Latest News

Eneba raises $8M from InReach, Practica and VInted’s Mikuckas to grow gaming marketplace

Published

5 years ago

December 22, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Slick localized buying experience, innovative approach to fraud and automated local gaming trend detection contribute to Eneba’s status as a preferred marketplace for gaming community with stratospheric growth to 26M users

Eneba (www.eneba.com), the world’s fastest growing marketplace for gamers, has today announced that it has raised a total of $8M led by Practica Capital and InReach Ventures, the AI-powered venture capital firm, with contribution from FJ Labs and a group of established Angel investors including Mantas Mikuckas, COO of Vinted.

Launched in 2018 by two Lithuanian school friends, Vytis Uogintas and Žygimantas Mikšta, Eneba provides a marketplace for gamers to safely purchase everything they need for the world’s most popular games. Combining an unrivalled buying experience with superior proprietary security features, Eneba has already attracted a community of 26 million unique users.

Operating under the radar until now, Eneba has quickly made an impact in the gaming sector thanks to its new approach, where previously others have not innovated. Eneba presented the market with a superior ‘one-click buy’ gamer experience and a faster, more secure service by using proprietary machine learning and fingerprinting technology.

The team also created localised gaming experiences that proved an immediate hit with gamers by using automatic optimising discovery tools for locally trending gaming products.

As COVID-19 struck Eneba was already growing fast, but, with an increased shift to digital entertainment, the startup experienced exponential growth and an increased interest from US gamers; now the company’s fastest growing geography.

“We had a lot of new users coming to Eneba during these uncertain times. While it was extremely satisfying to see our numbers increasing tenfold, there was a challenge to meet the demand. To better reflect our user numbers, we had to quickly expand our team,” said Co Founder and CMO, Žygimantas Mikšta. “We now have a 130-strong team of brilliant software developers, risk analysts and marketing experts that have built a delightful experience for 26 million consumers across multiple geographies such as the UK, Germany, Lithuania, Spain, France, Poland, and other European countries.”

As the startup grew, there were many challenges for the company in order to maintain its new found momentum. Vytis Uogintas, CO Founder and CEO said that rapid organization growth has been one of the biggest to date. However, he also emphasizes that Eneba’s breakthrough has been determined by the team.

“Finding people you can trust and who share your vision is not easy. However, we had plenty of contacts from our previous ventures that kickstarted the whole process. Right from the get-go, we were emphasizing our company culture as our top priority. For me, it’s much more enjoyable to see happy colleagues and when they’re happy, it’s easier to communicate with them and reach desired goals.”

Eneba will use its funding to accelerate investments in product development making the platform faster, safer and easier to use, and to expand further in the US and across other key global markets. To prepare for this roll-out, Eneba has developed its own risk management system. The new system was developed in-house to better fit the company’s goals. It eliminates many risky transactions, simplifies the refunding process, and blocks majority fraud threats, thus making Eneba stand as one of the safest marketplaces on the internet.

“We are thrilled to be backing Vytis and Žygimantas. We’ve been impressed by their ability to execute at such speed as their company quickly scales, and to drive an incredible product with a unique value proposition for gamers. It also could not have come at a better time. We are excited to support one more team from the Baltics that has a clear ambition to lead their sector globally,” said Donatas Keras, partner at Practica Capital.

Co-founder of InReach Ventures, Roberto Bonanzinga, said “In Europe we have a tradition of building successful companies in the gaming space. We are very excited to have discovered Eneba thanks to our AI platform when the company was unknown and under the radar. We have been extremely impressed by what the founders have been able to build in such a short amount of time.”

Arizona

Arizona Department of Gaming Reports $44.9 Million in Tribal Gaming Contributions for the Second Quarter of Fiscal Year 2026

Published

3 hours ago

January 8, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

arizona-department-of-gaming-reports-$44.9-million-in-tribal-gaming-contributions-for-the-second-quarter-of-fiscal-year-2026

The Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) announced today $44,891,270 in tribal gaming contributions to the Arizona Benefits Fund for the second quarter of Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. This represents an approximate 5.6 percent increase when compared to the same quarter of FY 2025.

“The financial support that tribal gaming provides the state of Arizona continues to power local and statewide needs that are vital to healthy and safe communities,” said Jackie Johnson, Director of the ADG. “With nearly $45 million in tribal gaming contributions in the most recent period, the Department is proud to ensure the continuation of important revenue streams that positively impact Arizonans.”

The Arizona Benefits Fund receives 88 percent of tribal gaming contributions, providing significant dollars to support instructional improvement for schools, trauma and emergency care, tourism, and wildlife conservation throughout the state. If interested in viewing the cumulative tribal gaming contributions by year, please visit our reports webpage: gaming.az.gov/resources/reports.

Tribal gaming contributions to the Arizona Benefits Fund for the second quarter of the State’s FY 2026 are as follows:

Instructional Improvement Fund/Education………………………………………………..$22,373,810

Trauma and Emergency Services Fund………………………………………………………..$11,186,905

Arizona Department of Gaming Operating Costs………………………………………….$4,040,214

Arizona Wildlife Conservation Fund……………………………………………………………$3,196,258

Tourism Fund…………………………………………………………………………………………..$3,196,258

Problem Gambling Education, Treatment and Prevention……………………………..$897,825

Total: Tribal Gaming Contributions to the Arizona Benefits Fund……………………..$44,891,270

Per the Arizona Tribal-State Gaming Compact, the remaining 12 percent is distributed by the tribes to the cities, towns, and counties of their choosing for community services and public safety programs for local governments. Since FY 2004, cumulative contributions have totaled approximately $2.5 billion, benefitting both the state and its cities, towns, and counties.

Currently, there are 26 Class III casinos in Arizona, which ADG regulates in partnership with Arizona tribes. For more information, view our tribal gaming webpage: gaming.az.gov/tribal-gaming-page.

The post Arizona Department of Gaming Reports $44.9 Million in Tribal Gaming Contributions for the Second Quarter of Fiscal Year 2026 appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

888.it

R. Franco Digital Shortlisted for Casino Platform Excellence at EGR Europe Awards 2026

Published

13 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Wladimir P.

r.-franco-digital-shortlisted-for-casino-platform-excellence-at-egr-europe-awards-2026

R. Franco Digital, the leading Spanish iGaming provider, has been officially shortlisted for Casino Platform Supplier of the Year at the prestigious EGR Europe Awards 2026. The nomination recognizes a landmark year for the company, characterized by the explosive growth of its IRIS Open Omnichannel Platform and a major commercial breakthrough into the Italian market.

The winners will be announced during a gala ceremony on February 18, 2026, at the Hilton Malta, where the industry’s top-tier operators and suppliers gather to celebrate European gaming excellence.

IRIS: The Engine of Omnichannel Growth

The core of R. Franco Digital’s success lies in its IRIS platform, a highly scalable, multi-jurisdictional solution that unifies casino, sports betting, and retail management.

IRIS Platform Milestones (2025-2026):

Jurisdictional Reach: Certified in 6 jurisdictions and operational in over 10 regulated markets.
Content Depth: Seamlessly integrated with over 1,600 games from global third-party providers.
Operational Stability: Provides 24/7 multilingual support and advanced real-time analytics for operators.
Commercial Momentum: Secured 50+ new operator partnerships and entered three new markets within the last 12 months.

Performance Highlights: 4 Billion Game Rounds

R. Franco Digital’s games portfolio has seen a massive surge in engagement, bolstered by 20 new high-performance slot releases in 2025. Standout titles such as Strange Spins, Aphrodite, Zorro: Final Duel, Ovomon, and The Phantom contributed to a record-breaking year.

Metric	2025–2026 Achievement
Total Game Rounds	4 Billion+ across regulated markets
Revenue Growth	30% Increase during the judging period
New Content	20 New slot titles launched
Expansion	Debut in the Italian regulated market

Strategic Italian Market Entry

A major factor in the EGR shortlisting was R. Franco Digital’s successful entry into Italy. The provider rapidly localized its content to meet the specific demands of Italian players through tier-one partnerships:

Stanleybet.it: Launched 19 games, including the Italian-exclusive debut of Strange Spins.
888.it: Successfully rolled out the popular Super 7 3×3 title.

“We’re proud to be shortlisted for this award, which reflects the strength of our IRIS platform and the quality of the content we’ve delivered over the past year,” said Javier Sacristán Franco, International Business Director at R. Franco Digital. “Our team has worked hard to support operators with reliable, innovative solutions… we are delighted to see that effort recognised.”

The post R. Franco Digital Shortlisted for Casino Platform Excellence at EGR Europe Awards 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Big Hot Flaming Pots

Big Hot Flaming Pots: Tasty Treasures – Lightning Box Brings Land-Based Hit Online

Published

14 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Wladimir P.

big-hot-flaming-pots:-tasty-treasures-–-lightning-box-brings-land-based-hit-online

Light & Wonder has officially launched Big Hot Flaming Pots: Tasty Treasures, the digital debut of its highly successful land-based franchise. Developed by in-house specialist studio Lightning Box, this 3×5 slot offers 243 ways to win and a high-energy “three-pot” mechanic that has already become a staple on casino floors worldwide.

The game transitions the whimsical “dumpling-tossing” theme to online audiences, combining vibrant Asian-inspired aesthetics with a deep mathematical model designed for high-engagement sessions.

The Three-Pot Mechanic & Seven Feature Combinations

At the core of the gameplay is the persistent pot system. Landing specific colored coins fuels three separate pots—Yummy, Spicy, and Upsized. These pots can trigger individually or in any combination, leading to seven distinct bonus paths.

Feature Mode	Gameplay Enhancement
Yummy Mode	Increases the Hold & Spin respin counter from 3 to 4, significantly extending bonus life.
Spicy Mode	Introduces Chilli multipliers; landing a pepper adds its cash value to every symbol currently held on the board.
Upsized Mode	Unlocks a Dual Grid (two reel sets) for the Hold & Spin round, doubling the win potential.
Combined Modes	Triggering all three at once creates the “Mega Bonus,” featuring dual grids, 4 respins, and value-boosting peppers.

Innovation: The Stack N’ Hit Feature

Unlike traditional Hold & Spin mechanics where symbols simply lock until the round ends, Tasty Treasures introduces the Stack N’ Hit evolution.

Reel Clearing: When a vertical reel is filled with Bun symbols, the prizes are instantly collected, and the reel is cleared.
Persistent Respins: Clearing a reel creates open spaces for new prizes to land, allowing the bonus round to continue far longer than standard industry alternatives.
The Path to Grand: Each cleared reel activates a “Pepper Tracker” above it. Lighting up all five trackers awards the Grand Progressive Jackpot.

Jackpot Tiers & Base Game Depth

Operators benefit from a versatile math model that supports both consistent base-game performance and high-volatility jackpot chases.

Progressive Jackpots: Grand and Major tiers for life-changing win potential.
Fixed Jackpots: Minor and Mini tiers awarded through symbols landing during features.
Nudge Wilds: In the base game, Wild symbols can nudge to cover entire reels, assisting in achieving the 243-way payouts.

“Big Hot Flaming Pots: Tasty Treasures carries forward a brand that has already made its mark in land-based venues,” says Michael Maokhamphiou, Studio Director at Lightning Box. “This release offers operators a flexible, high-performing title that combines familiarity with fresh layers of engagement.”

The post Big Hot Flaming Pots: Tasty Treasures – Lightning Box Brings Land-Based Hit Online appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.