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ONLINE GAMING VETERAN MORTEN TONNESEN JOINS SHAPE GAMES AS DANISH B2B PLATFORM AIMS TO ACCELERATE GROWTH IN THE US SPORTSBETTING & CASINO MARKET
onnesen brings a wealth of online gaming experience from PokerStars, BetWarrior
Online gaming industry veteran Morten Tonnesen has joined Shape Games as Chief Commercial Officer and also joins the Board bringing more than a decade of industry experience to the company as it aims to grow significantly in the U.S. online gambling market and across the world, Shape founder & CEO Christian Risom announced. Tonnesen was a long time marketing executive with gaming giant PokerStars and was most recently founder and CEO of sportsbetting operator BetWarrior.
Shape is a leading consumer app developer for major global brands and recently created Shape Games to address the specific needs of the online gambling industry. Risom and co-founders CPO Nicolas Linde, CIO Ole Gammelgaard and CTO Philip Bruce have created consumer apps for leading global brands including Apple, ebay, IKEA and Red Bull. Shape also has a long history with Danske Spil, Denmark’s state-run gambling operator of Oddset, the leading Danish online sportsbook.
Shape recently renewed a long-term agreement with Danske Spil and is accelerating growth in the burgeoning US sports betting market having launched with ballybet.com in Colorado and Iowa powering ‘Bally Friends’ with more US clients to come. The company is working in Latin America with BetWarrior.
Shape’s innovative and proprietary gaming software platform leverages best practices in consumer apps with first-class native customer engagement platform using predictive analytics and machine learning to inform back-end data and insights. This platform gives gaming operators the ability to improve customer experience and gain competitive advantage in the increasingly crowded marketplace.
Shape’s work with Danske Spil has been recognised with numerous industry awards for innovation, while the company has been named an industry rising star by respected industry media outlet EGR for each of the past two years.
“We are excited to bring Morten onboard and our clients will benefit from his deep management and marketing expertise in the online gaming sector,” Risom said. “We can deliver a full suite of products and services to local market land-based casino operators who are looking for a one-stop-shop consumer product partner to bring their business and their customers online. Morten’s deep experience will help us accelerate our growth and lead the way in the U.S. and European markets.”
Tonnesen said: “Shape Games has distinguished itself as a nimble, dynamic and innovative technology leader and I’m excited to help lead the company into its next stage of global growth. Shape’s consumer technology domain experience ensures that their modern, customer-focused apps stand above the traditional, clunky gaming apps from the first generation of online operators. This next generation must compete with not only other betting and casino companies, but with other entertainment choices including streaming and social games.”
Tonnesen points to Shape’s highly customisable native frontend as a unique innovation in the gambling industry and distinguishes the company as a sought-after B-to-B platform and service provider.
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BOYLE Sports signs Mark Goldbridge for World Cup watchalong series
BOYLE Sports has agreed a World Cup content partnership with football creator Mark Goldbridge, covering the tournament from 11 June to 19 July.
The operator said the deal includes 32 branded watchalongs across Goldbridge’s football channels, including The United Stand and That’s Football. The schedule covers every England World Cup fixture, Scotland’s group-stage matches, and selected other games, starting with the tournament opener between Mexico and South Africa.
Alongside the live watchalongs, Goldbridge will produce preview content for England’s group games and a “Game Changers” social series highlighting five players ahead of each round. BOYLE Sports said product integrations will run throughout the campaign.
BOYLE Sports said the partnership follows a prior campaign during the Premier League season and was supported by media agency Miroma Founders Network. The operator also pointed to the recent appointment of Olivia Buzaglo as its football ambassador as part of its summer football content plans.
Commenting on the partnership, Gill Blake-Swift, Director of Brand at BOYLE Sports, said: “Mark Goldbridge represents everything we stand for as a brand – passion for sport, confidence in your opinions and a deep connection with fans. His ability to engage audiences in an authentic, entertaining way makes him the perfect partner for this summer’s World Cup as we continue to build our digital presence and bring fans closer to the moments that matter.”
Mark Goldbridge added: “The World Cup is the biggest stage in football and I’m delighted to be partnering with BOYLE Sports across the tournament. The watchalongs are all about bringing fans into the emotion of the game in real time, and this partnership enable us to do that across some of the biggest fixtures of the summer. From England games to the standout matches across the tournament, we’ll be giving fans reaction, opinion, debate and plenty of moments to get involved in.”
The post BOYLE Sports signs Mark Goldbridge for World Cup watchalong series appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Conferences
Xsolla joins Gamesforum Hamburg 2026 with D2C commerce keynote and panel
Xsolla will take part in Gamesforum Hamburg 2026 on June 9–10 at NORD EVENT Panoramadeck in Hamburg, Germany, with Jane Startseva, Vice President of Business Development, EMEA, scheduled for a keynote and a panel focused on direct-to-consumer (D2C) web shops and measurement.
On June 9 at 10:00 AM, Startseva is set to join Adam Smart, Global Director of Product – Gaming at AppsFlyer, for a 30-minute keynote titled “Web Shops and Attribution: Closing the Revenue Gap.” The session will focus on how developers track revenue performance for web shops and how attribution impacts user acquisition targets and growth planning, according to the company.
Later that day at 4:30 PM, Startseva will appear on a panel titled “The Belonging Economy: How Mobile Games Build Value Through Player Relationships” alongside Oliver Lindahl, Strategist & Behavioural Scientist at Sagely, and Pedro Alvin, Marketing Lead at Supercell. Xsolla said the discussion will cover player messaging, store optimization, new monetization opportunities, and trust in out-of-game purchase experiences.
“Being an Exclusive Global Partner of the Gamesforum series reflects how seriously Xsolla takes the European games market and the developers building here,” said Berkley Egenes, Chief Marketing and Growth Officer at Xsolla. “The shift to direct-to-consumer commerce is one of the most important things happening in this industry. Showing up at events like Hamburg, with partners like AppsFlyer, is how we help the industry move the conversation forward and build D2C businesses on a foundation video game studios and developers can actually measure.”
The post Xsolla joins Gamesforum Hamburg 2026 with D2C commerce keynote and panel appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Casino Content
Spinmatic launches Elemental Fusion Deluxe with instant Plinko bonus triggers
Spinmatic has launched Elemental Fusion Deluxe, a new slot built around instant access to its Plinko mechanic from the base game, the supplier said. The title was announced on 9 June 2026 from Malta.
Elemental Fusion Deluxe runs on a 5×3 layout with 25 fixed paylines. Spinmatic lists the game as medium-high volatility with a 96.04% RTP and 39.49% hit frequency.
The game’s feature set includes Gold Wilds, which can appear on any reel and substitute for standard symbols (excluding the Special Plinko Symbol and the Special Element Elixir Symbols). Spinmatic also says base gameplay uses “Instant Elixir Multipliers” linked to Fire, Earth, Water, Air, and Galaxy symbols.
Instead of an accumulator-style collection mechanic, the Plinko Feature Trigger activates when three dedicated trigger symbols land on reels 1, 3, and 5, launching a random Plinko bonus. Spinmatic says the Plinko bonus is split into four elemental modes after a selection wheel sets a starting pool of 10 to 100 balls: Water Plinko (low volatility, Mini Jackpot), Air Plinko (medium volatility, Midi Jackpot), Earth Plinko (high volatility, Maxi Jackpot), and Fire Plinko (very high volatility, Grand Jackpot), played on a 16-row pyramid.
The company framed the release around reducing time-to-feature: “In a market where a split-second delay can lose a player, the quality of your content delivery determines your bottom line.”
The post Spinmatic launches Elemental Fusion Deluxe with instant Plinko bonus triggers appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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