Author: Charles Shephardson

New Gallup polling shows that just 45% of US adults reported gambling in the past year, a significant fall from 64% recorded in 2016. The decline spanned every major demographic group measured in the poll, suggesting the trend is broad rather than concentrated in any single segment of the population. Lottery ticket purchases saw one of the sharpest drops, with only 31% of respondents saying they bought a state lottery ticket, compared to 49% a decade ago. Traditional lottery sales fell 5.1% in FY2025, largely because Powerball and Mega Millions produced fewer blockbuster jackpot runs during that period. Mega Millions…

RocketPlay has launched an experimental summer campaign designed to measure something the iGaming industry rarely quantifies directly: how entertainment actually feels to players. The Cosmic Department of Joy campaign moved beyond standard product metrics to explore the emotional language players use when describing why they play and what makes them return. iGaming brands routinely track RTP, volatility, bonuses, conversion, retention, deposits, clicks, and churn, all of which reveal how products perform and how players move through them. However, none of those numbers fully explain why a player says “That was fun,” or why they come back to a particular type…

BiggerZ is positioning itself as a transparency-driven betting platform, combining casino gaming, sports betting and prediction markets under a single account and balance. The platform’s philosophy centres on four core principles: transparency, clarity, verifiability and defined rules, applied at every key decision point a player encounters. Rather than simply claiming fairness, BiggerZ is focused on making the mechanisms behind outcomes and settlement rules understandable and accessible to players before they commit funds. One of the platform’s most distinctive offerings is BiggerZ Touch, an exclusive collection of short-format games including Mines, Dice, Plinko, Hi-Lo, Keno, Baccarat, Limbo and Soccer. Eligible BiggerZ…

Metaspins, the crypto-based online gaming platform, has added prediction markets to its expanding portfolio of products available to its community. The new feature allows users to trade on the outcome of real-world events through simple, market-driven experiences that reflect shifting public sentiment. The launch represents another step in the company’s broader strategy to diversify its offerings while giving its loyal user base fresh ways to engage with global markets. Prediction markets have evolved from purely financial tools into one of the fastest-growing segments in the wider digital ecosystem. By turning opinions into tradable markets with financial incentives, participants can now…

GR8_TECH is convening a select group of operators this Thursday for The Locker Room: World Cup Numbers, a closed-door working session focused on real performance data. The format was announced two weeks ago and is deliberately restricted, with no media presence and the Chatham House Rule in effect throughout the entire session. Rather than serving as a tournament recap, the session is designed as a working analysis of what operators actually experienced across margin, product tools, retention, and peak-load performance. Participants are being asked to arrive with eight specific numbers drawn from their own World Cup data, which GR8_TECH has…

Yggdrasil has strengthened its position in the Netherlands by forming a new partnership with JACKS.NL, one of the country’s leading regulated online casino operators. The deal delivers Yggdrasil’s extensive content catalogue to the JACKS.NL casino lobby, giving Dutch players access to a wide range of premium titles. The integration has been made possible through Yggdrasil’s existing strategic partnership with Bragg Gaming, demonstrating how the supplier leverages its distribution network to enter new markets. Player favourites including Valley of the Gods and the iconic Vikings Go franchise are among the titles now live on the JACKS.NL platform. The launch also features…

CreedRoomz, described as a global leader in innovative gaming solutions, has officially announced the launch of its new title, Crypto Market. The game blends speculative market mechanics with the safety of iGaming to deliver the fast-action experience that modern players increasingly demand. Crypto Market is hosted by a live dealer and features 10-second game cycles, making it purpose-built for high-turnover environments where every second counts. The title offers up to 99% payout on each round, with a dynamic reward system built around elastic multiplier logic designed to drive consistent player volume. A provably fair RNG engine sits at the core…

The assumption that narrative-driven slot series fade quickly after launch is being challenged by data from 1spin4win’s Japanese game collection. The established classic slot provider built its Japanese lineup around connected storytelling, recurring characters, consistent visual design, and proven Hold and Win mechanics. Four titles form the core of the series: Tiger’s Steps Hold and Win, Gentle Fox Hold and Win, Way of Honor Hold and Win, and Sound of Steel Hold and Win. Each game shares the same universe but developed a distinct regional footprint, suggesting that thematic atmosphere and character design influence performance beyond a shared storyline. Tiger’s…

Evoke shareholders have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the £243m Bally’s Intralot acquisition, pushing the deal significantly closer to completion. The vote was structured as a Court Meeting under the Gibraltar Companies Act 2014, with two thresholds required to proceed with the scheme of arrangement. Of the 31 scheme shareholders present at the meeting on 17 August 2026, 30 approved the deal, representing 99.91% of the scheme shares. Both the individual voter threshold of 50% and the 75% shares threshold were exceeded by a considerable margin, reflecting strong confidence in the transaction. A general meeting special resolution, designed to capture…

Bally’s Corporation has reported a significant revenue jump for Q2 2026, with figures rising 20.5% year-on-year from $657.53m to $792.23m. The strong quarterly results arrive at a pivotal moment, coinciding with Bally’s Intralot confirming it will proceed with a transformative takeover of evoke, the group behind William Hill. William Hill remains evoke’s primary asset heading into the deal, making it one of the most consequential acquisitions in UK gambling in recent memory. Total Adjusted EBITDAR for the quarter came in at $187.52m, up from $173.15m recorded during the same period in 2025. The EBITDAR improvement was driven by a strong…