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
Inspired Entertainment, Inc., a leading B2B provider of gaming content, systems, and solutions, is pleased to announce the launch of Gold Flash ™ a dynamic new slot game developed by Inspired’s Bell-Fruit game studio. Now available in the B3/LBO market, Gold Flash promises electrifying game play and thrilling rewards.
Set on a 4×6 reel set with 4096 ways to wins, Gold Flash is an action-packed slot loaded with exciting features including Free Spins, the Gold Flash Bonus, Fortune Spins and a gamble option.
The game’s standout feature is the bonus choice, triggered by landing 3 to 6 bonus symbols anywhere on the reels during the base game or Fortune Spins. Players can then choose to play up to a maximum of 28 Free Spins or 7 spins in the Gold Flash Bonus with the number of spins offered based on the number of triggering bonus symbols.
During Free Spins, Wild symbols that land apply a multiplier based on their displayed values supercharging wins and Free Spins can be re-triggered for even more chances to win.
In the Gold Flash Bonus, every spin counts. Each spin is guaranteed to land at least 1 collector symbol, with only Collector, Cash and Pot symbols appearing in this round the chances of scoring big wins increases.
Cash symbols can award up to 20x the stake while Pot symbols can trigger one of three exciting prizes, the Minor Pot awards 25x stake, the Major Pot awards 100x the stake and the Mega Pot awards 250x the stake, both symbols appear on all reels across all game modes.
For a different spin on the game, players can activate Fortune Spins via its button. Played at a £2 stake, this mode features only Collector, Bonus, Cash and Pot symbols. Every time a Collector symbol lands, it collects the values of all Cash and Pot symbols on the reels.
Adding an extra layer of excitement is the gamble option, which can be turned on, off or for wins of 5x stake or more. Players are presented with two gamble wheel, the left one can boost winnings by 1.5x, 2x or 3x. While the right one offers a chance to win 3, 4, 5, or 6 Bonus Scatters to trigger the bonus choice. To gamble players, pick a wheel. If the pointer lands on the green segment, the cash value or Bonus Scatters are awarded. If the pointer lands in the red segment winnings are lost, and the player will return to the base game. Once 6 Bonus Scatter are awarded, you can only gamble for cash prizes moving forward.
With its variety of features and thrilling gameplay mechanics, Gold Flash offers players a high-energy slot experience, where every spin counts!
Matthew Crane, UK Market Product Director said “We’re pleased to introduce Gold Flash, a brand new B3 title from the Bell-Fruit game studio. With rich visuals, entertaining gameplay, and two exciting bonus features to choose from, it’s a strong addition to our B3 roadmap we believe players will really enjoy.”
Gold Flash is available in retail now.
The post INSPIRED RELEASES ELECTRIFYING NEW SLOT: GOLD FLASH™ appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
REEVO, a leading B2B content and aggregation platform in the iGaming industry, is thrilled to announce its latest partnership with Holi, an innovative provider of captivating live games. This collaboration is set to enhance REEVO’s live gaming portfolio, offering operators and players an enriched, immersive gaming experience.
Holi is renowned for its unique approach to live gaming, combining aesthetic appeal with seamless integration. Their GLI-19 certified games, including Holi Bac and Hoo Hey How, are designed to provide a simplified yet engaging gambling experience. By integrating Holi’s offerings, REEVO continues its commitment to delivering high-quality, diverse content to its partners.
Daniel Cuc, Head of Account Management at REEVO, commented: “Partnering with Holi aligns perfectly with our mission to provide exceptional gaming content. Holi’s innovative live games bring a fresh and engaging dimension to our platform, and we’re excited to offer these experiences to our operator partners.”
Inga Vakulcika, CPO of Holi added: “Our partnership with REEVO is expected to unlock many strategic opportunities and drive sustained growth.”
This partnership signifies a step forward in delivering diverse and high-quality live gaming content. Operators and players can look forward to an expanded selection of engaging live games through REEVO’s platform.
The post REEVO Elevates Live Gaming Through Strategic Collaboration with Holi appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Central Europe
Number of companies and employees in German games industry falls for first time in years
After years of growth, the number of companies and employees in the German games industry declined in 2025. This was announced today by game – The German Games Industry Association on the basis of data from gamesmap.de in cooperation with Goldmedia. According to the data, the number of companies in Germany that develop and/or publish games has dropped by 4 per cent within the past year, to 910. The boom in start-ups in the games sector, which was set in motion by the introduction of the German Federal Games Funding Programme in 2020, has now completely subsided. Last year’s figures already indicated a clear slowdown. This decline was due in particular to the consolidation of the global games market and the unreliable availability of games funding to date in Germany.
Three times since 2020, there have been months-long suspensions placed on funding applications. Despite the newly registered drop, the number of companies has risen by 46 per cent overall since the initial start of the games funding programme in 2020. Of the 910 present companies, 454 work exclusively in game development and 52 exclusively as publishers. The remaining 404 companies are active in both the development and publishing of games.
‘Last year was another very difficult one for the German games industry,’ says Felix Falk, Managing Director of game. ‘Germany’s international competitiveness was further decreased by the ongoing flip-flopping of the games funding policy, which ran right into the consolidation wave that swept the global games sector. Fortunately, the new federal government has already taken the necessary steps to level the playing field for companies in this country. The future funding budget is to be increased and thus adjusted to actual needs, and applications can be submitted from August onwards. These are crucial growth impulses that are urgently needed. The additional funds will not only give companies more planning security, but also time to implement additional tax breaks for games, as set out in the coalition agreement between the CDU, CSU and SPD. The improved conditions will finally give games companies a boost, which will hopefully soon be reflected in more start-ups and the creation of new jobs.’
The number of employees at games companies in Germany has also declined over the last year. Whereas game developers and publishers employed 12,408 workers in 2024, the current figure stands at just 12,134 – a drop of 2 per cent. As with the number of companies, the employee numbers had previously shown strong growth since the introduction of the games funding programme at the federal level: a rise of 23 per cent from 2020 to 2024. The recent decline indicates that the current conditions for the games industry, which offer limited scope for planning due to the repeated funding application stoppages and significant current funding restrictions, are having an impact on the job market. A year ago, there were still more companies with ongoing projects that were internationally competitive thanks to funding at levels comparable to those in other countries – financing that had stabilised Germany’s game sector, despite the global consolidation wave and a lack of funding certainty for the industry here. The game industry secures a total of over 30,000 jobs in Germany. In addition to jobs in development and publishing, these include, for example, skilled professionals in educational institutions, the media and the public and commercial sectors.
About the data
The data is drawn from a survey carried out by Goldmedia on the basis of entries on gamesmap.de. It was conducted on behalf of game – The German Games Industry Association for the period ending on 12 May 2025.
The post Number of companies and employees in German games industry falls for first time in years appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
Asia6 days agoThink Tank Advocata Questions Independence and Integrity of Proposed Gaming Regulator in Sri Lanka
-
Baltics6 days ago
HIPTHER Joins Forces with Ace Alliance as Strategic Media Partner – Kicking Off with Ace Alliance Riga 2025
-
Canada5 days agoLuckyStart Casino Adds New Payment Method
-
Brazil5 days ago
Evolution Launches First Live Casino Studio in Brazil
-
Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario5 days ago
Titanplay Re-launches in Ontario
-
Latest News7 days ago
TaDa Gaming: Bounty Frenzy Hits the Reels with Explosive Wild West Wins
-
Kambi5 days ago
Kambi appoints experienced LatAm executive Mateo Lenoble as Head of Sales in Latin America
-
Nasdaq:LTRYW5 days ago
Sports.com and Lottery.com Head to Toronto as Callum Ilott and Louis Foster Prepare for Final Street Battle of 2025
