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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.

horse racing

BOYLE Sports opens 400th shop at Galway Racecourse under new deal

Published

10 hours ago

June 22, 2026

Wladimir P.

boyle-sports-opens-400th-shop-at-galway-racecourse-under-new-deal

The bookmaker signs an initial three-year partnership with Galway Races, adding an on-course betting shop and expanded sponsorship.

BOYLE Sports has signed an initial three-year partnership with Galway Races that includes opening its 400th retail betting shop on-site at Galway Racecourse in Ballybrit.

Under the agreement, BOYLE Sports will operate a dedicated on-course betting shop and expand branding and visibility across the Galway racing calendar. The partnership also includes additional race sponsorship opportunities, according to the company.

BOYLE Sports said the deal builds on its existing involvement at the venue, including title sponsorship of the Saturday at the Galway Races festival. Sponsored races include the €110,000 BOYLE Sports Handicap Hurdle and the €80,000 Galway Tribes Hurdle.

Sinéadh Crowe, Head of Irish Retail Operations for BOYLE Sports, said: “Opening our 400th shop here marks a major milestone in the BOYLE Sports journey and reflects just how far we’ve come since John Boyle set up his first shop in County Armagh in 1982. It’s a proud moment for everyone involved and underlines our continued commitment to retail, Irish horse racing and delivering a top-class experience for customers on race day.”

Michael Moloney, CEO of Galway Racecourse, added: “It’s a real privilege to have BOYLE Sports open their 400th shop here on-site as part of this exciting new multi-year partnership with Galway Races.

“We’re absolutely delighted to strengthen our ties with such a powerhouse brand with deep roots in Irish racing and we’re excited to build on that shared heritage as we work together to enhance the experience for racegoers over the coming years.”

The post BOYLE Sports opens 400th shop at Galway Racecourse under new deal appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

amd

S8UL partners with AMD ahead of Esports World Cup 2026 campaign

Published

11 hours ago

June 22, 2026

Wladimir P.

s8ul-partners-with-amd-ahead-of-esports-world-cup-2026-campaign

AMD Ryzen and Radeon hardware will be used across S8UL’s esports, streaming and creator workflows as the Indian org ramps up its EWC push.

S8UL has signed a strategic partnership with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) ahead of its Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 campaign, as the Indian esports and gaming content organization targets further international expansion.

Under the agreement, AMD will equip S8UL’s players and creators with AMD Ryzen AI 400 Series processor-based PCs, AMD Ryzen 9000 Series processors, and AMD Radeon RX 9000 Series graphics cards for gaming, streaming, content creation and general productivity.

The deal lands as S8UL prepares for EWC 2026 after being selected for the Esports World Cup Foundation’s Club Partner Program for a second consecutive year. The organization said it has already secured qualification spots in Apex Legends, Chess, Fortnite, Honor of Kings, and Trackmania, while continuing to pursue additional slots in other titles. The partnership also follows S8UL onboarding Campa Energy as the Title Sponsor for its EWC 2026 campaign.

“S8UL has always focused on both competitive success and content creation. As we prepare for the Esports World Cup, AMD’s technology will support our players and creators across competition, streaming and content production. We’re excited to work together as we continue to grow our presence globally,” said Animesh ‘Thug’ Agarwal, Co-Founder and CEO, S8UL.

“India’s gaming ecosystem is expanding beyond competition, with creators playing an increasingly important role in how communities connect and grow,” said Vinay Sinha, Managing Director, Sales, AMD India. “Organizations like S8UL are helping shape that evolution, and we’re excited to support their players and creators with AMD technology as they continue to engage gaming and creators’ communities in India and around the world.”

EWC 2026 is scheduled for July 6 to August 23, with the Esports World Cup organisers stating it will feature more than 2,000 players and 200 clubs from over 100 countries competing for a $75 million prize pool.

The post S8UL partners with AMD ahead of Esports World Cup 2026 campaign appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Artificial intelligence

Kaizen Gaming rolls out GenAI-powered Betano Trivia across 20 markets

Published

18 hours ago

June 22, 2026

Wladimir P.

kaizen-gaming-rolls-out-genai-powered-betano-trivia-across-20-markets

Kaizen Gaming has launched Betano Trivia, a live trivia product it describes as the world’s first fully GenAI-powered live trivia experience. The free-to-play game is now available across the 20 markets where Kaizen Gaming operates.

The product was developed by Kaizen Labs, the company’s innovation incubator. Kaizen Gaming said Betano Trivia uses generative AI to power the avatar presenter, create dynamic trivia content, and generate supporting audiovisual assets, positioning it as a new engagement format inside the Betano brand.

Players are invited to answer questions spanning sports, entertainment and pop culture and compete for prizes, according to the company. Kaizen Gaming also tied the timing of the launch to heightened global football attention, pitching the game as a second-screen-style entertainment layer for fans.

George Kourakos, Director of Innovation at Kaizen Gaming, stated: “Betano Trivia demonstrates how AI can be used to create entirely new forms of entertainment and customer engagement. At Kaizen Gaming we never use technology for its own sake. We have a clear goal to elevate the world-class gaming experience we offer to our customers. What makes this achievement particularly special is that it was developed entirely by our internal teams, combining creativity, engineering excellence and a shared passion for innovation across the board.”

Kaizen Gaming framed the release as part of its broader generative AI push, arguing that internal teams can use the technology to scale new product experiences across multiple regulated markets.

The post Kaizen Gaming rolls out GenAI-powered Betano Trivia across 20 markets appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.