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Coexistence of physical and digital – a story of 2020 betting business
Isaac Asimov beautifully described an overlapping relationship between physical and digital, eventually leading to the unifcation of the two in a god-like creature. Does the betting business story end like this?
by Ivan Rozić, SVP of Global Sales and Business Development at NSoft
In November 1956, Isaac Asimov published a science fction short story called “The Last Question” which beautifully describes an overlapping relationship between physical and digital eventually leading to the unifcation of the two in a god-like creature.
Slowly but steadily, we have been following this path for decades, but 2020 has shown us physical and digital are still very much separated.
Betting business in 2020 – a prequel
With huge countries such as the USA, Brazil and India starting to open up and regulate gambling and betting, 2019 was a big morale booster to the entire igaming industry and growth throughout 2020 was inevitable for everybody involved. But instead of launching all those new projects, operators and suppliers alike were left reinventing their existing solutions for a new world we started living in from the early days of 2020.
With the physical aspect of our lives so abruptly taken from us, each and every person in igaming immediately scratched every retail-oriented project and started working on the digital. Virtual games and esports frenzy set the stage for the following months during which operators tried their best to provide desperately needed content for punters and providers followed suit.
Endless video calls during which we all came to a profound understanding of prof. Robert Kelly and his famous live interview for BBC were all based on digital. NSoft, being a virtual games provider, was going above and beyond in supporting existing and new partners with additional online content. Not only did we form and dedicate additional teams for all online integrations of our content but we also gave our in-house virtual games completely free of charge during April and May.
What 2020 have brought to us and what we have learned
At this point, NSoft’s monthly revenues were tarnished as we were heavily dependent on our partners’ retail business. Needless to say, we were able to fully sympathize with all of our partners which lost big chunks of their business due to lockdowns.
Steadily, COVID’s grip on the physical started to loosen in most of the markets and NSoft’s revenues sprung back to life fueled by our record online numbers. But we at NSoft are very much aware that we are still far from seeing retail business as it once was. The physical part of our lives is still but a shadow of what it once was and it will take a long time to get back to the pre-COVID world we all long for. So we drew some important lessons which will help us navigate the deep waters we are all in.
Lesson one – online frst sportsbook solution
NSoft is one of the few sportsbook solution providers in the market which is able to integrate and adapt to any third-party online platform. Our prematch and live solutions are running on multiple platforms at the moment attracting new users for our partners who were previously casino-oriented. During 2020 we decided to heavily invest in the digital aspect of our sportsbook solution by adding cashout, backend AI models and a completely new UI for all of our existing and new partners.
We aim to provide a top-of-the-line sportsbook solution that gives the operator ease of mind regardless of its size and ambition. It can be integrated as an iframe solution with customized frontend design done by NSoft or as an API-based solution ideal for UI savvy companies looking to build their own unique frontend.
You can handle your own risk management or put your trust into the industry-leading MTS solution brought to you by NSoft and Sportradar. Either way, you will receive a completely bespoke solution carefully catered to your needs with dedicated teams working on your project.
Lesson two – physical does not become digital on its own
For the last decade, NSoft’s virtual games have revolutionized retail business for our partners across the globe. We have seen NSoft’s virtual games growing retail businesses across Europe, Africa and Latin America regardless of punters’ habits and local specifcities. Game design, the retail platform’s stability and vast experience in handling operational headaches that retail operators go through made our virtual games an essential source of additional revenue for all our partners.
Unfortunately, the transition of this content into digital was not as successful, mostly due to our previous focus on making the virtual games portfolio perfect for the retail environment.
Throughout 2020 all of our virtual games went back to the drawing board. Our in-house teams of experts worked hard to learn from digital users’ behaviour on our virtual games and incorporate their direct and indirect feedback into a fresh digitally oriented spinof of our most popular virtual content. We are now ready to “unleash” them to production with all of our existing and new partners and witness a true digital transformation of revenue-driving powerhouses like Lucky Six, Roulette, Virtual Penalties and many more.
Lesson three – physical will be back
As mentioned earlier in this article, we are still very far from digital and physical unifcation, which means retail will be back to full strength. It’s hard to predict whether it will take months or years to get there, but we are already working hard to greet everybody back by making our Seven retail platform more fexible than ever. NSoft’s in-house products already featured in Seven retail platform have already proven themselves on the ground with our pre-match and in-play betting solutions running on tens of thousands of devices across more than 40 markets worldwide.
This includes a vast network of betting terminals which will surely drive retail for years to come. With our in-house products already going from strength to strength over SSBTs, we decided to open our retail and SSBT platform to third-party products. You can now utilize NSoft’s state-of-the-art hardware peripherals management which cuts years of development and millions in investments needed to support the range of printers, scanners, bill acceptors, card readers and monitors. NSoft already supports it all and keeps adding more.
Finally, 2021 will be all about getting back to business as usual, but the lessons learned throughout 2020 will undoubtedly impact the igaming industry for years to come.
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Scientific Games’ Scratch-Off Partnership with Florida Lottery Shatters Retail Sales Record with $7.093 Billion in 2025
Record Scratch-Off Performance Drives Education Funding, Florida Students Benefit from Growth
Scientific Games and the Florida Lottery announce that their long-time Scratch-Off game partnership delivered a record $7.093 billion in retail sales in calendar year 2025, breaking the previous high of $7.091 billion set in 2022. The milestone year generated more than $1.21 billion for the Florida Educational Enhancement Trust Fund, directly supporting education for Florida’s public schools, colleges, universities and Bright Futures Scholarship Program recipients.

Scratch-Off sales increased by 6.84% year-over-year, underscoring continued player demand and the strength of the Lottery’s data-driven instant game portfolio. In 2025, Scratch-Off games accounted for nearly 74% of the Florida Lottery’s total annual sales of $9.63 billion, reinforcing its role as the Lottery’s primary revenue driver.
Reginald D. Dixon, Florida Lottery Acting Secretary said, “We are extremely proud of our partnership with Scientific Games. Our work together continues to achieve high performance for our Scratch-Off games by using data analytics to inform our game portfolio planning and logistics. More than breaking a record, our efforts drove higher contribution to education for Florida’s public schools, colleges and universities, as well as the Bright Futures Scholarship Program.”
Florida Lottery winners claimed more than $5.23 billion in Scratch-Off prizes during the year, while the Lottery’s network of retailers earned $425 million in commissions from Scratch-Off sales. Outstanding performers behind the banner year included the player-favorite GOLD RUSH MULTIPLIER family of games ($1, $2, $5, $10, $20 and a new $50 game), which represented $1.29 billion in sales—more than 18.3% of total Scratch-Off sales. The WEEK FOR LIFE and HOLIDAY CASH families of games and prize-packed blowout games also made a significant impact on the year of record sales.
The Florida Lottery currently ranks among the top five performing lotteries worldwide in per-capita instant scratch game sales (La Fleur’s 2025 World Lottery Almanac).
“Scientific Games has served as the exclusive or primary supplier of Florida Lottery Scratch-Off games since the Lottery’s inception in 1988. In 1997, our relationship expanded to a full instant game partnership anchored by the Scientific Games Enhanced Partnership program,” said Angela Goodwin, Senior V.P., Instant Products, Americas. “We have collaborated closely with the Florida Lottery’s team to drive responsible growth with Scratch-Off games, and our longtime partnership has proven to be highly successful.”
Today, five of the world’s top six performing lotteries participate in SGEP, which optimizes instant game performance through advanced game design and portfolio management, data analytics, SciTrak predictive logistics and ordering, licensed brand services, and sales and marketing support. In Florida, the SGEP program is supported by Scientific Games’ operations in Orlando, which supports a network of more than 13,550 Florida Lottery retailers across the state.
With products representing 70% of instant scratch game retail sales globally, Scientific Games is the largest lottery games creator, producer and services provider in the world. The company provides retail and digital games, technology, analytics and services to 150 lotteries in 50 countries around the globe.
SciTrak
is a trademark of Scientific Games. ©2026 Scientific Games, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
The post Scientific Games’ Scratch-Off Partnership with Florida Lottery Shatters Retail Sales Record with $7.093 Billion in 2025 appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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WSOP Europe 2026 Adds €1,000 Ladies Championship in Prague — Exclusive Gold Bracelet Up for Grabs
The World Series of Poker (WSOP®) has added a prestigious €1,000 Ladies Championship to the WSOP Europe 2026 schedule in Prague, set for Saturday, April 4, 2026.
The inaugural Ladies Championship highlights WSOP’s ongoing commitment to growing women’s competitive poker on the world stage and elevates the Prague festival’s lineup of headline events.
Ladies Championship: unique bracelet and premier competition
Open exclusively to female players, the new Ladies Championship offers more than a prize pool — the winner will receive a specially designed WSOP gold bracelet created uniquely for Ladies Events. This custom bracelet features additional gemstones and a distinct setting that sets it apart from standard WSOP hardware, adding prestige to the victory and reinforcing the event’s status among international women’s tournaments.
A star-studded field confirmed
The inaugural Ladies Championship is already drawing top international talent. Early registrants and confirmed players include celebrity entrant Mackenzie Dern and elite pros such as Leo Margets, Vanessa Kade, Kitty Kuo, Xuan Liu, Shiina Okamoto, Cecile Ticherfatine, and Kasey Lyn Mills. Popular poker vloggers Ashley Frank and Abby Merk, along with GGTeam’s Andrijana “Lijapoker” Gligoric, are also slated to compete. WSOP will announce additional entrants and schedule highlights on its official social channels in the weeks ahead.
WSOP Europe 2026 — festival details
WSOP Europe 2026 runs March 31 – April 12 at the Hilton Prague, and promises to be Europe’s largest poker festival of the year. The series is anchored by the €5,300 Main Event and its headline €10,000,000 guarantee, plus a deep festival schedule designed to serve professionals and recreational players alike.
Players can qualify for WSOP Europe events exclusively through GGPoker, with additional event information and updates posted on WSOP’s official channels.
Why this matters for women’s poker
Adding a dedicated Ladies Championship to the Prague schedule underscores WSOP’s strategy to broaden access and spotlight women’s competition at major international venues. The event not only creates high-profile competitive opportunities for female players but also enhances community engagement and visibility for women in poker worldwide.
For more details and the latest announcements about WSOP Europe 2026, follow WSOP on social media or check the WSOP news hub for schedule updates and player announcements.
The post WSOP Europe 2026 Adds €1,000 Ladies Championship in Prague — Exclusive Gold Bracelet Up for Grabs appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
All the Ways Players Pay: Super Bowl
Paysafe research: Half of Super Bowl fans to bet in regulated North American markets
Payment speed and brand reputation remain crucial for bettors’ selection of online sportsbooks for Super Bowl LX, with 27% expecting to wager more than usual
In the countdown to this Sunday’s Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California, 51% of fans who’ll follow the football game in U.S. states and Canadian provinces with regulated sports-betting plan to bet online, according to research issued today by leading payments platform Paysafe. The company’s All the Ways Players Pay: Super Bowl report also indicates strong interest in legal betting from fans in this year’s host state, if California were to regulate sports-betting, as well as in Texas and Canada’s Alberta.
Appetite to legally wager in California, Texas, and Alberta – with the Canadian province expected to launch its jurisdiction before year-end – rivals the regulated market, with 52% of fans keen to wager on future Super Bowls. Across these currently unregulated jurisdictions and regulated sports-betting markets alike, fans consider payments crucial for online sports betting.
Surveying fans intending to bet in the regulated markets of Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Canada’s Ontario, the report reveals that 59% of them plan to place bets on game-day and 27% expect to wager more than usual. Their top criteria when choosing an online sportsbook are brand trust (prioritized by 43%) and streamlined payouts (37%). Cashing out a Super Bowl bet seamlessly is considered more important than every other non-payment factor, including good odds (30%), UX (22%), promos (21%), and sports events (14%).
Other payment factors are also instrumental in how fans in regulated markets choose sportsbooks, especially rapid deposits (prioritized by 25%) and range of payment methods (24%).
With bettors prioritizing their go-to payment methods’ availability, the battle for Super Bowl customers will likely be won in part by sportsbooks with diverse cashiers.
Across the regulated market, players’ preference for debit cards (43%) is today rivalled by digital wallets (42%). And while states like Massachusetts ban credit cards for wagering, they remain a preference for 33% overall, rising as high as 51% in New York and 47% in Ontario, the top choice in the province.
With established local payment methods (LPMs) like Venmo in the U.S. and Interac e-Transfer in Canada, it’s no surprise that 20% of bettors expect to see their favorite LPM at the cashier. And with 17% of players preferring to wager with pay-by-bank solutions and 10% favoring eCash, sportsbooks with these options will likely gain a competitive edge.
With over a quarter of bettors expecting to wager more than normal, the game offers an important short-term revenue opportunity, but the real value for operators is retaining customers for the long-haul – and here payments are also key. If the payment experience goes awry for the game, 84% of bettors would switch brands.
While California, Texas and Alberta are yet to launch regulated sports-betting markets, Super Bowl fans there are already aware of payments’ importance. If wagering were legal, fans would prioritize payment factors – fast payouts (29%) and rapid deposits (26%) – above everything but brand reputation (36%) when selecting a sportsbook.
Zak Cutler, President of Global Gaming at Paysafe, commented: “Super Bowl LX is expected to generate a record $1.71bn in legal wagers from the U.S. market alone, with an unprecedented betting volume also likely in Canada’s Ontario. The game represents a massive growth opportunity for North American online sportsbooks, and our research indicates that operators that are laser-focused on their cashiers and streamlining the payment experience will give themselves an edge in a highly competitive market.”
The post Paysafe research: Half of Super Bowl fans to bet in regulated North American markets appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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