Latest News

Euro 2020 from a betting perspective

Published

4 years ago

September 16, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Just before Finland’s debut in the European football championship, Spiffbet, together with Metric Gaming launched a sportsbook on the Finnish flagship casino SuperNopea and Swedish TurboVegas. The timing couldn’t have been better. Metric Gaming CEO Jim Supple and Spiffbet’s Maria Boelius discuss the summer of 2021 from a sports betting perspective.

This summer was unique in the sense that two major events postponed from 2020 due to the global pandemic finally took place. It was the opportunity that Maria Boelius, Head of Casino Operations at Spiffbet, had been waiting for and she and her team reached out to Metric Gaming to launch a sportsbook on Spiffbet’s casinos SuperNopea and TurboVegas. “ We were excited to be able to launch a sportsbook so quickly with Metric Gaming’s multi-tenant platform. Technically it was easy for us to set it up and the performance has been flawless.

SuperNopea, launched just days ahead of the European Championships, and joined fellow Spiffbet casino, TurboVegas, on the Metric Gaming Sportsbook platform. The more established brand, TurboVegas accounted for 69% of the group’s tournament turnover. Both brands operated with similar trading strategies primarily aimed at acquisition. Metric’s efficient pricing allowed margin to be kept aggressively low on the three key pre-match football markets: Match Winner, Total Goals, and Both Teams to Score. This ensured that SuperNopea and Turbo Vegas were offering top price in a very competitive marketplace. The result of this aggressive pricing strategy was that two-thirds of new players had their first bets on these promoted markets, and subsequently half of those then migrated to higher-margin products for future bets.

Jim Supple, CEO of Metric Gaming, is very satisfied with the launch and the initial results: “Metric Gaming is delighted to have Spiffbet as a client. The summer of 2021 was remarkable from a sports perspective with both the Euro and the Olympics. All of our clients have seen a surge in betting revenues, and Spiffbet is no exception.”

Despite the relatively early exit of both Finland & Sweden, acquisition numbers remained strong throughout, with both brands recording significantly higher daily actives as the tournament progressed.

One of Metric Gaming’s key strengths is market availability. They target 97%+ uptime for live football. On average SuperNopea and TurboVegas were live, with a full set of markets, within 9 seconds of a goal being scored. This compares to up to 50 seconds by key rival Sportsbooks. With 149 goals scored across the tournament, it is vital markets are made available quickly and capture the high margin post-goal wagers.

Metric’s drive for market uptime paired with their in-play personalization engine remove blockers for all players and are key reasons Spiffbet enjoys high retention rates across their customer base. Customers are simply not given a reason to bet elsewhere.

Then there is the matter of launching a sportsbook just days before a tournament. Maria Boelius shares her view on the timing of the launch “In hindsight, we should have launched the sportsbook much earlier so that we would have had sufficient time to ramp up marketing properly. All the other more traditional sports betting sites had a lead over us. Despite the lack of time, our sportsbook got a lot of attention, and I am convinced that we made the right decision to launch before the Euro“.

Jim shares Maria’s view on the timing and adds “Metric provides the tools for betting, but we also need to work closely with the operators to ensure that the player gets the best experience possible. Importantly this is not just about the Euros, we see this as a long-term partnership.”

Traditional offline casinos as well as the local betting offices are opening up again after the pandemic. Jim Supple gives his thoughts on how the post-covid normalization will affect business and projections for the future: “We were doing great business before the pandemic, and we will continue to do so. We at Metric are seeing that the traditional casino operators, in order to compete in an increasingly competitive market, are adding a sportsbook to their casino games and slots. In addition, our market is growing year after year and new territories are opening up. We have a very positive outlook”.

Maria Boelius adds with a smile “I guess we are following the trend that Jim describes as we move from 100% casino to also providing a sportsbook. Currently, we are offering sports betting on three of our brands and we are looking into the possibilities of adding a sportsbook to some of our other casino brands. In general, we share Metrics positive outlook. We have just recruited a senior sportsbook manager to spearhead our expansion in the betting space.”

EPIC agree

Onrise and EPIC agree strategic partnership for gambling harm prevention

Published

6 minutes ago

March 2, 2026

Wladimir P.

onrise-and-epic-agree-strategic-partnership-for-gambling-harm-prevention

Onrise, the trusted mental health platform for athletes across the US, has entered a strategic partnership with EPIC Global Solutions, a leading consultancy in gambling harm prevention. The collaboration aims to enhance support services for athletes and coaches at professional and collegiate levels amid growing concerns around sports wagering and gambling-related risks.

EPIC Global Solutions brings expertise grounded in lived experience of gambling addiction. Through this partnership, EPIC will provide education and training—both face-to-face and digital—to supplement Onrise’s network of over 250 peer support experts. These services are designed to help sports organizations promote safer relationships with gambling products.

The Onrise platform already offers a comprehensive support system, including licensed therapists, psychiatric care, sports performance coaching, and retired athlete peer support, all delivered securely through one-on-one sessions with flexible scheduling.

Kim Quigley, Founder and CEO of Onrise, commented:
“Student-athletes live in a time where gambling and sport intertwine in so many ways, with significant wagering interest in collegiate sport. This partnership with EPIC Global Solutions is about getting in early, before a bet becomes a burden carried in silence. By pairing world-class gambling education with Onrise’s athlete-specific mental health care, we can spot risk sooner, intervene faster, and protect their health, future, and the team communities depending on them.”

Paul Buck, CEO of EPIC Global Solutions, added:
“This partnership arose from a shared alignment of values. Gambling and sports wagering is growing fast in the US, particularly in sports and college sectors. Together, we can provide stronger, athlete-focused support to promote mental health, wellbeing, and performance.”

The partnership coincides with Problem Gambling Awareness Month in the US, running throughout March to raise awareness of early identification and prevention of gambling-related harms.

The post Onrise and EPIC agree strategic partnership for gambling harm prevention appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Dota 2 Team

LEON Esports Expands its Partnership with GamerLegion to Include a Dota 2 Team

Published

6 minutes ago

March 2, 2026

Wladimir P.

leon-esports-expands-its-partnership-with-gamerlegion-to-include-a-dota-2-team

Online casino and sportsbook LEON has strengthened its esports involvement by extending its partnership with the organisation GamerLegion to cover the team’s North American Dota 2 roster.

Previously sponsoring GamerLegion’s Counter-Strike 2 team, LEON’s expanded collaboration marks the next step in the brand’s growing esports strategy.

GamerLegion’s Dota 2 squad, formed in late 2025, played its first official match on November 15th and is currently ranked approximately #17 globally. The team has already competed in major tournaments, including PGL Wallachia, DreamLeague, and BLAST Slam.

As part of the extended partnership, LEON and GamerLegion will introduce exclusive giveaways, fan activities, and collaborative content for the esports community, further strengthening engagement across both teams and their audiences.

The post LEON Esports Expands its Partnership with GamerLegion to Include a Dota 2 Team appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Colombian market

GoldenRace reinforces leadership in the Colombian market alongside Olympia Apuestas Virtuales

Published

6 minutes ago

March 2, 2026

Wladimir P.

goldenrace-reinforces-leadership-in-the-colombian-market-alongside-olympia-apuestas-virtuales

GoldenRace, a global leader in Virtual Sports and the first and only ACDV-certified provider in Colombia, has signed a partnership with Olympia Apuestas Virtuales. This collaboration expands GoldenRace’s footprint in the Colombian retail sector while raising standards for virtual gaming.

Colombia has long been a strategic market for GoldenRace, and its compliance with Coljuegos regulations ensures operators can run certified, fully transparent products. Olympia’s terminals now feature GoldenRace’s full virtual sports portfolio, demonstrating how advanced technology can seamlessly adapt to local legal and operational requirements. Since November 2025, Olympia has successfully deployed multiple terminals, highlighting growing player demand for fast, secure, and accessible gaming experiences.

GoldenRace virtual betting delivers instant excitement, with events every five minutes and betting options across football, horse racing, dog racing, motorcycling, and more. The platform requires minimal registration while offering immediate results, catering to players seeking quick, adrenaline-filled entertainment.

Martin Wachter, CEO and Founder of GoldenRace, commented:
“Our track record in Colombia has allowed us to understand what operators need and what players love. Partnering with Olympia lets us expand in the retail sector, bringing certified virtual games to physical points of sale where trust and immediacy are crucial.”

David Cadavid, Betting Coordinator at BetPlay and Olympia Casinos, added:
“This partnership is central to our diversification and growth strategy. Virtual betting represents both fast, accessible entertainment and a contribution to the national economy. GoldenRace’s certified products are a clear opportunity for innovation, development, and profitability in Colombia.”

The GoldenRace–Olympia alliance is set to continue transforming the virtual betting landscape in Colombia, offering players instant action while supporting sustainable business growth.

The post GoldenRace reinforces leadership in the Colombian market alongside Olympia Apuestas Virtuales appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.