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World Cricket Championship inks exclusive deal with Israel-based in-game ad solution provider Anzu to bring new-age blended ad technology

Published

5 years ago

February 8, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Nazara’s subsidiary, Next Wave Multimedia Pvt. Ltd., exclusively partners with Israel-based Anzu with the aim to bring advancement in blended in-game advertising for the second edition of their award-winning World Cricket Championship (WCC) franchise. The game will look to leverage Anzu’s blended in-game ad technology, bringing more opportunities for brands and advertisers in the Indian ecosystem.

Being a leader in this space, Anzu will now bring to WCC2 ad viewability, brand lift measurement, audience verification, data enrichment, and fraud detection in partnership with industry leaders such as Moat, Comscore, Kantar, and Nielsen, in addition to native ad placements with blended in-game banner ads across the game on Android and iOS devices.

The native advertising format that this collaboration brings will help advertisers reach their audiences in a seamless manner, without disrupting user experience, while integrating a brand’s message in the game’s environment.

On the exclusive partnership, Next Wave Multimedia co-founder and CEO P.R. Rajendran says, “We are glad to be able to bring more value to brands. We believe this collaboration will help us serve users and advertisers better by taking gaming and digital advertising a notch higher for enhanced experience.”

Anzu’s CEO and co-founder, Itamar Benedy, remarked, “Every region is seeing a growth in gaming, and advertisers realise that in-game ads can help them connect with a once elusive audience. We are thrilled to partner with such a well-established studio and help them achieve their goals while opening up the in-game advertising market for advertisers across India.”

The APAC region has always had a record number of players, with the current estimate at 1.5 billion. Now that Anzu has inked a deal with AdColony’s APAC division, advertisers across the region will have even more access to gamers. Amit Rathi, AdColony’s Country Manager for India, noted, “Gaming has transformed from an underground pastime to mainstream entertainment, and it is rivaling the reach of social media. Advertisers need to take note of this and treat gaming as an equal if not a more effective channel for communicating with consumers. Placing in-game ads in games like WCC 2 will allow advertisers to reach their desired audiences.”

Overall, WCC apps have garnered more than 140 million installs across devices. Earlier in 2020, WCC MAUs and Daily Active Users (“DAU”) hit a peak of 15 million and 3.5 million respectively (Next Wave Multimedia), gaining from the lockdown-induced surge in mobile gaming. WCC2 alone counts more than 50 million downloads on Google Play Store. The user engagement for the WCC games has increased considerably, evidenced by the fact that the average daily user engagement time for WCC2 was 45 minutes but this has increased to 55 minutes for the WCC3 title.

To help align in-game advertising with other media channels, Anzu has formed several strategic partnerships, including one with WPP to introduce in-game advertising standards. Through its affiliations with leading AdTech vendors, Anzu supplies in-depth measurements for campaign effectiveness and ad verification. It is these types of technologies that give big-name advertisers such as Vodafone, Samsung, and 7-Eleven the confidence they need to shift more of their budgets to in-game ads and game developers including Ubisoft, Toplitz Productions, and APB Reloaded the security to integrate ads into their games.

Caleta Gaming

Caleta Gaming launches Cluster Cup high-volatility football-themed slot

Published

39 minutes ago

May 11, 2026

Wladimir P.

caleta-gaming-launches-cluster-cup-high-volatility-football-themed-slot

New 7×7 cluster grid title ships with tumbling wins, progressive multipliers, Super Tricks and a Free Spins feature.

Caleta Gaming has launched Cluster Cup, a new high-volatility slot inspired by football and pitched around major June sporting events. The title is now available to operators worldwide, the supplier said.

Cluster Cup uses a 7×7 cluster grid and a Tumbler Feature, where winning symbols disappear and cascade with new ones until no further wins are formed. Caleta said this is designed to support extended win sequences.

According to the studio, the game runs at an RTP of 93.42% and includes a Progressive Multiplier that increases during gameplay through a “Tumble Timer” mechanic, paying out at the end of each tumbling sequence.

The game also includes “Super Tricks”, triggered when three or more tumbles occur in a single spin, randomly activating one of four features: Wild Shots, Symbols Exchange, Red Cards, or Big Gloves. A Free Spins bonus is available through gameplay or direct purchase.

“With Cluster Cup, we aimed to translate the thrill of football into a slot experience, adding our own touch with an awesome art style and dynamic animations”, said Pedro Vahl, Game Designer at Caleta Gaming. “The combination of tumbling mechanics, evolving multipliers, and the Super Tricks system creates moments of real tension and excitement, just like a match where everything can change in a single play.”

The post Caleta Gaming launches Cluster Cup high-volatility football-themed slot appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Acquisitions/Merger

Waterhouse VC takes 3-year option to buy stake in Spinlab Studio

Published

39 minutes ago

May 11, 2026

Wladimir P.

waterhouse-vc-takes-3-year-option-to-buy-stake-in-spinlab-studio

Waterhouse VC has secured a 3-year option to acquire an interest in Spinlab Studio, a no-code iGaming platform aimed at helping operators launch and scale online betting and casino businesses without building full infrastructure.

Spinlab Studio positions its product as a full-stack platform that streamlines integrations across payments, games, compliance and backend systems. The company says the platform is built to support operators targeting regulated markets, with compliance, payments and responsible gambling tools included in the core product.

Tom Waterhouse, Chief Investment Officer of Waterhouse VC said “Spinlab Studio is one of the fastest-moving platforms we’ve seen in this space, with strong early demand from operators. They are addressing a key operational challenge – helping operators bring products to market more efficiently and quickly without the usual complexity”.

Leon Lanen, Co-Founder of Spinlab Studio said “Launching an igaming operation is still too complex and expensive. Spinlab Studio removes that friction so operators can get to market quickly and focus on building their business. We aim to do for the igaming industry what Shopify did to e-commerce”.

Spinlab Studio said it launched in January 2026 and has onboarded around 30 operators. It offers a free trial and pricing that starts from approximately US$1299 per month, with tiered plans that scale with operator activity. The company also said it recently closed an oversubscribed seed round backed by founders and early investors of “one of Europe’s leading listed igaming technology companies”, with proceeds allocated to sales expansion and platform development.

The post Waterhouse VC takes 3-year option to buy stake in Spinlab Studio appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Conferences

Gaming in Holland Conference publishes initial agenda for June 4 in Amsterdam

Published

39 minutes ago

May 11, 2026

Wladimir P.

gaming-in-holland-conference-publishes-initial-agenda-for-june-4-in-amsterdam

Gaming in Holland has published the initial agenda for the Gaming in Holland Conference, set for Thursday, June 4 at the KIT Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam.

The preliminary programme includes a keynote on “Market developments & regulatory responses” from Ella Seijsener, Director Licensing & Supervision at the Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA). Two boardroom sessions are confirmed with Arjan Blok, CEO of Nederlandse Loterij, and Petra de Ruiter, CEO of Holland Casino.

Other listed sessions include “The challenge of the black market: Towards a European response” with Pascal Chaffard, Chief Online Betting and Gaming Officer at FDJ United; “The Dutch gambling market in numbers” with Josh Hodgson, COO at H2 Gambling Capital; and “Player protection in the Dutch market” with Floor van Bakkum, Team Manager Player Protection at the KSA.

A panel titled “#ReclaimTheMarket: Will players go along?” will feature Dr. Andreas Ditsche (iGaming.com) and Richard Dennys (Mr. Gamble), moderated by Martin van Geest (Meneer Casino). Additional agenda items include a session on comparing onshore and offshore game popularity (Jeffrey Haas, Blask Business Intelligence) and one on KSA reliability assessments covering licensing and M&A approval (Frank Tolboom, Franssen Tolboom Advocaten).

Gaming in Holland founder Willem van Oort said: “While the annual Gaming in Holland Conference has always been THE place to get the latest news and updates on the Dutch gambling market, this year we are tackling one of the major issues facing licensed operators in regulated markets: How do we reclaim lost market share from increasingly aggressive illegal competitors? Obviously, there are no simple solutions, but that doesn’t mean that stakeholders in the regulated market are powerless. As all key decision makers and stakeholders in the regulated Dutch gambling market will be present in Amsterdam, I am certain that we can get a fruitful discussion started.”

The post Gaming in Holland Conference publishes initial agenda for June 4 in Amsterdam appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.