Latest News
Dark Fantasy Survival RTS Age of Darkness: Final Stand Trailer and Early Access Announcement
PlaySide Studios have announced their dark fantasy survival RTS Age of Darkness: Final Stand will be descending into Early Access through Steam in Fall 2021. Age of Darkness: Final Stand presents a modern, darker spin on the survival RTS genre that will challenge new players, and strategy experts alike. The initial story driven trailer is now live giving players a sneak peak into the title and unique gameplay.
Strategic construction, careful resource management, and rapid recruitment are the keys to surviving unrelenting swarms of Nightmares. Robust defences to build, battleworn heroes to enlist, and the tug of war between light and dark all complemented with an original soundtrack by Path of Exile composer Kamil Orman-Janowski.
Survive the Never Ending Evil
Age of Darkness: Final Stand will enter early access with an intense survival game mode that tests your resolve. By day, construct buildings, gather resources, and recruit an army led by unique Heroes. Scout into the deadly fog of war and take the fight to the horrors within. By night, survive swarms of enemies numbering in the thousands. Made to be highly replayable, your army will fall, your settlements will crumble, but you will learn. Rise from the ashes again and again to push back the darkness of ‘The Veil’ and keep the light alive.
Fog of War: Evolved
Light up a rich, complex, procedurally generated map to claim territory back from ‘The Veil’. A dynamic living death fog that conceals enemies, drains life from your troops and turns structures into spawning nests for the Nightmares. Holding the line against this terror is not for the faint of heart. Any units unfortunate enough to be too close to ‘The Veil’ become ‘horrified’, sending them into fits of fear and lowering their effectiveness. Only light cures the darkness, so fight in the light or pay the price.
Death Nights
Brace yourself against huge tidal waves of Nightmares. Leveraging an internally developed technology called ‘SwarmTech’ allows the game to render over 70,000 enemy units on the screen at one time. These enemy legions claw their way up through seething fissures in the earth to reinforce ‘The Veil’. When the Death Night begins, you’ll be weakened by a Malice – a random affliction capable of undermining the best laid plans. If you are fortunate enough to survive until dawn you will be rewarded with a choice of Blessings. Live or die, Death Nights will test your strategic skills to breaking point.
Heroes Vs Horrors
Lead the charge against the horrors of the night with powerful and unique Heroes. Using special abilities gained from levelling up, these Heroes can be key to turning the tide of a desperate battle. But beware, the Nightmares have elite roaming champions of their own that drop precious resources when killed, posing an extreme and ever-present threat to your expansion. Are you the hunter, or the hunted?
Early Access & Community
At PlaySide, we are passionate about working hand in hand with our players to help shape the evolution of Age of Darkness: Final Stand, both during Early Access and into the future. Our strongest desire is to have a title reflective of our gaming passion whilst providing a unique challenge that players from this genre both desire and demand. We look forward to building a long-term community and engaging with our players who share a like-minded vision of making a deeper, darker, challenging combat RTS experience.
“Age of Darkness: Final Stand heralds PlaySide’s expansion into the hardcore PC platform. As a studio created to develop AAA titles, the vision has always been to develop larger, more hardcore titles on PC and Console” said Gerry Sakkas, CEO, PlaySide Studios. “Age of Darkness: Final Stand is a testament to the grit, adaptability and talent of our artists, engineers and game designers. We’re extremely excited and anxious to meet our first wave of players on Steam and to finish building Age of Darkness: Final Stand together with the community!”
“The PC RTS genre is as wild and untamed as it is deep and complex. This is a space where anything goes and the player’s expectations are limitless” said Sean Gabriel, Lead Designer on the title. “Rising to that challenge and bringing PlaySide’s special blend of personality, experience, and talent to bear has been a herculean task of which we’re exceptionally proud. With Age of Darkness: Final Stand we’ve been able to combine our passion for Action RPGs, Roguelikes, and RTS games into something wholly our own – and we’re only just getting started.”
Age of Darkness: Final Stand Links
● Official Website: Age of Darkness: Final Stand
● Announcement Trailer: Age of Darkness | Official Trailer – YouTube
● Steam: Age of Darkness: Final Stand on Steam (steampowered.com)
Latest News
Scientific Games’ Scratch-Off Partnership with Florida Lottery Shatters Retail Sales Record with $7.093 Billion in 2025
Record Scratch-Off Performance Drives Education Funding, Florida Students Benefit from Growth
Scientific Games and the Florida Lottery announce that their long-time Scratch-Off game partnership delivered a record $7.093 billion in retail sales in calendar year 2025, breaking the previous high of $7.091 billion set in 2022. The milestone year generated more than $1.21 billion for the Florida Educational Enhancement Trust Fund, directly supporting education for Florida’s public schools, colleges, universities and Bright Futures Scholarship Program recipients.

Scratch-Off sales increased by 6.84% year-over-year, underscoring continued player demand and the strength of the Lottery’s data-driven instant game portfolio. In 2025, Scratch-Off games accounted for nearly 74% of the Florida Lottery’s total annual sales of $9.63 billion, reinforcing its role as the Lottery’s primary revenue driver.
Reginald D. Dixon, Florida Lottery Acting Secretary said, “We are extremely proud of our partnership with Scientific Games. Our work together continues to achieve high performance for our Scratch-Off games by using data analytics to inform our game portfolio planning and logistics. More than breaking a record, our efforts drove higher contribution to education for Florida’s public schools, colleges and universities, as well as the Bright Futures Scholarship Program.”
Florida Lottery winners claimed more than $5.23 billion in Scratch-Off prizes during the year, while the Lottery’s network of retailers earned $425 million in commissions from Scratch-Off sales. Outstanding performers behind the banner year included the player-favorite GOLD RUSH MULTIPLIER family of games ($1, $2, $5, $10, $20 and a new $50 game), which represented $1.29 billion in sales—more than 18.3% of total Scratch-Off sales. The WEEK FOR LIFE and HOLIDAY CASH families of games and prize-packed blowout games also made a significant impact on the year of record sales.
The Florida Lottery currently ranks among the top five performing lotteries worldwide in per-capita instant scratch game sales (La Fleur’s 2025 World Lottery Almanac).
“Scientific Games has served as the exclusive or primary supplier of Florida Lottery Scratch-Off games since the Lottery’s inception in 1988. In 1997, our relationship expanded to a full instant game partnership anchored by the Scientific Games Enhanced Partnership program,” said Angela Goodwin, Senior V.P., Instant Products, Americas. “We have collaborated closely with the Florida Lottery’s team to drive responsible growth with Scratch-Off games, and our longtime partnership has proven to be highly successful.”
Today, five of the world’s top six performing lotteries participate in SGEP, which optimizes instant game performance through advanced game design and portfolio management, data analytics, SciTrak predictive logistics and ordering, licensed brand services, and sales and marketing support. In Florida, the SGEP program is supported by Scientific Games’ operations in Orlando, which supports a network of more than 13,550 Florida Lottery retailers across the state.
With products representing 70% of instant scratch game retail sales globally, Scientific Games is the largest lottery games creator, producer and services provider in the world. The company provides retail and digital games, technology, analytics and services to 150 lotteries in 50 countries around the globe.
SciTrak
is a trademark of Scientific Games. ©2026 Scientific Games, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
The post Scientific Games’ Scratch-Off Partnership with Florida Lottery Shatters Retail Sales Record with $7.093 Billion in 2025 appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
€10M guarantee
WSOP Europe 2026 Adds €1,000 Ladies Championship in Prague — Exclusive Gold Bracelet Up for Grabs
The World Series of Poker (WSOP®) has added a prestigious €1,000 Ladies Championship to the WSOP Europe 2026 schedule in Prague, set for Saturday, April 4, 2026.
The inaugural Ladies Championship highlights WSOP’s ongoing commitment to growing women’s competitive poker on the world stage and elevates the Prague festival’s lineup of headline events.
Ladies Championship: unique bracelet and premier competition
Open exclusively to female players, the new Ladies Championship offers more than a prize pool — the winner will receive a specially designed WSOP gold bracelet created uniquely for Ladies Events. This custom bracelet features additional gemstones and a distinct setting that sets it apart from standard WSOP hardware, adding prestige to the victory and reinforcing the event’s status among international women’s tournaments.
A star-studded field confirmed
The inaugural Ladies Championship is already drawing top international talent. Early registrants and confirmed players include celebrity entrant Mackenzie Dern and elite pros such as Leo Margets, Vanessa Kade, Kitty Kuo, Xuan Liu, Shiina Okamoto, Cecile Ticherfatine, and Kasey Lyn Mills. Popular poker vloggers Ashley Frank and Abby Merk, along with GGTeam’s Andrijana “Lijapoker” Gligoric, are also slated to compete. WSOP will announce additional entrants and schedule highlights on its official social channels in the weeks ahead.
WSOP Europe 2026 — festival details
WSOP Europe 2026 runs March 31 – April 12 at the Hilton Prague, and promises to be Europe’s largest poker festival of the year. The series is anchored by the €5,300 Main Event and its headline €10,000,000 guarantee, plus a deep festival schedule designed to serve professionals and recreational players alike.
Players can qualify for WSOP Europe events exclusively through GGPoker, with additional event information and updates posted on WSOP’s official channels.
Why this matters for women’s poker
Adding a dedicated Ladies Championship to the Prague schedule underscores WSOP’s strategy to broaden access and spotlight women’s competition at major international venues. The event not only creates high-profile competitive opportunities for female players but also enhances community engagement and visibility for women in poker worldwide.
For more details and the latest announcements about WSOP Europe 2026, follow WSOP on social media or check the WSOP news hub for schedule updates and player announcements.
The post WSOP Europe 2026 Adds €1,000 Ladies Championship in Prague — Exclusive Gold Bracelet Up for Grabs appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
All the Ways Players Pay: Super Bowl
Paysafe research: Half of Super Bowl fans to bet in regulated North American markets
Payment speed and brand reputation remain crucial for bettors’ selection of online sportsbooks for Super Bowl LX, with 27% expecting to wager more than usual
In the countdown to this Sunday’s Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California, 51% of fans who’ll follow the football game in U.S. states and Canadian provinces with regulated sports-betting plan to bet online, according to research issued today by leading payments platform Paysafe. The company’s All the Ways Players Pay: Super Bowl report also indicates strong interest in legal betting from fans in this year’s host state, if California were to regulate sports-betting, as well as in Texas and Canada’s Alberta.
Appetite to legally wager in California, Texas, and Alberta – with the Canadian province expected to launch its jurisdiction before year-end – rivals the regulated market, with 52% of fans keen to wager on future Super Bowls. Across these currently unregulated jurisdictions and regulated sports-betting markets alike, fans consider payments crucial for online sports betting.
Surveying fans intending to bet in the regulated markets of Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Canada’s Ontario, the report reveals that 59% of them plan to place bets on game-day and 27% expect to wager more than usual. Their top criteria when choosing an online sportsbook are brand trust (prioritized by 43%) and streamlined payouts (37%). Cashing out a Super Bowl bet seamlessly is considered more important than every other non-payment factor, including good odds (30%), UX (22%), promos (21%), and sports events (14%).
Other payment factors are also instrumental in how fans in regulated markets choose sportsbooks, especially rapid deposits (prioritized by 25%) and range of payment methods (24%).
With bettors prioritizing their go-to payment methods’ availability, the battle for Super Bowl customers will likely be won in part by sportsbooks with diverse cashiers.
Across the regulated market, players’ preference for debit cards (43%) is today rivalled by digital wallets (42%). And while states like Massachusetts ban credit cards for wagering, they remain a preference for 33% overall, rising as high as 51% in New York and 47% in Ontario, the top choice in the province.
With established local payment methods (LPMs) like Venmo in the U.S. and Interac e-Transfer in Canada, it’s no surprise that 20% of bettors expect to see their favorite LPM at the cashier. And with 17% of players preferring to wager with pay-by-bank solutions and 10% favoring eCash, sportsbooks with these options will likely gain a competitive edge.
With over a quarter of bettors expecting to wager more than normal, the game offers an important short-term revenue opportunity, but the real value for operators is retaining customers for the long-haul – and here payments are also key. If the payment experience goes awry for the game, 84% of bettors would switch brands.
While California, Texas and Alberta are yet to launch regulated sports-betting markets, Super Bowl fans there are already aware of payments’ importance. If wagering were legal, fans would prioritize payment factors – fast payouts (29%) and rapid deposits (26%) – above everything but brand reputation (36%) when selecting a sportsbook.
Zak Cutler, President of Global Gaming at Paysafe, commented: “Super Bowl LX is expected to generate a record $1.71bn in legal wagers from the U.S. market alone, with an unprecedented betting volume also likely in Canada’s Ontario. The game represents a massive growth opportunity for North American online sportsbooks, and our research indicates that operators that are laser-focused on their cashiers and streamlining the payment experience will give themselves an edge in a highly competitive market.”
The post Paysafe research: Half of Super Bowl fans to bet in regulated North American markets appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
-
Canada7 days agoHigh Roller Technologies Signs Letter of Intent with Kindbridge Behavioral Health to Support Responsible Gambling in Ontario
-
Claire Osborne Managing Director of Interactive at Inspired Entertainment7 days agoTwo new slots from Inspired — Coin Inferno Step ‘N’ Stack™ and Mummy It Up™
-
Latest News6 days agoACR POKER GIVES PLAYERS A SHOT TO QUALIFY ONLINE FOR $700,000 GTD ENJOY POKER SERIES MAIN EVENT THIS FEBRUARY IN URUGUAY
-
Amusnet6 days agoWeek 5/2026 slot games releases
-
Compliance Updates6 days agoNational Council on Problem Gambling Adopts 1-800-MY-RESET as New National Problem Gambling Helpline Number
-
Africa7 days agoSun International Appoints Mark Sergeant as Chief Operating Officer of Gaming
-
Ani Isakhanyan6 days agoFeedConstruct Expands its Presence in Latin America
-
Compliance Updates6 days agoDigitain Secures Isle of Man iGaming Software Supplier Licence



