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Spotlight Sports Group Halves Time Spent on Supplier Management with Rizikon Pro from Crossword Cybersecurity

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Processes automated and simplified, with improved visibility of supplier management and compliance.

Crossword Cybersecurity Plc, the technology commercialisation company focused on cyber security and risk management, is pleased to announce that Spotlight Sports Group, the digital publisher and integrated betting platform, has implemented Rizikon Pro, Crossword’s supplier assurance and third-party risk management platform for SMEs. As a result, Spotlight Sports Group has halved the time spent on supplier management, gained better visibility of supplier risks, and cut the costs of maintaining its ISO 27001 Information Security Management certification.

Spotlight Sports Group is the owner of Racing Post, which has been the home of horse racing in the UK and internationally since launching as a newspaper in 1986. Today, its all-digital platform offers breaking industry news, race results, statistics, tips, and betting platform integration. As part of a heavily regulated industry, Spotlight Sports Group invests huge amounts of time and effort to ensure it, and its 40+ suppliers, meet the governance, regulatory and compliance requirements of its industry.

Spotlight Sports Group wanted to automate its supplier management and onboarding processes, so that it could improve the experience for both staff and suppliers. A typical onboarding process requires a supplier to complete a host of forms about every aspect of its business operations. They are time consuming to manage for all parties, leading to delays, complications, and poor visibility of risks. One critical area that Spotlight Sports Group assesses suppliers for is the ISO 27001 Information Security Management certification, and the team could see a clear opportunity for this to be more efficiently managed.

Victor Mihailescu, Head of Security at Spotlight Sports Group, highlighted: “A lot of our team’s time and energy was being taken up by the existing processes – we wanted that time back so staff could focus on higher value tasks. We considered a range of solutions, from simple cloud-based forms, through to well-known third-party risk management platforms, which were expensive and over-complicated. Rizikon Pro, which is aimed at SMEs, offers us by far the best fit for our supplier management needs with its balance between functionality, collaboration features and flexibility.”

Rizikon Pro is a secure, encrypted portal which puts an organisation in control of managing risks in its supply chain and the financial, regulatory and reputational risks they indirectly carry. Rizikon Pro contains standard questionnaires on subjects such as cyber security, GDPR, supplier on-boarding, modern slavery, and anti-bribery & corruption. Customers can also create their own question sets and scoring approaches, enabling a 360-degree view of supply chain risk in a single pane of glass.

 

A rapid implementation with 50% time saving

Implemented in a matter of weeks, using ‘out-of-the-box’ questionnaires and very little customisation, Spotlight Sports Group was able to move quickly from a trial to a live solution, with immediate efficiency gains for day-to-day process. For example, a new supplier can be added to the Rizikon Pro platform in under five minutes, sending out questionnaires for supplier completion via a Spotlight Sports Group branded, encrypted secure portal. Supplier onboarding has been greatly improved in part by Rizikon Pro’s integration with CreditSafe, which combines questionnaire responses with data on over 320 million companies worldwide, including their credit risk scores, saving staff a huge amount of time.

Mr. Mihailescu added: “All of our supplier onboarding communication and management now takes place in Rizikon Pro. As a result, we have halved the time we spend on supplier management and made the process easier for our suppliers. All the information and discussions about questionnaires is kept in one place and we can clearly see when and by whom forms were completed, removing any non-repudiation risk.”

 

More savings to come with Rizikon

Spotlight Sports Group can now easily and transparently demonstrate to auditors its compliance processes, which are reinforced by Rizikon Pro. For example, the team can identify suppliers that need encouragement or support to complete questionnaires, which is an important step to ensuring compliance. Spotlight Sports Group predicts even greater time savings in the future, because the anniversaries on which suppliers must review and update their compliance data will be automated by Rizikon Pro. This will further reduce the risk of non-compliance and remove administrative overheads.

Mr. Mihailescu concluded: “Our focus so far has been on our ISO 27001 certification and supplier onboarding, but we are already looking at other areas of compliance that can benefit from Rizikon Assurance. We’ve had a great relationship with the Crossword team, who have been both enthusiastic and responsive to our feedback on ideas and new features for Rizikon Pro. The platform and team have met all our expectations.”

Sean Arrowsmith, Group Sales Director at Crossword, commented: “Good governance and compliance has become increasingly important for companies of all sizes, but can be a real challenge for SMEs. Most companies would be horrified if they calculated the amount of time and risks involved in running poorly implemented supplier management and compliance processes. Spotlight Sports Group implementation of Rizikon Pro, which we launched last year aimed specifically at supporting SME organisations, demonstrates what can be quickly and easily achieved when companies implement the right solution and a robust supplier assurance framework. Ease of implementation alongside successful partnership programmes, has been key in driving a tenfold increase in the use of Rizikon over the last six months, to over 250 users.”

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ACR POKER ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE FOR FIRST-EVER BATTLE OF MALTA ONLINE SERIES AWARDING $5 MILLION GTD PRIZE POOL

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Buy-ins from $5.50 to $630 in packed 68-event schedule  

ACR Poker and Battle of Malta (BOM) have released the full schedule for the first-ever online edition of the beloved European live poker festival, the Battle of Malta Online, guaranteeing $5 million across a 68-event schedule.

Starting this Sunday on ACR Poker, the Battle of Malta Online schedule highlights include the $66 multi-flight event featuring a $500,000 GTD prize pool (flights from July 3rd, Day 2 on July 27th), the $109 tournament with $400,000 GTD (Event 68), and the $630 tournament awarding $600,000 GTD (Event 67). There’s also plenty of lower buy-in events starting at just $5.50, so everyone can join the fun and compete for great prizes.

Players can also compete for one of ten €8,000 packages to the live Battle of Malta festival at Casino Malta from October 28th to November 5th, putting players in the heart of the action at one of poker’s most prestigious events. Five packages are up for grabs each Sunday via the Beast Satellites, which play on July 13th and 20th at 5:05pm ET. All BOM Main Event satellites will also be exclusively on ACR Poker, and players who survive Day 1 online will take their stack to Day 2 live in Malta.

“The full schedule for the Battle of Malta Online is finally here, and it’s everything players could hope for,” said ACR Pro Chris Moneymaker. “There’s a great mix of buy-ins and formats, alongside big guarantees, so there’s something for players of all skills and levels. The series is just around the corner, so now’s the time to plan the grind and get ready to compete for the first-ever Battle of Malta Online titles.”

What’s more, the Battle of Malta Online will feature a $35,000 Leaderboard Contest, where players earn points in any BOM event across two leaderboards: High Buy-in (over $44) with an $8,000 top prize, and Low Buy-in (under $33) with a $4,000 first prize. Plus, the overall winner will score an €8,000 package to Malta this October.

Battle of Malta Online marks the 10-year anniversary of BOM, which has earned its place as one of Europe’s most iconic poker festivals, celebrated for its electric atmosphere, elite-level competition, and unforgettable player experiences. Last October, BOM reached new heights with a prize pool exceeding €4.7 million and participants from over 60 countries. This year’s BOM boasts a €2 million GTD prize pool, a revamped schedule including the €2,200 buy-in ACR High Roller, and plenty of exciting off-the-felt activities.

For further details on the Battle of Malta Online, visit ACRPoker.eu.

The post ACR POKER ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE FOR FIRST-EVER BATTLE OF MALTA ONLINE SERIES AWARDING $5 MILLION GTD PRIZE POOL appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – June 30-July 6

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Welcome to our weekly roundup of American gambling news again! Here, we are going through the weekly highlights of the American gambling industry which include the latest news and new partnerships. Read on and get updated.

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The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has issued monetary penalties totaling $350,000 against Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto for multiple violations of provincial gaming standards. The penalties follow an impromptu after-party that was permitted to take place in the pre-dawn hours directly on the casino’s gaming floor. On September 27, 2024, an electronic dance music event attended by thousands of people was hosted in the theatre adjacent to the casino at Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto. The event was marked by widespread intoxication, disorderly behaviour and numerous criminal and medical incidents – both inside and outside the venue – including alleged assaults, drug overdoses and acts of public indecency. Although paid duty officers were present, additional police and emergency services were required to manage the situation.

International Game Technology PLC, doing business as Brightstar Lottery, announced that Michelle Carney, Brightstar’s Vice President of Global Lottery Marketing, will be inducted into the Lottery Industry Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2025. The induction ceremony will take place this September at an industry event in Ontario, Canada hosted by the Public Gaming Research Institute (PGRI) in conjunction with the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL). In her current role, Carney is responsible for the development of marketing and communications strategies that support growth for Brightstar’s Global Lottery business, including lottery product marketing, trade shows and events, thought leadership communications and B2C marketing campaign materials to support customer launches of new game content.

Partnerships

International Game Technology PLC announced that its subsidiary, IGT Canada Solutions ULC (IGT), signed an eight-year agreement with Atlantic Lottery to supply its IntelligenEVO video lottery central system technology across Atlantic Canada. The agreement includes the option for multiple extensions and positions the Atlantic Lottery to become the first World Lottery Association (WLA)-affiliated lottery operator to deploy IGT’s next-generation central management system in a game-to-system (G2S) distributed market. With peak system security, network availability and responsible gaming functionalities, IntelligenEVO is a reliable, scalable solution that can meet the needs of today and in the future. The solution will accelerate time-to-market and enables the Atlantic Lottery to benefit from the system’s suite of player-focused functionality. The technology’s G2S and open API design optimises data collection and delivery and will enable Atlantic Lottery to customise their programme for evolving player needs.

EDGE Boost by EDGE Markets, a financial platform for smart bettors and gamblers, has partnered with World Series of Poker, the premier series of worldwide poker tournaments. The EDGE Boost debit card is now the preferred payment method for WSOP, offering ease of payment, safety and several exclusive on-site perks for tournament players. In past tournaments, WSOP players were limited to $10,000 per transaction and had to complete a lengthy approval process, often resulting in frequent cash deposits. Now, those using the EDGE Boost card through PayPal checkout can bypass traditional credit card verification. They can also make entries up to $250,000, which eliminates the need to carry large sums of cash at the event and increases security measures.

The post Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – June 30-July 6 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Zimpler introduces ID+: A next-gen identification layer for digital payments

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Zimpler, a leading Swedish company in Pay-by-bank solutions, today announced the launch of Zimpler ID+, a new identity layer designed to simplify compliance and accelerate user conversion within digital payment environments. By embedding biometric identification and regulatory checks directly into the first user interaction, Zimpler ID+ reduces friction in sectors with complex onboarding requirements.

“Zimpler ID+ gives our partners a direct path to compliance and conversion – cutting onboarding time, reducing drop-offs, and removing the need to build identity infrastructure in-house,” said Tobias Gunnesson, Chief Product Officer at Zimpler.

“While most verification flows still rely solely on deposit-based triggers or cookie tracking, we’re the first to enable verification at the point of entry – meeting compliance head-on and delivering a better user experience from the start.”

Purpose-built for highly regulated digital environments

Zimpler ID+ serves industries where compliance is critical and abandonment rates are costly, such as iGaming and financial services. It ensures users are verified from the start, without requiring deposits or post-registration identity checks.

Key features include:

  • Quick onboarding: Verification and collection of KYC data takes place at the first point of contact, not only at the point of payment
  • Seamless return user experience: Returning users can identify with biometric technology and are recognized with the help of cookies
  • Works even without cookies: If cookies are unavailable, the user can easily identify themselves using a passkey
  • Built-in compliance: Regulatory assurance at every step of the customer journey

By functioning as a unified identity layer from sign-up through repeat visits, Zimpler ID+ helps businesses minimize onboarding churn and maximize regulatory confidence.

Solving identification friction at scale

The launch of Zimpler ID+ comes as businesses across Europe face rising pressure to improve digital onboarding while maintaining regulatory standards. National ID systems remain foundational – but they weren’t built to optimize every business touchpoint.

Zimpler ID+ complements these systems by offering operators a plug-in layer of biometric identification and gathering of KYC information tailored to business needs. It removes the need for deposit triggers, repeated logins, or re-verification after a device change.

“With Zimpler ID+, we’re introducing a flexible approach that gives businesses more control over identity flows – without compromising security or relying solely on external systems” said Gunnesson.

Product availability

Zimpler ID+ is now available as a value-added service to select partners in Finland, with more markets to be added in the future.

By embedding advanced onboarding capabilities directly into its existing infrastructure, Zimpler expects ID+ to strengthen customer retention and enhance platform value across regulated sectors for years to come.

The post Zimpler introduces ID+: A next-gen identification layer for digital payments appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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