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Smarkets raises Series B funding round to supercharge international and domestic growth

Published

5 years ago

June 10, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

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.”

Big Game Summer

GG.BET rolls out Big Game Summer campaign tied to FIFA World Cup 2026

Published

2 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Wladimir P.

gg.bet-rolls-out-big-game-summer-campaign-tied-to-fifa-world-cup-2026

Operator publishes World Cup outright odds as of June 11 and promotes fast markets and bet builder products around the tournament.

GG.BET has launched its “Big Game Summer” campaign ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, positioning the promotion around tournament betting and a “special tournament prize pool,” according to the company.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup runs across the USA, Canada and Mexico and expands to 48 teams, 104 matches and a 39-day schedule. Under the new format, the field is split into 12 groups of four, with the top two in each group plus eight best third-placed teams moving into a newly added Round of 32.

GG.BET said its World Cup offering includes “Fast Markets” for selected matches and a Bet Builder product for custom combinations, alongside “exclusive tournament bonuses” and “fast payouts.” The company did not disclose the campaign’s prize pool size or any eligibility terms in the release.

The operator also published outright odds taken from gg.bet “as of 12:00 CET on June 11, 2026,” noting they are subject to change. GG.BET listed Portugal at 5.17, followed by Spain (5.77), Germany (5.87), England (7.2), Colombia (8.62), Argentina (9.88), France (9.89) and Brazil (10.38).

In the release, GG.BET pointed to the tournament opener on June 11 between Mexico and South Africa at Azteca Stadium, describing it as “the first stadium in history to host a men’s FIFA World Cup for the third time.”

The post GG.BET rolls out Big Game Summer campaign tied to FIFA World Cup 2026 appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Counter-strike

Team Vitality opens V.Hub fan zone for IEM Cologne Major

Published

2 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Wladimir P.

team-vitality-opens-v.hub-fan-zone-for-iem-cologne-major

Team Vitality is launching an official fan zone, V.Hub, to coincide with the 2026 IEM Cologne Major. The venue will run June 18-21 at KWB im Stadtpalais, a short walk from the LANXESS Arena.

Access to V.Hub will be free for fans who sign up, with limited availability. Team Vitality said the space is intended to bring together its community, partners and Counter-Strike fans attending the event.

The fan zone will include dedicated areas hosted by Team Vitality and partners Skin.Club, ASUS ROG, EVNIA and Blacklyte. The club said activations will include hands-on experiences and opportunities to play bespoke Counter-Strike maps.

Team Vitality also plans match watch parties, a pop-up shop for official merchandise and giveaways, including an ASUS ROG x Team Vitality co-branded mousepad. During the playoff stage, the club said V.Hub will be set up for trophy photo opportunities with its Major trophies.

Food and drink will be available on site throughout the event, including vegetarian options.

The post Team Vitality opens V.Hub fan zone for IEM Cologne Major appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

2026 FIFA World Cup

Playradar ships four football-themed casino games ahead of 2026 World Cup

Published

3 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Wladimir P.

playradar-ships-four-football-themed-casino-games-ahead-of-2026-world-cup

Sportradar’s iGaming brand leads with bracket-style World Football x2026, plus updates to Virtual Football and Lucky 6.

Playradar, Sportradar’s iGaming brand, has released four football-themed titles ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which begins on June 11. The drop includes two original games and two updated versions of existing products.

The releases are World Football x2026, Virtual Football World Championship 2026, Football Plinko Pro, and Lucky 6: Football edition. Playradar said the games are designed to target different player segments and to connect sports bettors and casino players through content that links both verticals.

The headline launch, World Football x2026, is a bracket-based game using Mines-style mechanics. Players pick outcomes from the Round of 16 and progress through each round to the final; one incorrect prediction ends the game, while a cash-out option is available.

The other launches include Football Plinko Pro, which adapts the plinko format to a football theme; Virtual Football World Championship 2026, which Playradar said runs a 32-team, 64-match World Cup structure with pre-match and in-play markets such as over/under goals and goalscorer; and Lucky 6: Football Edition, a bingo-style title using balls with flags from participating nations.

Edo Haitin, EVP of iGaming said: “The scale of the 2026 World Cup is unprecedented, with the sheer volume of fans entering markets worldwide creating huge demand for football-themed content, and the operators best placed to succeed are those with games that meet every need. These four titles have each been designed with that in mind. The World Cup attracts a huge spectrum of customers, and when taken together, this product stack provides operators with the tools needed to keep them engaged throughout the tournament.”

The post Playradar ships four football-themed casino games ahead of 2026 World Cup appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.