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Smarkets raises Series B funding round to supercharge international and domestic growth
Smarkets, one of the world’s largest betting exchange and prediction market platforms, has announced the closing of a significant minority investment from Susquehanna Growth Equity (SGE).
Having raised just £3.8m ($5.4m) since its inception in 2008, with its Series A round coming back in 2013, Smarkets has built a leading exchange platform that processes billions of pounds in traded volume each year. The company has offices in London, Los Angeles, and Malta, licensed customer-focused operations in five countries, and in 2019 released innovative sportsbook app SBK.
Smarkets is delighted to welcome SGE, which joins existing investors Passion Capital and Deutsche Telekom in supporting the company’s mission to fix betting with the fairest odds in the industry.
This new investment will allow Smarkets to accelerate its rollout in the US, where it is already live in Colorado with sportsbook app SBK and set to go live in Indiana soon. The funding will also bolster SBK’s position in the UK mainstream betting market after its successful launch in August 2019.
The new investment will contribute to:
Furthering the company’s US presence, including market-access deals in new, regulated states
Capturing an even greater share of the UK betting exchange market and accelerating SBK’s growth in the UK’s mainstream sportsbook market
Expanding Smarkets’ development of new products for customers and focus on industry-leading prices on sports, politics, and current affairs
Continuing to capture the best and brightest worldwide engineering talent with a view to doubling headcount by the end of 2022
Further expansion into new and recently entered markets such as Denmark and Sweden
Jason Trost, founder and CEO of Smarkets, said:
“This is an incredibly exciting day. I’ve always been amazed what the passion and energy of a comparatively small group of committed people can accomplish against much bigger rivals; Smarkets and SBK are the product of exactly that. At Smarkets we have always been guided by our vision of fixing betting with the best prices and products, and SGE is just as excited as us to challenge the status quo. This is a huge endorsement of our technology and will allow us to further upend the industry by offering bets as close to fair value as possible.
“We are super proud of what we have achieved so far in the UK betting space, and this new investment will help take us to the next level and beyond in the UK, US, and other international markets. I’d like to thank the women and men that work and have worked at Smarkets for getting us to where we are.
“I truly believe the best is yet to come. This investment will allow us to fight with greater resources, move faster, and be bolder in our mission. We’re so excited about the opportunities this investment unlocks.”
Scott Feldman, Managing Director with Susquehanna Growth Equity, said:
“We are delighted to be able to join Smarkets on their upward journey. We immediately identified with their vision of using technology to take on the betting industry’s big operators by providing the fairest odds in the world and maintaining a clear focus on product excellence.
“Smarkets have achieved a huge amount with little investment to date and we can’t wait to see them go from strength to strength as they expand further into both the US and UK mainstream market.”
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Beazt
Wildz Group Launches its New Online Betting Brand “Beazt”
The Wildz Group has launched Beazt — a new platform combining sports and casino entertainment within a single ecosystem.
Wildz is no stranger to cutting-edge products. The company was among the first ever to release a fully-fledged streaming casino, an achievement that has since been amplified by including Wildz TV. Since 2019, Wildz has launched multiple online casino brands as well as Wildz Sports, with each launch incorporating the latest technology, improving player experiences. This has culminated in Beazt, a sports-first platform designed to ensure that players enjoy seamless leisure gaming at every touchpoint.
Players will experience the gripping action of Beazt Mode, earn Myztery Boxes and get access to exclusive online events. There are wagering options to suit every budget, global sporting events 24/7, instant deposits and withdrawals and world-class VIP services for the high rollers.
Sam Brown, CEO at Wildz Group, said: “Beazt is arguably the most exciting product we have released since Wildz.com in 2019. We’ve used our latest technology to create the ultimate in online entertainment experience for gamblers across the globe. Based on player feedback, we’ve developed the ultimate Sports and Casino product that’s amazing to experience firsthand. It’s specifically tailored for instant access, rapid deposit and withdrawals, and exciting new instant reward and loyalty features that our players have come to expect from our products. It’s a truly immersive product, and we think our players will love it.”
Beazt delivers exceptional access to sports action. This includes a dedicated focus on combat sports events, offering punters a ringside seat to the betting action via innovative live streaming opportunities built into the product.
Alongside the sports betting options, a full online casino is on offer, boasting thousands of titles and all the most popular online slot, table, crash and live games players expect.
Beazt also launches with cutting-edge banking technology, offering players rapid and secure transactions via digital passcode technology and biometric login and transaction features. Fast, frictionless and secure.
Behind the extravagance of the online platform’s front end, Beazt sits on the same ISO 27001-certified platform as all other Wildz Group brands. Here, compliance, player safety and security are at the core, alongside the latest fully automated lifecycle management tools that deliver bespoke and engaging experiences for the players.
Brown added: “Years of operating our multi-brand, multi-jurisdictional business across regulated markets have taught us what it takes to provide players with the tools they need to enjoy gambling in a safe, secure and ultimately fun space. Our brands are designed to be transparent and intuitive, offer all the most secure payment methods, and give players the tools to manage their gaming experience responsibly. Beazt sets new standards for our players, by utilising the latest technology, including (for the first time) biometric features for speed and security.”
The post Wildz Group Launches its New Online Betting Brand “Beazt” appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Asia
EGT Digital to Debut Highly Anticipated “TNT Jack” Slot at SiGMA Asia 2026
Just days before its official release, EGT Digital will demonstrate one of its most anticipated slot releases to SiGMA Asia 2026 – TNT Jack, an adventure game built around cascading mechanics, with a multiplier, and a signature Dynamite feature. The launch headlines a full showcase of the company’s iGaming ecosystem at Stand 2318, as EGT Digital doubles down on Southeast Asia – one of the most competitive and fastest-growing regulated iGaming territories globally.
TNT Jack puts players in pursuit of buried treasure across a 7X7 game format, powered by the Toppling Reels feature – winning combinations trigger cascading effects that extend gameplay and build win potential. An increasing multiplier grows with consecutive wins on the same positions, reaching up to x1024.
The game’s Dynamite feature clears sections of the grid to unlock fresh winning opportunities, while Free Spins with retrigger options and persistent multipliers deliver a strong retention loop from first spin to last. All visitors at the stand will be able to experience this engaging title through a fully functional demo.
At SiGMA Asia, EGT Digital will present its complete product suite:
• Casino Games Portfolio – 180+ in-house titles, designed to deliver engaging gameplay experiences across multiple player preferences and market segments.
• Gaming Aggregator – instant access to 20,000+ games from 200+ providers, enabling rapid content scaling without complex integration overhead.
• Sportsbook – flexible integration options and optimised betting performance for operators entering or expanding in sports betting markets.
• X-Nave iGaming Platform – modular casino and sportsbook management built for operators who need configurability without sacrificing stability.
• Payment Gateway – secure, seamless transaction processing designed to reduce friction at every stage of the player journey.
“SiGMA Asia is the perfect stage to showcase how EGT Digital combines strong game content with the technology operators need to scale efficiently. TNT Jack brings exactly the kind of high-energy gameplay today’s players look for. Combined with our platform, aggregator, sportsbook, and payment solutions, we offer a complete ecosystem designed to adapt to the fast pace and specific demands of Asian markets,” said Mariana Manchina, Director – EGT Philippines Corp.
EGT will also showcase some of its most successful land-based products. The main focus will be on the company’s Asian-themed solutions – the Asian-themed jackpots Zhao Cai Shuang Yu, Sheng Sheng Bu Xi and Cai Fu Tian Jiang, as well as the brand new multigame Supreme Wang Union. The selection will be complemented by the well-known G 50 J2 Up slot cabinets, S 32 T terminals and the GRSA roulette centre.
The post EGT Digital to Debut Highly Anticipated “TNT Jack” Slot at SiGMA Asia 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Betting and Gaming Council
Britain’s Black Market Betting to Hit £33B by 2028 as Forecasts Show One in Five Stakes Could Go Illegal
The amount staked with illegal gambling operators in the UK is forecast to almost double by 2028, according to new independent analysis.
Research by H2 Gambling Capital (H2GC) shows black market stakes are expected to surge from £17bn in 2025 to more than £33bn by 2028.
That means almost one fifth (19.2%) of all online betting and gaming stakes could be placed with unsafe, unregulated black market operators within three years.
The Betting and Gaming Council warned the figures underline the growing scale and speed of the illegal gambling market, which operates outside UK rules, pays no tax, and offers none of the safer gambling protections required of licensed operators.
Grainne Hurst, Chief Executive of the Betting and Gaming Council, said: “These forecasts are a wake-up call. The black market is not a distant threat, it is growing fast, becoming more visible, and attracting billions of pounds in stakes from British customers.
“By 2028, almost one in five pounds staked online could be with illegal operators. These sites pay no UK tax, support no British jobs, and offer none of the protections that exist in the regulated sector.
“The lesson for policymakers is clear. If the regulated market is made less competitive through higher taxes or intrusive checks, customers will not stop betting, they will simply move to the black market.
“As the Gambling Commission considers financial risk assessments, it is vital that any checks are genuinely frictionless and targeted. Any policy that unintentionally drives even more customers towards illegal operators will undermine player safety and damage the regulated sector.
“That is why ministers and regulators must avoid measures that hand an advantage to the black market.”
The regulated betting and gaming sector supports 109,000 jobs, contributes £6.8bn to the economy, generates £4bn in tax each year and provides vital funding for sports, including horseracing.
The post Britain’s Black Market Betting to Hit £33B by 2028 as Forecasts Show One in Five Stakes Could Go Illegal appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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