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Casinomeister Awards 2021 Announced
This morning the online casino awards that matter, the 2021 Casinomeister Awards have been announced and there are some worthy winners, who no doubt will be popping the champagne corks, celebrating their recognition as some of the best operators in iGaming.
Released a little bit later in the year compared to years gone by, thanks in part to the conference season being put back due to the global pandemic, with the Casinomeister Awards usually having by now been announced just prior to the now rescheduled ICE London event, which is held in London usually every February.
Running since 2001, the annual Casinomeister Awards recognise the best and worst of online casinos and online gambling. Whereby these awards unlike many others out there in cyberspace are graciously received by operators and individuals alike, as they are not swayed by advertising dollars. In short, the Casinomeister Awards matter!
Best Casino 2021 – Bitstarz
The coveted Best Casino 2021 ‘gong’ goes to Bitstarz with Casinomeister Director Bryan Bailey stating: “Personally, it gives me great pleasure to give kudos to work well done. I have watched them grow over the years, and I have to admit that I was sceptical of any casino that was focused on bitcoins and cyber currencies a few years ago.”
Accredited back in 2018, Bitstarz have continued to receive solid reviews from the forum community on Casinomeister, which led them to receiving 2020’s ‘Best Customer Service’ award. The addition of the Best Casino 2021 award is a further demonstration of how far they have come since launching in the Spring of 2014.
You are Legends!
The Legend Group of Casinos which features the likes of CasinoMax and Roaring 21 have had bestowed on them the Best Casino Group 2021 award. With Bailey stating: “They are clearly the best casino group available to players.”
The award of Best Casino Group 2021 follows past Casinomeister awards made to the Legend Group of Casinos, who in 2018 were awarded the Best Affiliate Program.
Additionally, the casino management team headed up by Karolina were cited as being some of the best in the iGaming industry. With Karolina herself having won in the past the Best Casino Manager award back in 2014 and 2015.
Another feature of the Casinomeister Awards are those handed out to operators who fall markedly short of what is expected of them.
However, due to the current situation unfolding in Ukraine, Bailey took the decision to remove many of them from this year’s awards, due to many of their employees being directly affected by events there.
Bailey in explaining his reasoning behind this move, said: “I feel that it is inappropriate to be ragging on and poking fun at these entities due to the current situation there.”
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Scientific Games’ Scratch-Off Partnership with Florida Lottery Shatters Retail Sales Record with $7.093 Billion in 2025
Record Scratch-Off Performance Drives Education Funding, Florida Students Benefit from Growth
Scientific Games and the Florida Lottery announce that their long-time Scratch-Off game partnership delivered a record $7.093 billion in retail sales in calendar year 2025, breaking the previous high of $7.091 billion set in 2022. The milestone year generated more than $1.21 billion for the Florida Educational Enhancement Trust Fund, directly supporting education for Florida’s public schools, colleges, universities and Bright Futures Scholarship Program recipients.

Scratch-Off sales increased by 6.84% year-over-year, underscoring continued player demand and the strength of the Lottery’s data-driven instant game portfolio. In 2025, Scratch-Off games accounted for nearly 74% of the Florida Lottery’s total annual sales of $9.63 billion, reinforcing its role as the Lottery’s primary revenue driver.
Reginald D. Dixon, Florida Lottery Acting Secretary said, “We are extremely proud of our partnership with Scientific Games. Our work together continues to achieve high performance for our Scratch-Off games by using data analytics to inform our game portfolio planning and logistics. More than breaking a record, our efforts drove higher contribution to education for Florida’s public schools, colleges and universities, as well as the Bright Futures Scholarship Program.”
Florida Lottery winners claimed more than $5.23 billion in Scratch-Off prizes during the year, while the Lottery’s network of retailers earned $425 million in commissions from Scratch-Off sales. Outstanding performers behind the banner year included the player-favorite GOLD RUSH MULTIPLIER family of games ($1, $2, $5, $10, $20 and a new $50 game), which represented $1.29 billion in sales—more than 18.3% of total Scratch-Off sales. The WEEK FOR LIFE and HOLIDAY CASH families of games and prize-packed blowout games also made a significant impact on the year of record sales.
The Florida Lottery currently ranks among the top five performing lotteries worldwide in per-capita instant scratch game sales (La Fleur’s 2025 World Lottery Almanac).
“Scientific Games has served as the exclusive or primary supplier of Florida Lottery Scratch-Off games since the Lottery’s inception in 1988. In 1997, our relationship expanded to a full instant game partnership anchored by the Scientific Games Enhanced Partnership program,” said Angela Goodwin, Senior V.P., Instant Products, Americas. “We have collaborated closely with the Florida Lottery’s team to drive responsible growth with Scratch-Off games, and our longtime partnership has proven to be highly successful.”
Today, five of the world’s top six performing lotteries participate in SGEP, which optimizes instant game performance through advanced game design and portfolio management, data analytics, SciTrak predictive logistics and ordering, licensed brand services, and sales and marketing support. In Florida, the SGEP program is supported by Scientific Games’ operations in Orlando, which supports a network of more than 13,550 Florida Lottery retailers across the state.
With products representing 70% of instant scratch game retail sales globally, Scientific Games is the largest lottery games creator, producer and services provider in the world. The company provides retail and digital games, technology, analytics and services to 150 lotteries in 50 countries around the globe.
SciTrak
is a trademark of Scientific Games. ©2026 Scientific Games, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
The post Scientific Games’ Scratch-Off Partnership with Florida Lottery Shatters Retail Sales Record with $7.093 Billion in 2025 appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
€10M guarantee
WSOP Europe 2026 Adds €1,000 Ladies Championship in Prague — Exclusive Gold Bracelet Up for Grabs
The World Series of Poker (WSOP®) has added a prestigious €1,000 Ladies Championship to the WSOP Europe 2026 schedule in Prague, set for Saturday, April 4, 2026.
The inaugural Ladies Championship highlights WSOP’s ongoing commitment to growing women’s competitive poker on the world stage and elevates the Prague festival’s lineup of headline events.
Ladies Championship: unique bracelet and premier competition
Open exclusively to female players, the new Ladies Championship offers more than a prize pool — the winner will receive a specially designed WSOP gold bracelet created uniquely for Ladies Events. This custom bracelet features additional gemstones and a distinct setting that sets it apart from standard WSOP hardware, adding prestige to the victory and reinforcing the event’s status among international women’s tournaments.
A star-studded field confirmed
The inaugural Ladies Championship is already drawing top international talent. Early registrants and confirmed players include celebrity entrant Mackenzie Dern and elite pros such as Leo Margets, Vanessa Kade, Kitty Kuo, Xuan Liu, Shiina Okamoto, Cecile Ticherfatine, and Kasey Lyn Mills. Popular poker vloggers Ashley Frank and Abby Merk, along with GGTeam’s Andrijana “Lijapoker” Gligoric, are also slated to compete. WSOP will announce additional entrants and schedule highlights on its official social channels in the weeks ahead.
WSOP Europe 2026 — festival details
WSOP Europe 2026 runs March 31 – April 12 at the Hilton Prague, and promises to be Europe’s largest poker festival of the year. The series is anchored by the €5,300 Main Event and its headline €10,000,000 guarantee, plus a deep festival schedule designed to serve professionals and recreational players alike.
Players can qualify for WSOP Europe events exclusively through GGPoker, with additional event information and updates posted on WSOP’s official channels.
Why this matters for women’s poker
Adding a dedicated Ladies Championship to the Prague schedule underscores WSOP’s strategy to broaden access and spotlight women’s competition at major international venues. The event not only creates high-profile competitive opportunities for female players but also enhances community engagement and visibility for women in poker worldwide.
For more details and the latest announcements about WSOP Europe 2026, follow WSOP on social media or check the WSOP news hub for schedule updates and player announcements.
The post WSOP Europe 2026 Adds €1,000 Ladies Championship in Prague — Exclusive Gold Bracelet Up for Grabs appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
All the Ways Players Pay: Super Bowl
Paysafe research: Half of Super Bowl fans to bet in regulated North American markets
Payment speed and brand reputation remain crucial for bettors’ selection of online sportsbooks for Super Bowl LX, with 27% expecting to wager more than usual
In the countdown to this Sunday’s Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California, 51% of fans who’ll follow the football game in U.S. states and Canadian provinces with regulated sports-betting plan to bet online, according to research issued today by leading payments platform Paysafe. The company’s All the Ways Players Pay: Super Bowl report also indicates strong interest in legal betting from fans in this year’s host state, if California were to regulate sports-betting, as well as in Texas and Canada’s Alberta.
Appetite to legally wager in California, Texas, and Alberta – with the Canadian province expected to launch its jurisdiction before year-end – rivals the regulated market, with 52% of fans keen to wager on future Super Bowls. Across these currently unregulated jurisdictions and regulated sports-betting markets alike, fans consider payments crucial for online sports betting.
Surveying fans intending to bet in the regulated markets of Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Canada’s Ontario, the report reveals that 59% of them plan to place bets on game-day and 27% expect to wager more than usual. Their top criteria when choosing an online sportsbook are brand trust (prioritized by 43%) and streamlined payouts (37%). Cashing out a Super Bowl bet seamlessly is considered more important than every other non-payment factor, including good odds (30%), UX (22%), promos (21%), and sports events (14%).
Other payment factors are also instrumental in how fans in regulated markets choose sportsbooks, especially rapid deposits (prioritized by 25%) and range of payment methods (24%).
With bettors prioritizing their go-to payment methods’ availability, the battle for Super Bowl customers will likely be won in part by sportsbooks with diverse cashiers.
Across the regulated market, players’ preference for debit cards (43%) is today rivalled by digital wallets (42%). And while states like Massachusetts ban credit cards for wagering, they remain a preference for 33% overall, rising as high as 51% in New York and 47% in Ontario, the top choice in the province.
With established local payment methods (LPMs) like Venmo in the U.S. and Interac e-Transfer in Canada, it’s no surprise that 20% of bettors expect to see their favorite LPM at the cashier. And with 17% of players preferring to wager with pay-by-bank solutions and 10% favoring eCash, sportsbooks with these options will likely gain a competitive edge.
With over a quarter of bettors expecting to wager more than normal, the game offers an important short-term revenue opportunity, but the real value for operators is retaining customers for the long-haul – and here payments are also key. If the payment experience goes awry for the game, 84% of bettors would switch brands.
While California, Texas and Alberta are yet to launch regulated sports-betting markets, Super Bowl fans there are already aware of payments’ importance. If wagering were legal, fans would prioritize payment factors – fast payouts (29%) and rapid deposits (26%) – above everything but brand reputation (36%) when selecting a sportsbook.
Zak Cutler, President of Global Gaming at Paysafe, commented: “Super Bowl LX is expected to generate a record $1.71bn in legal wagers from the U.S. market alone, with an unprecedented betting volume also likely in Canada’s Ontario. The game represents a massive growth opportunity for North American online sportsbooks, and our research indicates that operators that are laser-focused on their cashiers and streamlining the payment experience will give themselves an edge in a highly competitive market.”
The post Paysafe research: Half of Super Bowl fans to bet in regulated North American markets appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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