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BRIAN RAST OFFICIALLY NAMED 2023 POKER HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE

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The World Series of Poker® (WSOP®) today announced Brian Rast as the 2023 Poker Hall of Fame inductee. The six-time WSOP gold bracelet winner was honored with an induction ceremony surrounded by friends, family, and fans inside the Paris Ballroom at Paris Las Vegas before cards were in the air for the annual $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty No-Limit Hold’em.

One of poker’s biggest names, Rast is credited as the only player to have ever cashed more than $1 million in tournaments for seven years in a row and is currently ranked 29th on poker’s all-time money list with a total of $25,258,945 in live earnings. So far, in his 2023 WSOP run, Rast has made history twice, becoming the 19th person in WSOP history to win a sixth bracelet and the only player to have won the $50,000 Poker Players Championship event three times.

 

“With a nearly 20-year-long career riddled with record-breaking wins and historic runs, Brian Rast is one of the best poker players we’ve ever seen,” said WSOP Vice President Jack Effel. “With the 2023 WSOP breaking records left and right, it only makes sense to put a record-setter himself amongst some of the greatest of all time. We are honored to induct Brian Rast into the Poker Hall of Fame and look forward to his successes to come.”

Following the induction ceremony, the WSOP unveiled Rast’s photo at the new exhibit inside Horseshoe Las Vegas. The new poker room features a first-of-its-kind Poker Hall of Fame exhibit acknowledging poker’s most legendary players with a Gallery of Champions, WSOP bracelets and rings.

“Poker is at the very heart of the Horseshoe brand,” said Jason Gregorec, SVP and General Manager of Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. “We’re thrilled to have the Hall of Fame Poker Room open as a year-round attraction for players and fans alike. The action won’t stop when the 2023 WSOP ends. Congratulations to Brian Rast for taking his rightful place here alongside the other legends of the game.”

Located adjacent to the resort’s front entrance near the Lobby Bar, the 4,900-square-foot poker room features 18 custom poker tables with upscale furniture and equipment to offer players an elevated gaming experience. LED TVs surround the room giving players access to sports viewing,current game lists, and tournament clocks.

The Hall of Fame Poker Room was one of many projects associated with the rebranding and transformation of Horseshoe Las Vegas. Guests can now enjoy a variety of new offerings, including Jack Binion’s Steak, M.Y. Asia by Chef Martin Yan, Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Sports Kitchen, and the ARCADE. The resort also features a refreshed exterior, casino floor, and public areas. Beginning Thursday, Oct. 5, international Queen of Burlesque, Dita Von Teese, will star in the “DITA LAS VEGAS: A Jubilant Revue” residency in the Jubilee Theater.

For more information on the Poker Hall of Fame, visit http://www .wsop .com/pokerhalloffame/.

AI

Liftoff’s 2025 Mobile Ad Creative Index Reveals UGC Is a Key Differentiator for Top Apps

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Major findings from the newly launched report include playable ads having the potential to deliver impression-to-install rates 16 times that of non-playable formats for emerging gaming apps and a 20% increase in spending on interactive ads year over year.

Liftoff, a leading AI-enabled growth platform for the mobile app economy, has published its seventh annual Mobile Ad Creative Index. The report explores top creative trends that are attracting and scaling in ad spend across consumer apps and games. It also highlights the expanding role of AI in creative production, testing, and optimization.

This year’s Mobile Ad Creative Index specifically analyzes creative concepts that have excelled in scale for Liftoff’s highest-spending advertisers over the past 12 to 48 months. It is based on findings from over 4.7 trillion impressions, 263 billion clicks, and 1.1 billion installs between 1 January 2023 and 31 May 2025.

 

Highlights from the report include:

Top consumer apps are investing in interactive ads to compete for engagement

In 2024, the share of spend on interactive ads for top apps increased by 20% year over year. The share of spend increased by 2% for spenders outside the top tier. Top-spending apps differentiate their campaigns by adding innovations to evergreen concepts such as social scrollers, carousels, and scratch-offs.

Playable ads deliver returns across ad budgets for mobile game advertisers

In 2024, the share of spend on playable ads for top games averaged 35% higher than other games. Across all ad budgets, however, playable ads delivered higher conversion rates. Impression-to-install rates were 8 times that of non-playable formats for top spenders and 16 times that of non-playable formats for other game advertisers.

Tailoring “metaplay” elements to motivations can improve performance

“Metaplay” elements—gameplay that diverges from an app’s core design to appeal to a broader audience—are widespread, but top games gain an edge by tailoring their metaplay ads to the publisher audience. The report found that aligning “metaplay” creative with publisher audiences resulted in a 93% increase in installs-per-mille.

UGC is becoming a key differentiator in driving scale for consumer apps

The share of spend on user-generated content (UGC) increased 11% for top-spending apps, with social and utility apps seeing the most significant jump of nearly 30% between 2023 and 2024.

Widespread adoption of Gen AI leads to more customized ad experiences

Creative teams increasingly leverage AI to enhance top-performing assets with 3D and motion and to create and test variations. Top advertisers also use AI to recombine their assets in customized ad experiences that break away from standard video to playable formats.

Yann Zeller, Chief of Staff, Creative at Liftoff, said: “Today’s creative landscape is shaped by a single, powerful truth: attention is the commodity, and brands, games, and influencers are all vying for it. Great mobile ad experiences can earn attention by aligning context with behavior. As ad formats become richer and AI expands our ability to personalize and adapt creatives at scale, we’re able to unlock new insights into user behavior and motivation. We see users spend meaningful stretches with the right content, sometimes 60 to 90 seconds when the ad feels personal or prompts meaningful participation. This isn’t just a better way to advertise—it’s a better way to tell stories and the most exciting brief we’ve had in years.”

Soren Steelquist, Director of Creative Production, said: “The proof is in the data—more and more consumer apps are incorporating UGC into every stage of their marketing, and programmatic is no different. UGC works because it’s authentic and relatable, and users are more likely to be influenced by ad when it’s coming from a trustworthy source. To see higher impact from UGC creatives, work with a partner that can match the right creator with your brand and develop winning concepts that resonate with audiences.”

The post Liftoff’s 2025 Mobile Ad Creative Index Reveals UGC Is a Key Differentiator for Top Apps appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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Affiliate Industry

Affilka by SOFTSWISS Wins at EGR B2B Awards for Second Year Running

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Affilka by SOFTSWISS, an affiliate management software platform, has secured the title of Affiliate Software Supplier at the prestigious EGR B2B Awards for the second consecutive year. The awards ceremony took place on 3 July at London’s iconic The Roundhouse, where the iGaming industry gathered to celebrate the most successful and innovative companies of the past year.

The consecutive win reinforces Affilka’s growing leadership in iGaming affiliate marketing software. Over the past 12 months, the product has consistently evolved, launching a series of powerful new features.

Among the recent updates is the Cross-Brand Player Duplicate Detection tool, which identifies overlapping player accounts across different casino brands within a single affiliate program. The platform also introduced the new Traffic Report, which provides real-time, click-to-registration and click-to-FTD metrics with multi-dimensional filters. Another new feature allows affiliates to access data on their marketing campaigns and tracking links directly via API, enabling automated data extraction and custom integrations.

At the end of last year, Affilka rolled out the Geo-Distributed Redirect feature, which boosts site visits by reducing redirect times from 1.5 seconds to 300–500 milliseconds, and the Cohort Analysis Report, which offers deeper insights into player behaviour.

Anastasia Borovaya, Head of Affilka by SOFTSWISS, commented on the recognition: “Winning this award two years in a row is an incredible achievement for our team. It reflects our hard work, creativity, and deep commitment to the continuing improvement of our platform. What makes this win special is knowing that the tools we build are already helping our partners solve real challenges. Whether refining traffic strategies or making smarter, data-driven decisions, we’re proud Affilka plays a part in their success.”

Thanks to ongoing updates and the introduction of new innovative features, Affilka by SOFTSWISS now supports over 450 brands, 400 thousand affiliate accounts, and 98 million player registrations.

Earlier in June, SOFTSWISS won two prestigious trophies at another EGR Ceremony – Marketing & Innovation Awards 2025. The company’s marketing department received the Marketing Team of the Year Award for its bold creative approach and effective use of new technologies and data analytics. In addition, Valentina Bagniya, CMO at SOFTSWISS, was named B2B Marketer of the Year for transforming the company’s marketing function into a powerful brand engine within the iGaming industry.

 

About SOFTSWISS

SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS holds a number of gaming licences and provides comprehensive software for managing iGaming projects. The company’s product portfolio includes the Online Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with over 30,000 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 Affilka by SOFTSWISS Wins at EGR B2B Awards for Second Year Running appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Aristocrat Technologies

Hasbro Strikes New Multi-Year Casino Licensing Partnerships

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Hasbro, a leading games, IP, and toy company, announced a new slate of multi-year licensing partnerships aimed at transforming and expanding its most popular brands across the casino category. After a comprehensive review and market evaluation, Hasbro has selected Aristocrat Technologies, Evolution, Galaxy Gaming, and Bally’s as its newest partners in casino licensing. The new partners join existing licensee Sciplay.

The announcement underscores Hasbro’s “Playing to Win” strategy, revealed in February 2025, which focuses on innovation, partnerships, and bringing beloved brands to life across more formats than ever.

“We’re all about play—and that means meeting our fans wherever they are, from the game table to the casino floor. These visionary new partners have the expertise and imagination to reimagine our brands in bold, exciting ways for adult audiences,” said Claire Hunter Gregson, Director of Gaming Relationships.

Hasbro has a nearly 30-year history of licensing its age-appropriate IP to the gambling sector. With this new lineup of partners, the company is expanding access to entertainment experiences that reimagine its brands for a growing base of adult fans and gamers.

Following is the list of partners:

• Aristocrat Technologies – B2B manufacturer land-based slot machines (MONOPOLY)

• Evolution – B2B developer for online slots and live casino (MONOPOLY, Hasbro Games)

• Galaxy Gaming – B2B developer and manufacturer for casino table games (MONOPOLY, YAHTZEE, BATTLESHIP)

• Bally’s – B2C Online casino operator (MONOPOLY)

With new titles launching in January 2026, adult fans will see some of Hasbro’s beloved brands integrated into new and existing casino formats, including land-based gaming slots, online gaming slots, casino table games, and online casinos.

The post Hasbro Strikes New Multi-Year Casino Licensing Partnerships appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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