Latest News
CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL ‘DEAD CERTS’ SUPPLIED BY PADDY POWER EXPERTS RUBY WALSH, TONY MULLINS, LYDIA HISLOP AND FRANK HICKEY
Panel discusses the tips and tricks when fluttering during the festival, with one horse tipped to “walk to the line” in Tuesday’s Champion Chase
Ahead of the Cheltenham Festival next week, Paddy Power brought together some of the sports’ biggest names to discuss their favourites and tips for each day during the Ultimate Cheltenham Preview Night.
The Paddy Power panel included:
- Cheltenham’s most successful jockey, Ruby Walsh
- Group one trainer, Tony Mullins
- Journalist and broadcaster, Lydia Hislop
- Paddy Power trader, Frank Hickey
With a full week of jam-packed racing on the cards, the racing experts gave a race-by-race breakdown of the ones to watch, including for main event, the Gold Cup.
CHELTENHAM DAY ONE TIPS:
Expect an open race for Tuesday’s Supreme Novice Hurdles. Tony Mullins, tips this to be “the most informative race for the next three of four years”
Tony Mullins says…
“This is a hell of a race, it’s the best Supreme Novices Hurdle that I’ve ever seen. Not just in a few years, but ever. You have Sir Gerhard, Constitution Hill, Dysart Dynamo, Jonbon and Kilcruit.”
“There’s five top class horses unexposed. It doesn’t get any better than that. I’ve never seen a bunch of horses like it.”
“This race is going to tell you a lot about the top-class horses for the next for the next few years.”
“I’d find better bets [to place money on] during the week, because this is a race [the Supreme Novices Hurdle] that’s going to benefit Paddy Power far more than the punters.”
“I’m most looking forward to the Supreme [Novices Hurdle]. If they [the horses] all turn up, it’s going to be the most informative race for the next three or four years.”
Ruby Walsh says…
“Dysart Dynamo and Sir Gerhard are the two that are deadly split, they are the ones to ride, and they will be split.
“I believe whichever one goes to the Ballymore [Novices Hurdle] will win it. But whichever one runs here [at Cheltenham] might win. They Ballymore is much weaker race.”
“I think this is a cracking race, as people have already said.”
“I think if Dysart Dynamo were to run here, this race is made for him.”
Lydia Hislop says…
“For the Supreme Novice Hurdles, I’d also throw in Mighty Potter [as a potential winner]. In a strongly run race, I think he could be finishing off very strongly.”
Frank Hickey says…
“Constitutional Hill had looked very good, and times are good. But on a heavy testing ground, it doesn’t always work out.”
“For me, Sir Gerhard will win. He blew me away, even with his sloppy jumping at Leopardstown. He is by far the most interesting of them all.”
“If he [Sir Gerhard] runs in the Supreme Novices Hurdle, he will win it and then Dysart Dynamo will win the Ballymore Novices Hurdle.”
Ruby Walsh predicts Stormy Island to take the Mares Hurdle after returning to Willie Mullins’ stable…
Ruby Walsh says…
“It’s Stormy Island that will win it for me, she was very good at Fairyhouse last year.
“She was brought back to Willie Mullins’ stable this year then was great at Fairyhouse, won at Punchestown and she’s run well at the festival in the past. I do think this is the weakest Mares Hurdle she’s run in.”
CHELTENHAM DAY TWO TIPS:
Ruby Walsh and Tony Mullins both earmark Shishkin as the banker of the week at Wednesday’s Champions Chase…
Ruby Walsh says…
“Shishkin will win this race.”
Tony Mullins says…
“Shishkin will walk up to the line again [and win]. There’s no evidence to say that anything different could happen.”
Tiger Roll actually might not will be calling it a day at Cheltenham’s Cross Country…
Frank Hickey says…
“This race is probably the one to sweeten Tiger Roll up for the Grand National. That must be the thinking.”
Tony Mullins says…
“Could you imagine if Tiger Roll runs here, but not in the Grand National? I’ve seen crazy things, but that would have to be the craziest move of all time to do so.
“We have the next potential Red Rum. Can you imagine having the only horse [Tiger Roll] for 40 years, who could potentially win a treble Grand National not running because he has a lighter weight? It’s very funny [to think about].”
CHELTENHAM DAY THREE TIPS:
Mares Novice Hurdle splits the opinions of all four experts…
Lydia Hislop says…
“At his very best, Klassical Dream is the best horse in the Paddy Power Stayers Hurdle and he’s going to either completely blow out or run really well. He’s at a reasonable price at 4/1. If he turns up and runs a good race, he wins but there is a possibility he completely blows out.”
MARES NOVICE HURDLE – THE EXPERTS HAVE THEIR SAY…
Ruby Walsh predicts… Champ
Tony Mullins predicts… Paisley Park
Frank Hickey predicts… Sporting John
Lydia Hislop predicts… Klassical Dream
CHELTENHAM DAY FOUR TIPS:
Ruby Walsh and Tony Mullins earmark last year’s Gold Cup runner-up to win this time around…
Frank Hickey says…
“I don’t think A Plus Tard will turn it around. I’ve never been a fan of him to be honest and he wasn’t good enough last year.”
Lydia Hislop says…
“I don’t see why I just can’t have Protektorat. He’ll make mistakes in the early stages and he won’t be able to hold his position.”
“I like Galvin at 6/1, not so much at 7/2. In the back of my mind, I’m worried about the toll that the Gold Cup takes on horses that are coming back.”
Tony Mullins says…
“I’m going for A Plus Tard for all the reasons that Frank says he can’t win. I thought he was brilliant in Haydock, he was beaten at Shorthill by the joint favourite, he was very unlucky last year. Everything points to A Plus Tard.”
“Frank is a very good analyst but everything he says about why A Plus Tard will get beaten, is why I think he will win! One of us will be wrong.”
Ruby Walsh says…
“I agree with Tony, I’d ride A Plus Tard. Galvin had a brilliant run at Christmas and A Plus Tard was in the wrong place the whole time and it’s very easy to turn that result around.”
Powered by WPeMatico
Latest News
MixRift Appoints Former Meta VP Ingrid Cotoros to Board of Advisors to Accelerate Mixed Reality Gaming Innovation
The post MixRift Appoints Former Meta VP Ingrid Cotoros to Board of Advisors to Accelerate Mixed Reality Gaming Innovation appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Latest News
MixRift Appoints Former Meta VP Ingrid Cotoros to Board of Advisors to Accelerate Mixed Reality Gaming Innovation
The post MixRift Appoints Former Meta VP Ingrid Cotoros to Board of Advisors to Accelerate Mixed Reality Gaming Innovation appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
CRM for online casinos
Getting to Know Incline Gaming Marketing with Chief Commercial Officer Jo Dennis
Incline Gaming Marketing is redefining how gambling brands scale and succeed worldwide. Founded by industry veteran Peter Laverick, the agency delivers end-to-end digital marketing services across user acquisition, CRM, and creative. In this interview, CCO Jo Dennis explains how Incline acts as an extension of operators’ in-house teams, helping them acquire players, boost retention, and compete globally.
Incline Gaming Marketing. Tells us what we need to know about the business.
Incline Gaming Marketing (Incline) is a full-service digital marketing partner dedicated exclusively to the regulated gambling industry. We’re not just a supplier of campaigns or assets, we run marketing operations end-to-end for our partners, functioning as an extension of their in-house team.
Our expertise spans user acquisition, CRM, and creative, delivered by specialists who’ve worked inside top operators and suppliers. With offices in San Francisco, Philadelphia, and London, we provide market-specific strategies and execution for brands in North America, Europe, Africa, Australia, and beyond.
Founded by industry veteran Peter Laverick in 2020, Incline is part of The Conexus Group alongside Pentasia (recruitment) and Partis (strategy and M&A). Our partners range from household-name operators to ambitious new entrants, all looking for a team that can step in, own the process, and deliver measurable results from day one.
Who are the main players running the business day to day?
Peter Laverick, our CEO and founder, has led marketing at some of the industry’s biggest names, including BetVictor, Aristocrat, and PlayStudios. Chief Commercial Officer Jo Dennis joined through our acquisition of Random Colour Animal in 2024 (RCA was originally founded in 2018) and brings more than 25 years in brand and marketing strategy.
Chief Marketing Officer Oren Langburt has over 15 years’ experience in real-money gaming, including leading marketing at FanDuel. VP Partner Success Haig Sakouyan is a 20+ year industry veteran, ensuring our partnerships deliver beyond marketing.
Talk us through Incline Gaming Marketing’s core service offering.
We operate in three connected disciplines that together form a complete managed marketing service:
- User Acquisition (UA): We plan, execute, and optimise campaigns across Meta, Google, TikTok, Snapchat, Apple, and programmatic networks, managing multi-million-dollar budgets. As an approved Facebook Business Partner, we’ve been rated the most effective media buyer in North America’s online gaming sector, achieving a 99.9% efficiency score.
- Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM): Our CRM specialists handle the full player lifecycle — from onboarding and first-time deposit conversion to long-term retention and reactivation. We combine data-led segmentation with targeted offers and creative to grow lifetime value while controlling bonus spend.
- Creative: We produce more than 1,000 assets per month, from brand identities and websites to broadcast-quality TV spots, slot game creatives, supplier content packs, and conference materials. All creative is performance-driven and integrated into UA and CRM campaigns for maximum impact.
When combined, these services allow us to act as a partner’s complete marketing department – – strategy, execution, and optimisation under one roof.
Which markets are you focused on? Are you pushing into any new regions?
We built our reputation in North America, where we work with leading land-based and online operators across casino, sportsbook, lottery, social gaming, and daily fantasy sports. We now deliver integrated managed services in Canada, the UK, continental Europe, Africa, and Australia, tailoring each approach to local regulations, player behaviours, and market dynamics.
For many partners, this means we handle all marketing in new markets from day one – avoiding the time and cost of building a local team – and then continue as their long-term, embedded marketing function.
Why are your services particularly valuable to operators in the current industry climate?
Player acquisition costs are rising, retention is harder than ever, and regulatory pressure is mounting. Building and managing an in-house team with the full range of skills required – from media buying to lifecycle marketing to creative production – is expensive and slow.
Incline solves that. We provide an instant, proven marketing department with deep gambling expertise, multi-channel capabilities, and global reach. Our managed services model means we don’t just advise, we execute, optimise, and deliver results. Whether launching in a new jurisdiction or scaling in a mature one, we know the levers to pull for sustainable growth.
What can we expect from Incline in the second half of the year?
We’re deepening our presence in Europe, Africa, and Canada while cementing our leadership in North America. Several major launches and brand refresh projects are underway, alongside scaled acquisition and retention campaigns for our long-term partners.
Our focus remains the same — provide operators and suppliers with a high-performing, fully managed marketing function that delivers measurable results faster, and with more certainty, than building it in-house.
The post Getting to Know Incline Gaming Marketing with Chief Commercial Officer Jo Dennis appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
-
Asia7 days agoFaster Guest Entry at Korea’s INSPIRE Entertainment Resort’s Casino, Powered by Regula’s Technology
-
gamanzaengage6 days agoGamanza Engage signs major regional agreement with Grupo Jer
-
Latest News5 days ago
Be Heard Above the Noise: Booming Games’ Dorota Gruszka on Standing Out in the Crowded Slot Studio Market
-
Latest News6 days ago
SOFTSWISS Game Aggregator Breaks the 35,000-Game Mark, Reaffirming Its Status as the Largest Content Hub
-
Africa5 days ago
QTech Games recruits Agatha Wanjugu as Sales Manager for East Africa
-
eSports7 days ago
Fighting Game GOAT Justin Wong Joins BASILISK, Science’s Esports Team
-
Compliance Updates6 days ago
Cyprus National Betting Authority Warns Public About Illegal Online Gambling and Misinformation
-
Compliance Updates6 days ago
CT Interactive Expands Presence with MGA-certified Game Portfolio
