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UK Tote extends XB Net deal to offer premium North American racing ahead of the Breeders’ Cup

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3 years ago

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British racing’s pool betting operator rolls out an expanded U.S. horse racing program to its customers in enlarged agreement with leading Stateside supplier for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships

XB Net, the leading provider of premium content for North American racing, has renewed its existing commingling distribution deal with powerhouse operator, UK Tote Group.

The UK Tote Group is the owner of the UK Tote, the largest privately owned Tote in the world, and is committed to growing its comprehensive horse racing portfolio to ensure all the best racing from around the world is available to its UK and Irish customers at www.tote.co.uk.

This agreement sees the UK Tote secure the overwhelming majority of premier stateside races for its highly engaged digital UK and Irish racing fans, including this week’s annual showpiece festival at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in Keeneland, which runs from 4-5 November, where XB Net leverages an exclusive long-term partnership as the international-rights distributor.

More broadly, the deal offers a wider range of XB Net’s live pictures, data and betting services from an unrivalled network of over 60 North American tracks (over 75% of U.S. horse racing). This allows the UK Tote to flexibly populate its programming timetable, thereby offering customers an authentic U.S. horse racing service which neatly plugs any gap on the daily betting calendar with engaging, easy-access content. The UK Tote platform harnesses everything required to run a responsible horse racing business across online and mobile.

This daily schedule of immersive content, which chronologically transitions the UK and Ireland’s domestic horse racing scene, ensures the UK Tote has a reliable source of fast-settling betting content following the conclusion of UK and Irish racing. The engaging action is proven to capture and retain the attention of audiences during competitive digital-entertainment cycles, driving new revenue streams across many of the planet’s most prestigious horse races. These include the Pegasus World Cup, two legs of the revered Triple Crown, featuring the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, alongside the aforementioned Breeders’ Cup.

XB Net is the proven pacesetter for live North American racing content, managing international rights, data, odds and live broadcast and video streaming on behalf of its growing global portfolio of partners. Corralling low-latency feeds from more than 2,500 meetings, and showcasing over 25,000 races per year, North American racing is continuing to entertain more and more bettors worldwide.

Currently working with many of the world’s leading fixed-odds, spread-betting and commingled wagering companies (such as Flutter Entertainment, bet365, William Hill, Playtech and Entain) XB Net enjoys a growing geographic footprint in mature and emerging markets across Europe, the UK and Ireland, Asia, North and Central America, and Australia.

Jon Knapman, Chief Commercial Officer at UK Tote Group, said: “As a leading player in pool betting, we want to provide our customers with the biggest global pools and for them to be able to bet on the best racing in the world. With pool betting being dominant in U.S. racing, we are delighted to work with XB Net as the leading distributor of North American content, integrating improved feeds alongside associated data and content, such as silks and ratings, with which to elevate the experience for our customers.

“Our customers have already seen the added enjoyment and value that U.S. racing brings to the wider horse racing fan experience. Now it’s an honour to be bringing the Breeders’ Cup World Championships to our UK and Irish audience in what promises to be a thrilling renewal.”

Simon Fraser, Senior Vice President International at XB Net, added: “Securing this continued collaboration with a brand as synonymous with racing as UK Tote Group is another feather in the cap of our diligent team. We’ve been impressed by the UK Tote Group’s recent moves to reignite the UK Tote for a contemporary racing audience, and XB Net’s wide range of low-latency racing solutions and racetracks are providing them with a deeper well from which to draw premium content.

“Indeed, it’s a privilege to continue working in tandem with proven partners like UK Tote Group and the Breeders’ Cup to optimize and increase the returns to North American racing from overseas during a challenging economic period. Returning the value to racing, racetracks, owners and Horsemen’s groups will help safeguard the future of the sport we all love.

“Live, premium daily sport is ostensibly an easy sell wherever you are in the world. Tellingly, though, if that sport’s betting markets are consistent and its framework familiar to the end user (allied to synchronicity with local leisure periods) then we’ve found that engagement gains quicker and more durable traction with audiences.

“The GMT time zone is, of course, well-positioned to migrate from its domestic racing scene into top-class ‘evening’ meetings stateside, so high-quality 24/7 programming is now an attainable reality for our customers. We can’t wait to see how our comprehensive package continues to perform for the Tote over a range of coming attractions this winter, with this week’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships, for which we hold the international distribution rights, an imminent highlight.”

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Slotsoo Awards 2025: Celebrating Excellence Across Casinos and Game Providers

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6 hours ago

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July 28, 2025

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Summer is here and it is time for Slotsoo’s signature celebration of the iGaming industry. The Slotsoo Casino Awards return for its third edition, continuing the tradition of highlighting operators who excel in delivering a top-tier player experience. This year also marks an exciting expansion with the inaugural Slotsoo Game Provider Awards, giving long-overdue recognition to the creators of great slots.

The New Game Provider Awards and the Winners

Game providers are sometimes overshadowed by casinos, but in reality, both are equally important to the online casino experience. That’s why Slotsoo is proud to shine a spotlight on the studios behind the reels. The winners of Slotsoo’s first provider-focused awards were announced on 24 July 2025, and the honors went to:

  • The Machine MVP – Pragmatic Play
  • Bonus Buyer – Bullshark Games
  • Volatility Virtuoso – Wazdan
  • Jackpot Jumbo – Mancala Gaming
  • Symphony Spinner – Gamzix
  • Reel Renegade – Nolimit City
  • Promising Prodigy – Slammer Studios

Please visit the Slotsoo Game Provider Awards page for detailed descriptions of each trophy and the motivations behind the winners.

The Anatomy of Slotsoo’s Trophies: Where Fun Meets Serious Recognition

At Slotsoo, each trophy is whimsical by design but grounded in real player values, making the Slotsoo Awards both entertaining and insightful. Every category has a clear purpose, recognizing what truly matters in iGaming today.

At the core of each awards lineup is a main trophy: The Gambling GOAT honors the top-performing casino operator, while The Machine MVP celebrates the best overall game provider. Surrounding these main awards are a collection of supporting trophies, spotlighting specific areas of excellence, from fast withdrawals and fun bonuses to volatility and winning potential.

These award categories offer a chance for actors who crush it in a certain area to be recognized, even if they don’t dominate across the board. Just like other iGaming awards, Slotsoo includes a category for newcomers, encouraging fresh talent and pushing established names to keep innovating.

The timing of the awards is also a deliberate choice. Markus Björk, head writer at Slotsoo, explains the team’s reasoning:

“After a hectic Winter and Spring packed with iGaming events, June and July offer a rare chance for the industry to slow down and reflect on the year so far. Let’s enjoy the cucumber season and appreciate what’s been achieved. This is when you can harvest the rewards of your hard work before autumn arrives with new challenges and opportunities.”

The Winning Casino Operators 2025

The Slotsoo Casino Awards 2025 took place in June, and these were the seven winners:

  • The Gambling GOAT – Betizy
  • The Bonus Buff – Sugarino
  • The Loyalty Lord – Wisho
  • The Withdrawal Wizard – Vauhdikas
  • The Gamification Guru – Arctic Casino
  • The Payout Professor – Wolfy Casino
  • The Noisy Newcomer – Lunar Spins

This was the third time Slotsoo held the casino awards for its English-language site targeting the EU market in general. During the same period, the dedicated awards for the Finnish market, Slotsoo Kasinogaala 2025, celebrated its second year. These awards consist of seven trophies equivalent to the English ones, plus an eighth trophy dedicated to the casino operator with the best slot streaming offering.

The Nordic country is undergoing big changes, with a new gambling legislation and a licensing system planned to be introduced by 1 January 2027. The future will tell how this will affect the structure and categories of the awards.

The post Slotsoo Awards 2025: Celebrating Excellence Across Casinos and Game Providers appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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SOFTSWISS Launches First South African Project with Mzansibet

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6 hours ago

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July 28, 2025

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SOFTSWISS, a global tech provider with over 15 years of iGaming expertise, proudly announces the launch of its major South African project with Mzansibet. It marks the first project in the country to utilise both the SOFTSWISS Sportsbook and the SOFTSWISS Casino Platform.

According to the recently released South Africa: iGaming Market Overview 2025 by SOFTSWISS, the country’s iGaming sector is growing at an impressive annual rate of 20–25%, driven by increasing mobile penetration. In line with this trend and evolving player needs, SOFTSWISS strongly focuses on mobile optimisation across its platforms, enabling seamless and enjoyable gaming experiences for Mzansibet players.

The launch in South Africa, ensuring full compliance with local technical standards, required meticulous preparation. SOFTSWISS products – including its sports betting software and online casino platform – underwent rigorous certification with Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), one of the most reputable and globally recognised independent testing laboratories in the iGaming industry. Following this process, the solutions were officially approved for local operation by the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board – a respected and influential regulator in the region – affirming the high quality and compliance of SOFTSWISS software.

Max Trafimovich, International Non-Executive Director at SOFTSWISS, shares: “Mzansibet entered the market with a bold ambition to become a top-tier brand – and we are not only proud to support that vision from day one, but also well-equipped to ensure its sustainable growth. Leveraging our global and local expertise, we provide the technical, business, and service tools necessary for a smooth launch and scalable development. This is made possible thanks to our robust and stable architecture with 99.999% uptime and a flexible platform ecosystem. In addition, the brand launched a nationwide TV advertising campaign and has already attracted tens of thousands of players across the country – a powerful testament to its growing presence and trust.”

In addition to backend certification, the SOFTSWISS team invested heavily in frontend localisation to align with the partner’s vision and market requirements. The Mzansibet project has been fully adapted to meet South African player behaviour and betting patterns.

 

About SOFTSWISS

SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS provides comprehensive software for managing iGaming projects. The company’s product portfolio includes the Online Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with over 35,000 casino games, the Affilka Affiliate Platform, the Sportsbook Software and the Jackpot Aggregator. In 2013, SOFTSWISS revolutionised the industry by introducing the world’s first Bitcoin-optimised online casino solution. The expert team counts over 2,000 employees.

The post SOFTSWISS Launches First South African Project with Mzansibet appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Lee Hills Joins the International Association of Gaming Advisors

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7 hours ago

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July 28, 2025

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SolutionsHub is proud to announce that its CEO, Lee Hills, has officially joined the International Association of Gaming Advisors (“IAGA”), the globally respected organization connecting the world’s leading legal, financial, and regulatory advisors through shared experiences and education to influence the advancement of global gaming.

As Director of SolutionsHub, he has been instrumental in establishing the company as a leading authority in licensing and regulatory compliance for innovative and emerging tech businesses. Under his leadership, SolutionsHub has become renowned for its deep understanding of complex regulatory and operational matters affecting gaming business.

“I am delighted to be joining IAGA, an organization I’ve long admired,” said Lee Hills. “This is an exciting opportunity to collaborate with some of the most respected minds in the field, and to contribute insight from our work at the cutting edge of iGaming and blockchain regulation.”

The International Association of Gaming Advisors includes prominent executives, attorneys, financial experts, regulators, and consultants. Membership provides access to high-level dialogue on gaming policy, regulatory challenges, and market evolution.

With Lee joining its ranks, IAGA gains a unique perspective from the Isle of Man, one of the world’s most forward-thinking regulatory environments, as well as specialist insight into Web3, tokenized economies, and esports betting.

The post Lee Hills Joins the International Association of Gaming Advisors appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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