Latest News
Entain Opens New-Look Digital Shops across UK & Europe
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.
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Latest News
Blueprint Gaming upgrades Super Graphics Upside Down for Lottomart exclusive
The updated slot launches on Lottomart for UK players on 23rd July with a new bonus wheel and higher max win.
Blueprint Gaming is releasing an upgraded version of Super Graphics Upside Down exclusively on Lottomart from 23rd July, giving Lottomart’s UK players early access to the title.
Originally launched in 2021, Super Graphics Upside Down is being re-released with a new bonus wheel feature and an increased max win potential, rising from 250X to 3000X, according to the companies.
Chris Ruddock, Commercial Director at Lottomart, said:
“Securing an early release exclusive on the new Super Graphics Upside Down is another exciting milestone for Lottomart. Blueprint Gaming has upgraded a fantastic game with engaging new features and bigger win potential, and we’re delighted to offer this game exclusively to our UK players.”
Elliott Kyne, Account Manager at Blueprint Gaming, said:
“We’re delighted to support Lottomart with the exclusive UK launch of Super Graphics Upside Down. It’s also pleasing to see our partnership continue to go from strength to strength, and Lottomart’s impressive growth and UK focus has made them a match made in heaven for Blueprint’s content. We’re SUPER excited to bring this latest release to their players.”
The companies said the launch is part of their ongoing partnership, with Blueprint Gaming providing exclusive content as Lottomart expands its UK presence.
The post Blueprint Gaming upgrades Super Graphics Upside Down for Lottomart exclusive appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
app analytics
AppsFlyer: UK app activity spikes on every goal during England knockout games
Data tracks the semi-final loss to Argentina and third-place win over France, showing rising spend even on goals against England.
AppsFlyer on July 22, 2026 published new UK app activity data tied to England’s knockout-stage matches in 2026’s biggest global football tournament: a 1-2 semi-final loss to Argentina and a 6-4 win over France in the third-place match.
The company said the UK stood out in its seven-market study as the only market to show app activity spikes in response to its own team scoring during the knockout stage. “England fans lived two entirely different matches on their phones within a week. In the semi-final, activity spiked when England scored, the only time we saw a market react to its own team’s goal in the knockout stage, but the mood shifted fast once Argentina hit back, with fans clearly cooling as the game slipped away. In the third-place match, mobile surged and dipped with every goal in a high-scoring game, keeping engagement elevated throughout. Same fans, same phones, two completely different stories,” said Lex Nakad, GM, EMEA West, AppsFlyer.
AppsFlyer reported that Gordon’s opener in the semi-final drove app activity 21% above normal. Engagement peaked at half-time at 47% above normal, then Argentina’s equalizer triggered a 19% spike. By the time Argentina scored a stoppage-time winner, the reaction had dropped to 6%, which AppsFlyer said indicated deflating interest as the match turned.
In the third-place match, AppsFlyer said activity “surged and dipped with every goal” throughout the ten-goal game, including a 37% spike at the hydration break and a 25% lift “across the goals,” which it attributed to the volume of match action rather than a single moment.
On monetisation, AppsFlyer said purchases increased in both matches: up 31% in the semi-final and 59% in the third-place match. Per-app spend peaked at half-time (19%) in the semi-final and spiked again on Argentina’s late goals (18% to 20% on the equalizer, and 15% on the winner). Streaming was the top-performing category, up 183%. The company also said food delivery behaviour diverged by kickoff time, with activity up 11% pre-kickoff and peaking at 17% at half-time for the 8pm semi-final, but dropping 39% during the 10pm third-place match.
AppsFlyer said the analysis spans seven markets (US, Mexico, Canada, UK, France, Spain, Argentina) and 18 app categories, comparing match-day activity with a matched regular-day baseline at the same local-clock minute. The company noted the underlying app-market data is the United Kingdom (not an “England-only” cut), and that it is not quoting revenue or order size due to outliers.
The post AppsFlyer: UK app activity spikes on every goal during England knockout games appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Contributors Program
Gamblers Connect names Gali Hartuv as seventh 2026 Contributors Program voice
The Playa strategic advisor will publish on VIP operations, segmentation and retention, starting with an anonymous VIP Operations Survey 2026.
Gamblers Connect has confirmed Gali Hartuv, Strategic Advisor at The Playa, as the seventh voice to join its 2026 Contributors Program.
The independent B2B iGaming media platform said the programme will reveal one senior industry voice per month throughout 2026, with contributors publishing under the Gamblers Connect Contributor Editorial Code.
Gamblers Connect said Hartuv has more than 15 years’ experience in VIP management, including designing and optimising VIP programmes across more than 50 operator brands, and training “hundreds of professionals” now working in VIP roles across the industry.
Hartuv will publish across four areas: building VIP programmes that drive long-term value; AI-powered VIP identification and player segmentation; hyper-personalisation and retention strategy; and scaling VIP operations across different markets and cultures. His first contribution is a VIP Operations Survey 2026, an anonymous survey intended to benchmark how VIP teams work across iGaming operators, including portfolio sizing, tools, qualification thresholds, workflow standards and where time is spent during the week.
Partnerships and Operations Lead, Luka Dimitrijevic, said: “VIP management is where a great deal of an operator’s value is won or lost, and very few people can speak to it with Gali’s depth. He has spent his career turning high value player relationships into a discipline rather than guesswork, and he is refreshingly candid about what works and what does not. Through the Contributors Program he will share practical insight on VIP strategy, retention, and the smart use of AI, with content grounded in real results rather than recycled best practices.”
The post Gamblers Connect names Gali Hartuv as seventh 2026 Contributors Program voice appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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