Distribution deal sees leading racing provider for the Americas extend its scope into Italy’s local pool betting via governing body for horse racing

1/ST CONTENT, the pre-eminent provider of premium North and South American horse racing content and a key division of 1/ST, has continued to grow its international footprint in a new partnership with the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry (MASAF) in the run-up to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, one of the true highlights on the global racing calendar.

The deal now opens a breakthrough gateway for local pool betting on North American, South American and Turkish racing in Italy – and was soft-launched over last month’s 100th edition of the Hambletonian at The Meadowlands, NJ. This milestone renewal, the pinnacle of harness racing and a format of the sport which is particularly popular with Italian racing fans, fostered immediate fan engagement, as reported by MASAF this month via https://www.grandeippicaitaliana.it/.

The agreement kicks off with the 2025 flagship finale at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in Del Mar (31 October – 1 November) and brings many of the premier stateside races to Italy, including the Pegasus World Cup (24 January) and the Triple Crown contests of Preakness 151 (16 May) and the Belmont Stakes (6 June). In the aggregate, 1/ST CONTENT’s extensive content portfolio maps approximately 90% of all North American racetracks, alongside South American and Turkish venues, neatly complementing Italy’s domestic sporting action with a reliable source of fast-settling betting content between 18:00 and 05:00 CET.

Advertisement

Italian and North American horse racing currently enjoy a strong reciprocal bond, thanks to three of Italy’s leading jockeys in Frankie Dettori, Umberto Rispoli and Antonio Fresu plying their trade in North America. These three Italian ambassadors were recently introduced to a mainstream global audience via Netflix’s acclaimed Race For The Crown.

1/ST CONTENT’s worldwide experience and customer base for pools betting features the Americas, Morocco, Italy, Singapore, Australia, Turkey, Sweden, France, New Zealand and Hong Kong. As a result, by leveraging 1/ST CONTENT’s unparalleled expertise in capturing and streaming elite live-racing events, bettors across Italy can now enjoy a best-in-breed international racing experience.

Key features of the deal include but are not limited to:

1. Comprehensive Coverage: exclusive signals of all racetracks in the United States, Canada, South America and Turkey, ensuring an extensive and diverse range of racing content for Italian audiences.
2. Cutting-Edge Technology: high-quality, immersive broadcasts, providing viewers with an unparalleled access to live racing and informative content that both engages the seasoned viewer and educates those unfamiliar with the sport.
3. Enhanced Viewer Engagement: accompanying innovative marketing strategies, promotions, and engagement initiatives, enhancing the overall viewer experience and speaking to a dedicated racing community in Italy

Simon Fraser, Senior Vice President International at 1/ST CONTENT, said: “We’re thrilled to be working as a partner with MASAF on a program to rejuvenate their horse racing audience and breathe new life into the Italian industry. Our collaboration marks a cornerstone from which we can build together to ensure that racing is competitive with other betting options and further expands 1/ST’s global reach.”

Remo Chiodi, Director General for Horse Racing at MASAF, added: “This partnership is part of a broader framework aimed at strengthening relations between Italy and the United States in the horseracing sector: it is a path that consolidates ties between the two countries, enhances both our national excellence and international achievements, and opens up new opportunities for growth and exchange. It is a step that also involves breeding and training, while highlighting the image of Italian racing excellence in the United States, represented by our most renowned jockeys competing overseas.

“Thanks to this agreement, major American racing events will be broadcast free-to-air on EQU TV, expanding the television offering and allowing betting on the races within a fully integrated system. After years of challenges, Italian racing is redefining the entire sector to restore our sport to a position of strength, both at home and abroad.”

Advertisement

EveryMatrix has agreed its largest ever global casino aggregation deal supplying bet365 with both its own exclusive content and titles from more than 40 premium games providers.

SlotMatrix, part of the EveryMatrix Group, is the largest aggregation platform in the world with more than 37,000 games from 350+ global suppliers including the Group’s own, Armadillo and Fantasma Studios.

It will offer bet365 more than 40 vendors across multiple regulated markets including the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Mexico with further territories slated for future release.

The business unit was further bolstered in 2024 by the acquisition of Fantasma Games and, earlier this year, by a new management team focused on accelerating aggregation and content services expansion across both existing and new regulated markets.

Advertisement

This includes Mark Hothersall, Head of Business Development and Carl Gatt Baldacchino, Head of Account Management, both previously from Evolution Gaming.

They are responsible for driving forward the commercial success of SlotMatrix by accelerating the unit’s in-house games development, continually strengthening its third-party content offering and ensuring SlotMatrix provides exceptional customer service.

Ebbe Groes, Group CEO & Co-Founder EveryMatrix, said: “Today is very significant for the Group highlighting both just how much of a ‘must-have’ product SlotMatrix is for tier-1 brands across multiple markets and how far ahead it is compared to its rivals.

“We’re thrilled such a world-renowned brand such as bet365 has put their faith in us to drive their content strategy. SlotMatrix has truly come of age and, with an increased focus on ramping up our own games development and attracting even more premium vendors to the platform there really is no ceiling as to how far it can go.”

A bet365 spokesperson, added: “We are thrilled to partner with EveryMatrix. This collaboration represents a significant step forward in our commitment to providing exceptional products to our customers.”

Advertisement

Scientific Games has been honored with the Top GCC award in the Organizational Excellence category at the GCC Workplace Awards 2025. Held on July 11, in Bengaluru, India, these awards recognize global capability centers in India that are transforming the future of work through innovation, culture and forward-thinking strategies.

This honors marks the third award in the past year for Scientific Games’ India operations, building on its 2024 Great Place to Work certification and inclusion in Jombay’s WOW Workplaces of 2025.

“Scientific Games India has proven once again that we are creating a high-performance, future-focused workplace. Our team in India plays an important role in supporting and enhancing the way we deliver technology solutions across our global lottery business,” said Pat McHugh, CEO of Scientific Games.

The GCC Workplace Award highlights Scientific Games’ exceptional progress in building a high-performance, people-first workplace supporting both business outcomes and employee well-being. The company’s Bengaluru-based operations serve as a strategic hub for software development, technology operations, research, and quality assurance.

Advertisement

“What makes this recognition especially meaningful is that it reflects how we’ve grown as a team, scaling up in capabilities while staying true to our company culture. Over the past year, we’ve sharpened our focus on leadership development, cross-functional collaboration and building an environment where people feel trusted to solve complex challenges,” said Mahesh Nanjundappa, Managing Director of Scientific Games India.

The GCC Workplace Awards celebrate organizations in India that are redefining what a great workplace looks like. Scientific Games was recognized from a competitive pool of 450 nominated organizations. The selection involved a rigorous, multi-stage process, including quantitative reviews, qualitative assessments of internal policies and programs and benchmarking against peer organizations. Key evaluation areas included leadership and culture, diversity and inclusion, employee well-being, innovation, and external reputation.

The judges awarded the company 5 out of 5 ratings for employee engagement and well-being, as well as workplace culture, citing strong leadership support and structured feedback mechanisms. Its formal rewards and recognition programs, comprehensive benefits including health, dental and vision coverage and diversity and inclusion efforts.

Scientific Games’ India location contributes to delivering the company’s high-performance lottery and sports betting solutions to government-regulated lotteries in 50 countries.