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Network Gaming secures four new partners ahead of World Cup

Published

3 years ago

November 18, 2022

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Network Gaming, a betting technology company innovating the next generation of sports prediction games around small-stakes-big-win betting products, has secured four new key partners ahead of the World Cup. Featuring new product launches across multiple sports, spearheaded by its headline World Cup Tournament Survivor game, Network Gaming’s new partners are:

Planet Sport, media and B2B technology specialists who publish Football365, TEAMtalk, PlanetF1 and others as well as delivering a range of B2B products, content and services
WhoScored.com, the football data analysis website
At The Races, the horse racing media rights company which operates the Sky Sports Racing TV channel
101 Great Goals, the football live streaming and betting tips website, part of XL Media

Mike Grenham, Managing Director of Betting at Planet Sport, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Network Gaming, they have been a pleasure to deal with and the whole integration process has been seamless. We can’t wait to see how our audience of 15m users enjoy these great games.”

Matthew Taylor, Director of New Media and Innovation of At The Races, said: “Whilst ATR is first and foremost a digital platform for horse race fans, we fully understand that their interest in sport isn’t confined to equine excellence. The World Cup transcends traditional boundaries and we have historically devoted significant editorial coverage for tournaments but this year we also wanted an extra layer of engagement.

“We have partnered with Network Gaming, the brand leader in terms of pay-to-play predictive sports games, to deliver a series of World Cup games that will engage sports fans throughout the tournament and offer a small-stakes-big-prize-pool opportunity – winners will require a combination of strategy, skill and of course luck.

“The timescales were tight but both ATR and Network Gaming worked as a well-oiled team to deliver the game. We look forward to working with Network Gaming on future projects where the appeal of the event rises above typical borders of engagement.”

Thomas Rooney, Director of EU Sport at XL Media, said: “This year’s World Cup is played offline, but experienced online and we are delighted to serve up the 101greatgoals .com audience with this fun, engaging and hugely popular game, thanks to Network Gaming. The guys have been superb from our initial conversation through to going live. They do all the work behind the scenes, we send traffic to the game – it’s hopefully just the start of a long and successful partnership.”

Network Gaming made its name with the success of its first pay-to-play game, the Fantasy Masters golf, and recently attracted cornerstone strategic investment from a host of industry heavyweights, including Betfair co-founder Andrew Black.

The company’s star-studded product team are creating small-stakes-big-win products that deliver real value-for-money enjoyment. Recreational customers are not simply assembled in a pool of players where only a handful of sharks dominate the winning positions in the leaderboard. Similarly, innovative mechanics within the products keep players in contention for as long as possible, thereby deepening fan engagement and interaction, boosting repeat visits and digital dwell-time.

Network Gaming’s ongoing partnerships are comprised of top-tier operator Fitzdares, talkSPORT, whose popular sports news and analysis shows drive audience engagement across a number of live-broadcast platforms, and The Sun’s fantasy football offering of Dream Team.

Network Gaming is looking ahead to an exciting 2023, with notable expansion into the U.S., where a growing product suite (comprising NFL, NBA, MLB and horse racing) will see it broaden and deepen its reach. The North American market remains a greenfield opportunity because Network Gaming games work particularly well for U.S. sports. They can function in either fixed-odds or DFS-style-license formats, opening up a prolific pipeline of free-to-play or pay-to-play games with great repeat-play metrics to media companies or affiliates. Equally, any sportsbook can benefit from integrating a versatile vertical that is neither DFS nor fixed-odds betting to help them differentiate their product in a progressively homogenised market.

To find out more, entries are now open for the World Cup Tournament Survivor game, which follows a similar format to Network Gaming’s classic Survivor format which has proved so popular in its initial offering around the English Premier League. It’s a value-for-money bet during the cost of living crisis, whereby one £10 entry fee buys customers two lives and possibly a whole tournament of entertainment.

Thousands of players are already taking part, with the final prize pool likely to be over £25,000.

Harry Collins, CEO at Network Gaming, said: “We are delighted to support our new partners in engaging their audiences and growing wallet share with our exciting and truly differentiated product portfolio. Network Gaming products are easy to integrate and increase time on site. As a team, we’re also energised to continue to unveil more new products across a wide range of sports to all our prestigious partners in the coming year.”

Africa

State of the African Video Game Industry 2026: Xsolla Backs SpielFabrique’s Definitive Market Report

Published

8 hours ago

February 9, 2026

Wladimir P.

state-of-the-african-video-game-industry-2026:-xsolla-backs-spielfabrique’s-definitive-market-report

Xsolla today announced its support for State of the African Video Game Industry 2026, a comprehensive new report from SpielFabrique and researcher PhD Prince Oguguo that maps the size, structure, and growth dynamics of Africa’s fast-evolving games ecosystem. The study delivers data-driven insight into developer realities, market infrastructure, monetization trends and strategic recommendations for partners and investors.

Key findings at a glance

Market size: Africa’s video games industry generated approximately $1.8 billion in revenue in 2024, driven predominantly by mobile gaming (≈90% of the market).
Growth drivers: A young, mobile-first population, rising smartphone adoption and broader digital services are fueling above-average expansion across the continent.
Structural challenges: Persistent pain points include payment friction, limited funding, uneven internet and platform infrastructure, and the lack of a unified continental market.
Diverse ecosystems: The report stresses regional variation — with deep dives into Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, and Morocco — showing how local payment systems, regulation and culture shape monetization and discoverability.

Why this report matters

“Supporting research like this helps ground industry conversations in real data and lived developer experience,” said Ilayda Bayari, VP of Business Development, MEA + Southern Europe at Xsolla. The report equips publishers, platforms, investors and policy-makers with actionable intelligence to build more sustainable partnerships with African developers.

Focus areas and recommendations

SpielFabrique’s study examines three critical levers for growth:

Payments & distribution: Local payment methods and mobile money are essential to improve conversion and lifetime value for African titles.
Funding & infrastructure: Targeted investment and improved developer tools/platforms are needed to scale studios beyond domestic markets.
Talent & esports: Clearer talent pathways, education programmes and esports ecosystems will strengthen local production and audience engagement.

Regional snapshots

The research highlights how national differences influence outcomes: strong indie scenes in Nigeria and Kenya, established studios and distribution channels in South Africa, and growing developer communities in North African markets such as Egypt and Morocco.

Launch and supporting activity

The State of the African Video Game Industry 2026 report became available on January 29, 2026, and was launched with a coordinated website feature, social media rollout and a post-launch community webinar to share insights and facilitate industry discussion.

Voices from the field

“After more than seven years working alongside African game makers and ecosystem builders, I’m proud to share this comprehensive overview of where the market stands today,” said Pr. Odile Limpach, Co-founder of SpielFabrique. The report aims to catalyze cooperation and make markets more visible — enabling partners to act on opportunities while appreciating local challenges.

The post State of the African Video Game Industry 2026: Xsolla Backs SpielFabrique’s Definitive Market Report appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

betting automation

Huddle Launches Upgraded Ice Hockey Odds Feed for 2026 Winter Olympics & NHL Coverage

Published

9 hours ago

February 9, 2026

Wladimir P.

huddle-launches-upgraded-ice-hockey-odds-feed-for-2026-winter-olympics-&-nhl-coverage

Huddle, the premium odds-feed provider, today announced a major upgrade to its global ice hockey product ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics. The release adds proprietary automation, broader market coverage and enhanced uptime—bringing sharper player-prop pricing and deeper pre-match and live micro-markets for operators worldwide.

Automated, adaptable trading for every competition

Huddle’s enhanced offering is powered by an adaptable trading model built to handle tournaments, league play and one-off matches. Operators accessing the product via Huddle’s Unified Odds Feed or through direct integration will gain reliable markets across top competitions including the NHL, Sweden’s SHL, and the Czech Extraliga. The update targets historical volatility in non-major leagues and simplifies trading across rule variations and local formats.

Deeper markets, better player-prop accuracy

The upgraded feed increases market depth for both pre-match and in-play action, with focused coverage on popular player-prop markets such as Player Goals, Points, and Next Goalscorer—plus a range of micro-markets that drive re-betting and longer player engagement. Improved automation reduces manual intervention, delivering faster, more accurate lines and higher uptime for operator platforms.

Engineered for uptime and regional coverage

Huddle reworked the underlying architecture to meet the demands of global distribution and local league nuances. The resilient framework gives operators confidence that regional competitions and live events are priced consistently—removing friction and reducing operational risk when covering the full ice hockey calendar.

Operator benefits: trust, revenue, and retention

By combining precise player props, expanded market coverage and robust uptime, Huddle’s ice hockey upgrade helps operators:

Increase re-bet frequency and session length through granular micro-markets
Improve conversion with reliable live pricing and reduced latency
Expand product breadth across markets and regions without excessive engineering overhead

Leadership view

Francesco Borgosano, CEO at Huddle, said the Winter Olympics spotlight makes consistent coverage crucial: “We recognize that an NHL-centric approach isn’t enough… we’ve established a model that accounts for all variables to deliver the most premium, wide-ranging odds feed. From the gold medal game in Milan to a regular season match in the Extraliga, we’ve honed our product to be adaptable and profitable.”

Market context and next steps

The ice hockey upgrade follows Huddle’s recent distribution expansions for its NBA pricing feed, applying the same granular trading approach to hockey markets that are growing across Europe and the U.S. Operators can integrate via the Unified Odds Feed or direct API to unlock expanded ice hockey markets in time for Olympic and league-season demand.

The post Huddle Launches Upgraded Ice Hockey Odds Feed for 2026 Winter Olympics & NHL Coverage appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

combat sports

GoldenRace & ISIBET Pro Partner to Expand Virtual Sports Across Italy

Published

9 hours ago

February 9, 2026

Wladimir P.

goldenrace-&-isibet-pro-partner-to-expand-virtual-sports-across-italy

GoldenRace has signed a strategic distribution and integration deal with ISIBET Pro to accelerate the availability of premium Virtual Sports across the Italian online market.

The partnership connects GoldenRace’s award-winning portfolio to roughly 20 operators through a single technical bridge, instantly scaling reach and simplifying operator onboarding.

Fast scale, one integration

By integrating with ISIBET Pro’s platform, GoldenRace offers operators a turnkey route to deploy high-performance virtual betting content without multiple separate integrations. This “one integration, many operators” approach reduces time-to-market and technical overhead while giving operators immediate access to GoldenRace’s most popular titles.

A sportsbook-first virtual experience

ISIBET Pro selected GoldenRace to meet growing operator demand for “sportsbook-first” Virtual Sports—products engineered to mimic real sporting dynamics, deliver authentic betting markets, and drive sustained player engagement. GoldenRace’s portfolio emphasizes realism and playability, including:

Virtual Football — the world’s most-played virtual football product
Realistic Horse Racing — high-frequency, realistic race simulations
Combat Sports — unique, fast-paced virtual fight content

Executive perspectives

“Our focus has always been to be where the players are, but doing so efficiently is what separates a good strategy from a great one,” said Martin Wachter, CEO & Founder of GoldenRace. “Italy is a core market for us, and by joining forces with ISIBET Pro, we ensure that our market-leading Virtual Sports are just a click away for a huge segment of the Italian online audience.”

Romano Biondi, CEO of ISIBET Pro, added: “Integrating GoldenRace into our platform allows our partners to offer a premier Virtual Sports experience that Italian players already know and trust. It’s about adding real value and reliable revenue drivers to the online vertical.”

Benefits for Italian operators and players

Operators on the ISIBET Pro network gain competitive advantages including:

Immediate access to proven Virtual Sports content via one unified technical bridge
Enhanced player engagement through sportsbook-style markets and realistic simulations
Faster deployment and reduced integration costs, increasing potential revenue streams

Outlook

This strategic alliance strengthens GoldenRace’s footprint in a key European market and solidifies ISIBET Pro’s position as a platform provider focused on premium, sportsbook-first virtual content. For Italian operators seeking high-quality virtual product integrations and reliable revenue drivers, the GoldenRace–ISIBET Pro partnership delivers scale, speed, and proven player appeal.

The post GoldenRace & ISIBET Pro Partner to Expand Virtual Sports Across Italy appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.