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Anzu Appoints Former Activision Blizzard Executive Ruben Dehouck as a New Strategic Advisor
The world’s leading in-game advertising platform Anzu.io today announced the appointment of Ruben Dehouck as a Strategic Advisor. Ruben has a long and successful track record in the video game industry, having spent more than ten years at Activision Blizzard in various globally operating roles. During his tenure there, Ruben led marketing operations for the industry-leading Call of Duty franchise, was in charge of commercial operations for the breakthrough kids video game franchise Skylanders, and owned strategic partnerships with key industry partners, including PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo.
Dehouck joins an impressive group of strategic advisors for Anzu, including David Sable, Takuya Banno, and Jamie Gutfreund. The vast experience that Dehouck brings will contribute to Anzu’s overall gaming strategy and strengthen the company’s position specifically within the AAA gaming segment. Asked about his perspective on the exciting future Anzu is creating, Dehouck said, “In-game advertising offers developers and publishers a compelling new revenue stream, but only if it’s done right. Anzu’s cutting-edge tech solution ensures non-intrusive, blended real-world advertising in video game ecosystems. It’s a solution that understands and respects gamers’ expectations. I’m excited to help drive in-game advertising to new heights and leverage the enormous appetite of leading global advertisers to build meaningful relationships with the ever-growing, 3 billion plus global video game audience.”
Anzu has already launched campaigns with global brands, including Vodafone and Samsung and game companies such as Ubisoft. And the in-game advertising company continues to focus on its commitment to bringing innovative changes to the ecosystem. Its partnership with CHEQ provides the first-ever ad verification solution for console gaming, while its partnership with Kantar’s project Moonshot enables brands to measure advertising campaign effectiveness accurately. Additionally, advertisers and game developers can feel confident when working with Anzu as it is the first company of its kind to earn an ISO 27001 Certification.
Anzu, the winner of this year’s ESI Clutch Digital competition, has also attracted the attention of those in the esports arena. A few months ago, Anzu signed a partnership deal with Berlin-based esports venue developer VERITAS. More recently, the company expanded its exclusive partnership with Axis Games to bring the first-ever programmatic in-game ads to a live esports tournament.
As the company continues to carve out its path, Dehouck will be a key advisor. Anzu Co-founder and CEO Itamar Benedy said, “We are thrilled to have Ruben on board. He brings a wealth of experience, and his knowledge, which sits at the intersection of gaming, advertising, and strategic partnership development, will be invaluable to us as we move forward.”
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Real-money casual puzzle tournament startup says an EU private investor backed the April 2026 round.
EasyWin, a U.S.-based real-money gaming startup, said it has closed its second seed funding round at a $20 million valuation. The company announced the round in April 2026 and said it was backed by a private investor from the European Union.
The company previously closed its first seed round in December 2025 at a $15.5 million valuation. That round included funding from Velo Partners, Vladimir Nikolsky and several private angel investors.
EasyWin was founded by Ivan Leshkevich, a former executive at mobile game publisher and developer Mamboo Entertainment. The startup, which currently has a team of eight, says it has built a global tournament platform for casual puzzle games with cash prizes and operates across major markets.
Since launching in 2025, EasyWin reported 25% month-over-month growth in user spending and a 4.9 average user rating. It also said it has expanded into 12 countries with localized legal opinions and payment infrastructure, received PayPal approval for its MCC, and completed payments-stack integrations with global providers.
The company also said it has obtained GLI certification “confirming compliance with U.S. regulations for skill-based gaming products.” Leshkevich said: “In the long term, we aim to become a leading global skill-based gaming platform. To achieve this, we focus on a strong product USP and new AI-based dev tools.”
The post EasyWin closes second seed round at $20m valuation appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Downtown Las Vegas property says the July Super Bingo will be its largest prize purse to date, with sessions on July 4-5.
Plaza Hotel & Casino will stage a $250,000 “Super Bingo” event in Las Vegas July 3-5, positioning it as a special edition tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary. The operator said the prize pool is the largest in the series’ history.
“The Plaza will be celebrating its 55th anniversary and the 250th anniversary of our great country in July, so it is only fitting that we make our Super Bingo event that month our biggest and best ever,” said Jonathan Jossel, CEO of the Plaza Hotel & Casino. “Our Super Bingo events have always drawn a packed crowd to our convention space, and we anticipate the July event to sell out quickly.”
According to the Plaza, Super Bingo draws nearly 1,000 attendees, including visitors traveling from Hawaii and Canada. For the July edition, bingo-only registration is set at $250 per person for gameplay on Saturday, July 4 and Sunday, July 5. The Plaza is also offering an optional five-night hotel package priced at $200 per person, with no resort fee, for check-in July 2 and check-out July 6.
The Plaza outlined the payout structure as 20 games paying $1,999 each day, plus a daily “super coverall” of $60,000, second place of $15,000, and third place of $10,020. The casino said prizes will be paid in cash and players must be present to win.
Outside of the special event, the Plaza said its bingo room runs six daily sessions at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. and is located two floors above the main casino.
The post Plaza Hotel & Casino sets $250,000 Super Bingo event for July 3-5 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
U.S.-based real-money gaming startup says the round was backed by a private investor from the European Union.
EasyWin, a Delaware-based real-money gaming startup, said it has closed its second seed funding round at a $20 million valuation in April 2026. The company said the round was backed by a private investor from the European Union.
The announcement follows EasyWin’s first seed round, which the company said closed in December 2025 at a $15.5 million valuation. EasyWin said that round included funding from Velo Partners, Vladimir Nikolsky and several private angel investors.
Founded by Ivan Leshkevich, a former executive at mobile game publisher and developer Mamboo Entertainment, EasyWin said it has built a global tournament platform for casual puzzle games with cash prizes. The company said it operates across major markets with a team of eight people.
EasyWin said that since launching in 2025 it has delivered 25% month-over-month growth in user spending and maintains a 4.9 average user rating. The company also said it has expanded into 12 countries with localized legal opinions and payment infrastructure.
On product and compliance milestones, EasyWin said it received PayPal approval for its MCC and completed full integration of its payments stack with leading global providers. The company also said it has obtained GLI certification from an independent testing agency, which it said confirms compliance with U.S. regulations for skill-based gaming products.
“In the long term, we aim to become a leading global skill-based gaming platform,” said Ivan Leshkevich, founder of EasyWin. “To achieve this, we focus on a strong product USP and new AI-based dev tools.”
The post EasyWin closes second seed round at $20m valuation appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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