Latest News

What MPs think of gambling to be revealed at Reputation Matters event

Published

5 years ago

October 5, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The results of a survey of over 100 Members of Parliament will be discussed at event looking into the future of the UK gambling sector

The findings from a survey of what over 100 MPs think about the UK gambling sector, conducted by YouGov, will be revealed at the Reputation Matters event taking place on Tuesday 2 November.

The questions being put to the representative sample of MPs address such issues as whether they feel the industry is adequately regulated and whether they think some companies act more responsibly than others.

The survey comes as a crucial time for the UK gambling sector. A white paper is due soon that will address what the government intends to include as part of its review of the Gambling Act.

The questions also address the issue of gambling advertising. According to the latest reports, the government is thought to be considering the introduction of further restrictions on gambling advertising including outright bans on certain types of activity.

“With so much riding on the review of the Gambling Act, it is important for the industry to understand what MPs as a whole are currently thinking about the sector, hence the interest in this data,” said Oliver Rowe, global sector head for leisure and entertainment and director for reputation and business research at YouGov. “At the event, we will also be looking at the views of the general public to see if they align with MPs.”

Rowe will be taking part in a panel on the day entitled ‘Now and forever: surviving the Gambling Act review’ which will discuss what the experts believe is upcoming from the government.

Joining Rowe on the panel will be Ian Ince, chief compliance officer at Playtech; Camilla Wright, partner at Red Knot Communications; Hayley Jane Smith, head of safer gambling standards at GamCare; and Adam Brickell, director of public affairs for the UK & Ireland at Flutter Entertainment. The panel will be moderated by Dan Waugh, partner at Regulus Partners.

The keynote for the day will be provided by John O’Reilly, chief executive at Rank Group.

Said Scott Longley from event organiser Clear Concise Media: “It will be fascinating to find out where the industry stands when it comes to the attitudes of MPs. The sector has its vocal critics in Parliament as well as its defenders but the questions YouGov have asked attempt to get behind the propaganda and focus on the views around specific policy instruments.”

Funding

EasyWin closes second seed round at $20m valuation

Published

1 hour ago

May 6, 2026

Wladimir P.

easywin-closes-second-seed-round-at-$20m-valuation

Real-money casual puzzle tournament startup says an EU private investor backed the April 2026 round.

EasyWin, a U.S.-based real-money gaming startup, said it has closed its second seed funding round at a $20 million valuation. The company announced the round in April 2026 and said it was backed by a private investor from the European Union.

The company previously closed its first seed round in December 2025 at a $15.5 million valuation. That round included funding from Velo Partners, Vladimir Nikolsky and several private angel investors.

EasyWin was founded by Ivan Leshkevich, a former executive at mobile game publisher and developer Mamboo Entertainment. The startup, which currently has a team of eight, says it has built a global tournament platform for casual puzzle games with cash prizes and operates across major markets.

Since launching in 2025, EasyWin reported 25% month-over-month growth in user spending and a 4.9 average user rating. It also said it has expanded into 12 countries with localized legal opinions and payment infrastructure, received PayPal approval for its MCC, and completed payments-stack integrations with global providers.

The company also said it has obtained GLI certification “confirming compliance with U.S. regulations for skill-based gaming products.” Leshkevich said: “In the long term, we aim to become a leading global skill-based gaming platform. To achieve this, we focus on a strong product USP and new AI-based dev tools.”

The post EasyWin closes second seed round at $20m valuation appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

bingo

Plaza Hotel & Casino sets $250,000 Super Bingo event for July 3-5

Published

1 hour ago

May 6, 2026

Wladimir P.

plaza-hotel-&-casino-sets-$250,000-super-bingo-event-for-july-3-5

Downtown Las Vegas property says the July Super Bingo will be its largest prize purse to date, with sessions on July 4-5.

Plaza Hotel & Casino will stage a $250,000 “Super Bingo” event in Las Vegas July 3-5, positioning it as a special edition tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary. The operator said the prize pool is the largest in the series’ history.

“The Plaza will be celebrating its 55th anniversary and the 250th anniversary of our great country in July, so it is only fitting that we make our Super Bingo event that month our biggest and best ever,” said Jonathan Jossel, CEO of the Plaza Hotel & Casino. “Our Super Bingo events have always drawn a packed crowd to our convention space, and we anticipate the July event to sell out quickly.”

According to the Plaza, Super Bingo draws nearly 1,000 attendees, including visitors traveling from Hawaii and Canada. For the July edition, bingo-only registration is set at $250 per person for gameplay on Saturday, July 4 and Sunday, July 5. The Plaza is also offering an optional five-night hotel package priced at $200 per person, with no resort fee, for check-in July 2 and check-out July 6.

The Plaza outlined the payout structure as 20 games paying $1,999 each day, plus a daily “super coverall” of $60,000, second place of $15,000, and third place of $10,020. The casino said prizes will be paid in cash and players must be present to win.

Outside of the special event, the Plaza said its bingo room runs six daily sessions at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. and is located two floors above the main casino.

The post Plaza Hotel & Casino sets $250,000 Super Bingo event for July 3-5 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Latest News

EasyWin closes second seed round at $20m valuation

Published

1 hour ago

May 6, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

U.S.-based real-money gaming startup says the round was backed by a private investor from the European Union.

EasyWin, a Delaware-based real-money gaming startup, said it has closed its second seed funding round at a $20 million valuation in April 2026. The company said the round was backed by a private investor from the European Union.

The announcement follows EasyWin’s first seed round, which the company said closed in December 2025 at a $15.5 million valuation. EasyWin said that round included funding from Velo Partners, Vladimir Nikolsky and several private angel investors.

Founded by Ivan Leshkevich, a former executive at mobile game publisher and developer Mamboo Entertainment, EasyWin said it has built a global tournament platform for casual puzzle games with cash prizes. The company said it operates across major markets with a team of eight people.

EasyWin said that since launching in 2025 it has delivered 25% month-over-month growth in user spending and maintains a 4.9 average user rating. The company also said it has expanded into 12 countries with localized legal opinions and payment infrastructure.

On product and compliance milestones, EasyWin said it received PayPal approval for its MCC and completed full integration of its payments stack with leading global providers. The company also said it has obtained GLI certification from an independent testing agency, which it said confirms compliance with U.S. regulations for skill-based gaming products.

“In the long term, we aim to become a leading global skill-based gaming platform,” said Ivan Leshkevich, founder of EasyWin. “To achieve this, we focus on a strong product USP and new AI-based dev tools.”

The post EasyWin closes second seed round at $20m valuation appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.