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Veloce Racing misses out on Jurassic X Prix Final after most competitive weekend yet

Published

4 years ago

December 20, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Lance Woolridge and Jamie Chadwick fought hard to come close to a place in the Final of the Extreme E season finale.

Veloce Racing showed great fighting spirit during the Jurassic X Prix, as the all-new driver line-up of Woolridge and Chadwick gave it all they had in search of that elusive second Extreme E podium.

The London-based squad arrived in Dorset with nothing to lose. Having shown strong speed in the penultimate round in Sardinia, but ultimately failing to reach the Final, it was all or nothing today for the team.

Qualifying

A revised racing format for this weekend meant that all rounds of the Jurassic X Prix were run over three laps instead of the usual two. The first in the driving seat completed two laps before handing over to their team-mate to cross the finish line.

Extreme E also decided which drivers would start each round. Free practice saw all teams starting with their female driver, with their male counterpart taking on the start of the next round.

This meant that a strong start in Qualifying 1 was left in the hands of debutant Woolridge. The South African put in an encouraging first two laps, and the returning Chadwick showed no sign of nerves as she followed up with another competitive lap. Thanks to the efforts of both drivers, Veloce Racing ended the session in a respectable fifth place, just over 10 seconds behind leaders X44.

Qualifying 2 followed a similar story, but this time with Chadwick leading the way from the starting line. Coming to the end of a good two laps Chadwick did well to control the car as the rear end bucked aggressively. Woolridge then brought the #5 car home and secured the fifth-fastest stint on the table once again. With a time of 9:26:744 the team was four seconds faster than their first qualifying attempt.

Semi-Finals

The first Semi-Final saw the Veloce team up against Championship contenders X44 and the JBXE team fighting it out with Andretti United Extreme E for third in the standings.

Woolridge lost time on the first lap of the Semi-Final, dropping back after a jump caused the car to spin.The Veloce driver then showed breath-taking pace to close the gap, and his driving masterclass ensured that all three teams were nose to tail going into the Switch Zone.

Chadwick followed Woolridge’s lead, with both drivers achieving amazing heights over the knife edge in a bid to catch and overtake the other teams. Despite running closely together throughout the final lap, Chadwick was unable to get past JBXE’s Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky for a spot in the Final.

Lance Woolridge, driver, Veloce Racing commented: “Just past waypoint 10, chasing Seb [Loeb] I kept a bit inside to try to get the inside line, but the jump was a lot bigger, and it kicked the car all the way up and actually completely around. So, I had to turn the car all the way round again and get going. I think I lost six seconds there. So, very frustrating but we had good pace in the second half so there are positives there.”

Jamie Chadwick, driver, Veloce Racing added: “We are obviously a bit disheartened, naturally, but we were up against two of the fastest teams there so to have beaten them would have been a bit of a challenge. Lance did an amazing job after a little mistake. He was so fast, and I think to show that speed in this car and to have a clean weekend was good for the team.”

Rupert Svendsen-Cook, Team Principal, Veloce Racing added: “It’s been by far our most competitive weekend from a performance perspective and all of the team can hold their heads high for that. We’ve learnt a huge amount this year, with what was a brand-new team built from the ground up. We will now take all those crucial lessons into the off season to ensure we come back the best prepared we can be for 2022.

“Thank you to all the team who have been herculean at times as well as our drivers, sponsors and investors. We’re really excited to build on the foundations we have laid, and in true Veloce style we’re going for it!”

With many positives for Veloce Racing to take away from the inaugural Extreme E season, the team is excited for what next year will bring. Extreme E returns in February with an X Prix in Saudi Arabia.

bet365

Octoplay launches with bet365 in the UK

Published

29 minutes ago

May 8, 2026

Wladimir P.

Octoplay has gone live with bet365 in the United Kingdom, adding the operator to its roster of tier-one partners in the regulated UK market.

The supplier said the bet365 rollout follows recent UK launches with Virgin Bet and BetVictor as it expands distribution with major local brands.

Outside the UK, Octoplay pointed to recent go-lives with Paf in Finland, PokerStars in Spain and Italy, and Superbet in Brazil.

“Our partnership with bet365 represents another step in our accelerating UK expansion,” says Ralitsa Georgieva, CEO at Octoplay. “Working with one of the industry’s most recognized operators validates our approach and builds on the momentum we’ve established through successful integrations with leading UK brands throughout 2025.”

“We are pleased to partner with Octoplay and introduce their game portfolio to our UK players,” says Clement Le Scanff, Head of Gaming at bet365. “Their focus on quality content and player engagement aligns with our commitment to providing the best entertainment to our customers.”

Octoplay said it holds active licenses in 17 jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom, Malta, Romania, Sweden, Slovakia, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Greece, Spain, Finland, Brazil, New Jersey, Michigan, Ontario, and Georgia.

The post Octoplay launches with bet365 in the UK appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Barcelona Technology Campus

Zitro Achieves ISO 27001 Recertification at its Barcelona Technology Campus

Published

29 minutes ago

May 8, 2026

Wladimir P.

zitro-achieves-iso-27001-recertification-at-its-barcelona-technology-campus

Zitro has successfully renewed its ISO 27001 certification for the Information Security Management System (ISMS) at its Barcelona Technology Campus. This achievement, framed within the company’s ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) commitments, reinforces its ongoing commitment to cybersecurity and ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and availability of sensitive customer and employee data.

ISO 27001 is part of the ISO 27000 family of international standards for information security. This framework enables organisations to identify risks, implement effective controls and ensure information protection in line with global best practices, while also ensuring compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

For Zitro, this recertification confirms the rigorous and continuous work the company carries out in the field of information security. The Barcelona Technology Campus—dedicated to the development of software and hardware for the gaming industry—maintains the highest standards, and this recognition reflects the level of commitment embedded across all its processes.

The post Zitro Achieves ISO 27001 Recertification at its Barcelona Technology Campus appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Asia

Kazakhstan Orders Telecom Providers to Block Illegal Online Casino Payments via Mobile Balances

Published

29 minutes ago

May 8, 2026

Wladimir P.

kazakhstan-orders-telecom-providers-to-block-illegal-online-casino-payments-via-mobile-balances

Kazakhstan authorities have moved to tighten controls on illegal online gambling payments after uncovering schemes that use mobile phone balances to fund unlicensed casino activity.

The Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA) issued instructions to telecom providers to strengthen monitoring and introduce systems to detect and block suspicious transactions.

According to the FMA, mobile operators including Tele2, Altel, Beeline, Kcell and Activ were called to a working meeting where regulators demonstrated how illicit payment flows to online casinos are being processed.

To verify the issue, the FMA carried out test purchases across 10 illegal online casino websites using services from all major mobile operators. The tests confirmed that payments via mobile balances were possible.

The agency stated that the goal is to cut off financial access to illegal operators and reduce public exposure to unregulated platforms. Further enforcement actions are expected as monitoring continues.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan is preparing to significantly tighten rules on the promotion of illegal gambling. A group of senators is advancing an initiative to introduce criminal penalties for influencers who advertise online casinos and organise “giveaways.”

In related developments, a Kazakhstani influencer has recently been arrested in Vietnam on suspicion of running an illegal gambling operation.

Furthermore, the country is also restricting citizens’ access to legal gambling options, indicating a broader anti-gambling stance towards locals while still pursuing gambling tourism.

Lawmakers introduced rules restricting access to casinos, slot machine halls and betting venues in several regions to foreign nationals only. The changes will take effect on 17 May.

In March, President Tokayev signed a law establishing four new gambling zones for foreigners in the country.

The post Kazakhstan Orders Telecom Providers to Block Illegal Online Casino Payments via Mobile Balances appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.