Latest News
SBC Digital Italy to deliver timely assessment of Italian market opportunities
This week’s SBC Digital Italy conference and exhibition is set to deliver a timely and in-depth analysis of the latest developments in one of Europe’s largest betting and gaming markets.
The online event on Wednesday 17 February will bring together 750 executives from the Italian gambling industry to exchange ideas about the future of the sector at this time of both great uncertainty and great opportunity.
Italy’s popular retail betting outlets and slots halls continue to take a huge financial hit from enforced Coronavirus-related closures, while the change of government and the tough regulatory regime has created further doubts about the prospects for operators.
However, the online sector has provided a reason to believe that the Italian market continues to offer significant growth opportunities, as a surge in the popularity of igaming led a 45% increase in online GGR in 2020.
The agenda for SBC Digital Italy focuses on tackling the challenges faced by the industry, as well as how to build on the current favourable conditions for online gaming and achieve long-term success.
Pietro Lechiara, Betsson Group’s Managing Director Italy and a speaker at the event, said: “The online gaming industry is undergoing a deep and most interesting transformation. At SBC Digital Italy you can learn about this transformation from the players who are driving this change.”
The agenda includes panels dedicated to regulation and the prospect of further legislation being introduced, the igaming opportunity, adapting slots to the Italian audience, and effective marketing strategies within the current advertising restrictions.
There is also a fireside chat about the future of the industry in Italy with Fabio Schiavolin (CEO, SNAITECH) and Quirino Mancini (Partner, Tonucci & Partners), who are just two of the 25 high-level Italian market experts taking part in the conference.
The other senior executives and specialists on the speaker line-up include Carlo Di Maio (MD Betting Division, Gamenet Group), Alexander Martin (CEO, SKS365), Marco Castaldo (CEO, Microgame & Director for Betting & Online Gaming, ASTRO), Ludovico Calvi (Board Director, Lottomatica Betting Ltd & President, GLMS), Alessandro Grasso (COO, E-Play24), Natalie Berenato (Head of Online Marketing, Olybet Italia), and Cristiano Azzolini Di Maggio (Head of Casino, Signorbet.it).
Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC, said: “We’re excited to be hosting our first event fully dedicated to Italy, which continues to be one of the most important markets for the European betting and gaming industry.
“It is also a highly complex market, which is in the midst of the transition that so many industries have had to face, as customers increasingly move online. The situation is further complicated by regulatory and COVID-related challenges, but our expert panelists will provide more clarity on the future direction of the industry and a host of valuable ideas about the best emerging opportunities for operators and suppliers.”
In addition to the panel sessions, delegates can take in market commentaries on payments, virtual sports, and esports from Mark Sperring (Head Of Sales and Account Management, MuchBetter), Giuseppe Donato (Country Manager Italy, Kiron Interactive), and Paolo Cisaria (General Manager & CRO, Mkers Srl) respectively.
The interactive product display area will allow attendees to connect with suppliers and media brands with offerings tailored to the Italian market, while there will be a further chance to meet new business contacts in a networking roundtable hosted by Alessio Crisantemi, Direttore Responsabile of GiocoNews.
For further information about the event and to register for free, please visit the official SBC Digital Italy website.
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Funding
EasyWin closes second seed round at $20m valuation
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.
bingo
Plaza Hotel & Casino sets $250,000 Super Bingo event for July 3-5
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.
Latest News
EasyWin closes second seed round at $20m valuation
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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