Latest News

‘Think Train’ campaign launched for Easter Holidays

Published

4 years ago

April 12, 2022

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Millions of UK staycationers are being urged to travel by train where they can when they visit their favourite seaside and high-street arcades this Easter by bacta, the industry’s trade body.

The call to action comes as Britain faces a ‘cost of living crisis’, with fast-rising prices for food, fuel and many other household essentials.

The ONS recently said that CPI (consumer price index) inflation in the UK had hit a 30-year high of 6.2% in February, putting considerable pressure on consumers across the country.

Bacta also recognises this may be the first real chance for families and individuals to enjoy their Easter holidays without the anxiety and stress associated with Covid-19 rules and regulations.

However, with those new-found freedoms should come a sense of responsibility, to others, and to the environment.

One way to put this into action is by travelling green and reaching your destination by train, the most environmentally friendly public transport. Rail travel accounts for 14 grams of CO2 emissions per passenger mile, according to the European Environment Agency.

In comparison, 285 grams of CO2 emissions per passenger mile is generated by air travel, while 158 grams per passenger miles is created from car journeys.

The good news is that hundreds of seaside and high-street arcades are situated next to train stations across the country – from Blackpool to Brighton.

Travellers, however, should be aware of National Rail’s planned engineering works during the holiday period and should therefore check their travel plans before they travel.

CEO of bacta John White said: “With fuel prices rising and with most Covid-19 restrictions behind us, now is a great time to reconsider how we travel to our Easter Holidays.

“We are urging millions of staycationers across the UK to ‘Think Train’ as they plan their getaways for April. We hope when they next visit their favourite seaside arcade or adult gaming centre it will be via train power.

“This is a significant contributor to the UK economy. Before the pandemic, arcades and related activities contributed a significant turnover of £845m to the UK economy a Gross Value Added of £451m and were responsible for employing 19,235 people.”

UK Hospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls added: “Despite the pressure on people’s finances right now, we’re sure many thousands will be keen to take advantage of the fact that they’re at last free from Covid restrictions, and are eager to get out and about.

“Engineering works notwithstanding, a good way to do that would be to take advantage of our rail infrastructure, let the train take the strain, and enjoy all the fun that seaside hospitality venues provide, whether they’re pubs, bars, restaurants, gaming arcades or, of course, good old fish and chip shops.

iGaming Express

David Natroshvili Recognized as iGaming’s Leading Global Influencer

Published

3 minutes ago

June 2, 2026

Wladimir P.

david-natroshvili-recognized-as-igaming’s-leading-global-influencer

The annual ranking places the SPRIBE founder ahead of figures including Peter Jackson, Denise Coates and Ed Craven.

International industry publication iGaming Express has named SPRIBE Founder and CEO David Natroshvili the most influential person in the global iGaming industry in its annual ranking.

iGaming Express said Natroshvili “pioneered an entirely new category of crash games” and helped turn SPRIBE’s Aviator into a global hit. The publication added that SPRIBE’s growth and product approach have influenced player expectations and operator views on modern iGaming.

The ranking places Natroshvili ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump, Flutter Entertainment CEO Peter Jackson, Bet365 Co-CEO Denise Coates, and Stake Co-Founder Ed Craven.

“This recognition belongs to the entire SPRIBE team. Over the past few years, our goal has not simply been to build a successful product, but to create an experience capable of driving the industry in a new direction. I am delighted to see these efforts receive such high international recognition,” said David Natroshvili.

iGaming Express said Natroshvili’s influence extends beyond SPRIBE, pointing to innovation as a driver for creating new markets in iGaming.

The post David Natroshvili Recognized as iGaming’s Leading Global Influencer appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Conference

Danish regulator to speak at Gaming in the Nordics launch event

Published

4 minutes ago

June 2, 2026

Wladimir P.

danish-regulator-to-speak-at-gaming-in-the-nordics-launch-event

On Thursday, June 18, 2026, Gaming in the Nordics will bring together in Copenhagen key decision makers in the regulated (or soon-to-be-regulated) Danish, Swedish, Finnish, and Norwegian iGaming markets.

Gaming in the Nordics is the latest initiative from Gaming in Europe, which is well known for its annual Gaming in Holland, Gaming in Germany, and Gaming in Spain conferences.

The event will take place at the Better Collective HQ in Copenhagen, and will feature Mr. Anders Dorph, Director of the Danish Gambling Authority as its headline speaker.

Other confirmed speakers include:

Pontus Lindwall, CEO, Betsson
Jesper Søgaard, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Better Collective
Morten Ronde, CEO, Danish Online Gambling Association (DOGA)
Fredrik Stenstrøm, Secretary General, Norway Association for Online Gaming (NBO)
Pekka Ilmivalta, Head of Office, Nordic Legal – Finland
Birgitte Sand, CEO, Birgitte Sand & Associates
Josh Hodgson, COO, H2 Gambling Capital
Peter-Paul de Goeij, Managing Consultant, QuodBonum.se (day chair)

Gaming in the Nordics founder, Willem van Oort commented: “We are extremely pleased that Mr. Anders Dorph has agreed to speak at the Gaming in the Nordics launch event. In my experience, it is always good to able to facilitate a dialogue between regulatory authorities and the industry – which in this case will be very capably represented by Betsson’s Mr. Pontus Lindwall, as well as several leading trade bodies. Although the Nordic markets are in varying states of regulation and market maturity, there nonetheless exist certain commonalities, which together provide a solid basis for the fruitful exchange of lessons learned and best practices.”

Launch event

This year’s Gaming in the Nordics launch event will be a small, half-day conference with a limited capacity for accommodating event attendees.

A full-size, annual Gaming in the Nordics Conference will be held in June in Copenhagen from 2027 onward.

Stay tuned for future updates!

Signup & waiting list

If you would like to attend this year’s Gaming in the Nordics launch event, please register your interest here: https://luma.com/605sboce

As only a very limited number of attendees can be accommodated, all registrants will initially be placed on a waiting list.

We will let you know as soon as possible whether we will have a seat available for you.

For press access, please contact: [email protected].

Video sessions

Key sessions of the Gaming in the Nordics launch event will be recorded and shared with the members of the Gaming in Nordics community.

If you would like to receive updates, including the links to the recorded sessions, please sign up for our Gaming in the Nordics mailing list at www.gamingin.eu.

Sponsorship opportunities available

Sponsorship and media partnership opportunities are available. Please contact Willem van Oort at [email protected] for more information.

The post Danish regulator to speak at Gaming in the Nordics launch event appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Avanti Studios

Avanti Studios finalises seed round

Published

4 minutes ago

June 2, 2026

Wladimir P.

Disruptive live casino supplier, Avanti Studios, has announced the finalisation of its second instalment, raising €5m in this round giving a total of €10m in seed funding.

Having only recently opened the opportunity up to investors, the latest investment round quickly became oversubscribed and closed on 19 May. The oversubscription reflects strong investor confidence in the company’s vision, strategy, and long-term prospects, while providing additional capital to accelerate its growth and commercial execution.

Genting Casinos UK, a first round investor, provided additional investment during this second round, underscoring its continued belief in the new live casino vertical Avanti Studios is building.

The participants of the second investment round join Avanti Studios at a critical stage of its journey, with the deployment of its innovative casino content planned to take place in the coming weeks, June 2026. Operators have voiced continued excitement in bringing new and innovative content to their players in Spain and beyond.

Gustaf Hagman, Co-Founder at Avanti Studios, said: “I’m incredibly proud of the investor group we’ve assembled. Their backing demonstrates not just a belief in our company, but a belief in the future, and I’d like to give a special thank you to the board of Genting Casinos UK for their continued support, guidance and the overall contribution they’ve made to our journey so far.”

Jonas Delin, Co-Founder at Avanti Studios, said: “Avanti is thrilled to have finalised its second stage of funding in what has been one of the biggest investment rounds in an industry start-up this year. We strongly believe that the future belongs to real-time, lifelike, interactive digital humans, and to see so many investors share this vision with us indicates one thing… this is only the beginning!”

The post Avanti Studios finalises seed round appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.