Latest News

Racecourse Media Group’s innovative new in-play betting service welcomed by bookmakers

Published

3 years ago

April 26, 2023

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Early performance indicates in-play betting service can grow turnover on racing by 5%

Racecourse Media Group’s (RMG) new in-play betting feed has been successfully launched with BetVictor and its other brands, Parimatch and TalkSPORT BET, along with William Hill, with RMG already seeing promising incremental turnover.

To provide the feed, RMG relies on the award-winning GPS tracking service, Coursetrack, which has recently launched a second-generation GPS tracker to provide enhanced accuracy and reliability. GPS co-ordinates are produced 20 times a second for every horse in every race from RMG’s 34 racecourses.

In-play prices are then generated from the GPS data by RMG’s pricing partner Pythia Sports and served to bookmakers via the Press Association. This service is complemented by RMG’s ultra-low latency streams (c.400 milliseconds) via Phenix Real Time Solutions and STATSPerform, which RMG introduced for its streaming services in June 2020.

Adam Barnes, Director of Product at Bet Victor said: “Bet Victor is delighted it can now offer in-play betting for horse racing. The key is having highly reliable and accurate tracking data to create confidence in pricing, both for us as operators but also for our customers – and the Coursetrack technology provides that. We’re very pleased with the results we’re seeing. Of course the bigger meetings have been popular but this isn’t just about increasing turnover on the marquee events, there’s a wider benefit for racing given the interest we’re seeing from customers on midweek meetings.

“We’re looking forward to continuing to work closely and innovate the product with RMG. Using our performance data and customer insights we can better understand how to enhance the in-play experience and explore what types of derivative markets we can look to develop and launch in the near future.”

Racecourse Media Group also welcomed William Hill to the in-play betting service in mid-February, and further bookmakers are in the process of integrating the service. The new in-play pricing service is being made available to all fixed-odds RMG streaming customers as part of its recent contract extensions.

Martin Stevenson, Chief Executive at RMG, said: “RMG has been asked to lead on the broadcast elements of the BHA industry strategy, and innovations such as in-play data and betting represents a real opportunity for our racecourses and the sport. It is finally bringing racing on a par with the data richness of other sports.

“We have been very pleased with the results from BetVictor and William Hill, and the technology is generating additional turnover for the sport, which is much needed after a challenging few years. Since launch, engagement and betting turnover have grown consistently and point towards in-play betting being able to grow turnover on racing by 5%.

“We are also considering how best to interpret the data on the Racing TV channel and digital platforms, incorporating the expertise of the likes of Angus McNae and Ruby Walsh, which can only grow the appeal and engagement with the sport.

“We are delighted to be working with our partners to deliver this innovative new service and we look forward to welcoming further bookmaker partners onboard.”

Freddy Galliers, Director at Pythia Sports, said: “We have been really excited about this project since day one. It’s provided a fascinating challenge with many complexities to overcome and working with Racecourse Media Group, to build this product from scratch, has been rewarding for the entire team.

“Pythia’s goal in moving into the B2B space was to work with rights holders to help innovate and evolve wagering opportunities in racing, and this project ticked all those boxes. The culmination has been to see the project go live with Bet Victor and William Hill. We are looking forward to working with more operators in 2023.”

Behavioral Analysis

SCCG Bets on ‘Emotion AI’: New Tech Can Read Player Faces for Trust & Fraud

Published

10 minutes ago

December 23, 2025

Wladimir P.

sccg-bets-on-‘emotion-ai’:-new-tech-can-read-player-faces-for-trust-&-fraud

Editor’s Take

Why this matters: “Emotion recognition” usually raises immediate red flags regarding privacy and GDPR. However, Gotcha’s differentiator—processing micro-expressions in real-time without storing biometric data—could be the key to unlocking this tech for regulated markets. The potential use cases in iGaming are massive: from detecting distress for Responsible Gambling interventions (e.g., stopping a tilt) to identifying “tells” or stress indicators in potential fraud/bonus abuse scenarios.

The Full Story

SCCG Management, the global advisory firm led by Stephen Crystal, has announced a strategic partnership with Gotcha, a technology company specializing in real-time emotional intelligence and behavioral analysis.

The deal will see SCCG spearheading Gotcha’s go-to-market strategy, introducing its proprietary “Emotion AI” platform to a network of over 100 client partners across the sportsbook, iGaming, and digital entertainment sectors.

How It Works: The Science of Micro-Expressions Gotcha’s platform utilizes advanced behavioral science to analyze facial micro-expressions—involuntary muscle movements that reveal genuine emotions—in real-time. By detecting these subconscious signals, the software enables operators to look past what a user says or clicks and understand how they actually feel.

The technology targets critical operational areas including:

Customer Experience: Measuring genuine engagement levels.
Fraud Detection: Identifying behavioral stress markers associated with deceit.
Employee Performance: Evaluating service quality in support or VIP management roles.

The Privacy “Firewall” Crucially for the highly regulated gaming industry, Gotcha has designed its system with a “privacy-first” architecture. The technology delivers instantaneous emotional insights without retaining or storing biometric data. This “no-storage” approach is designed to keep operators compliant with stringent global data protection standards (such as GDPR), solving one of the biggest hurdles for biometric adoption in Europe and North America.

Management Commentary Stephen Crystal, Founder and CEO of SCCG Management, highlighted the regulatory fit of the tech:

“Emotion-driven insights represent a powerful next step in how gaming and digital platforms understand trust, engagement, and user experience. Gotcha has developed a scientifically grounded, privacy-first technology that aligns well with the needs of regulated gaming markets… We’re excited to support their expansion.”

The partnership signals a broader industry trend toward AI-driven behavioral intelligence, moving beyond simple transactional data to deeper, psychological metrics for decision-making.

The post SCCG Bets on ‘Emotion AI’: New Tech Can Read Player Faces for Trust & Fraud appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.

Behavioral Analysis

Gotcha Joins SCCG Network: Using Micro-Expressions to Measure Player Engagement

Published

10 minutes ago

December 23, 2025

GamingAmericas.com

gotcha-joins-sccg-network:-using-micro-expressions-to-measure-player-engagement

SCCG Management, a leading advisory firm in the global gaming industry, today announced a strategic partnership with Gotcha, a pioneering emotion recognition technology company specializing in real-time emotional intelligence and behavioral analysis.

Through this partnership, SCCG will support Gotcha’s go-to-market strategy and business development efforts across gaming, digital entertainment, and adjacent technology-driven sectors. Gotcha’s proprietary platform leverages advanced behavioral science and facial micro-expression analysis to detect subconscious emotional signals in real time, enabling organizations to gain deeper, unbiased insights into customer behavior, trust, and engagement.

Designed with privacy and compliance in mind, Gotcha’s technology delivers instant emotional insight without retaining or storing biometric data. This approach allows operators and enterprises to enhance customer experience measurement, employee performance evaluation, fraud detection, and service quality while maintaining alignment with global data protection standards. The platform has already demonstrated success across multiple industries, including retail, public services, healthcare, and gaming.

SCCG’s role in the partnership includes sales support, strategic introductions, and go-to-market execution, leveraging its global network of more than 100 client partners across sportsbook operators, iGaming platforms, content studios, sports leagues, data providers, and B2B technology vendors. By integrating Gotcha into SCCG’s advisory and business development ecosystem, the partnership aims to accelerate adoption of emotion recognition solutions within regulated gaming environments and other high-interaction digital platforms.

“Emotion-driven insights represent a powerful next step in how gaming and digital platforms understand trust, engagement, and user experience,” said Stephen Crystal, Founder and CEO of SCCG Management. “Gotcha has developed a scientifically grounded, privacy-first technology that aligns well with the needs of regulated gaming markets and enterprise operators. We’re excited to support their expansion and introduce this capability to our global partner network.”

The partnership reflects a broader industry shift toward AI-driven behavioral intelligence designed to improve transparency, engagement, and operational decision-making without compromising privacy, ethics, or regulatory compliance.

The post Gotcha Joins SCCG Network: Using Micro-Expressions to Measure Player Engagement appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

AI Casino Recommender

Meridianbet Doubles Down on Belgium: New Casino License Unlocks €455m Market Segment

Published

18 hours ago

December 22, 2025

Wladimir P.

meridianbet-doubles-down-on-belgium:-new-casino-license-unlocks-e455m-market-segment

Editor’s Take

Why this matters: This is a classic “Cross-Sell” play. Meridianbet has already spent seven years building a sports betting database in Belgium. By securing this B+ license, they can now monetize those same users with higher-margin casino products (slots, table games) without needing to acquire new traffic from scratch. With the Belgian casino sector growing at 20% year-over-year, this is a significant revenue unlock for the GMGI portfolio.

The Full Story

Meridianbet, the sports betting and gaming operator owned by Golden Matrix Group Inc. (NASDAQ: GMGI), has successfully expanded its regulatory footprint in Europe by securing a B+ online gaming license in Belgium.

The new license (B+ 4016) authorizes the company to launch a comprehensive online casino platform—featuring slots, table games, and automated live games—starting in January 2026. This move significantly broadens the operator’s capabilities in the country, complementing its existing sports betting operations which have been active in the Belgian market for seven years.

Targeting the Largest Market Segment The strategic rationale behind the license is clear: Casino is now the dominant force in Belgian gambling. According to the Belgian Gaming Commission, the online casino vertical generated €455 million in Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) in 2023, representing a 20.2% year-over-year increase.

By entering this vertical, Meridianbet gains access to the largest and fastest-growing segment of a market that generated a total of €944.6 million last year.

Tech-First Entry Meridianbet plans to deploy its proprietary AI Casino Recommender technology for the Belgian launch. This system analyzes player behavior and preferences in real-time to deliver personalized game suggestions, a crucial differentiator in a highly concentrated market where just ten operators account for 94% of all online wagers.

Regulatory Context Belgium is known for having one of Europe’s strictest regulatory frameworks, characterized by rigorous compliance standards and player protection protocols. Securing this license validates Meridianbet’s operational standards and deepens its foothold in a “mature” market that is notoriously difficult for new entrants to penetrate.

The post Meridianbet Doubles Down on Belgium: New Casino License Unlocks €455m Market Segment appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.