Industry News
IMG Arena and ATP Media to launch ATP Masters 1000 virtual tennis product
World’s first officially branded virtual tennis product will feature ATP premier tournaments
IMG ARENA, a leading sports betting service and content hub, is launching an official virtual tennis product in partnership with ATP Media, the global sales, broadcast production and distribution arm of the ATP Tour. The game will be available in April and will help sportsbook partners fill the void whilst the ATP Tour is suspended.
This new deal expands the longstanding partnership between IMG ARENA and ATP Media and is the first time they have launched a virtual sports offering.
IMG ARENA is using licensed assets to create the first-ever officially branded virtual tennis product, featuring logos from the ATP Masters 1000 series along with official tournament names, to deliver an authentic, fan-first experience.
This unique and exclusive product is evidence of the ATP Media’s innovation strategy and adds to IMG ARENA’s growing portfolio of virtual products, which also includes golf, motorsport, football, horse racing, speedway, greyhound racing and cycling.
As the broadcast arm of the ATP Tour, ATP Media provides centralised media distribution across the ATP Tour, host broadcast production for the Nitto ATP Finals and ATP Masters 1000s, world feed production for the ATP 500s, Next Gen ATP Finals and certain ATP 250s, as well as the international distribution for the ATP Cup.
Mark Webster, CEO of ATP Media, said: “This is a landmark agreement for ATP Media at a challenging time. We are excited to be working with IMG ARENA to deliver fans around the world innovative content and new ways to enjoy their favourite tennis tournaments.
“Together we are creating a compelling, always-on product that will boost and diversify our sports betting offering, while helping to continue to further develop our international footprint.”
Freddie Longe, Managing Director at IMG ARENA, said: “ATP Media are one of the most progressive and forward-thinking media companies – we are delighted to partner with them to launch the world’s first officially branded virtual tennis product.
“When we invested in virtual sports specialists Leap Gaming, our vision was to create official products and unlock new revenue streams and forms of fan engagement for our clients. ATP Media share this vision and desire to evolve the way that its fans could connect with tennis. The result is a game-changing product that maximises player engagement and operator returns. As with all of our virtual sports offerings, we have developed the most realistic look, feel, and betting experience.”
Headquartered in London, IMG Arena works with more than 460 leading sportsbook operators worldwide, providing always-on services including 24/7 live streaming and on-demand virtual sports products designed to evolve and inspire engagement by placing fans at the heart of the action. Its ground-breaking data collection system ensures that the fastest and most accurate sources of data are delivered live from the action to the end user in less than a second.
IMG Arena processes official data for more than 45,000 sporting events per year. In 2019, more than 175 million hours of IMG ARENA content was watched by 56 million unique viewers around the globe.
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.
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