Latest News

Polygon Studios Secures Hires From EA, Amazon and Others, As Web2 Talent Join Exodus to Web3

Published

4 years ago

March 16, 2022

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Polygon Studios, the developer relationship arm of Polygon Technology, is helping web2 and web3 companies build decentralized apps on the Polygon chain, announces five new hires to spearhead its growth in the Web3 blockchain gaming space. The new hires join Polygon Studio’s recently appointed CEO, Ryan Wyatt, who previously headed YouTube’s Gaming vertical before migrating to the Web3 industry.

Polygon Studios’ new hires include C-level executives Michael Blank as Chief Operating Officer and Young Ko as Chief Financial Officer.

Michael Blank brings a wealth of gaming experience to Polygon Studios after almost two decades with Electronic Arts, a leading game developer and publisher. Blank served as Senior Vice President of Player Network, the company’s strategy to connect and engage EA’s more than 300 million users. In that capacity, he led global teams that drove EA’s direct to consumer digital gaming platform, social ecosystem and the rapid growth of EA Play, the publisher’s multi-platform gaming subscription. During his time at Electronic Arts, Michael held a variety of senior leadership roles, including Executive Producer for several of EA’s prominent game franchises.

Polygon Studios has also welcomed Young Ko, who cites nearly 16 years of progressive financial and entrepreneurial expertise across entertainment, music, fashion, and real estate. Young spent the past 9 years as the VP of Finance at Penske Media (brands include Rolling Stone, Billboard, Variety, and SXSW) where he oversaw the Finance, Accounting, Treasury, and Global Tax teams.

Joining Young and Mike is Urvit Goel — VP, Gaming Business Development — and Charnjit Bansi — VP, Game Design — who also cut their teeth in the Web2 arena.

Urvit brings a wealth of cross-functional experience leading teams in Finance, Marketing, and Business Development during his nearly decade long tenure at Amazon. Most notably, Urvit has experience building long term strategic partnerships with the world’s largest game publishers on a global scale. He has built and led Business Development teams driving a variety of gaming initiatives for Amazon, most recently launching Amazon’s Cloud Gaming business.

Charnjit brings over 20 years of intimate knowledge of AAA Web2 game leadership and development, all from world-class game developers including Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games — creators of the renowned Call of Duty franchise. Most recently, Charnjit served as Director of Product Management at Mythical Games, a game technology company and publisher of the blockchain MMO, Blankos Block Party.

Polygon Studios also welcomes gaming industry veteran and recent EA alumni, Ben Watley. Ben will serve as Senior Director of Strategy, Gaming at Polygon Studios, working closely with Young, Mike, Charnjit, and Urvit to expand Polygon’s Web3 products and services. Working alongside Ben is ex-NASA software engineer and Riot Games strategist, Will Matteson, who joins Polygon Studios as Corporate Strategy Manager.

The new hires closely follow the appointment of Ryan Wyatt as CEO of Polygon Studios after seven years spearheading YouTube’s gaming vertical.

Ryan Wyatt, CEO of Polygon Studios, said, “We’re thrilled to be attracting such high-calibre talent as we build out the dream team of Web3. The combined expertise and perspectives from both the traditional and blockchain industries will be invaluable in growing the developer ecosystem and bridging the gap between Web2 and Web3.”

888.it

R. Franco Digital Shortlisted for Casino Platform Excellence at EGR Europe Awards 2026

Published

7 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Wladimir P.

r.-franco-digital-shortlisted-for-casino-platform-excellence-at-egr-europe-awards-2026

R. Franco Digital, the leading Spanish iGaming provider, has been officially shortlisted for Casino Platform Supplier of the Year at the prestigious EGR Europe Awards 2026. The nomination recognizes a landmark year for the company, characterized by the explosive growth of its IRIS Open Omnichannel Platform and a major commercial breakthrough into the Italian market.

The winners will be announced during a gala ceremony on February 18, 2026, at the Hilton Malta, where the industry’s top-tier operators and suppliers gather to celebrate European gaming excellence.

IRIS: The Engine of Omnichannel Growth

The core of R. Franco Digital’s success lies in its IRIS platform, a highly scalable, multi-jurisdictional solution that unifies casino, sports betting, and retail management.

IRIS Platform Milestones (2025-2026):

Jurisdictional Reach: Certified in 6 jurisdictions and operational in over 10 regulated markets.
Content Depth: Seamlessly integrated with over 1,600 games from global third-party providers.
Operational Stability: Provides 24/7 multilingual support and advanced real-time analytics for operators.
Commercial Momentum: Secured 50+ new operator partnerships and entered three new markets within the last 12 months.

Performance Highlights: 4 Billion Game Rounds

R. Franco Digital’s games portfolio has seen a massive surge in engagement, bolstered by 20 new high-performance slot releases in 2025. Standout titles such as Strange Spins, Aphrodite, Zorro: Final Duel, Ovomon, and The Phantom contributed to a record-breaking year.

Metric	2025–2026 Achievement
Total Game Rounds	4 Billion+ across regulated markets
Revenue Growth	30% Increase during the judging period
New Content	20 New slot titles launched
Expansion	Debut in the Italian regulated market

Strategic Italian Market Entry

A major factor in the EGR shortlisting was R. Franco Digital’s successful entry into Italy. The provider rapidly localized its content to meet the specific demands of Italian players through tier-one partnerships:

Stanleybet.it: Launched 19 games, including the Italian-exclusive debut of Strange Spins.
888.it: Successfully rolled out the popular Super 7 3×3 title.

“We’re proud to be shortlisted for this award, which reflects the strength of our IRIS platform and the quality of the content we’ve delivered over the past year,” said Javier Sacristán Franco, International Business Director at R. Franco Digital. “Our team has worked hard to support operators with reliable, innovative solutions… we are delighted to see that effort recognised.”

The post R. Franco Digital Shortlisted for Casino Platform Excellence at EGR Europe Awards 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Big Hot Flaming Pots

Big Hot Flaming Pots: Tasty Treasures – Lightning Box Brings Land-Based Hit Online

Published

8 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Wladimir P.

big-hot-flaming-pots:-tasty-treasures-–-lightning-box-brings-land-based-hit-online

Light & Wonder has officially launched Big Hot Flaming Pots: Tasty Treasures, the digital debut of its highly successful land-based franchise. Developed by in-house specialist studio Lightning Box, this 3×5 slot offers 243 ways to win and a high-energy “three-pot” mechanic that has already become a staple on casino floors worldwide.

The game transitions the whimsical “dumpling-tossing” theme to online audiences, combining vibrant Asian-inspired aesthetics with a deep mathematical model designed for high-engagement sessions.

The Three-Pot Mechanic & Seven Feature Combinations

At the core of the gameplay is the persistent pot system. Landing specific colored coins fuels three separate pots—Yummy, Spicy, and Upsized. These pots can trigger individually or in any combination, leading to seven distinct bonus paths.

Feature Mode	Gameplay Enhancement
Yummy Mode	Increases the Hold & Spin respin counter from 3 to 4, significantly extending bonus life.
Spicy Mode	Introduces Chilli multipliers; landing a pepper adds its cash value to every symbol currently held on the board.
Upsized Mode	Unlocks a Dual Grid (two reel sets) for the Hold & Spin round, doubling the win potential.
Combined Modes	Triggering all three at once creates the “Mega Bonus,” featuring dual grids, 4 respins, and value-boosting peppers.

Innovation: The Stack N’ Hit Feature

Unlike traditional Hold & Spin mechanics where symbols simply lock until the round ends, Tasty Treasures introduces the Stack N’ Hit evolution.

Reel Clearing: When a vertical reel is filled with Bun symbols, the prizes are instantly collected, and the reel is cleared.
Persistent Respins: Clearing a reel creates open spaces for new prizes to land, allowing the bonus round to continue far longer than standard industry alternatives.
The Path to Grand: Each cleared reel activates a “Pepper Tracker” above it. Lighting up all five trackers awards the Grand Progressive Jackpot.

Jackpot Tiers & Base Game Depth

Operators benefit from a versatile math model that supports both consistent base-game performance and high-volatility jackpot chases.

Progressive Jackpots: Grand and Major tiers for life-changing win potential.
Fixed Jackpots: Minor and Mini tiers awarded through symbols landing during features.
Nudge Wilds: In the base game, Wild symbols can nudge to cover entire reels, assisting in achieving the 243-way payouts.

“Big Hot Flaming Pots: Tasty Treasures carries forward a brand that has already made its mark in land-based venues,” says Michael Maokhamphiou, Studio Director at Lightning Box. “This release offers operators a flexible, high-performing title that combines familiarity with fresh layers of engagement.”

The post Big Hot Flaming Pots: Tasty Treasures – Lightning Box Brings Land-Based Hit Online appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Blask Index

How Venezuela’s iGaming market is reacting to US pressure

Published

8 hours ago

January 8, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

how-venezuela’s-igaming-market-is-reacting-to-us-pressure

Blask data indicates Venezuela’s iGaming demand remained stable in the initial days following the US operation in Caracas.

On 3 January, US forces detained Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, transporting him from Caracas to face prosecution in New York. The raid came after months of intensifying American pressure throughout 2025 — naval presence, targeted strikes, and a fresh sanctions package.

For Venezuela’s iGaming sector, the disruption poses a critical question: will demand collapse, or adapt?

First results

Blask’s daily Index remained within a tight corridor from 1–4 January, hovering in the high-200K zone. It dropped 5% to 257.4K on the day of the operation, before recovering the next day.

The data reveals no abrupt demand shift during this period. A slight decline sits within Venezuela’s normal daily fluctuations and does not point to a fundamental market change.

Rapid expansion, growing dominance

Venezuela stood out as one of iGaming’s strongest demand gainers in 2025. Blask Index surged 134.9% year-on-year — the second-highest growth worldwide.

This expansion came alongside increasing market dominance. By December, Triunfo Bet commanded 59% of Blask’s BAP (Brand Accumulated Power, measuring a brand’s portion of total user interest nationally), gaining 15 percentage points since January. The top three brands collectively reached over 85%, up 11 points.

The post How Venezuela’s iGaming market is reacting to US pressure appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.