoming the 10th in which the Kambi Sportsbook is live, as well as the eighth state where Kambi has enabled partners to be first out of the gate.
Situated in Detroit, the largest city in the midwestern state of Michigan, and home to NFL franchise Detroit Lions, the Greektown Sportsbook has been fitted with 40 Kambi kiosks and four betting windows.
On Monday, RSI took the first legal sports bet in Illinois, with former Chicago Blackhawk Eddy Olczyk placing the ceremonial opening wager at the new Rivers Casino Sportsbook, which consists of 30 kiosks and five betting windows.
Illinois is one of the largest states in the US, with a population of approximately 13 million and home to some of the country’s most popular professional sports teams, including the NFL’s Chicago Bears, NBA’s Chicago Bulls and the MLB’s Chicago White Sox.
An online launch in Illinois will take place later this year while we await enabling online legislation in Michigan.
RSI and PNG both have access to Kambi’s price differentiation tool, providing the ability to alter margin and lines offered by jurisdiction, sport, league and match, right down to offer level, giving operators full control over their pricing strategy.
The two sportsbooks will also benefit from Kambi’s market-leading kiosks, which have been proven to drive handle, boost cross-sell and reduce waiting times at the betting windows. On average, three in every four on-property bets are placed via a Kambi kiosk.
Kambi Chief Commercial Officer, Max Meltzer, said: “Kambi’s record for quality and swift delivery is central to our ongoing US progress, and we are delighted to have powered two more market firsts for our partners.
“When people look back at this historic period of legalising sports wagering across the US, they will see Kambi was the supplier powering the most firsts and our partners becoming the market leaders in their respective states. It’s all encompassed in our Partner with Confidence strategy.”
Prior to the market firsts in Illinois and Michigan, Kambi partners took the first legal online bets in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana and New Hampshire, alongside the first legal bet in New York State and launching on day one in Iowa.
Gambling in the USA
GGPoker sets $300m guarantee for 2026 GG World Festival series
Online poker festival runs May 3 to June 9 and includes a $3m leaderboard plus three $10m guaranteed flagship events.
GGPoker has announced the return of its GG World Festival tournament series, set to run from May 3 through June 9, 2026. The operator said the schedule will offer $300,000,000 in guaranteed prizes across the series, up from the $250m guarantee it offered last year.
The festival is split into four buy-in tiers: Low ($3–$25), Medium ($26–$150), High ($151–$1,050) and Super ($1,051+). GGPoker said the series will include hundreds of tournaments over five weeks.
GGPoker is also bringing back its festival leaderboard with $3,000,000 in additional prizes across the four tiers: $300K (Low), $700K (Medium), $1M (High) and $1M (Super).
Three events will anchor the schedule, each with a $10,000,000 guarantee: the $525 World Bounty Festival (Day 2) on May 18, the $10,000 GGMillion$ Main Event (Day 2) on May 25, and the $1,500 GG World Championship (Day 2) on June 1.
“Last year we set the bar at $250 million, and the community response was legendary,” said Daniel Negreanu, GGPoker Global Ambassador. “But at GGPoker, we don’t just want to meet expectations; we want to smash them over and over again. This year, we’re going to $300 million. Whether you’re playing a $3 Low Tier tournament or the $10K GGMillion$ Main Event, you’re part of the biggest thing to ever happen in online poker. This is the stage where legends are made.”
Relevant data as follows:
- GG World Festival page on GGPoker: https://ggpoker.com/tournaments/ggpoker-world-festival Primary source for dates, schedule structure and guarantees referenced in the article.
- GGPoker tournaments hub: https://ggpoker.com/tournaments/ Supporting context on GGPoker’s tournament offerings and satellite qualifiers mentioned in the release.
- GGPoker homepage: https://ggpoker.com/ Company reference link for readers seeking broader operator information.
The post GGPoker sets $300m guarantee for 2026 GG World Festival series appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Gambling in the USA
GGPoker Shatters Records with Monumental $300M-Guaranteed GG World Festival
The world’s biggest online poker series returns with a history-making prize pool, $3M leaderboard, and three $10M flagship events
GGPoker, the World’s Biggest Poker Room, today announces the return of the GG World Festival, the richest tournament series in the history of online poker. Running from May 3 through June 9, this year’s festival features a staggering $300,000,000 in guaranteed prizes, the largest total guarantee ever offered in a single online series, eclipsing last year’s record-setting $250M prize pool.
The 2026 edition of the GG World Festival has been designed by poker players, for poker players, with hundreds of individual tournaments running over five action-packed weeks. To ensure players of all bankrolls can participate in the record-breaking action, the schedule is divided into four buy-in tiers:
- Low Tier: $3 – $25 buy-in
- Medium Tier: $26 – $150 buy-in
- High Tier: $151 – $1,050 buy-in
- Super Tier: $1,051+ buy-in
In addition to the massive tournament guarantees, the GG World Festival Leaderboard returns with $3,000,000 in extra prizes, rewarding the most consistent performers across all four tiers throughout the series ($300K in prizes for the Low Tier Leaderboard, $700K for the Medium Tier Leaderboard, $1M in prizes for the High Tier Leaderboard and $1M in prizes for the Super Tier Leaderboard).
2026 Festival Highlights
The series is anchored by three marquee events, each boasting a $10,000,000 prize guarantee:
- May 18 – $525 World Bounty Festival [Day 2] – $10M GTD: The fan-favorite format where any knockout could lead to a massive, life-changing mystery bounty
- May 25 – $10,000 GGMillion$ Main Event [Day 2] – $10M GTD: The premier high-stakes showdown, attracting the world’s elite players and “Super Tier” specialists
- June 1 – $1,500 GG World Championship [Day 2] – $10M GTD: The ultimate test of skill, crowning the 2026 champion with a massive eight-figure prize pool
“Last year we set the bar at $250 million, and the community response was legendary,” said Daniel Negreanu, GGPoker Global Ambassador. “But at GGPoker, we don’t just want to meet expectations; we want to smash them over and over again. This year, we’re going to $300 million. Whether you’re playing a $3 Low Tier tournament or the $10K GGMillion$ Main Event, you’re part of the biggest thing to ever happen in online poker. This is the stage where legends are made.”
Players can qualify for festival events through an extensive schedule of satellites and promotions at GGPoker. New players can also jump into the action with the GGPoker Welcome Bonus and the Honeymoon for Newcomers promotion.
For more information about this year’s GG World Festival, please visit: ggpoker.com/tournaments/ggpoker-world-festival
The post GGPoker Shatters Records with Monumental $300M-Guaranteed GG World Festival appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
casino
Plaza adds Monday Night RAW ticket raffle to WrestleMania 42 viewing party
Downtown Las Vegas casino also brings in WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam for a live Q&A on April 18.
Plaza Hotel & Casino will host WrestleMania 42 viewing parties on April 18 and April 19 in its showroom in downtown Las Vegas, adding a ticket giveaway for WWE Monday Night RAW on the second night.
The casino said all guests attending the Sunday, April 19 viewing party can enter a free raffle to win two tickets to Monday Night RAW on Monday, April 20 at T-Mobile Arena, seated in one of the venue’s premier Loge Boxes.
On Saturday, April 18, the Plaza will feature WWE Hall of Fame wrestler Rob Van Dam (RVD) as a special guest. The property said RVD—also billed as “Mr. Monday Night”—will lead a live Q&A at 1:30 p.m. ahead of the WrestleMania 42 start time at 3 p.m., and will be available for autographs and photo ops.
Both events are 21+ and run in the Plaza showroom, with doors opening at 1 p.m. and the viewing party starting at 3 p.m. The Plaza said it will offer drink specials and buckets of beer priced at $30 for domestic brands and $35 for imported.
Tickets with seat selection are priced at $40 per person (plus fees and taxes), according to the casino, with details and purchasing available via the Plaza’s website.
Relevant data as follows:
- Plaza Hotel & Casino WrestleMania viewing party details: https://www.plazahotelcasino.com/entertainment/wrestlemania-viewing-party/ Primary source for ticketing, schedule, and pricing referenced in the article.
- WWE Monday Night RAW: https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw Official WWE show page to support the RAW reference and event context.
- T-Mobile Arena events calendar: https://www.t-mobilearena.com/events Venue source to corroborate event location and provide broader event context.
- Plaza Hotel & Casino: https://www.plazahotelcasino.com/ Company homepage for readers seeking more information on the property hosting the viewing parties.
The post Plaza adds Monday Night RAW ticket raffle to WrestleMania 42 viewing party appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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