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William Hill backs grassroots Irish racing with new series sponsorship

Published

10 months ago

October 1, 2025

George Miller

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

Leading bookmaker places itself “at the heart of Irish racing” with new Each Way Extra Challenge Series

William Hill has further signalled their backing of Irish racing with sponsorship of the new William Hill Each Way Extra Challenge Series. Beginning on October 3^rd at Gowran Park, the series will run over seven months until April 2026, spread across 50 races at 28 meetings across 13 Irish racecourses.

The series will see points allocated per race to trainers and jockeys allocated on a first to seventh place finishing basis (10,6,5,4,3,2,1) with an overall table to decide the prize winners at the final fixture on 24^th April 2026. The winning trainer will receive €50,000, and the winning rider and stable staff will receive €10,000 respectively.

All trainers can compete in the series races, but the bonus point element is only open to trainers with 50 or fewer winners in either of the last two seasons in either code. Any rider who rides for a qualifying trainer will have bonus points allocated, while riders who ride for ineligible trainers will not receive series points for those rides only.

Stable staff from all yards will qualify for the bonus element, including staff of trainers who are ineligible. A €100 best-turned-out award will be given to the stable staff for each race in the series.

Supported by key industry stakeholders the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association (IRTA), Irish Stable Staff Association (ISSA) & IJA (Irish Jockeys Association), the William Hill Each Way Extra Challenge Series aims to incentivise the grassroots of Irish racing and demonstrate the leading bookmaker’s commitment to the sport at every level.

William Hill’s Director of Horse Racing, Sandro Di Michele, commented on the new series: “We’re thrilled to launch the new William Hill Each Way Extra Challenge Series. This initiative runs through the real backbone of the Irish National Hunt season and should have a positive impact on the grassroots of the sport. We really want to position William Hill at the heart of Irish racing, and we believe this series is the perfect way of doing that. We’re very excited to see action get underway on Friday 3^rd October at Gowran Park, and we look forward to the series’ narrative building throughout the campaign.”

Jane Mangan, William Hill racing ambassador, shared her views on the series: “It’s extremely exciting for Irish racing that William Hill are launching this series. Kicking off on Friday at Gowran, there are 50 races and €135,000 in bonus money to be won. This series really has something for everyone, with bonuses for trainers, jockeys and stable staff, it’s set to give a much-needed boost to the heart of the Irish National Hunt season. Spread across tracks all over Ireland, the series will run right through the core of the industry. What’s not to like!”

Trainer Philip Rothwell commented on the series: “This is a huge new initiative for Irish racing, and we must thank William Hill for sponsoring it. What the series will offer is a massive plus for a trainer like me, as it takes the handlers with big numbers of horses out of the equation, giving the likes of me a real chance of winning a trainer’s prize at the end of the season. It’s a massive opportunity for trainers around my level to earn a good living in this sport, and I think thanks to series likes these, there’s never been as much opportunity for guys in similar shoes to me in Irish racing. It’s also fantastic that the stable staff are getting recognition with their own bonus in the series. They are the real backbone of this industry, so we’re delighted to see this support from William Hill and the IRTA.”

Feidhlim Cunningham, CEO of the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association, commented on the new series: “This initiative is a fantastic opportunity for medium and smaller trainers. The IRTA is delighted to have developed this series in partnership with William Hill which rewards trainers, their riders & stable staff. The races are open to all trainers, ensuring nobody is excluded from running, while the bonus element is specifically reserved for those who trained fewer than 50 winners last season. This represents real, meaningful support for grassroots racing in Ireland.

“With €100,000 in bonuses available for trainers, the €50,000 first prize equates to winning €732,000 in gross prizemoney. The exposure this series will provide to trainers nationwide will be hugely important, and we are very grateful to William Hill for sharing our vision of what this series can achieve.”

Full information on the William Hill Each Way Extra Challenge Series can be found here.

The post William Hill backs grassroots Irish racing with new series sponsorship appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Highlight Games’ platform clears Italy’s ADM collaudo certification

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7 hours ago

July 14, 2026

Wladimir P.

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Company plans to roll out SOCCERBET with LALIGA archive footage on its own platform in Italian retail after the World Cup.

Highlight Games Limited said its proprietary platform has passed Italy’s ADM collaudo process, the technical certification required for gaming platforms. The company announced the approval on 14 July 2026 from London.

Following the conclusion of the World Cup, Highlight said it will launch its Spanish SOCCERBET product featuring archive LALIGA footage on its own platform across Italian retail channels. The company added that operators will transfer to Highlight’s platform over the months that follow.

The supplier said the certification allows it to deliver its content via its own “zero-cost streaming technology” in Italy and gives it control over its product roadmap in what it called its most important market.

Steven Holmes, CEO, Highlight Games said: ‘This is a huge moment for Highlight as we bring our video-based technology stack to the Italian market and join a select few who are able to offer an officially ADM certified platform. Italy is where SOCCERBET has proven itself time and again and passing the ADM collaudo means we can now deliver that content on our own platform, with our zero-cost streaming solution, exactly as it was designed to be experienced.

‘Owning the technology end to end means we control our own roadmap, resulting in faster launches, smoother integrations for our operator partners and a richer experience for players. Our products consistently perform at the top of the market wherever they are live, and with our platform now officially certified in Italy, we have everything in place to build on that momentum.’

The post Highlight Games’ platform clears Italy’s ADM collaudo certification appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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PokerStars puts $800,000 in Sunday Million Anniversary tickets into Ticket Machine

Published

7 hours ago

July 14, 2026

Wladimir P.

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The 10-week phased event runs Daily Heats through September 6, with raffles awarding more than $100,000 in $109 tickets each week.

PokerStars is allocating more than $800,000 worth of $109 Daily Heat (Phase 1) tickets through its “Ticket Machine” promotion ahead of the Sunday Million 20th Anniversary Finals (Phase 2) on Sunday, September 6.

The Sunday Million 20th Anniversary is being run as a 10-week phased tournament, with Daily Heats running now through September 6. Players who advance from a $109 Daily Heat carry their stack into the Finals, with PokerStars noting that only one stack may be carried through to Phase 2.

To enter the Ticket Machine, players must opt in to the “Ticket Machine” ICE Challenge and complete weekly poker challenges. Each completed challenge adds entries to a Saturday raffle, with PokerStars saying more than $100,000 in $109 Daily Heat tickets will be awarded each week. Players can complete each challenge up to four times, for a maximum of 24 raffle entries per week.

PokerStars said that, after the first two weeks of Daily Heats, 270 players from more than 40 countries have already qualified for the Finals, including 50 who qualified into Phase 1 via satellites. Brazil and Ukraine lead the qualifiers list with 33 players each, according to the operator.

The operator has set a $5 million guarantee for the Sunday Million 20th Anniversary. Additional qualification routes include satellites starting at $0.55, special edition Spin & Go’s from $0.75, and “Wildcard Wins”, described by PokerStars as a new leaderboard promotion running until July 19. PokerStars also said players redeeming a $530 Bronze Pass will receive “25% extra value in the bundle” for a limited time, including an additional $109 Sunday Million 20th Anniversary ticket and $23.50 in tournament tickets.

The post PokerStars puts $800,000 in Sunday Million Anniversary tickets into Ticket Machine appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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CreedRoomz signs Ronaldinho to front new Kickoff Roulette live game show

Published

7 hours ago

July 14, 2026

Wladimir P.

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Kickoff Roulette Ronaldinho launches with a Gold Number mechanic and English/Portuguese language support.

CreedRoomz has named former football star Ronaldinho as brand ambassador for its new live casino game show, Kickoff Roulette Ronaldinho. The supplier said the title is now available for integration by B2B partners.

The company positions the product as a roulette-led live game show built around a football theme, running from a virtual studio. According to CreedRoomz, the game includes a “Gold Number Mechanic” where randomized lucky numbers can add multipliers from x50 to x700.

When asked about the crossover between football and casino entertainment, Ronaldinho said: “The fact that football is a global passion also helps, so I believe everyone will like “Kickoff Roulette Ronaldinho” for that reason.. and for the innovation of everything that is happening.”

CreedRoomz said the game is available in English and Portuguese, framing Portuguese language support as relevant for operators targeting Brazil and other Portuguese-speaking audiences. Armen Mnaskanian, Head of Sales Department at Creedroomz, said: “Bringing Ronaldinho into the CreedRoomz family represents a massive leap forward for live casino entertainment. Football and iGaming both thrive on passion and excitement. By fusing Ronaldinho’s legendary star power with powerhouse monetization mechanics, we are giving our partners the ultimate competitive edge and a next-generation casino offering.”

The post CreedRoomz signs Ronaldinho to front new Kickoff Roulette live game show appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.