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World Pool returns to UK and Ireland with launch of £50,000 jockeys’ charity prize
World Pool, the largest globally commingled horse racing pools created and powered by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, will make its UK seasonal bow at Newmarket Racecourse on Saturday 4 May, where a brand new £50,000 initiative is being launched for jockeys.
For the first time the opening two Classics of the UK Flat season will both be World Pool events, with the QIPCO 1000 Guineas on Sunday 5 May becoming a new World Pool race this year and joining the 2000 Guineas run the day before.
Guineas weekend will also see the start of a new World Pool initiative, the World Pool UK & Ireland Jockeys’ Championship, where jockeys will compete to accumulate points across World Pool fixtures in the UK & Ireland.
For the winning jockey of every World Pool race in the UK and Ireland, points will be awarded based on the World Pool win dividend. The concept of this point system offers a level playing field for all jockeys, from leaders to rising stars, and their chances of winning are dictated by the public as reflected by their World Pool odds.
Beginning with the QIPCO 2000 Guineas, the competition will conclude on QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on 19 October, with the winner receiving £50,000 to be donated to a charity of their choice.
A further new addition to the World Pool calendar this year will be the Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas on Sunday 26 May. The Tattersalls Gold Cup, run on the same day, will also be a World Pool race for the first time, with prize money increased from €450,000 in 2023 to €500,000 this year.
Following the successful introduction of World Pool Moment of the Year in 2022 in Great Britain and Ireland, this will continue in 2024 covering all full World Pool meetings and will reward stable staff with cash prizes, as well as a VIP trip to Hong Kong for four people in 2025 to the overall winner.
One World Pool Moment of the Day will be selected at each full World Pool meeting with the winning groom receiving HK$40,000 (or equivalent – £4,000 in the UK and €4,000 in Ireland).
Michael Fitzsimons, Executive Director, Wagering Products of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, said: “It’s fantastic to be returning to the UK and Ireland with an extended World Pool fixture list this year now featuring the English and Irish 1000 Guineas, and we look forward to making these historic fillies’ Classics available to customers from around the world.
“In addition to the popular World Moment of the Day initiative, we’re excited to announce the new World Pool UK & Ireland Jockeys’ Championship, which will provide a different dimension and further competition to World Pool racedays right up until QIPCO British Champions Day in October.
“It’s a unique competition, with a jockey’s points being determined by World Pool win dividends, and a great initiative as there’s £50,000 up for grabs for the leading rider to donate to a charity of their choice. We are committed to giving money back to racing and good causes, and this seemed the perfect way to do that.”
Alex Frost, Chief Executive of the UK Tote Group, said: “It’s always an exciting time of year as the Flat season gets underway and we’re delighted that both the UK’s first Classics are World Pool events. City Of Troy has the potential to be a global superstar and we look forward to his seasonal reappearance being watched and bet on by 28 countries who play into the UK’s first World Pool event of 2024.
“Racing fans in the UK and Ireland will be able to access the huge global pools at tote.co.uk, on the Tote App and at racecourses which means excellent value is on offer, while the sport benefits from this increasingly important revenue stream.”
Martin Stevenson, Chief Executive Officer of Racecourse Media Group (RMG), which represents the media interests of The Jockey Club, Goodwood, and York Racecourses, said: “RMG looks forward to another exciting World Pool season in UK and Ireland, and will continue to work closely with the Hong Kong Jockey Club, UK Tote and our racecourses to grow both the sport’s revenues and global appeal.”
Amy Starkey, Managing Director, Jockey Club Racecourses, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with the Hong Kong Jockey Club, and thank them for their support as we deliver three exciting World Pool days across the QIPCO Guineas Festival and the Betfred Derby Festival.
“For the first time in the UK, we have worked alongside World Pool to host a nine-race card on QIPCO 2000 Guineas Day. This will include the first Classic of the season, whilst we are also delighted to feature the following day’s three-year-old Classic Fillies’ race, the QIPCO 1000 Guineas, as a World Pool race for the first time.
“World Pool enables strong reinvestment back into British racing and working alongside them to secure these additional races is an important step as we continue to strengthen links with Hong Kong, engage more fans with British racing and strive to grow our sport.”
Brian Kavanagh, Chief Executive of the Curragh Racecourse, said: “We are delighted to extend our relationship with World Pool in 2024 with the Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas and the Tattersalls Gold Cup on 26 May and the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby meeting on 30 June included in the programme.
“We had a very positive first experience with World Pool last year and look forward to building on it this year, bringing our racing to a wider audience. Irish horses have enjoyed great success internationally in recent years and we are delighted to be showcasing our best races through World Pool.
“Inclusion in World Pool has enabled us to increase prizemoney at the Curragh in 2024 and we look forward to developing this relationship further in the future.”
Upcoming UK and Irish World Pool events in first half of 2024:
May
Saturday 4: 2000 Guineas Day – Newmarket Racecourse (F)
Sunday 5: 1000 Guineas Day – Newmarket Racecourse (S)
Saturday 18: Lockinge Stakes Day – Newbury Racecourse (P)
Sunday 26: Irish 1000 Guineas Day – Curragh Racecourse (P)
June
Saturday 1: Derby Stakes Day – Epsom Racecourse (F)
Tuesday 18: Queen Anne Stakes Day – Ascot Racecourse (F)
Wednesday 19: Prince of Wales’s Stakes Day – Ascot Racecourse (F)
Thursday 20: Gold Cup Day – Ascot Racecourse (F)
Friday 21: Commonwealth Cup Day – Ascot Racecourse (F)
Saturday 22: Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes Day – Ascot Racecourse (F)
Sunday 30: Irish Derby Day – Curragh Racecourse (F)
*F: Full meeting – World Pool coverage on all races in the relevant meeting
P: Part meeting – World Pool coverage only on selected races in the relevant meeting
S: Single race – World Pool coverage only on this race in the relevant meeting
The post World Pool returns to UK and Ireland with launch of £50,000 jockeys’ charity prize appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
EGT has officially opened a new office in the Netherlands in ’s-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch). The launch was marked with an event on May 13 attended by representatives of local operators, partner companies and industry professionals, the company said.
Guests toured the office showroom and were introduced to EGT’s latest land-based and iGaming solutions offered on the Dutch market.
Yuliana Ilieva, Director of EGT Netherlands, said: “I would like to thank everyone who is here with us tonight to celebrate this milestone for EGT Netherlands. The opening of the office in Den Bosch – the capital of North Brabant province and a strategic location in the country – is an important step for EGT and clearly states the company’s long-term commitment to this market, where we already have a strong footprint in both the land-based and online segments. Our new local presence will allow us to be closer to our current and future clients and to develop our partnerships here even more effectively. Despite the challenges of the highly regulated Dutch gaming environment, we are confident that our personal approach to each customer, combined with our products, developed specifically for the Netherlands, will contribute to the growth and success of both our and operators’ business.”
Nadia Popova, Chief Revenue Officer and VP Sales & Marketing at EGT, added: “We see enormous potential in the Dutch market and are ready to invest in our sustainable development here. I believe that our new office, with its strategic location and talented and dedicated team, will play a key role in achieving our main goals of expanding and solidifying EGT’s positions as a preferred gaming provider in the country.”
The post EGT opens Netherlands office in Den Bosch appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
QTech Games has signed a provider partnership with PLAYSTAR (PS) to add the supplier’s slots and card games to QTech’s aggregation platform.
Under the deal, QTech’s operator clients can access PLAYSTAR titles including Deng Deng, Super Gems, Lucky Ace 2, and Mahjong Origin, alongside card games such as Tui Dummy and Hi-Low.
The companies positioned the agreement as part of PLAYSTAR’s expansion beyond Asia, with QTech highlighting distribution into emerging markets including Africa and Latin America.
Angel, BD at PLAYSTAR, said: “QTech is a natural habitat for our superior content which awaits players every time they enter through an online casino’s digital doors. After initial success in our home territories over our first decade of operations, PLAYSTAR is now broadening our reach across emerging markets via QTech’s flexible gateway to high-potential regions.”
Philip Doftvik, CEO at QTech Games, said: “It’s a feather in our cap to have integrated more premium content from PLAYSTAR. They’re a proven performer who prioritise the immersive experience that users enjoy at the heart of every game. Recent industry recognition as a rising-star supplier underscores their ascendant curve, and we’re delighted to have added PS to QTech’s stable of stars.
“We now look forward to showcasing these games across new markets which, in most cases, break new ground for PS.”
The post QTech Games adds PLAYSTAR content in new aggregation deal appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Altenar has launched a dedicated World Cup Lobby designed to help sportsbook operators package World Cup content in a single event hub during this summer’s tournament.
The company said the lobby is built for high-traffic periods, with a curated destination where operators can surface relevant markets, statistics, promotions and betting opportunities in one place. Altenar pointed to a “record 104 matches” across 16 cities as the context for simplifying tournament discovery and navigation.
The World Cup Lobby combines Altenar’s sportsbook with widgets and navigation built for major tournaments. Altenar said interactive team and player carousels surface BetCards, markets and promotions via swipeable feeds, with team and player pages providing access to statistics and related betting opportunities.
Other features include integrated standings, knockout trees and outright markets, aiming to keep users moving between matches, teams, players and selections without switching across multiple pages. Altenar said operators can localise the lobby by prioritising teams, competitions and markets for regional audiences, and use player behaviour to surface personalised recommendations.
Nikos Zygouris, Head of Sportsbook Product at Altenar, said: “Major tournaments such as this year’s World Cup create huge engagement and our goal with the new lobby is to build an environment where players can explore everything around the competition in one place.
“The World Cup Lobby brings together markets, statistics, teams and personalised recommendations into a single experience, helping operators to deliver a more intuitive and engaging sportsbook during the biggest moments in the sporting calendar.”
The post Altenar rolls out World Cup Lobby event hub for sportsbook operators appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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