Affiliate Industry
Checkd Group expands into Canada as FlashPicks gains Ontario licence
Fast-growing iGaming business Checkd Group has entered the sports betting market in Canada with its FlashPicks brand after gaining an affiliate licence from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).
The acquisition of the licence, which arrived in time for the start of the new NFL season, comes after Checkd Group met a series of strict marketing regulations in Canada’s most heavily populated province.
The new licence means that sports bettors in Ontario can utilise operator links on Checkd Group’s fast-growing sports betting community site FlashPicks, along with their counterparts in 15 US states where online betting is currently regulated.
It also coincides with the appointment of Callum Broxton as Checkd Group’s Head of US Operations. Broxton has spent the past six years within Checkd’s Media division, as Head of Social, Head of Brand Operations and Commercial Manager, and will now be based full-time in New York.

“Ontario is an important sports betting market and one where there is a high bar in terms of meeting regulatory requirements,” said Broxton.
“To have gained our first licence in Canada is a major milestone, serving to underline the rapid progress since we launched FlashPicks in the US earlier this year. We have been working hard to increase the range of experts that we can utilise to help inform and educate FlashPicks’ rapidly growing community and it is gratifying to be able to serve sports enthusiasts right across North America ahead of what is sure to be an exciting NFL season. Our aim is to provide the community with stats and information that can inform their picks – and hopefully help create some winners.
“On a personal note, six years on from first joining the company it’s a great privilege to head up Checkd’s international arm, just in time for the football season. We have some very exciting plans ahead and I can’t wait to get started.”
Launched earlier this year, North American-focused FlashPicks provides visitors to the website with selections served up by a team of US sports specialists. The brand has quickly gained traction on social channels, hitting 30 million organic Twitter impressions, as well as 250,000 unique visitors on the website.
FlashPicks is also growing its video and audio content presence, with new headline show ‘For Bettor or Worse’ achieving over 500,000 views and listens across all platforms. It has also significantly expanded its resident US sports betting experts, driving traffic to operator partners including FanDuel Sportsbook, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, bet365 and PointsBet.
FlashPicks has continued to evolve and now features live odds feeds for four major sports, with instant betslip click-outs to selected operator partners – a key feature for enhancing the user experience as the NFL season gets underway. It is currently licenced in key US states including New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
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Affiliate Industry
MelBet Partners to Bring UFC Champion Kamaru Usman to SiGMA Central Europe
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SiGMA Europe is one of the most significant events in the iGaming industry. This year, the event is taking place in Rome and will bring together over 30,000 attendees, 1200 sponsors and feature four stages with 550+ top speakers.
On November 05, in partnership with MelBet Partners & Affiliates, former MMA legend and World Champion Kamaru Usman will join the event as a special guest. At booth 5067G attendees of SiGMA Central Europe have the chance to take photos, hear insights and what it takes to rise to the top on a global stage.
During the conference, there will be two activities available for guests at MelBet’s booth:
Punch Challenge. Anyone can come to the booth on November 4 and test their punching power. The person with the strongest punch will have the honour of competing against Kamaru Usman himself.
Want to get exclusive merchandise and take a photo with the MelBet Partners & Affiliates championship belt? Visit the booth. Follow MelBet’s official Instagram account and take a picture with the belt. Those who post a story with the championship belt and tag MelBet will automatically be entered into a drawing for exclusive UFC-themed merchandise.
There will also be a private party, Triumph of the Gladiators, exclusively for the partners and representatives of MelBet Partners & Affiliates, which Kamaru himself will attend. This evening will be an epic event, where history and modernity merge into one.
The post MelBet Partners to Bring UFC Champion Kamaru Usman to SiGMA Central Europe appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Affiliate Industry
When Logic Finds a Face: Meet Refie, ReferOn’s New Living Interface
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Refie, the new living interface inside ReferOn, it’s here.
ReferOn, the next-generation affiliate management platform, has launched Refie — a built-in interface layer that gives the platform its own awareness, making interaction faster, clearer, and more human.
Refie represents a new level of interaction within ReferOn, designed to make complex affiliate data easier to perceive and act on through visual feedback that turns system logic into something instantly understandable. He now lives inside the platform’s interface, appearing on onboarding screens and system state pages, where he reflects how the system feels and responds in real time.
Refie isn’t a chatbot or a mascot — he’s an integrated UX layer that connects technical precision with human intuition. By reducing noise and guiding attention naturally, he helps affiliate managers work faster while avoiding mistakes and staying aligned with live performance data.
We like to call this approach “lazy intelligence” — systems that think before you do so you can focus on what actually matters. Refie is the first visible step toward that.

Roadmap: From Awareness to Assistance
Refie’s introduction marks the beginning of ReferOn’s next development stage.
He’s the foundation for what comes next: gamification, engagement, and, ultimately, intelligent assistance. Through him, we’ll introduce a more interactive, rewarding experience where every action feels meaningful. Over time, Refie will evolve from a visual signal into a personal AI agent — the intelligent core of the ReferOn platform.
Vlad Bondarenko, ReferOn’s Head of Product, commented, “Refie isn’t just an add-on or feature — it’s a reflection of how our platform and team think. For years, affiliate platforms have been built for reporting, not for people. We wanted to change that. Refie was born to simplify. He embodies how we think about technology: clarity, control, and connection should feel natural, not forced.
With Refie, ReferOn has learned how to say hi — not with words, but quietly, through awareness. It’s how the system shows it understands what’s happening. He represents the moment ReferOn moved beyond functionality and toward awareness, emotion, and intelligence. The launch goal is to show that the era of faceless B2B tools is ending.”
The ReferOn team will showcase the platform’s latest innovations at SiGMA Central Europe in Rome (Booth 5044). There, attendees can explore the system in action, connect with the team, and experience Refie — the living interface making its first public debut.
The post When Logic Finds a Face: Meet Refie, ReferOn’s New Living Interface appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Affiliate Industry
IZIGROUP and Gamblers Connect Enter a New Partnership
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Gamblers Connect, a leading and trusted iGaming Medium & Affiliate website for the iGaming sector, is excited to announce its latest strategic partnership with a true pillar of the European gaming industry: IZIGROUP.
Based in Malta, IZIGROUP is one of the most respected and established operators in the iGaming world. Its influence is immense, serving as the exclusive concessionaire for the National Lottery of Malta through their subsidiary, National Lottery plc. They also operate Malta’s most iconic land-based casino, the Dragonara Casino, a name synonymous with quality and heritage since 1964. The group also has a sports and casino betting platform, IZIBET.
But this partnership isn’t just about land-based prestige. IZIGROUP has powerfully translated its decades of experience into the digital realm with a formidable iGaming presence. This includes their flagship online brands, Dragonara Online Casino and IZIBET which are rapidly expanding beyond Malta into international markets.
Gamblers Connect’s mission has always been to act as the essential bridge, connecting its community with the most trusted, innovative, and responsible operators in the industry.
This partnership is a perfect embodiment of that goal. IZIGROUP’s entire operational philosophy is built on the same values: a deep commitment to safe, responsible, and engaging gaming experiences.
With €920 million in total gaming turnover last year and a clear strategy focused on digital innovation, IZIGROUP represents the gold standard of a modern, successful, and ethical gaming operator.
Gamblers Connect is proud to feature IZIGROUP’s brands and to provide users with a direct connection to their world-class portfolio. This collaboration strengthens the network and, more importantly, reinforces a promise to only partner with the best.
Gregory Busuttil, Acquisition & Retention Executive at IZIGROUP, commented: “This feels like a true partnership, not just another campaign — and that’s what sets it apart.”
Gjorgje Ristikj, Founder & CEO at Gamblers Connect, stated: “Our collaboration with IZIGROUP marks an important milestone for Gamblers Connect. Joining forces with a reputable Malta-based brand allows us to combine credibility with reach, delivering stronger exposure, better performance and a more mature presence in the industry. We see this partnership not as a campaign, but as the beginning of a long-term strategic relationship.”
The post IZIGROUP and Gamblers Connect Enter a New Partnership appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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