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VIRGIN BET AND PRESENTING STAR NATALIE PIKE BRING ‘WOMEN’S DAY’ TO DONCASTER RACECOURSE
Virgin Bet is excited to announce the second iteration of its ‘Women’s Day’ event, which will take place at the Virgin Bet November Handicap on Saturday, 9th November, at Doncaster Racecourse.
The day will serve as a platform to celebrate women in racing, making it the latest effort in Virgin Bet’s long line of social impact initiatives to help create a more inclusive environment.
Building on the success of the inaugural Women’s Day at Ayr Racecourse last season, this celebration aims to further highlight and honour the invaluable contributions of women in racing.
The event at Doncaster Racecourse is open to everyone, embodying Virgin Bet’s brand mission, ‘A Good Bet’. This campaign emphasises the brand’s dedication to breaking down pre-existing barriers within sports and culture at large.
As part of the day’s proceedings, in addition to enjoying Doncaster’s spectacular race offerings, attendees can attend two panels led by presenter Natalie Pike, with the first starting at 10:45 am in the Exhibition Hall. Combining celebration with insight, these discussions will encourage reflection and spark conversation, connecting racing fans with legendary women transforming horse racing while also addressing diversity in the sport.
Panellists will include:
Panel 1: Women of Horse Racing
- Sophie Green (Trainee Clerk of the Course, Southwell Racecourse)
- Charlotte Russel (General Manager, Go Racing In Yorkshire)
- Rachel Harwood (Executive Director, Doncaster Racecourse)
Panel 2: Creative Inclusivity in Racing
- Dawn Goodfellow (CEO, Racing Welfare)
- Emma Kay (Founder, WalkSafe)
Additionally, as part of Virgin Bet’s raceday sponsorship, a donation will be made to Racing Welfare. Their work ensures the well-being and success of British horseracing’s workforce. Virgin Bet’s support for Racing Welfare highlights the importance of giving back to the community that keeps the industry running.
The Virgin Bet November Handicap marks the beginning of Virgin Bet’s continued partnership with Arena Racing Company (ARC) for a series of key meetings throughout the 2024/25 season. This partnership extends to fellow LiveScore Group brand LiveScore Bet.
Virgin Bet’s Personal Safety Partner, WalkSafe, will also be integrated into the race day. Founded in 2020, WalkSafe was developed to give the public as much information about their surroundings as possible. The app, WalkSafe+, enables users to plan the safest route home, along with a host of additional features to help ensure a safer experience for all.
Racegoers will be able to learn more about the innovative and free-to-download app over the course of the raceday, and get the chance to speak with its founder, Emma Kay, who strives every day to educate and highlight the importance of safety in all walks of life. Emma will also feature on one of the panels, sharing her insights and experiences as part of the discussions.
This second iteration of Women’s Day, now making its debut at Doncaster, serves as a potential alternative to traditional Ladies’ Day. Virgin Bet, in partnership with Doncaster Racecourse, is proud to continue fostering a celebratory environment, reminding everyone that racing truly welcomes all.
Dominic Vye, Marketing Director, Virgin Bet, said:
“Horse racing owes much of its success to the incredible women who contribute so much behind the scenes, and it’s time we celebrate their achievements. At Virgin Bet, as part of our ‘A Good Bet’ brand campaign, we want to make sport more accessible and highlight brilliance, no matter who the subject is, and this initiative is doing exactly that.”
Presenter and ‘Women’s Day Sponsored by Virgin Bet’ collaborator, Natalie Pike, added:
“It’s been amazing to return and once again be part of this fantastic initiative with the teams at Virgin Bet and Doncaster Racecourse. I hope this year’s event will continue to inspire and uplift the incredible women in horse racing. Creating an inclusive and safe environment for everyone in the sport is so important, and I’m proud to help bring attention to that.”
Rachel Harwood, Executive Director of Doncaster Racecourse, continued:
“We are proud to celebrate Women’s Day here at Doncaster Racecourse. This initiative shines a spotlight on the essential role women play in our sport. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to remind everyone that racing is for everyone, and we hope all racegoers feel that sense of inclusivity and belonging.”
“We’re also delighted to have Virgin Bet’s Personal Safety Partner WalkSafe integrated as part of their sponsorships with us. The experience and safety for all spectators at our racecourses is a priority, so it’s fantastic to see this as part of Virgin Bet’s ‘A Good Bet’ initiatives, which aims to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all.”
To purchase tickets, please visit: www.tickets.doncaster-racecourse.co.uk
The post VIRGIN BET AND PRESENTING STAR NATALIE PIKE BRING ‘WOMEN’S DAY’ TO DONCASTER RACECOURSE appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Eastern Europe
Totogaming Joins Cernica Pantelimon RunFest: Not Just Present, But Fully Participating
“We weren’t just present — we were participants of Runfest. And that’s one of the most important aspects,” said Artak Ashkhatoyan, Deputy CEO of Totogaming.
On July 6, Totogaming joined the Cernica Pantelimon Runfest in Romania, once again emphasizing the importance of promoting amateur sports and a healthy lifestyle.
“Supporting such initiatives is a priority for TotoGaming. First, 50% of the proceeds from RunFest will be donated to the CLOVES Romania Foundation, supporting children affected by CLOVES Syndrome. And second, we’ve always believed in showing our passion for sports through actions, not just words. Have you noticed how we’re constantly rushing through life, yet when we look back, it often feels like we haven’t moved at all? It’s important for us to lead by example and show the importance of participation. This is exactly the message we’re promoting through our team’s active involvement in the marathon. After all, there can never be too much sport in our lives,” said TotoGaming’s Deputy CEO, Artak Ashkhatoyan.
A Simple Concept, a Powerful Impact
The concept of this sports event is straightforward: choose a distance between 1 to 21 kilometers and run. The goal? Make sport an integral part of everyday life. The crowd certainly embraced that, gathering as early as 8:30 a.m. — on a Sunday morning.
Totogaming contributed in two distinct capacities: as an official sponsor and as an active participant. A dedicated team of 13 employees represented the company at the Cernica Pantelimon RunFest, with 7 of them proudly taking part as runners.
More Than Just a Run
It wasn’t an easy challenge — especially because among Totogaming’s runners were people for whom running isn’t a daily habit, or even part of their life at all. Yet they couldn’t miss the opportunity, not least from the perspective of corporate responsibility.
“We just finished the 7.5-kilometer race!” shared Petrut-Adrian Toea from the Totogaming team.
“It was amazing, honestly. Around the 2-kilometer mark, I had this little battle with myself — I told myself I had to finish the race, no matter what. And I did it! I came in around 60th place out of over 100 runners, which for me is a really good result.”
“I see my participation as a small contribution toward promoting a healthy lifestyle. In my close circle, everyone knows I’m not exactly the sporty type. I’m not athletic, and I usually prefer having fun in other ways. But showing up here, early in the morning, in this intense heat, and completing almost 8 kilometers with just one short break — I think it set a good example.”
“I hope seeing someone like me finish this challenge motivates my friends to try something similar for their own health. I believe that’s a meaningful contribution”, – added Petrut-Andrea.
Totogaming also made it possible for every attendee to bring sport into their lives — quite literally. At the Totogaming tent, participants could ride stationary bikes and receive prizes based on the number of points they earned through their efforts.
Whether they were running, cycling, or simply cheering for friends, the goal for everyone was the same: to reach the destination of champions — by bringing sport into everyday life.
The post Totogaming Joins Cernica Pantelimon RunFest: Not Just Present, But Fully Participating appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
BMM Testlabs, the world’s original gaming test lab renowned for exceptional product compliance and certification services, today announced the promotion of Sacha McLaughlin to Vice President of Global Quality Assurance.
BMM’s President of Land-Based Gaming & Inspections, Kirk White, said, “Sacha has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, operational excellence, and a customer-first attitude. Her experience and passion will be critical as we continue to grow our QA services to meet the always-evolving needs of the global gaming industry.”
With over 18 years of experience in software implementation and seven years in the gaming industry, McLaughlin brings extensive knowledge of both agile and waterfall development methodologies, test planning, project management, and cross-regional team leadership. She is recognized for her ability to build and scale QA organizations that deliver quality, speed, and value to customers.
McLaughlin joined BMM in 2018 and has held roles of increasing responsibility within the Company, most recently serving as Senior Director of Quality Assurance. Throughout her tenure, she has been instrumental in expanding BMM’s QA capabilities and helping customers launch products into the global gaming market more quickly, with a focus on regulatory compliance, functionality, fairness, and security.
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Major findings from the newly launched report include playable ads having the potential to deliver impression-to-install rates 16 times that of non-playable formats for emerging gaming apps and a 20% increase in spending on interactive ads year over year.
Liftoff, a leading AI-enabled growth platform for the mobile app economy, has published its seventh annual Mobile Ad Creative Index. The report explores top creative trends that are attracting and scaling in ad spend across consumer apps and games. It also highlights the expanding role of AI in creative production, testing, and optimization.
This year’s Mobile Ad Creative Index specifically analyzes creative concepts that have excelled in scale for Liftoff’s highest-spending advertisers over the past 12 to 48 months. It is based on findings from over 4.7 trillion impressions, 263 billion clicks, and 1.1 billion installs between 1 January 2023 and 31 May 2025.
Highlights from the report include:
Top consumer apps are investing in interactive ads to compete for engagement
In 2024, the share of spend on interactive ads for top apps increased by 20% year over year. The share of spend increased by 2% for spenders outside the top tier. Top-spending apps differentiate their campaigns by adding innovations to evergreen concepts such as social scrollers, carousels, and scratch-offs.
Playable ads deliver returns across ad budgets for mobile game advertisers
In 2024, the share of spend on playable ads for top games averaged 35% higher than other games. Across all ad budgets, however, playable ads delivered higher conversion rates. Impression-to-install rates were 8 times that of non-playable formats for top spenders and 16 times that of non-playable formats for other game advertisers.
Tailoring “metaplay” elements to motivations can improve performance
“Metaplay” elements—gameplay that diverges from an app’s core design to appeal to a broader audience—are widespread, but top games gain an edge by tailoring their metaplay ads to the publisher audience. The report found that aligning “metaplay” creative with publisher audiences resulted in a 93% increase in installs-per-mille.
UGC is becoming a key differentiator in driving scale for consumer apps
The share of spend on user-generated content (UGC) increased 11% for top-spending apps, with social and utility apps seeing the most significant jump of nearly 30% between 2023 and 2024.
Widespread adoption of Gen AI leads to more customized ad experiences
Creative teams increasingly leverage AI to enhance top-performing assets with 3D and motion and to create and test variations. Top advertisers also use AI to recombine their assets in customized ad experiences that break away from standard video to playable formats.
Yann Zeller, Chief of Staff, Creative at Liftoff, said: “Today’s creative landscape is shaped by a single, powerful truth: attention is the commodity, and brands, games, and influencers are all vying for it. Great mobile ad experiences can earn attention by aligning context with behavior. As ad formats become richer and AI expands our ability to personalize and adapt creatives at scale, we’re able to unlock new insights into user behavior and motivation. We see users spend meaningful stretches with the right content, sometimes 60 to 90 seconds when the ad feels personal or prompts meaningful participation. This isn’t just a better way to advertise—it’s a better way to tell stories and the most exciting brief we’ve had in years.”
Soren Steelquist, Director of Creative Production, said: “The proof is in the data—more and more consumer apps are incorporating UGC into every stage of their marketing, and programmatic is no different. UGC works because it’s authentic and relatable, and users are more likely to be influenced by ad when it’s coming from a trustworthy source. To see higher impact from UGC creatives, work with a partner that can match the right creator with your brand and develop winning concepts that resonate with audiences.”
The post Liftoff’s 2025 Mobile Ad Creative Index Reveals UGC Is a Key Differentiator for Top Apps appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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