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League of Ireland to kick-off new gambling awareness programme for footballers
The League of Ireland has announced the rollout of an educational programme to proactively lead on the prevention of gambling harm in Irish football – a first-of-its-kind initiative for League of Ireland clubs.
EPIC Global Solutions – an award-winning consultancy currently working with several other major sporting bodies globally – will lead the sessions, which begin later this month.
Endorsed by the FAI, National League Committee and the Professional Footballers Association of Ireland (PFA Ireland) the programme will also see coaches, match officials and FAI staff receive this vital training.
Former professional footballers and athletes, who have personally experienced gambling harm in the past, will conduct the in-person sessions.
They include ex-EFL footballer Marc Williams, Scott Davies, who played for Ireland U21s and is now a player-manager at Slough Town & former Premier League star and Scotland international Dominic Matteo.
As part of the project, EPIC will also facilitate the delivery of UEFA standard betting integrity training in accordance with FAI rules.
The programme is funded by Flutter who supported EPIC’s launch of the world’s first gambling harm prevention programme in professional football eight years ago.
In 2017, EPIC launched the world’s first gambling harm prevention programme in professional football in partnership with Sky Bet (part of the Flutter family of brands) and the EFL. This collaboration had the goal of increasing preventative education and reducing harm and stigma in the game. Now in its eighth year, the programme’s impact is being positively felt by players, coaches, and youth academies, with more than 10,200 attendees since its inception. This remains the largest and most penetrative programme of its kind ever undertaken in European sport.
Today’s announcement means seventy individual workshops will be held for 32 Senior Teams (20 men’s and 12 women’s), 26 Academies, and 10 Women’s Development League teams at training facilities across Ireland with additional 2 sessions for FAI staff and League of Ireland Match Officials – reaching over 2,000 participants annually.
Breakdown of 70 sessions per annum at a glance:
- 32 sessions to senior LOI teams (20 Men’s & 12 Women’s)
- 26 sessions to LOI Academy clubs (U17s Men’s & Women’s)
- 10 sessions to Women’s Development League senior teams
- 1 session to League of Ireland Match Officials
- 1 session to FAI staff
League of Ireland director Mark Scanlon said: “As the League of Ireland grows each year, it is very important to work with all stakeholders including our players and match officials at the centre of the game to stress the importance of integrity at all levels.
“This partnership with EPIC also means we can also look to prevent potential gambling harm amongst our players.
“We know the vast majority of people gamble without an issue. But the seminars at our Academy clubs will be hugely beneficial and educate for the next generation of Irish footballers. We have seen the work that EPIC is doing with the English Football League and it’s having a measurable impact. We look forward to seeing that replicated in the League of Ireland.”
Speaking on behalf of the Professional Footballers Association, the union representing players, general secretary, Stephen McGuiness said: “This three-year partnership with EPIC and the League of Ireland is about safeguarding the future of our game. By delivering gambling awareness training to both male and female players at senior and academy level, we are ensuring that education and support reaches every player, regardless of where they are in their career.
“EPIC has an excellent reputation and a proven track record working with player organisations in Ireland, which gives us confidence in the quality and impact of this programme. We also look forward to former PFA Ireland members sharing their personal stories of how harmful gambling has affected their lives, bringing a powerful and relatable perspective to the training. Protecting player wellbeing and helping them make informed choices is a responsibility we take seriously and this initiative reflects our commitment to caring for players in the league of Ireland.”
Paul Buck, CEO of EPIC said: “Following the success of similar initiatives we’ve delivered in elite sport, this prevention-based programme looks to empower players to recognise the signs of gambling harm, be more informed about their relationship with betting and better equipped to understand pathways to support.
“More significantly, the message is conveyed powerfully and with real meaning by individuals whom players are likely to respect – former footballers and athletes sharing their individual experiences in face-to-face sessions. They have encountered problems, and they simply did not have the same opportunity or education around prevention that we are now in a fortunate position to provide for the league. We are really pleased to be able to bring this training to Irish players.”
Kevin Harrington, CEO of Flutter added: “As a major betting operator, we pride ourselves in leading the industry on safety and trust, and we take our responsibilities around protecting our customers and the integrity of sport seriously.
“As a global company founded in Ireland, we are incredibly proud to fund this independently provided three-year programme, supporting the League’s commitment to proactive prevention and education.”
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Boomerang Partners
Overtime begins: Boomerang Partners launches the final stage of the Golden Boomerang Awards 2026
The Golden Boomerang Awards 2026 by Boomerang Partners is moving into its decisive phase. The third and final stage of the tournament – titled “Overtime” – will run from 20 July to 31 August. It marks the last opportunity for participants to reshape the leaderboard and compete for the season’s main prize – an exclusive private dinner with a football legend in September 2026.
Overtime mechanics: points allocation
To intensify competition during the final stretch, Boomerang Partners is introducing an updated scoring system. From now on, affiliate teams will earn 3 points for every FTD generated on any partner brand from the Agency’s clients’ portfolio. In the previous stage, participants received 3 points for each sports FTD and 1 point for each online casino FTD. Now, the value of all FTDs is identical.
Overtime mechanics: performance boosts
Within the Overtime stage of the Golden Boomerang Awards 2026, a set of performance boosts remains active. These mechanics give participating teams the opportunity not only to catch up but also to overtake the leaders.
- Welcome Boost – x2 points for the first 14 days after entering the stage
- Lucky Five – +5 points for achieving 10 Casino FTDs per week
- Last Minutes Winner – x3 points during the final 7 days of Overtime
Martin Černý, CEO at Boomerang Partners said: “Overtime brings the Golden Boomerang Awards 2026 to its most competitive stage. At this point in the tournament, every result can influence the leaderboard, and teams still have the opportunity to improve their positions. We expect the final weeks to bring strong competition and determine the final standings.”
A final stretch where every day counts
With fewer than 40 days left in the GBA 2026, the competition enters its most volatile phase. The leaderboard remains open, and even small performance shifts can significantly alter final standings. Participants are now entering a stage where strategy, timing, and consistent activity define the outcome – and where the final push may determine the season’s ultimate winner.
Overtime has begun. TIME TO WIN THE TITLE.
About Boomerang
Boomerang Partners is a rapidly growing global marketing agency offering a wide range of services. In 2024, it launched the inaugural Golden Boomerang Awards – a global tournament for affiliate teams. More than 400 affiliate teams participated in the second season of the tournament in 2025. Martin Černý – Boomerang Partners’ CEO since June 2025.
The Agency’s clients’ portfolio contains brands offering affiliate and entertainment services across multiple markets in compliance with local regulations. These products provide incentive programs and 24/7 multilingual support.
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GR8_TECH
The World Cup Is Over. GR8_TECH Opens “The Locker Room” to Count What It Was Worth
The trophy has been lifted. Now comes the most interesting part for operators: counting the revenue, assessing what worked, learning from what didn’t, and deciding what to change before the next betting event.
On Thursday, August 20, at 4:00 p.m. CEST, GR8_TECH will host “The Locker Room: World Cup Numbers”, a closed-door benchmarking session created to help operators make sense of their tournament results and see how their performance stacked up against the room and the wider market.
Led by Dinos Doxiadis, Head of Sportsbook Business at GR8_TECH, the session will combine anonymized benchmarks with in-depth post-World Cup platform data on margin, player behavior, retention, and peak-load performance. It isn’t a tournament recap, but a working session built around deeper analysis than GR8_TECH releases publicly.
A First Look at the World Cup Numbers
Initial aggregated data from the GR8_TECH platform shows an average tournament margin of over 12%, alongside a significant increase in staking during the knockout stages.
Average stakes during the play-offs were 53% higher than during the group stage, while the average stake on the final was 89% above the tournament average.
Player interest was highly concentrated. Matches featuring Spain, Argentina, England, or France generated 42% of the total World Cup turnover. Argentina was the tournament’s most-bet-on team, accounting for 12.5% of all bets, although Spain finished only 0.09 percentage points behind Argentina by turnover.
The final also created one of the tournament’s most demanding operational moments. Within one minute of the final whistle, GR8_TECH’s platform settled more than half a million bets, demonstrating the level of processing performance required when a global audience reaches the same outcome simultaneously.
Inside The Locker Room, participants will examine what happened across:
- Live betting and bet builders
- Margin and staking dynamics
- Peak-load and settlement moments
- Acquisition compared with player reactivation
- Retention beyond the final whistle
- Unexpected geographic performance
- Operational, product, and campaign failures
- Priorities for the next major event
“The World Cup generates a huge amount of data, but the value comes from understanding what sits behind it,” said Dinos Doxiadis, Head of Sportsbook Business at GR8_TECH. “This session is about identifying the patterns operators might miss in their own reporting, challenging assumptions, and turning one month of World Cup activity into better decisions for future events.”
See How Your World Cup Stacked Up
Leave the session with anonymized benchmarks, exclusive GR8_TECH platform insights, and a clear view of where your World Cup performance led—or lagged—the market.
Turn the lessons into your next strategy. Join The Locker Room: World Cup Numbers on Thursday, August 20, at 4:00 p.m. CEST.
Register here to secure your place.
GR8_TECH. Platform for Champions
GR8_TECH is an award-winning provider, delivering high-performance sportsbook and iGaming solutions that empower operators to lead and win in competitive markets. GR8_TECH’s comprehensive portfolio includes the GREAT_TURNKEY and GREAT_CRYPTO TURNKEY solutions, GREAT_SPORTSBOOK, and GREAT_CASINO AGGREGATION.
With a geo-specific approach to solutions, a focus on practical innovations, and an operator-first mindset, GR8_TECH helps its clients achieve measurable results in their target markets quickly and efficiently. Trusted by top operators worldwide, GR8_TECH has over 100 successful cases and earned multiple recognitions, including the title of Platform Provider of the Year by SBC Awards 2025.
The post The World Cup Is Over. GR8_TECH Opens “The Locker Room” to Count What It Was Worth appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
ELA Games
ELA Games launches Age of Cleopatra slot with Hold & Win bonus
ELA Games has released a new slot, Age of Cleopatra, adding another ancient-Egypt theme title to its portfolio. The studio positions the game as a medium-volatility release and says it is available to demo now.
Age of Cleopatra runs on a 5×3 reel set-up with 25 paylines. ELA Games lists RTP at 93.75% / 95.73%, with Buy Bonus RTP at 93.8% / 95.9%. The maximum win is x5000, according to the company.
In the base game, a Collect Symbol gathers coin prizes visible on the screen, while “colored coins” charge pyramids that can unlock additional value, ELA Games said. The slot’s Hold & Win Bonus Game awards three respins by default (or four in an “Extra Respin” version), with modifiers tied to collected coins.
Features named by the studio include Multipliers, Extra Respins, and an Expand Grid mechanic that increases the layout from 3×5 to 5×5. ELA Games also states that multiple features can trigger at the same time.
“You can’t do justice to a legendary theme with just background art. Building a world around Cleopatra meant it had to feel truly authentic, a standard we apply to all our releases. At ELA Games, we consistently look beyond the visuals to craft an original universe, keeping storytelling through the mechanics at the center of our titles.” Marharyta Yerina, Managing Director at ELA Games.
The post ELA Games launches Age of Cleopatra slot with Hold & Win bonus appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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