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The Stars Group’s Pokerstars Concludes Largest-ever Online Poker Series With 1.1 Million Entries and $100 Million in Prizes
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The Stars Group announced that its PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) concluded earlier this week as the largest-ever online poker series with more than 1.1 million entries. The tournament awarded nearly $100 million in prizes during the two-week long schedule of events, comfortably exceeding its advertised guarantee of $70 million and surpassing last year’s series and the previous prize pool record set in 2017 during PokerStars’ Spring Championship of Online Poker, which awarded $94 million.
The tournament also set a record for the number of entries to an online poker tournament with more than 1.1 million entries from 148,000 unique players representing 140 countries.
WCOOP 2018 offered a 185-event schedule consisting of low, medium and high buy-in levels ranging from $2.20 to $25,000. A total of seven Platinum Passes to the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC), worth around $30,000 each, were also awarded to the winners of headline events. Overall, the series paid out more than 150,000 individual cash prizes and more than $15 million in first-place prizes.
About The Stars Group
The Stars Group is a provider of technology-based product offerings in the global gaming and interactive entertainment industries. Its brands have millions of registered customers globally and collectively are leaders in online and mobile betting, poker, casino and other gaming-related offerings. The Stars Group owns or licenses gaming and related consumer businesses and brands, including PokerStars, PokerStars Casino, BetStars, Full Tilt, BetEasy, Sky Bet, Sky Vegas, Sky Casino, Sky Bingo, and Sky Poker, as well as live poker tour and event brands, including the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship, European Poker Tour, PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, Latin American Poker Tour, Asia Pacific Poker Tour, PokerStars Festival and PokerStars MEGASTACK. The Stars Group is one of the world’s most licensed online gaming operators with its subsidiaries collectively holding licenses or approvals in 19 jurisdictions throughout the world, including in Europe, Australia, and the Americas. The Stars Group’s vision is to become the world’s favorite iGaming destination and its mission is to provide its customers with winning moments.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements and Other Information
This news release may contain forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements can, but may not always, be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate”, “plan”, “continue”, “estimate”, “expect”, “may”, “will”, “intend”, “could”, “might”, “would”, “should”, “believe”, and similar references to future periods or the negatives of these words and expressions. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. There can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. Please refer to The Stars Group’s most recent annual information form and annual and interim financial statements and management’s discussion and analysis for more information about the factors, assumptions and risks that may apply to The Star’s Group’s forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date hereof, and The Stars Group undertakes no obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.
Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
Latest News
William Hill and Checkd Dev launch UK markets’ first fully automated pre-canned stats-powered Bet Builders
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Checkd Dev, part of the award-winning Checkd Group, has worked alongside William Hill to launch the UK betting industry’s first fully automated and pre-canned Bet Builders, delivering stats-backed, one-tap selections at both global and fixture level across all football fixtures.
Building on the initial launch in March this year of pre-canned accumulators for both football and horse racing, Checkd Dev is delighted to announce the evolution of that technical solution into the Bet Builder category.
Working closely with William Hill, the Automated ‘Trending Bets’ solution has evolved into a specific Bet Builder proposition utilising proprietary pricing from William Hill’s trading team to create football bets for their recreational customer base in the UK market.
The bets are easy to evaluate, backed by relevant contextual statistics, and can be generated at scale across all football fixtures, providing a simple one-click to bet slip step, which creates a significant time saving from manual Bet Builder creation.
Although pre-canned bets have been around for years, this new automated version delivers time-saving and cost-effective bet generation for bookmakers along with attractive betting opportunities for customers.
William Hill customers are presented with unique bets designed specifically for their recreational base, strengthening brand differentiation and protecting operator margin.
Once the operator sets up ‘parameters’ the automated back end engine continuously generates and refreshes curated Bet Builder options at scale. This removes the need for repetitive manual build and settlement hours, allowing William Hill’s traders to focus more time on price strategy and risk management.
Andrew Grimshaw, Commercial Director at Checkd Dev, said: “As the new football season really gets going, we’re proud to take our automation a step further, delivering a UK first in Bet Builder content with the William Hill team. The efficiency for trading and the ability to create global and fixture-level bets at true scale are second to none, and the result on the front end is a faster, more engaging journey for recreational customers.”
Tom Hargreaves, Head of Commercial – Football at William Hill, added: “This is yet another new product that William Hill has launched in a matter of months. We believe this demonstrates our commitment to putting the right products in front of our customers, making betting journeys easier and more fun.
“Together, William Hill and Checkd Dev are industrialising personalised Bet Builder content, combining operator-owned pricing with stats-led automation to improve customer experience and trading efficiency in one move.”
The post William Hill and Checkd Dev launch UK markets’ first fully automated pre-canned stats-powered Bet Builders appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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OpenSlots, a new AI creative platform for game development, has made its market debut, designed to empower operators, studios, and developers to build bespoke, high-quality titles faster and more efficiently than ever before.
The first iteration of OpenSlots has been launched for internal use by the team of experienced executives behind content aggregator and slot studio ESA Gaming, with it leveraging artificial intelligence to remove barriers to creativity and game delivery.
Expected for commercial release in mid-2026 the platform will enable non-technical professionals to design, test, and publish fully compliant slot games with intuitive, modular tools, without compromising on graphic quality or gameplay innovation.
Its simple interface will allow for aspiring game creators to input key specifications, such as theme, game type, mechanics, reel matrix, RTP and much more, before generating a game design document, concept art and publishing a game in a game editor for on-the-fly changes.
Customers are then able to gain access to ESA Gaming’s distribution network of more than 160 operators across regulated markets, to ensure rapid deployment to the end user.
With a leadership team bringing a wealth of experience in the sector and a product roadmap set to include more than 20 game types, multilingual support, and 100+ currencies, OpenSlots is poised for rapid global growth.
Thomas Smallwood, CCO at OpenSlots said: “We see OpenSlots as a game changer in the game development space. Our mission is straightforward in that we want to unlock creativity for non-technical professionals and empower operators and studios to create their own content quickly and easily.
“Our platform makes slot creation faster, more efficient, and conducted in an environment where success can be replicated at will. With the addition of the distribution network via ESA Gaming’s Game Aggregation System (GAS), we’re confident that OpenSlots can signal the next phase of game production.”
The post OpenSlots to power new dawn of content creation with AI development platform appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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GR8 Tech landed heavyweight wins on all fronts at SBC Summit 2025, taking home the prestigious Platform Provider of the Year award and drawing record-breaking crowds with its Heavyweight Club activation with Ready to Fight, which brought undisputed world champion Oleksandr Usyk to the summit floor.
Heavyweight Presence: Super Stage Panel and iGaming Influencers at GR8 Tech Booth
On the Super Stage, GR8 Tech and Ready to Fight held “The Heavyweight Playbook: Building Businesses That Perform When It Matters Most” panel discussion. Oleksandr Usyk opened up about discipline and trust in his team, while Kyrylo Korobka, Executive Director at Ready to Fight, emphasized the importance of data-driven preparation. Yevhen Krazhan, CSO at GR8 Tech, showed how the same principles apply to iGaming, where platforms must perform flawlessly under pressure.
“Whether it’s preparing for a championship fight or building an iGaming platform, excellence comes from systematic discipline, not just talent,” Yevhen Krazhan, CSO at GR8 Tech, said during the discussion.
Following the panel discussion, the punch machine challenge at GR8 Tech’s stand brought together influential industry leaders, creating one of the most talked-about activations of the entire Summit.
GR8 Tech’s CEO Oleksandr Feshchenko claimed the top score and Usyk’s signed gloves. However, given GR8 Tech’s partnership with Ready to Fight, the prize was never meant to stay in-house—instead going to the next highest scorer, Rasmus Sojmark, CEO and Founder of SBC Gaming, capturing the core of the Heavyweight Club philosophy: champions create champions.
Usyk’s appearance drew massive attention, driving a fivefold increase in traffic to the GR8 Tech stand—igniting new sales opportunities and sparking a surge of meaningful engagement with prospects and partners.
Platform for Champions: GR8 Tech Named Platform Provider of the Year
GR8 Tech capped off its heavyweight presence at SBC Summit 2025 by being named “Platform Provider of the Year” at the SBC Awards ceremony.
This prestigious recognition confirms what GR8 Tech has built: a true Platform for Champions that provides the unmatched performance, flexibility, and global infrastructure required for operators who refuse to settle for second place. The validation was echoed by exceptional demand and operator interest witnessed throughout the summit, with 200+ meetings demonstrating the industry’s appetite for champion-level solutions.
“The Heavyweight Club is built on performance, not promises. At SBC Summit, we showed that operators with the ambition to lead will find in GR8 Tech a partner that pushes them further, faster, and stronger—and winning Platform Provider of the Year proves it,” Sergey Ghazaryan, CRO at GR8 Tech, summed up.
GR8 Tech. Platform for Champions
GR8 Tech is an award-winning provider, delivering high-performance sportsbook and iGaming solutions that empower operators to lead and win in competitive markets. Key elements of GR8 Tech’s comprehensive portfolio include the Hyper Turnkey solution, ULTIM8 Sportsbook, Infinite Casino Aggregation, and a proprietary affiliate management platform, Aff.Tech.
With a geo-specific approach to solutions, a focus on practical innovations, and an operator-first mindset, GR8 Tech helps its clients achieve measurable results in their target markets quickly and efficiently. Trusted by top operators worldwide, GR8 Tech has over 100 successful cases and earned multiple recognitions, including the title of Platform Provider of the Year by SBC Awards 2025.
The post GR8 Tech Champions Every Round at SBC Summit appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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