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Stats Perform co-founder launches social gaming disruptor PickGuru with £2.6m investment round back by leading angels including Paddy Power.
PickGuru, a brand new social gaming platform, has secured £2.6m in seed funding in their quest to revolutionise the interaction between real-money wagering and live sport. The new platform will allow friends and fans to challenge each other in a wide variety of exciting sports prediction games.
With a concept built and refined by some of the most successful sports entrepreneurs in the UK, PickGuru will allow users to test their knowledge to win big cash pots for small stakes in nationwide leagues or compete with their friends in mini-leagues. Powered by seamless real-time data feeds, PickGuru leaderboards will update dynamically as games progress and reward successful sports gurus with cash prizes.
The funding round will be used to launch and scale PickGuru, set for early 2022.
PickGuru is headed by an experienced founding team including Oliver Slipper (co-founder of Stats Perform/DAZN), Paul Cobley (founder of Matulo Software), Paul Watkins (ex-FP&A director at Stats Perform/DAZN, ex-finance director at Sportquake), Jon Owen and Jon Youell (founders of Pitch International) and Adam Perrin (co-founder of Masomo Games, ex-brand director at Paddy Power).
What began as a competition amongst friends is now set to change the way fans interact with live sports forever. As told by PickGuru’s founders, the platform’s origins started as a manual spreadsheet-based tipping competition which was shared with friends and colleagues during the 2020 Masters tournament. After the game spread across the UK and became a viral sensation, the idea for a new and innovative platform to bring sports fanatics together was born.
PickGuru, is currently looking to fill 10 roles across development, compliance and marketing with a view to recruit a further 20 roles over the next 12 months.
Speaking about the latest fund raise, Oliver Slipper, chairman and co-founder of PickGuru, said: “I certainly didn’t expect things to take off less than a year after sending out a simple game to friends but the massive popularity of it convinced me that I was onto something.
“Following months of hard graft and huge investment, we’re proud to be building the first UK-focused platform that uniquely combines elements of fantasy sports, gaming and live action, and strongly believe users will love the result.”
He continued: “I’m delighted that some of the most successful sports entrepreneurs shared our vision and I thank them for backing our ambitious plans for the business.”
Following a £6m pre-money valuation, PickGuru brought together a list of angel investors including Paddy Power (ex-communications director, Paddy Power), Simon Wear (founder and chairman of Global Cycling Network), Oliver and Alexander Kent-Braham (founders of recent unicorn, Marshmallow) and Will Neale (founder of Grabyo).
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Tom Horn Gaming Unwraps a Frosty Treat with Santa Yetti
Reading Time: 2 minutes
This December, Tom Horn Gaming invites players to the snowy mountain peaks in its new release, Santa Yetti, a playful holiday adventure where the jolly king of the mountains swaps his sleigh for snow boots to deliver frosty fortunes and festive fun.
Santa Yetti brings a flurry of excitement to the reels with Expanding Wilds, Multipliers, Respins, and the Respin Booster feature.
The Snowman is a Wild symbol. When it lands on any of the three reels, it expands and triggers a single respin. During the respin, seven win lines transform into twenty-seven ways to win, piling up prizes like Christmas presents. When all three reels are fully stacked with the same symbol, the total win is multiplied by ten, creating a snowstorm of rewards.
Players can also activate the Respin Booster, which increases their total bet by 1.5x and boosts the chance of triggering a respin by 300%. The feature remains active until manually switched off, giving players full control over their gameplay. For those feeling extra lucky, the Star Gamble Ladder appears after every base game win, allowing them to gamble their winnings by guessing the next star’s colour – pink or blue. Each correct guess doubles the prize and pushes the player up one level. The Golden Star can randomly appear at levels two to five to double the win instantly, no guess required.
“Santa Yeti brings together everything players love about Tom Horn games – fun, engaging mechanics, and a great story to match. It’s festive, it’s fresh, and it’s packed with features that keep the excitement rolling. We wanted to end the year on a high note, and Santa Yetti does exactly that with humour, charm, and plenty of win potential,” said Ondrej Lapides, CEO at Tom Horn Gaming.
Blending simple yet fast-paced gameplay with dynamic mechanics, Santa Yetti offers short, mobile-optimised sessions that are sure to delight both casual spinners and seasoned players. Its engaging format and rewarding features make it a perfect choice for operators looking to boost engagement during the high-traffic festive season. With its playful theme, quirky light-hearted style, and generous win potential, Santa Yetti is set to make this Christmas truly santastic.
The post Tom Horn Gaming Unwraps a Frosty Treat with Santa Yetti appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Emily Tofield Incoming Chief Executive of Ygam
Ygam appoints Emily Tofield as new Chief Executive
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Emily Tofield has been the appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of Ygam, the UK’s leading charity dedicated to preventing gaming and gambling harms among children and young people. She will officially join the charity on the 6 January 2026.
Emily joins the charity following a 20-year career in leadership roles across UK government, local government, higher education and research, the media, and the not-for-profit sector. Her previous roles include posts in the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Justice, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, the University of Sussex, and at the City of London Corporation. With a distinguished breadth of expertise in strategic communications, she is recognised as a leading adviser across strategy, corporate affairs, reputation, marketing, policy, and fundraising.
Emily is an experienced non-executive, currently serving on the board of the Kent homelessness charity, Porchlight. She is Chair Designate of the Girls’ Learning Trust (GLT), the largest all-girls state multi-academy trust in the UK and was recently appointed to the Board of the British Dietetic Association (BDA).
Mike Wojcik, Chair of Ygam, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Emily to Ygam following a highly competitive recruitment process. Her depth of experience and proven leadership across stakeholder and political engagement, and social impact, will be instrumental as we enter our next strategic cycle. Emily joins an exceptionally strong leadership team, and this appointment marks an important new chapter for Ygam as we continue to strengthen our position as a trusted expert voice and sector leader dedicated to preventing gaming, gambling, and digital harms among young people.”
Emily Tofield, Incoming Chief Executive of Ygam, said: “Ygam has reached record numbers of young people as part of its critical mission to protect children and young people from gaming and gambling harms and to help safeguard their digital futures. As a passionate advocate for the benefits of prevention, it is a huge privilege to take on the role of Chief Executive of such a respected national education and prevention charity whose work already makes a difference to so many. High-quality, inclusive, evidence-based, preventative education around gaming and gambling harms remains as important today as when Ygam was founded, and I’m looking forward to working with the impressive Ygam team to further grow its reach, partnerships and impact in the years ahead.”
The post Ygam appoints Emily Tofield as new Chief Executive appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
bet-at-home
ZEAL and bet-at-home launch joint gaming initiative
Reading Time: < 1 minute
- bet-at-home integrates ZEAL Instant Games titles into its German website
- First selection of ZEAL slots now available
- Partnership boosts reach, portfolio strength, and growth for both companies
ZEAL Instant Games, a brand of the ZEAL Group and a provider of online games, announces a new strategic partnership with online gaming operator bet-at-home. As part of the collaboration, bet-at-home seamlessly integrates the growing portfolio of ZEAL slots into its website. The first titles are already available to customers on bet-at-home.de.
Stronger together: Premium content meets established brand presence
Both partners stand to benefit from the collaboration: While bet-at-home expands its portfolio offering with ZEAL titles – enhancing its appeal and reach within the online games segment – ZEAL Instant Games gains another prominent partner whose market presence accelerates the brand’s dynamic growth and enables access to a broader user base.
In addition to best-selling ZEAL titles such as “The Bookmaker”, “Crime Scene”, “Vegas Blaze“, and other premium slots, the portfolio will continue to grow steadily in the coming months.
Shared perspectives
“Our mission is to make innovative, high-quality games accessible to the widest possible audience,” says Alex Green, Vice President Games at ZEAL. “With bet-at-home, we are gaining a partner that has held a strong position in the market for many years. This collaboration opens up new opportunities for expanding our reach and underscores the enormous potential of our growing games portfolio.”
From bet-at-home’s side: “We are delighted to have ZEAL Instant Games as a partner known for quality, creativity, and reliable performance,” says Claus Retschitzegger, CEO, bet-at-home. “The new ZEAL titles are a great addition to our offering and provide our customers with exciting and varied gaming experiences. This partnership is an important element of our growth strategy.”
The post ZEAL and bet-at-home launch joint gaming initiative appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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