Latest News

Entain Opens New-Look Digital Shops across UK & Europe

Published

5 years ago

September 29, 2021

George Miller

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Retail to have a more contemporary, digital feel

Entain, the global sports betting and gaming entertainment operator, has embarked on a digitization initiative across its retail business, converting a core of shops in key locations across both the UK and Europe into contemporary, digital, spaces to enhance the omni-channel experience for customers.

The retail makeover will initially apply to Entain shops in the UK and Italy across the Ladbrokes, Coral and Eurobet brands. In both countries, Entain has run successful trials of new, more contemporary store design and formats more closely aligned to customers’ online experience.

“Entain is a global online operator, but we are focused on delivering a great local experience for our customers. This investment allows us to give a more immersive and joined up online omni-channel experience to our customers” said Rob Wood, CFO and Deputy Chief Executive of Entain.

“Since high streets re-opened, our retail customers have returned in large numbers which reflects the continued demand from customers for an engaging in-shop experience,” he added. This digital makeover of shops, together with ongoing investments into our industry leading tech platform and £100m of innovation investment over the next 3 years, are important drivers of our future growth.”

Since the re-opening of retail, Entain has opened 18 new digital hubs across the UK and plans to have a total of 30 new-style Ladbrokes and Coral shops open by the end of the year in cities including Leeds, Birmingham, London, Portsmouth, Sunderland, Wolverhampton, Newcastle, Dumfries and Leicester. The aim is for 200 UK digital stores by the end of 2024.

The move will provide a welcome boost to many high streets and town centres in both Italy and the UK. In the UK alone The British Retail Consortium recently noted that more than one in seven shops are now vacant (*), rising to one in five in particularly hard-hit parts of the country.

“Our shops are at the heart of local communities and employ around 13,000 people across the country,” said Andy Hicks, Entain Retail MD for the UK and Ireland. “We want to bring the experiences customers have with us online into our shops, also making them more digital and contemporary environments. We want to offer local customers a place to socialize, enjoy sports, bet and play games in a relaxed and enjoyable way.”

Initially UK stores being converted into digital hubs contain the latest gaming machines, and interactive displays, giving customers a more engaging and dynamic experience as well as more choice of interactive sports and gaming content. In both Italy and the UK, the converted stores have digital window displays and additional interior screens which allow live events and new promotions to be shared with customers across retail locations.

In Italy, where Entain’s retail outlets operate under the Eurobet brand, the Group also plans to convert around 200 shops and plans to have the first 30 locations open by the end of this year. These include a number of “Eurobet Cafes”, which offer customers a new place to meet and socialize with friends.

“This is all about offering a different and more distinctive experience to new and existing customers, “said Andrea Faelli, Managing Director of Entain, Italy. “We want to move from simply offering betting shops to hosting spaces in town centres where people can come to have a good time, which may or may not include having a bet.”

All the initiatives are powered by Entain’s proprietary technology, which has the benefit of making the digital and retail experiences more similar for customers and being scalable internationally to other locations.

Gamification

GoldenRace launches V5 mobile solution with unified app and WebGL branding

Published

4 hours ago

July 1, 2026

Wladimir P.

goldenrace-launches-v5-mobile-solution-with-unified-app-and-webgl-branding

GoldenRace has launched its next-generation V5 mobile solution, the supplier announced on 1 July 2026 in Malta. The company positions the release as a mobile delivery upgrade for its virtual sports and betting content, aimed at maintaining performance under high player traffic.

According to GoldenRace, V5 consolidates its previous architecture into a single application and “drastically reduces load sizes by 80–90%.” The company also said the platform is built “completely from the ground up” with a unified UI/UX designed to remain responsive across different network conditions.

On product features, GoldenRace said V5 introduces “advanced WebGL capabilities” to support high-fidelity graphics and operator-controlled branding. It also adds native gamification tools across games, including custom Tournaments, Leaderboards and Free Bets.

The company also outlined three mobile upgrades intended to reduce friction in the betting flow: a Lobby with modular layouts and a one-click toggle between scheduled and instant views; a next-generation Betslip with richer visual components and “smart organisation”; and dynamic Leaderboards with configurable funding and custom point logic.

GoldenRace said operators can switch to V5 by “changing a single line of code,” and added that a demo is available for operators evaluating the new mobile solution.

The post GoldenRace launches V5 mobile solution with unified app and WebGL branding appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

certification

PopOK Gaming secures certification for Portugal iGaming market

Published

4 hours ago

July 1, 2026

Wladimir P.

popok-gaming-secures-certification-for-portugal-igaming-market

PopOK Gaming has obtained certification for the Portuguese iGaming market, adding Portugal to its list of regulated jurisdictions where it can offer compliant gaming content to licensed operators.

The company said the certification confirms it meets local regulatory and technical requirements and supports its strategy to expand in regulated markets.

PopOK Gaming did not disclose which regulator or test lab issued the certification, which products are covered, or the date the approval was granted.

Portugal continues to operate a ring-fenced regulated online gambling framework, with market access dependent on product approvals and operator licensing. For suppliers, local certification is typically a prerequisite to distribute content to licensed brands.

The post PopOK Gaming secures certification for Portugal iGaming market appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

API

St8 adds game round replays to its single API platform

Published

4 hours ago

July 1, 2026

Wladimir P.

st8-adds-game-round-replays-to-its-single-api-platform

Replay tool builds on St8’s graphical game round details and launches first with nine casino game studios.

St8 has launched game round replays, adding visual playback of completed casino game rounds to its existing single API platform. The company said the feature is designed to help operators verify outcomes faster and resolve player queries more efficiently.

The new capability builds on St8’s graphical game round details, which it said is already used by operators. With replays, support and operations teams can access a round’s visual playback to investigate gameplay disputes and respond to players with more transparency.

St8 also positioned the feature as a player engagement tool, with operators able to surface notable moments such as big wins and bonus rounds for promotional use.

Game round replays will initially support titles from AvatarUX, BGaming, Endorphina, Hacksaw, Peter & Sons, Pragmatic Play, Scatter Kings, Shady Lady, and Tequity Originals, with more providers to be added. St8 said the feature is delivered through its existing single API integration and requires no additional development work, and is intended to scale across multiple brands and regulated markets.

David Fall, Business Development Manager at St8, said: “Operators are under increasing pressure to deliver exceptional customer support while keeping operational costs under control. Our graphical game round details have become a trusted and widely used tool for operators, giving support teams quick access to the information they need to resolve player queries efficiently. Game round replays complement this capability by providing a visual playback of each round, helping teams resolve cases even faster and with complete confidence.

“Beyond operational efficiency, the feature also opens up new opportunities for engagement. Operators can showcase exciting gameplay moments, celebrate big wins and create richer player experiences – all through the same integration. Because game round replays are delivered through our existing single API, partners can access this functionality immediately while continuing to benefit from the simplicity and scalability that sit at the heart of the St8 platform.”

The post St8 adds game round replays to its single API platform appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.