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Sky Bet signs five-year title partnership extension with the English Football League

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Sky Bet – part of Flutter Entertainment – has signed a record five-year partnership extension with the English Football League (EFL) that will see Sky Bet continue as the League’s title partner until the end of the 2028/29 campaign.

Building on a decade-long partnership,  the new rights fee represents a 50% increase from Sky Bet, providing significant revenues for EFL Clubs and support for the League’s overriding objective to make Clubs financially sustainable across all divisions.

The deal will also see Sky Bet invest £1 million per season and £6 million in total into a Community Fund held by the EFL to be invested into communities across England and Wales where EFL Clubs are located. Sky Bet and the EFL will use the funding to deliver activity via the EFL Trust and the network of Club Community Organisations (CCOs), with the initiatives in focus to be mutually agreed by the organisations.

Having first been agreed in 2013, the partnership – one of the longest and most significant in UK professional sport – is centred around a clear Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two organisations that sets out how to deliver our joint objectives in a socially responsible way. This has always and rightly placed safer gambling at its heart, while also establishing a framework that allows us to engage the millions of EFL fans and connect them with the teams, players, and communities that they passionately support.

The MoU will continue to put the protection of children and other vulnerable individuals at its heart with both Sky Bet and the EFL making a renewed commitment to its approach in the promotion of the product.

Examples within the MoU include:

  • Sky Bet will not actively market themselves or their products in family areas of club stadiums or advertise to young fans
  • The EFL will dedicate a proportion of its central inventory to promote safer gambling messaging and support Sky Bet’s safer gambling campaigns
  • Sky Bet will fund a player education programme across the EFL’s 72 clubs that will focus on the potential dangers of gambling and provide support and advice

Both Sky Bet and the EFL will share learnings and insight from the partnership with Government, other sports and sector stakeholders to help inform the new sports sponsorship Code of Conduct which is being developed in accordance with the Gambling Act Review White Paper’s proposals.

Flutter recently welcomed the publication of the Gambling Act Review, which we see as a significant positive moment for the UK gambling sector, raising standards and bringing the regulatory framework into the digital age.

As part of the agreement, Sky Bet will continue as Official Title Partner of the Sky Bet EFL and Sky Bet Play-Offs on a worldwide basis. Sky Bet will also have rights to award the official Manager, Player and Goal of the Month awards as well as the seasonal ‘Golden Boot’ and ‘Golden Glove’ awards in each division.

Commenting, Steve Birch, Sky Bet Chief Commercial Officer, commented:  “I’m extremely proud of Sky Bet’s ongoing partnership with the EFL and delighted to have reached today’s agreement. Football is central to who we are and it’s great to be able to support the game and provide investment for Clubs across the Pyramid.

I’m particularly delighted that we can go one step further today with the announcement of our Sky Bet EFL Community Fund, seeking to make a real difference for people across England and Wales.

As the recent Sky Bet Play-Off Finals demonstrated, the EFL is going from strength to strength with packed grounds and millions watching games here in the UK and around the world.

We are absolutely committed to Safer Gambling, and I’m delighted that our partnership with the EFL shows how responsible betting and gaming operators, and sporting organisations can work together to promote safer gambling and tackle the issue of gambling harm.”

Commenting, Trevor Birch, EFL Chief Executive said: “For over a decade, Sky Bet has been a valuable partner for EFL Clubs, offering sustained investment to help Clubs navigate a volatile financial landscape and ensure fans can enjoy fantastic footballing entertainment in every corner of the country.

We have consistently seen our partnership evolve to move with the times and with community at the heart of the EFL, a new community investment fund is perfectly aligned and will help strengthen the partnership’s commitment to social responsibility. 

The Government’s recent Gambling White Paper highlighted the social responsibility measures that have accompanied our partnership with Sky Bet as being an example of good practice for the wider sports sector to learn from and we will look to deepen our commitment to the promotion of safer gambling as part of this extension.

On behalf of our Clubs we thank Sky Bet for its ongoing support to English football and we look forward to seeing our much-loved competition develop yet further with the additional certainty this investment provides.”

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WinSpirit’s UnValentine’s Day: A New Take on February Engagement

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While most gaming brands lean into February with predictable romance-themed campaigns, WinSpirit has taken a different path. Instead of hearts, roses, and sentimental messaging, the brand’s new UnValentine’s Day campaign embraces humor, honesty, and emotional relatability — offering players a refreshing alternative to seasonal clichés.

Reframing the Valentine’s Narrative

Valentine’s promotions in the gaming industry often follow the same script: romantic visuals, love-driven bonuses, and polished messaging designed to evoke idealized relationships. But WinSpirit identified a quieter audience segment — players who feel disconnected from the seasonal hype or simply tired of it.

UnValentine’s Day flips the script. Rather than amplifying traditional romance, the campaign creates space for lighthearted honesty. It invites players to laugh at overused Valentine’s tropes and engage with the brand in a way that feels authentic and current.

This isn’t anti-Valentine’s — it’s anti-generic.

A Simple Yet Strategic Engagement Mechanic

At the center of the campaign is a playful interactive poll hosted on a dedicated landing page. Users are asked to vote for the Valentine’s cliché they find most annoying, turning a simple click into a meaningful re-engagement touchpoint.

There’s no heavy gamification or aggressive conversion push. No complicated mechanics. Just:

  • A quick interaction

  • A sense of being heard

  • A shared cultural moment

By lowering the barrier to participation, WinSpirit prioritizes emotional connection over transactional incentives — a subtle but powerful shift in campaign strategy.

Differentiation Through Empathy

What sets UnValentine’s Day apart is the strategic intent behind it. WinSpirit isn’t dismissing Valentine’s Day — it’s broadening the conversation. The campaign acknowledges that seasonal experiences aren’t universal and that humor can be one of the strongest tools for connection.

This empathy-driven positioning reflects a larger evolution in gaming marketing:
moving away from pressure-based promotions and toward relevance, personality, and genuine audience alignment.

UnValentine’s Day serves as a case study in how online casinos can stand out — not by shouting louder, but by listening better.

Built for Modern Player Expectations

Today’s players expect more than bonuses wrapped in holiday graphics. They value:

  • Transparency

  • Relatability

  • Entertainment that respects individuality

WinSpirit’s approach demonstrates that engagement doesn’t need to be complex to be effective. It just needs emotional intelligence.

The campaign succeeds because it:

  • Respects short attention spans

  • Builds alignment without forced sentimentality

  • Encourages organic conversation

  • Reinforces the brand’s fresh, responsive identity

A Micro-Campaign with Macro Impact

In a market where seasonal messaging often feels interchangeable, UnValentine’s Day stands out by doing something simple — acknowledging reality.

It proves that thoughtfully designed micro-campaigns can:

  • Strengthen brand voice

  • Increase meaningful user touchpoints

  • Drive engagement without relying on traditional promotional pressure

Now live on the WinSpirit platform, UnValentine’s Day invites players to engage differently this February — and signals a broader shift in how gaming brands can approach seasonal marketing.

For operators and marketers observing the evolution of player engagement strategies, it’s a campaign worth watching

The post WinSpirit’s UnValentine’s Day: A New Take on February Engagement appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Vegangster Launches Fully Integrated Lootboxes as a Native Platform Feature

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Vegangster has unveiled a fully integrated lootbox system as a native feature within its iGaming platform, offering operators a powerful new tool to increase player engagement and unlock additional revenue streams. Early adopters report that lootboxes are already contributing between 5% and 7% of total Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) within the first month of launch.

Unlike third-party game integrations, Vegangster’s lootboxes are built directly into the core platform. This native integration gives operators complete control over configuration, performance mechanics, and lobby placement. In addition, the revenue share model is significantly more favorable compared to external game providers, improving overall margins.

“Brands already using lootboxes are generating between 5 and 7 per cent of their total GGR from lootboxes within the first month,” said Michael Oziransky, CPO at Vegangster.

A Familiar, High-Engagement Mechanic

The lootbox model draws inspiration from popular video game mechanics. Players purchase a lootbox at a fixed price and receive a reward determined by predefined probability settings. Depending on configuration and chance, rewards can exceed the original purchase value, adding excitement and replay potential.

Operators maintain full control over both technical and commercial settings. Prize categories, win probabilities, and RTP logic are configured directly within the Vegangster platform. This flexibility allows operators to tailor lootboxes to different player segments, campaigns, and strategic objectives.

Available rewards can include:

  • Cash prizes

  • Digital assets

  • NFTs

  • Physical merchandise

  • Custom operator-defined rewards

Once a player receives a reward, they can choose to keep it or sell it back for cash. This streamlined process keeps gameplay transparent while offering operators multiple payout and value-structuring options.

A Versatile Tool for Acquisition and Retention

Lootboxes can also be deployed as part of promotional campaigns. Operators may offer lootbox-based free spins to players, affiliates, or marketing partners. Different configurations can be aligned with specific goals, whether driving new player acquisition, increasing engagement, or improving retention metrics.

Part of a Broader Platform Roadmap

Lootboxes represent the first release in Vegangster’s roadmap of platform-native mini-games planned through 2026. Upcoming additions will include fast, session-based mechanics inspired by crash-style games, along with enhanced social engagement features designed to further boost player interaction.

About Vegangster

Vegangster delivers a full-stack iGaming platform engineered for speed, scalability, and operational control. Its turnkey, white-label, and sweepstakes solutions combine casino and sportsbook content, payments, CRM, compliance tools, and social features into a unified, mobile-first ecosystem. The platform enables operators to launch quickly and scale confidently in competitive markets.

Press Contact
Romans Kozlovskis
[email protected]

The post Vegangster Launches Fully Integrated Lootboxes as a Native Platform Feature appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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WinSpirit’s UnValentine’s Day: A New Take on February Engagement

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While most gaming brands flood February with romantic visuals and heart-shaped incentives, WinSpirit has chosen to challenge tradition with an unexpected twist. The brand’s new seasonal campaign, UnValentine’s Day, moves away from idealized love stories and toward something many players crave more—relatable honesty and lighthearted fun.

Reframing the Valentine’s Narrative

Traditional Valentine’s campaigns often follow a familiar formula: roses, candlelit dinners, and generic love messaging. But WinSpirit saw an overlooked segment — those who feel disconnected from the seasonal hype, or even fatigued by it.

With UnValentine’s Day, WinSpirit offers something different: a moment of comic relief, emotional resonance, and brand interaction. Instead of pretending every player is in the mood for romance, the brand invites them to speak their truth — and laugh about the clichés that usually go unspoken.

A Simple Yet Strategic Mechanic

The core of the campaign centers around a playful, interactive poll hosted on a dedicated landing page. Users are encouraged to vote for the Valentine’s cliché that annoys them the most — with the act of voting becoming a low-barrier touchpoint for re-engagement.

There’s no gamification overload or pressure to convert. Just one click, a sense of being heard, and a chance to take part in a conversation that feels current and real.

Brand Differentiation Through Empathy

What makes this campaign noteworthy isn’t just its originality — it’s the strategic mindset behind it. WinSpirit isn’t mocking Valentine’s Day; it’s expanding the dialogue around it. The brand acknowledges that not everyone experiences the season the same way and that humor can be a powerful connector.

This kind of empathy-driven positioning reflects a broader shift in how brands build engagement — moving away from promotional pressure and toward emotional relevance and genuine user alignment. UnValentine’s Day stands as a strong case study in how casinos can apply this approach in a meaningful, scalable way.

Built for Today’s Players

WinSpirit’s approach reflects a broader evolution in user expectations. Today’s audiences value transparency, relatability, and entertainment that respects their individuality. Campaigns like UnValentine’s Day show that engagement doesn’t have to be elaborate — just emotionally intelligent.

It’s an activation that:

  • Respects user attention spans
  • Builds emotional alignment without sentimentality
  • Generates conversation organically (without incentives as the main driver)
  • Reinforces brand identity as fresh, responsive, and non-generic

The Bigger Picture

As seasonal messaging becomes increasingly homogenized across the gaming sector, WinSpirit’s UnValentine’s Day stands out by simply listening. It proves that thoughtful micro-campaigns can both elevate brand voice and increase user touchpoints — without relying on traditional promotional pressure.

UnValentine’s Day is now live on the brand’s platform and serves as an open invitation to engage differently this February. For operators and marketers watching the evolution of seasonal gaming engagement, it’s a campaign worth noting.

The post WinSpirit’s UnValentine’s Day: A New Take on February Engagement appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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