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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.”

Free Ticket Drops

GGPoker Brings Back WSOP Super Circuit with Record $180M Guarantee

Published

10 hours ago

February 24, 2026

Wladimir P.

ggpoker-brings-back-wsop-super-circuit-with-record-$180m-guarantee

GGPoker, the world’s largest online poker platform, is set to host the highly anticipated 2026 WSOP Super Circuit online tournament series, running from March 1 to March 31.

This year’s edition features an unprecedented $180 million in guaranteed prizes, solidifying GGPoker’s reputation as the premier global poker destination.

Players will compete across 18 WSOP Gold Ring events, offering the chance to win one of poker’s most prestigious trophies and significant cash prizes.

Key Events & Highlights:

#5: $525 Mystery Millions [Final Stage] – March 9, $525 buy-in, $10M GTD ($1M Top Bounty)
#13: WSOP Super Circuit MAIN EVENT [Day 2] – March 23, $1,700 buy-in, $15M GTD
#18: GGMillion$ High Roller [Day 2] – March 30, $10K buy-in, $10M GTD

Exclusive Champion Perks
Winners of all 18 Gold Ring events receive:

A $5K WSOP Paradise package
Recognition on the official WSOP Rankings leaderboard

$3 Million in Free Ticket Drops
Participants in any WSOP Super Circuit event can win WSOP Express tickets, $5K Ring Passes, or $10K Bracelet Passes. Tickets will be awarded randomly throughout the series, totaling $3 million in free prizes.

Live Coverage
Final tables for the Main Event (#13) and High Roller (#18) will be streamed live on GGPoker.TV and YouTube, hosted by Jeff Gross, with commentary by Daniel Negreanu for the High Roller.

Player and Ambassador Excitement
Daniel Negreanu said: “The 2026 WSOP Super Circuit at GGPoker is absolutely massive. With $180M in total guarantees, including $15M Main Event and $10M Mystery Millions, it’s the perfect time to compete for record-breaking prizes.”

The post GGPoker Brings Back WSOP Super Circuit with Record $180M Guarantee appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Casino Bonus Features

PopOK Gaming Unveils Macaco Millionario Dual-Grid Slot

Published

11 hours ago

February 24, 2026

Wladimir P.

popok-gaming-unveils-macaco-millionario-dual-grid-slot

PopOK Gaming has launched Macaco Millionario, a vibrant online slot inspired by Chinese symbolism and designed with an innovative double-grid bonus feature.

Rich red and gold visuals, lucky symbols, and a playful Macaco character combine to deliver a visually engaging and rewarding gaming experience.

The game features a 5×3 layout with 30 fixed paylines and two types of Wilds, including Double Wilds that count as two symbols for higher winning potential. The Double Fortune Free Spins round introduces an extra 5×3 reel set, allowing players to spin two grids simultaneously. Wins across both grids trigger multipliers up to x20, and retriggers extend the bonus for bigger payouts.

With a maximum multiplier of x1,732, Macaco Millionario delivers exciting bonus features, including Free Spins, Double Free Spins, Double Win Multipliers, Extra Spins, and a jackpot option. The game offers an RTP of 96.56% and supports bets from EUR 0.02 to EUR 100, fully optimized for web and mobile play. Multi-language support includes English, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, and Hindi.

“Macaco Millionario blends cultural familiarity with a unique bonus structure that delivers thrilling moments in every spin,” said Tsovinar Elchyan, Head of Partnerships at PopOK Gaming. “The double-grid feature sets it apart from traditional slots, offering operators and players something truly innovative.”

The slot is now live and available for integration across all platforms supporting PopOK Gaming content. Operators interested in adding Macaco Millionario to their portfolios can contact PopOK Gaming directly.

The post PopOK Gaming Unveils Macaco Millionario Dual-Grid Slot appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

AI in lottery

Scientific Games Appoints Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering

Published

11 hours ago

February 24, 2026

Wladimir P.

scientific-games-appoints-rich-wasserman-as-senior-vice-president-of-product-engineering

Scientific Games has appointed Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering, reinforcing its commitment to advancing lottery systems technology and digital innovation.

Based in Atlanta, the global lottery provider continues to expand its technology leadership as one of the fastest-growing suppliers of retail and digital lottery solutions worldwide.

Leadership Experience from Amazon, Facebook and Stitch Fix

Wasserman brings more than 20 years of experience leading engineering, data science and product teams across high-performance technology platforms.

He previously held senior leadership roles at:

Amazon
Facebook
Stitch Fix

At Stitch Fix, he served as Vice President of Engineering and Data Science, leading automation, AI-driven systems and platform optimization initiatives. Wasserman holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and a Computer Science degree from the University at Buffalo.

Driving Innovation Across Global Lottery Platforms

In his new role, Wasserman will oversee Product Engineering across Scientific Games’ global portfolio serving more than 150 government-regulated lotteries. His responsibilities include advancing:

Retail lottery systems
Digital lottery platforms
Hardware and software innovation
Data analytics and AI capabilities
Consumer engagement technologies

CEO Pat McHugh stated that Wasserman’s experience scaling AI-powered platforms at world-class technology firms will help accelerate innovation and deliver next-generation lottery solutions focused on sustainable growth.

Strengthening Lottery Technology Leadership

Scientific Games continues to invest in technology, analytics and digital transformation to enhance consumer experiences across retail and online lottery channels. The appointment underscores the company’s strategy to integrate advanced analytics and machine learning into its global lottery ecosystem.

The post Scientific Games Appoints Rich Wasserman as Senior Vice President of Product Engineering appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.