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Pollard Banknote Congratulates Slovakia’s Niké on Record-breaking Instant Ticket Sales

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Pollard Banknote Limited has congratulated Niké (“the Lottery”), Slovakia’s largest betting company, on its outstanding success in achieving record-breaking instant ticket sales over the last several years. Since 2018, Niké’s instant ticket sales have grown by over 52%—making it one of the fastest-growing lotteries in Europe. Most recently, Niké attained consecutive record sales in fiscal years 2022 and 2023 and 2024 is set to surpass last year’s impressive performance.

As Niké’s exclusive instant ticket partner since 2013, Pollard Banknote collaborates closely with the Lottery, offering expertise in portfolio management and a wide array of sales-driving print innovations. Niké’s continued success is propelled by a forward-thinking instant ticket marketing strategy that prioritizes the development of eye-catching games, delivering value to players, carefully planned portfolio design and retail expansion.

By strategically incorporating Pollard Banknote’s cutting-edge print innovations across all price points, Niké offers a rich portfolio of bold designs to maximise appeal to players. Niké leverages the company’s industry-leading Scratch FX products, specialty inks, and innovative concepts such as Jumbo Pop ‘n’ Play to effectively increase game visibility and drive sales. For instance, for the game DVOJITÁ VÝHRA (DOUBLE WIN), the Lottery used Spectrum Scratch FX Duos to produce a striking ticket design with two contrasting holographic patterns, which delivered great results—it sold 20% higher than the average non-holiday €5 game. Niké has also utilised Pollard Banknote’s digital printing capabilities to launch the highly successful Kapitán GECO (Captain GECO) series of games, distributed exclusively at GECO retailers and tied into GECO’s loyalty programme.

Pollard Banknote has worked closely with Niké to optimise its product portfolio—increasing launches from 10 in 2017 to 25 in 2023, with a variety of options to ensure broad player appeal, including different play mechanics, price points, prize structures and ticket designs. Drawing on Pollard Banknote’s strategic advice, in October of 2023 Niké launched its first-ever €30 game, DELUXE 30—a large, folded ticket featuring Spectrum Scratch FX, offering players 30 games inside—and it became one of Niké’s top-selling games during the 2023 holiday period. Niké also strategically expanded its holiday offerings in 2023 to include games at the €10 price point, as well as released its first holiday family. Building on the sell-out success of the 2022 €5 holiday game Vianočný žreb (Christmas Ticket), Niké launched the Vianoce (Christmas) family of games at the €2, €5, and €10 price points. The family’s cute critters were once again embraced by Niké’s players, with the €10 game featuring Scratch FX almost entirely sold through during the holiday season.

“We are thrilled with how successful our partnership has been, and in particular with achieving two years in a row of record instant sales. Pollard Banknote has been an unwavering partner—constantly bringing new ideas, captivating artistic design, and portfolio recommendations that contribute to our success. We look forward to continuing to work together to provide innovative and fun games to our players,” said Marián Jamrich, Lottery Director of Niké.

“Congratulations to Niké, whose enthusiasm for innovation and implementation of proven growth strategies have led to impressive sales growth year after year. It’s always a pleasure to work with forward-thinking lotteries like Niké, and in the coming years of our partnership we look forward to delivering more outstanding games for Niké’s players,” said Laura Kroeker, Director of Sales & Marketing at Pollard Banknote.

The post Pollard Banknote Congratulates Slovakia’s Niké on Record-breaking Instant Ticket Sales appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Carlo Santarelli

Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. Names Carlo Santarelli Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Investor Relations

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Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. announced that Carlo Santarelli has been appointed Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Investor Relations, a new position at the Company. Mr. Santarelli will begin his new position on August 18, 2025 and will report to GLPI President and Chief Operating Officer, Brandon Moore.

Mr. Santarelli brings over 25 years of Wall Street experience in Equity Research and Investment Banking to his new role and joins the Company from Deutsche Bank where he was Managing Director of Gaming & Lodging Equity Research. Prior to Deutsche Bank, Mr. Santarelli held similar positions at Bear Stearns, JP Morgan and Wells Fargo. He consistently ranked highly in Institutional Investor and other sell-side analyst research polls as a thought leader in the space, providing unique perspectives on industry events and trends with his data-driven approach and stock picking talent. Carlo Santarelli graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Economics in 2000.

Peter Carlino, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GLPI, said: “We’ve known and respected Carlo’s research work on the gaming, lodging and gaming REIT sectors for many years. Carlo brings to GLPI an in-depth knowledge of the industry and its participants, having experienced GLPI’s original formation of the gaming triple-net-REIT structure from a research analyst and capital markets perspective. We value his deep network of contacts among institutional investors, sell-side analysts and a wide range of gaming industry operators and we look forward to the value of his contributions.”

In his new role, Mr. Santarelli will work with Mr. Carlino and GLPI’s senior management to develop and evaluate growth opportunities and strategic relationships, and will oversee investor relations interactions.

The post Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. Names Carlo Santarelli Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Investor Relations appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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VIP Play Announces Departure of Chief Financial Officer

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VIP Play, a technology-driven leader in interactive consumer engagement, announced that Jim Mackey, the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, will step down from his role, effective August 8, 2025.

The Company has initiated a transition process and is in the process of identifying a successor. Mackey will assist in an orderly transition over the coming weeks.

“We thank Jim for his contributions to the Company, particularly during a transformative period for our business. We remain focused on executing our strategic priorities, including financial visibility, operating efficiency, and delivering value to our stakeholders,” said Les Ottolenghi, CEO of VIP Play.

The post VIP Play Announces Departure of Chief Financial Officer appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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eSports

Esports Charts Becomes Official Viewership Analytics Partner of StarLadder Budapest Major 2025

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Esports Charts, the leading esports viewership analytics provider, has partnered with StarLadder, a pioneering tournament organiser. The Budapest Major 2025 marks a highly anticipated comeback for StarLadder, as it is their first Counter-Strike Major since 2019 and a significant return to the top-tier esports arena.

As the official analytics partner of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, Esports Charts will provide comprehensive, real-time audience data and insights throughout the event. This will empower organisers, teams, sponsors and fans with unparalleled transparency and a deeper understanding of the tournament’s global reach.

Artyom Odintsov, Co-founder and CEO of Esports Charts, said: “We are thrilled and proud to provide viewership analytics for StarLadder for the Budapest Major 2025. Since both Esports Charts and StarLadder are Ukraine-born companies, we share similar values and deal with similar challenges, which brings us even closer.

“It’s genuinely exciting to follow how viewership will develop at this Major. But knowing the expertise, drive, and passion that the organizers are bringing, I have no doubt we’ll witness some incredible things happen in Budapest.

“Esports Charts has always been driven by a mission to provide the esports community with accurate, actionable data, and we look forward to showcasing the impact and audience engagement of this world-class event.”

StarLadder has been a driving force in global esports for almost 15 years now, since hosting its first tournaments in 2011. Renowned for its innovation and reliability, the company has organised some of the industry’s most iconic events. These include the StarLadder Berlin Major 2019, which accumulated over 44 million hours watched and remains in the top 10 CS events by this metric, and the legendary StarSeries tournaments which started back in 2012.

Viacheslav Shcherbakov, Sales and Partnerships at StarLadder, said: “We’ve been working with Esports Charts since their founding and have always valued their professionalism and integrity. In a market where reliable data is essential, Esports Charts provides honest, transparent numbers, exactly the kind of insights sponsors and stakeholders rely on when assessing the potential reach of a World Championship event.

“We’re confident that this partnership will result in a high-quality analysis of our tournament’s performance and the audience data we’ll report to our partners. It’s a collaboration built on trust, shared values, and a deep understanding of what it takes to elevate esports to the next level.”

The Starladder Budapest Major 2025 will be held from November 24 to December 14 in Budapest, Hungary. The event will bring together the world’s top 32 Counter-Strike 2 teams to compete for a $1.25 million prize pool and one of the most prestigious titles in esports.

The post Esports Charts Becomes Official Viewership Analytics Partner of StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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