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UK betting technology supplier 20SHOTS accelerate funding with £400,000 raise at £5m valuation

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  • 20SHOTS have geared up for the new football season in the UK by securing additional investment in a second funding round, including securing the backing of US VC Animal Capital

  • New season will see new product rollout for popular Fantasy5 free-to-play fantasy football game, covering Champions League, Europa League and other European top flights

  • Current growth trajectory sees Fantasy5 on course to recruit half a million players this season

20SHOTS, the UK technology supplier behind fast-growing free-to-play fantasy football game Fantasy5, have secured an additional £400,000 of investment at a £5 million valuation, with backers including Gen-Z focused US Venture Capital fund Animal Capital.

The American fund that counts social media stars Josh Richards, Griffin Johnson and Noah Beck focus on products that reach a new generation of customers. They have invested an undisclosed sum in 20SHOTS for the new football season, which will see the platform roll out its largest range of products added to its Fantasy5 game to date.

Fantasy5’s Premier League product, which uses a unique points system developed in-house based on fantasy football, offers cash prizes to winners who can successfully predict how well players will perform per gameweek.

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Using their own risk management system and algorithmic trading software, the company will now look to supplement this with additional games covering the Champions League, Europa League and other top European leagues.

The roll out of additional leagues coupled with Fantasy5’s existing growth – bolstered last season by the recruitment of BoyleSports as its first tier one UK & Ireland bookmaker partner – keeps the game on course to break the 500,000 player mark.

Prizes for the additional leagues will remain at the standard £10,000 mark, as offered to Premier League players, and offer partners an increase in engagement and retention. 83% of players who played in the last four rounds last season have made an entry in the first two weeks. The investment in Fantasy5 also comes in advance of the Government’s highly-anticipated White Paper review of the gambling industry, which is likely to see traditional marketing practices come under scrutiny, creating additional need for operators to engage customers beyond traditional channels.

Jacob Kalms, co-founder and CEO of 20SHOTS said: “We’re pleased to welcome Animal Capital as investors as part of our most recent founding round which has raised £400,000 in capital.

“As demand grows in the ultra-competitive free-to-play space, we’re investing in our ability to quickly and seamlessly roll out products and games on a white label basis for a number of different partners across multiple divisions and competitions – with the ultimate objective of using the technology seamlessly across the most popular sports worldwide.

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“Our growth model forecasts we will break the half a million player mark this season, with our scaling driving down the cost of acquisition for partners whilst maintaining our engagement, dwell and retention rates considerably above industry averages.”

He added: “Operators should also be considering how free-to-play and softer marketing funnels like those offered by games like Fantasy5 will help them navigate any changes thrust upon them by the upcoming gambling review. Whilst our audience is ultimately commercially valuable to any operator or affiliate, Fantasy5 remains a sustainable way to build a loyal audience over time.”

Marshall Sandman, Managing Partner of Animal Capital said: “In a crowded market of fantasy, free to play, and pay-to-play sports betting, 20SHOTS distinguishes itself with a best in class team and direction that has allowed the product to stand out distinctly and early.

“Their flagship game Fantasy5 is an early hit, their B2B relationships are uniquely positioned to make this an exciting asset and their ability to resonate and be sticky with a younger audience are all reasons why we were excited to be on the journey.

“Jacob the CEO and his team have conviction and direction, and they will continue to prove why they deserve to be big fish in this pond!”

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HAWKS TALON GC SET FOR THE STEAL ON APRIL 19TH FOR CHANCE TO ENTER NBA 2K LEAGUE 3V3 PLAYOFF

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Hawks Talon GC, the official NBA 2K League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks, will begin play in the STEAL on Friday night against No. 14 Blazer5 Gaming at 7:30 p.m.

Talon collected 90 points over the SLAM and SWITCH, earning 60 points in the SLAM and 30 points in the SWITCH to earn the No. 3 seed heading into the STEAL.

Should Talon advance, they would play the winner of No. 6 Cavs Legion GC and No. 11 Hornets Venom GT on Saturday at 3:45 p.m., followed by the semifinals at 5:15 p.m., and the finals at 5:45 p.m. All games can be followed on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels.

“The STEAL is probably the toughest tournament in the 2K League, but the guys are locked in and ready to fight for their season,” said Hawks Talon head coach Ismael ‘MAELO’ Diaz Tolentino. “We are looking forward to going out there and proving that we belong amongst the best teams in the league. We were only a game away from clinching a playoff berth and we honestly think we are one of the teams to beat in this tournament.”

Talon owns a 4-4 record in bracket play thus far during the 2024 season over the SLAM and SWITCH opens, going 3-2 over the SLAM and 1-2 over the SWITCH.

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The single elimination 3v3 tournament includes all 15 NBA 2K League teams that have not clinched a spot in the 3v3 playoffs, plus one community team from an open qualifier. The final two teams in the STEAL will earn a spot in the 3v3 playoffs beginning next week, with the winner receiving a winner-take-all cash prize.

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Plaza Hotel & Casino to celebrate summer with Friday night fireworks

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The Plaza Hotel & Casino will celebrate the start of every weekend this summer with a live fireworks show Friday nights at 9:15 p.m., beginning May 24 for Memorial Day weekend through Aug. 30 for Labor Day weekend.
Inspired by the fireworks shows at Disneyland, the Plaza’s Welcome to the Weekend Summer Friday Fireworks will light up the sky above downtown Las Vegas and be part of a festive summer block party atmosphere at the property’s Carousel Bar and rooftop pool deck.
“The Plaza is known for its great fireworks on New Year’s Eve and July 4th, but who says fireworks are only for those holidays?” said Jonathan Jossel, CEO of the Plaza Hotel & Casino. “This summer, we wanted to celebrate and give a gift to everyone downtown by sharing the excitement and fun of our fireworks shows with them every Friday night.”
“Las Vegas is the world’s destination because of all the spectacular attractions that are available here,” City of Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman said. “The Plaza is adding a new weekly fireworks extravaganza this summer, and everyone is invited to visit downtown Las Vegas and enjoy the show!”
Derek Stevens, CEO and Owner of Circa Resort & Casino said “The weekly fireworks show will amp up Fremont Street’s high-energy atmosphere to a new level. It’s a terrific addition for the entire neighborhood, providing another exciting reason for visitors to come downtown. Huge thanks to Jonathan and the Plaza team for bringing this idea to life. We’ll definitely be enjoying the show every week from Circa’s rooftop lounge, Legacy Club.”
The fireworks shot from the Plaza’s towers will be visible to the thousands of tourists and locals in downtown Las Vegas as well as for miles beyond. Plaza hotel guests will be able to enjoy the fireworks from an exclusive viewing party on its rooftop pool deck where the fireworks will be “ignited” by a special guest pushing a detonator button on an oversized TNT box.
To attract even more people to stay downtown, the Plaza introduced the only all-inclusive hotel room package starting at $125 per person per night. The package includes bottomless drinks, breakfast and dinner, a free bingo session, waived resort fees, and more. Rooms must be booked online by June 30 for a stay June 1 through July 1.
The Friday night rooftop pool party for hotel guests will feature the Frozen Firecracker, a special red, white, and blue cocktail made with strawberry daiquiri, pina colada, and blue lemonade spiked with Don Q Rum. At Carousel Bar the summer party vibe continues every Friday night with a DJ and the specialty cocktail Watermelon Agua Fresca made with Mi Campo tequila, Jägermeister, rose aperitivo, watermelon juice, chamoy, and aloe leaves as a garnish.
“Downtown Las Vegas is already a vibrant, unique, and exciting destination. Our Summer Friday Fireworks paired with our all-inclusive room package and great summertime block party atmosphere at Carousel Bar and the rooftop pool deck will be even more reasons to come downtown this summer,” added Jossel.
The Plaza’s fireworks will be dependent on weather conditions and are subject to change or cancellation.

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Evoplay strikes distribution agreement with Light & Wonder

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Evoplay, the award-winning game development studio, has leveraged its position across Europe by taking its portfolio live with Light & Wonder’s leading aggregation platform.

Through this latest launch, over 100 of the provider’s dynamic titles will be made available on Light & Wonder’s global operator network including its Penalty Shoot-out instant game as well as top-performing slots The Greatest Catch Bonus Buy and Hot Triple Sevens.

The integration will see Evoplay boost its presence across a plethora of territories in Europe, including MGA-regulated markets, Italy, Portugal, the Balkans and the Baltics, where Light & Wonder’s platform is a top choice for tier-one operators.

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Evoplay’s latest agreement underscores its commitment to becoming a leading supplier across Europe and follows significant commercial expansion in several key markets.

Ihor Zarechnyi, CBDO at Evoplay, said: “Evoplay’s latest landmark deal serves as a testament to the power of our dynamic portfolio. As we continue to excel across markets worldwide, we are delighted that Light & Wonder recognised the quality of our games and took them live on its platform.

“Light & Wonder has a vast market reach, which allows us to greatly expand our footing in Europe. Additionally, once we obtain the Canadian licence, we look forward to introducing our innovative content to an even wider audience of players.”

James Bustin, Commercial Director at Light & Wonder, added: “Thanks to its commitment to differentiation, Evoplay’s offering has proven to captivate players across Europe and we anticipate its games will perform just as well with our operator network.

“Forging new content agreements with suppliers such as Evoplay allows us to continue delivering fresh and exciting experiences to the market whilst elevating studios to an even bigger reach.”

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The post Evoplay strikes distribution agreement with Light & Wonder appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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