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Opera buys owner of GameMaker and starts a Gaming division

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Opera, the browser developer and consumer internet brand, announced its acquisition of YoYo Games, creator of the world’s leading 2D game engine, GameMaker Studio 2, for approximately $10 million. The tuck-in acquisition represents the second building block in the foundation of Opera Gaming, a new division within Opera with global ambitions and follows the creation and rapid growth of Opera’s innovative Opera GX browser, the world’s first browser built specifically for gamers.

Krystian Kolondra, EVP Browsers at Opera, said: “With Opera GX, Opera had adapted its proven, innovative browser tech platform to dramatically expand its footprint in gaming. We’re at the brink of a shift, when more and more people start not only playing, but also creating and publishing games. GameMaker Studio2 is best-in-class game development software, and lowers the barrier to entry for anyone to start making their games and offer them across a wide range of web-supported platforms, from PCs, to, mobile iOS/Android devices, to consoles.

Annette De Freitas, Head of Business Development & Strategic Partnerships, Opera Gaming, added: “Gaming is a growth area for Opera and the acquisition of YoYo Games reflects significant, sustained momentum across both of our businesses over the past year. Our new Opera GX browser hit 7 million MAUs in December, 2020, up 350% year over year, while YoYo Games’ GameMaker engine achieved 400K new registered creators in 2020. We’re tremendously excited by the opportunities the combination creates not only for our combined users, but also for the expansion of Opera’s gaming community.”

Stuart Poole, GM at YoYo Games who will remain with the business alongside technical lead Russell Kay stated, “For over twenty years, the vision behind the GameMaker engine was to not just create more games, but expand development within and beyond the game studio. We think the transaction with Opera – whose products are known, trusted and used worldwide by millions of people every month- represents a massive opportunity to accelerate fulfilment of that founding vision, during a period of exceptional growth for both companies.”

“We are very excited to start working with the team at YoYo Games,” said Krystian Kolondra, EVP Browsers at Opera. “We see the Game Maker Studio platform as being an ideal acquisition to complement our global ambitions in gaming, and to help drive awareness and traffic to our Opera GX gaming browser.”

Opera GX, YoYo Games and GameMaker will unite under Opera Gaming, focusing on innovating across the gaming, game development, and browser experience. “We look forward to further growing Opera GX and driving the growth of GameMaker as part of a broader ecosystem, making it more accessible to novice users and developing it into the world’s leading 2D game engine used by commercial studios,” continued Krystian Kolondra. “Opera Gaming will be focusing on accelerating the growth of this emerging ecosystem, combining the 7+ million highly engaged gamers using Opera GX with millions of GameMaker creators. We are also thrilled to continue realizing synergies between YoYo Games’ products and Opera GX.”

GameMakerStudio is an integrated game development software, performance-tuned 2/2.5D engine that fuels many games, including multi-million hits like Risk of Rain, Undertale, or Hyper Light Drifter on an extensive range of mainstream platforms. Starting to build games with Game Maker Studio requires little to zero coding skills. Due to its extensive functionalities and ease of use Game Maker Studio lowers the barriers to entry and empowers a variety of creative people to make their games come alive and share them with the world.

Kolondra explained further: “Performance is essential to even 2D gaming, and sustaining that performance across mobile devices and laptops as well as variable bandwidth and connectivity requires thinking outside of traditional application silos. The line between building good games and good browsers has been eroding for years – with gaming interactivity across internet connections ramping up and browsers growing more multi-function and sophisticated. Traditionally the two types of technology compete for hardware and bandwidth resources. But as Opera GX proved, there was a better way to address that competition and improve the experience across both functionalities. YoYo Games’ team, development expertise and studio relationships lay the groundwork for turning the Opera GX vertical into a new kind of horizontal. This horizontal opportunity is why we’re building Opera Gaming and its infrastructure – so that we can further integrate gaming and browsing in ways beneficial to both in terms of not only monetization, but also experience.”

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Duelbits launches Tap Trading, a live Solana price-prediction casino game

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Duelbits has launched Tap Trading, a new chart-based casino game that lets players wager on short-term movement in Solana (SOL) price data. The company said the game is now available globally on the DuelBits platform.

Tap Trading shows a continuously updating chart tracking SOL’s live price. Players wager on whether the price will move up or down over 10-second intervals, with the company stating successful predictions can pay “up to 40x” the original stake.

Duelbits positions Tap Trading as distinct from crash games and prediction markets, framing it as a real-time, rapid-cycle format built around market data rather than simulated outcomes. The operator also said the game is optimised for mobile and supports multiple currencies.

To support the launch, Duelbits said it is rolling out an acquisition and awareness campaign aimed at crypto-native audiences, including partnerships with creators and KOLs, social media activations, community initiatives and streamer collaborations.

Jasper Hoekert, Chief Marketing Officer at Duelbits, said: “Tap Trading represents a significant step forward in how players interact with market based gaming experiences.

“With Tap Trading we created a product that feels familiar to crypto traders while remaining accessible and entertaining for casino players. We’re continuing to push the boundaries of what’s possible in crypto gaming, reinforcing Duelbits’ position as a leader in product innovation and delivering unique experiences that players won’t find anywhere else.”

The post Duelbits launches Tap Trading, a live Solana price-prediction casino game appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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GGPoker brings back $1M Go for Gold promo for Spin & Gold players

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GGPoker is bringing back its $1M Go for Gold promotion for Spin & Gold players starting June 12, with $1,000,000 in additional prizes available while supplies last, the operator said.

The promotion applies to all 3-Max and 6-Max Spin & Gold tournaments. At the start of each tournament, the prize multiplier wheel determines that game’s prize pool. Players then earn a “stamp” for each different multiplier they hit, with 3-Max and 6-Max stamps treated as interchangeable equivalents.

A player becomes eligible for an instant cash prize after collecting five different multiplier stamps, with prizes worth up to $10,000 per completed card, according to GGPoker. After opening a prize, players can begin collecting a new set of stamps 24 hours after the moment they collected the first stamp of the previous run.

“Spin & Gold games are already some of the most exciting formats we offer, but our $1M Go for Gold promotion turns the dial up to eleven,” said Paul Burke, Head of Public Relations at GGPoker. “Our community loved this promotion last year, and we couldn’t wait to bring it back. We’re thrilled to give our players another chance to turn spins into up to $10,000 in extra cash, simply by hitting the multipliers!”

GGPoker has also linked the promotion to its broader $14M June Giveaway, with full terms and conditions available on the operator’s promotional page.

The post GGPoker brings back $1M Go for Gold promo for Spin & Gold players appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Yaspa takes AI Solutions Provider and Safer Gambling Supplier at EGR B2B Awards 2026

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Fintech supplier wins two categories at the 3 June ceremony in London, with judges citing its Intelligent Payments platform and open-banking approach.

Yaspa won two categories at the EGR B2B Awards 2026 on 3 June, taking home AI Solutions Provider and AI Solutions Provider at the ceremony in London.

The EGR B2B Awards, held this year at the HAC, recognise suppliers across the iGaming industry. In awarding the AI Solutions Provider trophy, judges said: “Yaspa has demonstrated a highly credible, research-backed, and socially responsible innovation that uses AI to address one of the industry’s toughest challenges: linking financial well-being with gaming behaviour. Yaspa’s Intelligent Payments platform combines technical depth, regulatory alignment, and real-world performance metrics, making it a standout entrant for categories focused on AI innovation, data analytics, or responsible gambling enablement.”

For Safer Gambling Supplier, the judges added: “Yaspa has delivered a strong and innovative submission focused on financial vulnerability and demonstrating a great take on open-banking’s ability to link to at-risk indicators. Intelligent Payments is well aligned to current affordability challenges and provides useful research validation.”

James Neville, CEO of Yaspa, said: “To win not one but two awards at the coveted EGR B2B Awards is an incredible achievement and testament to the great work the whole Yaspa team has done from the company’s inception to now.

“The recognition by the industry of how our technology is using AI to make gambling safer shows the direction the market is heading and how we are leading the technological innovation in this space, from the front.”

Yaspa said the wins follow a period of growth over the past 18 months, including a $12m investment round in July led by Discerning Capital. The company also referenced the opening of a new Atlanta office in the US and a tech hub in Leeds, UK, in August 2025.

The post Yaspa takes AI Solutions Provider and Safer Gambling Supplier at EGR B2B Awards 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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