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The Jockey Club Appoints Jim Mullen as Group Chief Executive

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The Jockey Club has appointed Jim Mullen as Group Chief Executive.

Mullen joins The Jockey Club from Reach plc, the largest commercial news publisher in the UK and Ireland, where he has been Chief Executive since 2019.

He will succeed Interim Group Chief Executive, Charlie Boss, who has been in the post since December 2024, following Nevin Truesdale’s decision to step down from the role at the end of last year after 11 years at the organisation.

Mullen, 54, will leave Reach plc, which runs more than 120 publishing brands including the Mirror, Daily Express, Daily Record and Daily Star, and begin his new role with British horseracing’s largest commercial organisation and employer on June 1.

Established in 1750 to act in the long term best interests of British racing, The Jockey Club runs some of the nation’s biggest sporting events, including the Cheltenham Festival, Randox Grand National at Aintree and the Betfred Derby Festival at Epsom Downs. Thousands of racehorses also use The Jockey Club’s training centres in Newmarket, Lambourn and Epsom every year, while the organisation also runs The National Stud in Newmarket and the charity, Racing Welfare, which makes help available to everyone in racing.

A horseracing fan and racehorse owner, Mullen was Group Chief Executive of Ladbrokes Coral Group plc between March 2015 and March 2018, having previously been Managing Director of Ladbrokes Digital and Chief Operating Officer of William Hill Online. Prior to that he was Digital Strategy Director and Director of Product Management at News International and Director of Digital at Publicis Group.

In addition he is currently a non-executive Board member of Racecourse Media Group, the umbrella organisation responsible for media rights involving 61 racecourses in Britain and Ireland.

Speaking about the appointment, Jim Mullen said: “While The Jockey Club will be known to many as one of the most prestigious and established organisations in British sport, it is also a forward-thinking and exciting business with its focus firmly on the future.

“As a lifelong horseracing fan who has spent some of the best days of my life on racecourses, I could not be more proud to join The Jockey Club’s passionate and dedicated team through what I hope will be an exciting new chapter.

“Publishing and horseracing might appear to be two very different industries on the surface. However, they share a focus on providing value and quality for the customer while nurturing happy and motivated teams across multiple sites and I am passionate about delivering both.

“I would like to thank all my colleagues at Reach for their hard work and all that has been achieved together over the past six years. I now look forward to forging new relationships in horseracing and renewing others developed during my time in the gambling industry.”

The Jockey Club’s Senior Steward, Baroness Dido Harding, said: “I am delighted to welcome a leader of Jim’s calibre and experience as our next Group Chief Executive.

“He has a long and distinguished track record of delivering strong growth in the publishing and gambling sectors and is also familiar with the complexities of the British racing industry, its structure and challenges, as well as the very many opportunities we have to broaden our fanbase.

“Jim will bring with him a wealth of experience and expertise, while also being a racing fan at heart who is passionate about promoting the sport and the incredible experiences we are able to offer our customers.”

Charlie Boss will continue as Interim CEO until Mullen takes up his new post and will remain at The Jockey Club until July to support and ensure a smooth transition.

Baroness Harding added: “On behalf of the Stewards and Members of The Jockey Club, I would like to thank Charlie Boss for the tremendous commitment, enthusiasm and drive he has shown over the past four months in this role.

“Charlie’s deep understanding of The Jockey Club, our teams and the industry allowed him to really hit the ground running and provide clear leadership during our busiest time of the year with our major festivals at Cheltenham and Aintree in March and April. We are incredible lucky to have him as our Interim CEO.”

Charlie Boss, Interim CEO, said: “Jim has all of the skills and experience that The Jockey Club needs to realise its full potential, and I can’t think of a better person to hand the baton over to this summer.

“My energy and focus before Jim arrives will be on creating the solid foundations to ensure he and this wonderful organisation are positioned to thrive.”

The post The Jockey Club Appoints Jim Mullen as Group Chief Executive appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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XGENIA Reveals Groundbreaking AI Platform for iGaming, Redefines Game and App Creation

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XGENIA, the AI development powerhouse behind a new era of interactive innovation, has officially launched its revolutionary AI-powered platform, built to transform how games, apps, and digital experiences come to life.

Unveiled at an exclusive launch event on Valletta’s historic Old Merchants Street, the elegant evening brought together leaders from the gaming, tech, and investment worlds for a first look at XGENIA — a platform that blends AI, no-code tooling, and creator-first architecture in one seamless, cloud-free environment. Attendees were also shown a teaser video previewing the XGENIA platform’s capabilities, highlighting its speed, flexibility, and creative potential.

Designed for visionaries, creators, and studios of all sizes, XGENIA enables rapid development of slot games, crash games, social betting apps, advanced applications, and more — all without writing a single line of code. The platform fuses drag-and-drop simplicity with powerful backend logic, allowing creators to build in days what once took months.

“We didn’t just build another tool,” said Mark Flores Martin, CEO of XGENIA. “We built a creative partner — one that bridges the gap between vision and execution. With XGENIA, the AI is taken care of — so you can focus on what matters most: building what’s next.”

 

Built for Speed, Security, and Creative Freedom

XGENIA is a locally run, AI-powered development studio offering:

  • A no-code PixiJS builder for rapid prototyping
  • Hundreds of AI and app integrations
  • Built-in compliance modules (KYC, AML, geo-fencing, and more)
  • Seamless code export and data shielding
  • Real-time AI logic visualisation and custom model training

With a tiered pricing model — including a free version — XGENIA provides everyone from solo developers to established studios access to tools traditionally reserved for large-scale tech companies, now supercharged with AI.

 

Join the Next Generation of iGaming Innovation

As part of its broader mission, XGENIA is also launching XGENIA Labs, a global incubator programme offering:

  • €100,000 in grants and XGENIA PRO tier credits
  • Mentorship from award-winning iGaming and AI veterans
  • Direct access to VCs and global publishers during Demo Day events

Own the Code. Command the Vision. Lead the Future.

XGENIA replaces fragmented workflows and legacy stacks with one unified AI platform — delivering unmatched speed, customisation, and control.

The post XGENIA Reveals Groundbreaking AI Platform for iGaming, Redefines Game and App Creation appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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KONAMI GROUP CORPORATION Named “Most Honored Company” in the Gaming Sector in Extel’s “2025 Japan Executive Team” Survey

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KONAMI GROUP CORPORATION has been named “Most Honored Company” in the gaming sector in Extel’s (formerly Institutional Investor) “2025 Japan Executive Team” survey.

This survey is conducted by Extel to select listed Japanese companies with outstanding IR activities based on votes from 541 investors and analysts from 237 firms, nominating a total of 533 companies.
In the gaming sector, KONAMI GROUP CORPORATION ranked first in the categories of “Best CEO” (Sell-Side), “Best Investor Relations Professional,” “Best Investor Relations Program,” and “Best Company Board,” and as a result, the company has been named the “Most Honored Company.”

To increase our corporate value, KONAMI GROUP CORPORATION places high priority on constructive dialogue with shareholders and investors to deepen mutual understanding. In FY2025, the company held over 400 IR meetings, with our top management actively participating in quarterly financial results briefings and overseas IR roadshows. The “Most Honored Company” designation is in recognition of these efforts.

KONAMI GROUP CORPORATION will continue to work to achieve sustainable growth and enhance our corporate value over the medium-to-long-term through our IR activities.

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National Gambling Support Network helps over 110,000 people as self-referrals increase by 50% since April 2023

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New data released today reveals how many people have been supported by the National Gambling Support Network (NGSN) since its launch in 2023, with data also showing an increase in self-referrals by over 50% in year two. Waiting times for a first assessment are also shown to be offered after an average of just two days.

Since April 2023, the NGSN has supported over 110,000 people over the two years since launch. This is based on the number of individuals who accessed services including the National Gambling Helpline, regional providers, primary care and residential services.  These fall into three tiers of support (Tiers 2-4) including assessments, brief interventions, extended brief interventions (EBI), treatment sessions, reviews and aftercare.

The impact of a region-first approach, which is designed to deliver local support and services for people, and access to providers with knowledge and understanding of the local community, can be seen through more individuals accessing support directly from their local provider, with self-referrals into the system increasing by over 50% since launch.

Brief Interventions (BI), which involve short-term strategies aimed at addressing gambling harms through time-limited conversations, allow early engagement and support before challenges escalate, and offer advice and signposting to further help if required.  Increasing early support has been central to the NGSN and as a result, these have seen a significant rise in the second year of the Network, having nearly doubled with a 93% increase, from 11,000 to over 21,000 people receiving a meaningful intervention.

Person-centered support means that people are also accessing the service that works for them and around their personal lives and circumstances, such as peer support, group work and 1:1 therapy. The average waiting time for a first assessment is now an average of two days across the network.

Through increases in outreach and engagement activity and improvements to tools such as the GambleAware service finder to enhance awareness of support available amongst frontline professionals and the public, individuals are more likely to engage with local support services directly.

Since the launch of the GambleAware service finder website in July 2024, we have seen an estimated 21,000 people directed to NGSN provider referral options, which includes links to email addresses, phone numbers, self-referral forms and websites.

Those with the most severe cases of gambling harm will often require Tier 4 treatment, which is the most specialised and intensive level of care within the NGSN, where a person stays at a residential treatment centre.

Jackie Menzies, from Southport, is one person who has benefited from the support of the NGSN and its tier 4 care. Jackie started gambling when he was 20, and after realising that the effects of gambling harms were having an impact on his mental health and wellbeing, he was directed to support from Cheryl Williams at NGSN provider, Adferiad, with the service he received described as “lifesaving.”

Jackie, now 38, said: “I owe Cheryl and the team at Adferiad my life.

“From the moment I was introduced to them, I was contacted, informed, and treated with respect and understanding for both myself and my addiction. I was guided and informed of what options might be available to me and how I might be able to get help.

“I had treatment at their Parkland Place Centre and from the empowering attitudes of the staff, I have enrolled in a Level 3 counselling course at my local college, and I’m looking to the future to be able to help people who are suffering from addictions like I am to grow and be able to find peace and happiness again.”

Anna Hargrave, Deputy Chief Executive at GambleAware, says: “The second year of the National Gambling Support Network presented an opportunity to take the learnings from year one and focus on how we can best support those affected by gambling harms.

“We’ve seen an increase in the number of people being supported and importantly, an increase in brief interventions and self-referrals, which means we can support people earlier and reduce the potential for further harm.

“The expertise within the Network is unrivalled and providers play a key role in helping people across the country, whether that be at the start of their journey, or supporting them at the end. We look forward to working with the future commissioners and the NGSN with the integration of the network into the future system to ensure providers can continue offering their crucial services.”

Significant work has gone into improving the support and care individuals receive, with the NGSN delivering a range of successful interventions, from increased prevention activities and community-based early interventions to continued development on expanding more efficient pathways into structured treatment. In so doing, this has ensured and enabled more people to access support and achieve strong outcomes, through a no wrong door system to reducing the impact of gambling harms.

Joy Allen, Police & Crime Commissioner for Durham and vocal advocate for prevention of gambling harms, said: “Gambling, like any addiction, has the power to completely control the lives of those affected and those closest to them.  It can negatively impact individuals financially, emotionally, socially and in terms of their mental wellbeing.

“We need to think of gambling-addiction in the same way in which we think of and support those with Drugs and Alcohol addiction.  It is an illness that can lead people to commit crime to feed their addiction and those in its thrall need rehabilitation, not censure.  It can certainly lead to abject misery.  It is estimated that there are nearly 500 gambling related suicides a year in England highlighting the urgent need to encourage more people to seek help.  In 2023 around 5% of the North East population aged over 16 was classified as an ‘at risk’ gambler, often spending more than they afford and chasing losses leading to financial strain, anxiety and stress.

“In response, and in line with the priorities I’ve placed on tackling gambling harm, Durham Constabulary has signed the National Gambling Charter which commits the Constabulary to providing specialist training for its officers so that they can identify those at risk and signpost them towards support.  I urge other organisations to do the same. Collectively we can, and will, do more.”

The National Gambling Support Network is available for anyone who is experiencing harm from gambling and wants support for it, including people who are affected by someone else’s gambling. All services are free and confidential.

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