Latest News
Scientific Games and New York Lottery Continue Nearly 50-Year Primary Scratch-Off Game Partnership
More High-performance Scratch-off Entertainment from Company Coming to New York Player.
Scientific Games and the New York Lottery will continue their nearly 50-year partnership to bring world-leading instant scratch-off games to players in the state with a new primary provider contract. The partnership, which began in 1976, powered the New York Lottery’s Scratch-Off games to a $4.4 billion product by fiscal year 2022-2023 and helped contribute billions in funding for education in the state.

The New York Lottery boasts one of the highest total lottery profits in North America and is ranked No. 8 worldwide for instant scratch game sales (La Fleur’s 2024 World Almanac). The collaborative, primary provider partnership with Scientific Games has resulted in a well-balanced scratch-off portfolio, with three price points ranked in the top five in the U.S. for weekly per capita sales (MAP 52-week average per capita). Focus on $30 scratch-offs with innovative designs and strategic prize structures that appeal to a broad player base has delivered consistent top performers.
“The New York Lottery is proud to continue its partnership with Scientific Games,” said Gweneth Dean, Director of the New York Lottery. “For decades, our collaboration has resulted in billions of dollars for New York’s public schools, and we look forward to creating exciting new games for our players and supporting our dedicated retailers across the state.”
As part of the new contract, Scientific Games will continue to provide the New York Lottery with consumer and product research and data analytics, game development and portfolio planning to help ensure the success of the Lottery’s scratch-off games.
“We’re honored to continue as the primary scratch-off game provider to one of the world’s most successful lotteries and support their important mission to fund education for New York students,” said John Schulz, President of Americas & Global Instant Products for Scientific Games. “Our long-standing, strategic partnership has continued to bring entertaining scratch entertainment experiences to players in the state, and we look forward to many more decades of success together.”
U.S.-based Scientific Games created and produced the New York Lottery’s very first scratch-off game and has worked side-by-side with the Lottery to provide products across the state’s network of approximately 14,000 lottery retailers.
With products that generate more than 70% of global instant game retail sales, Scientific Games is the world’s largest lottery games creator, producer and services provider, and the primary provider to nine of the Top 10 performing instant game lotteries in the world.
Africa
BetConstruct AI to present World Cup 2026 sportsbook offer at iGaming Afrika
Supplier takes Stand A05 in Nairobi on May 4–5, pitching pre-built tournament betting tools and discounted onboarding for new partners.
BetConstruct AI said it will exhibit at iGaming Afrika on May 4–5 in Nairobi, Kenya, at Stand A05.
The company said its main focus at the event will be a “Best Sportsbook for the World Cup 2026” package, supported by “Special Bets, Powerfull and Bet on League.” BetConstruct AI said the tools are designed to help operators run World Cup activations “with zero additional development required.”
For the World Cup activation, the supplier is also advertising commercial incentives for new partners. BetConstruct AI said new partners receive a 65% platform setup discount “applied immediately,” plus “100% Core Suite Access” for the first three months, followed by “65% off for 4-12 months.” It added that third-party tools are “51% off for 3 months.”
Beyond the tournament pitch, BetConstruct AI said it will present its wider iGaming ecosystem, including Sportsbook Platform, Casino Platform, Affiliate Ecosystem, Retail Solutions, and its AI suite. The company said its Sportsbook Platform provides “over 140,000 pre-match events and 12,000+ monthly esports live events,” and that its Casino Platform integrates “350+ providers via a unified aggregation API.”
BetConstruct AI said its AI suite includes CRM AI, Umbrella AI, AI Game Recommendation System, and Betting Mate AI, covering functions such as churn prediction, risk management, real-time personalisation, and conversational betting. It also said its Retail Solutions show how operators can connect land-based and digital channels for an omnichannel setup.
- BetConstruct (official website); https://www.betconstruct.com/ Company reference page for product portfolio and event announcements.
- iGaming Afrika (event information); https://igamingafrika.com/ Confirms dates, location, and exhibitor details for the conference.
- FIFA World Cup 2026 (official site); https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026 Authoritative background on the tournament referenced in the supplier’s activation pitch.
The post BetConstruct AI to present World Cup 2026 sportsbook offer at iGaming Afrika appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Blokotech
Blokotech completes Malta stop of Bloko Padel Tour 2026 with 35 teams
Second leg of the networking-focused iGaming padel series ran in Malta with SiGMA World; next stop is Miami on 9 June.
Blokotech has completed the Malta stage of the Bloko Padel Tour 2026, the company said on Thursday 30th April 2026. The second leg of the series was held in partnership with SiGMA World and hosted at IK Padel Village.
Blokotech said 35 teams competed across Pro and Beginners categories, following the tour’s opening event in Buenos Aires.
Blokotech Co-Founder and CEO Salvatore Messina said: “The response to the Malta stop has been brilliant. Each stage is gathering more interest as we build towards our Grand Linale in Rome. Once again we set the platform for networking and competition that our players loved. We’d like to thank all partners involved in making Malta a success – roll on Miami!”
In the Pro category, Andrea Zammit and Borja Jimenez won, with Peter Curmi and Salvatore Fasciana finishing second. In the Beginners category, Gabriele Sarti and Marco Pozzoli took first place, followed by Viki Vitanyi and Davide Dorato. Craig Luke was named Best Player and received a signed Francesco Totti shirt.
Blokotech said the next event will take place in Miami on 9 June at Ultra Padel Club, ahead of the Grand Finale in Rome.
- Blokotech; https://blokotech.com/ Company reference for Blokotech and background on its products and leadership.
- SiGMA World; https://sigmagroup.com/ Confirms the event partner and provides context on SiGMA’s industry events platform.
- Malta Gaming Authority (MGA); https://www.mga.org.mt/ Adds regulatory context for Malta as a hub for iGaming businesses mentioned in the event setting.
The post Blokotech completes Malta stop of Bloko Padel Tour 2026 with 35 teams appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
AI
SoftConstruct unveils RecSys AI game recommendation system at AIBC Eurasia
In an iGaming Real Talk interview in Dubai, the firm says the tool reads player emotion and context to guide operator actions.
SoftConstruct AI has unveiled RecSys, an AI Game Recommendation System, during an exclusive iGaming Real Talk interview recorded at AIBC Eurasia in Dubai on Thursday 30th April.
Mushegh Khachatryan, Chief AI Officer at SoftConstruct AI, said RecSys is designed to move beyond traditional recommendation models by interpreting player emotions in real time and accounting for context, with the goal of suggesting “the next best action” for operators. “You can understand your customer’s emotions in real time and suggest the next best action. We are building intelligent systems which can reason and act.”
Khachatryan said SoftConstruct built an AI Center of Excellence by hiring talent from outside the iGaming sector, and described RecSys as part of “production-ready agentic AI” intended to support personalised campaigns and decision automation. Surya Palli, host of iGaming Real Talk, said: “SoftConstruct is essentially building a Netflix-style personalised experience for the iGaming industry, where every player gets a lobby made just for them.”
Responsible gaming was also discussed, with the company claiming AI can detect risky behaviour faster and more consistently than human teams, and recommend timely breaks while balancing player protection with sustainable growth.
Khachatryan also stressed the need for explainable, controlled deployment. “AI should help teams perform five times better rather than replace them… Without proper boundaries, short-term momentum boosts with AI can actually hurt your company in the long term.” The company said operators can manage campaigns, personalisation and risk through chat interfaces, with at least 85% accuracy “from the first interactions,” and directed viewers to the full interview on the iGaming Real Talk YouTube channel.
- SoftConstruct; https://softconstruct.com/ Company background and official information on SoftConstruct and its business units.
- iGaming Real Talk YouTube channel; https://www.youtube.com/ Source location for the full interview referenced in the announcement (editor can add the specific video URL once identified).
- AIBC Eurasia; https://aibc.world/ Event organiser site to corroborate the conference setting and provide context on AIBC Eurasia.
The post SoftConstruct unveils RecSys AI game recommendation system at AIBC Eurasia appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
-
Africa7 days agoQTech Games wins Leader in Online Casino at SBEA+ Eventus Awards 2026
-
Alex Malchenko Head of Sales at Evoplay7 days agoEvoplay expands Brazil presence through Oleybet partnership
-
Africa7 days agoGoldenRace brings In-Shop Mobile and virtual sports to iGaming Afrika Summit
-
Australia7 days agoIGS Awarded 15-Year Electronic Gaming Machine Monitoring Licence in Victoria
-
Booming Games7 days agoBooming Games launches Mr. Oinkster’s Power Hit slot
-
Betsson4 days agoWhat the Betsson/Inter Milan case reveals about cross-border gambling branding when two restrictive regimes collide
-
Balkans4 days agoCT Interactive Expands its Certified Portfolio in Bulgaria
-
Crash Games7 days agoBet on Games launches horror-themed crash title Zombie Rush



