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The known effects of online poker in New Jersey

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New Jersey has never been a focus point when it comes to talk about online poker revenue. Every month when the numbers come out and the stats are revealed per vertical in NJ, somehow online poker always seems to fall short.

This has been the case for the past 18 – 19 months and the recent figures are highlighting the side effects of the signing of the game changing multi-state agreement.  The multi-state agreement was set up to allow online poker operators to share online poker player pools with others in Nevada and Delaware.

To put it as simple as possible, online poker players in Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware were able to play against each other legally for the first time when they logged on to the WSOP.com and 888poker network on May 1, 2018.

Before the shared liquidity was allowed in New Jersey, the market was in a perpetual decline with only a few months of annual increases posted by individual operators scattered across the entire history of the market.

As mentioned earlier, the agreement beseem to be a booster for the online poker industry in NJ, but it proved to be deficient in raising the scores when it comes to income from online poker. We must mention the fact that 888poker NJ, who are currently the only New Jersey online poker network that is able to share player liquidity with other states, reported a 19.5% annual increase last month.

The combining of player pools is a huge step forward for the online gambling industry in the US and even if it came with some technical glitches at first, technology has managed to resolve most of the reported errors.

If there are signs that are pointing toward a rise in revenues, we certainly must mention that larger player pools will have a ripple effect on online poker and shared liquidity may also have a positive impact on potential legislation in other states. This could be in the mind of the Pennsylvanian legislators, who are flirting with the idea of launching online poker.

Pennsylvania is the sixth largest state in the US (population of nearly 13 million people) and rumors say that the process of launching online poker already begun with the likely case of joining the Multi-State Internet Gaming Association when it goes live.

We can already say that if the plan goes through, it would double the number of those currently exposed to online poker in the three states, mentioning the fact that when the current shared liquidity begun, it brought an additional exposure to 4 million people for the All American Poker Network (AAPN).

Thus, in my opinion, we can set an additional news alert, next to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) notifications of course, for online poker in Pennsylvania.

With an experience of over 8 years in the online gambling industry, as an affiliate, later affiliate manager and consultant, I consider myself a veteran of the industry and can guarantee that you will be served with the most accurate information.

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Why Gamification Is Reshaping Online Poker

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Online poker’s not the sleepy mix of static cash tables and rinse-repeat tourney grids it used to be. Business Wire predicts that by 2030, the market will hit $11.4 billion, fuelled by cross-platform play and new competitive formats. But here’s the catch: growth brings noise. And in 2025, grabbing attention is only half the game — keeping it has become just as critical. And we all know that retention is the table you can’t afford to fold.

Over the recent years, gamification has turned into one of poker’s strongest retention plays. When it’s done right, it keeps players around, sparks repeat visits, and forges loyalty. They come back tomorrow, next week, next month — and your competitors can’t pry them away. The idea sounds simple enough — weave in game-style mechanics to make poker richer and more engaging, without killing the skill game underneath.

EvenBet Gaming’s research breaks it into three targets:

  • Give players more reasons to return.
  • Make onboarding smooth and rewarding.
  • Build loyalty with experiences that feel personal, competitive, and worth bragging about.

Churn burns profit. Gamification done right is an infrastructure that breeds loyalty. Done wrong? You’re just another site with flashing badges that no one cares about.

Gamification, Not Gamblification

Before diving into mechanics, it is important to set one thing straight. Gamification boosts engagement — leaderboards that show you who’s climbing, missions that push you to try new formats, achievement badges you actually want to unlock. It challenges players, rewards skill, and deepens the game. “Gamblification” is where it all turns sour. That’s when mechanics push for profit at the expense of player wellbeing — pressure-loop rewards, unclear payout systems, anything designed to keep people clicking long after the fun’s gone. These tactics can backfire, invite regulatory attention, and eat away at players’ trust.

Gamification should make the player-platform bond stronger. It’s open, skill-focused, and it stays within responsible-gaming boundaries. Otherwise, you’re just playing short-term roulette with your long-term survival.

Core Gamification Mechanics in Poker

Here’s the thing — gamification works best when it’s layered, not just thrown on top of the existing game. You’ve still got poker at the centre, but now there’s more to play for. EvenBet Gaming’s toolkit has a bit of everything, with a mix of proven features that operators need to keep players active and returning.

 

Leaderboards

People like to see where they stand, and a good leaderboard hits that primal “beat the other guy” instinct. Doesn’t matter if it’s hands played, rake pulled, or weird challenges only five people care about. Timeframes can be daily, weekly, or monthly, ensuring fresh challenges and preventing leaderboard fatigue. Players stick around to climb, rivals get personal, and your community gets tighter.

To avoid burnout and excessive gamblification, EvenBet’s customer success department doesn’t recommend creating only leaderboards based on pure game volume. As a flexible tool, leaderboards have a better use for boosting attention to specific game or tournament types (for example, hands played in 5-card Omaha), creating targeted demand.

Missions, Quests, and Challenges

Give a player a target and they’ll chase it. Win with pocket sevens, log 50 games, or try that Sunday knockout tourney — whatever keeps them moving. Segment it: beginners get gentle ramps; grinders chase big targets. Toss in tickets, cash, or even just brag-worthy status bumps — and suddenly, casual play has a storyline. This meta-layer adds structure to casual play, nudging players into consistent engagement.

“Different mission types work specifically on various segments of a poker room audience”, explains Nikita Golodaev, Business Account Manager at EvenBet Gaming. “For example, guided missions targeted to explore poker room features and game types keep new players on the platform and decrease early churn. Soft streaks (3-5 days) encourage regular sessions without burnout”. 

Achievements and Badges

First win, first deep run, first time they actually fold kings preflop — badges give players proof they’re climbing. Badges make progress visible, they’re milestones and conversation starters. This visual recognition encourages players to develop their skills and makes long-term goals more tangible.

Progressive Systems

Experience points (XP) and rakeback have always been staples in poker loyalty systems. They’re poker loyalty basics. EvenBet’s Progressive Rakeback with a tiered, time-limited structure turns the game into a race — 6 tiers from Aluminium all the way up to Platinum. Every tier gives you a little more, but fall behind — and you drop. The gamified progression adds urgency, encouraging regular play to maintain or advance the level.

According to Nikita Golodaev, clear and balanced progressive systems work best for projects with an existing core of regular mid-core players: they are already investing significant time into the game and are still tempted by rewards provided in the progressive tracks, unlike VIP and high-stakes players who are more interested in recognition of their status.

Put it together, and you’ve got a cycle: play, check your rank, tick missions, unlock the badge, check the board, eye the next tier. And then do it again tomorrow. It’s sustained engagement without sacrificing poker’s competitive core.

Advanced Applications — Tournaments and Hybrid Formats

Think of tournaments not as one-off events, but as frameworks. They aren’t just a product — they’re an engagement machine. You can hang all sorts of engagement hooks on them — the kind that keep players checking in and keep them motivated from registration to the final hand. Layer in gamification, and you have a retention funnel operators dream about.

Formats with a Twist

EvenBet’s flexible setup allows operators to launch virtually any format: high-GTD marathons, Spin&Go sprints with random multipliers, quick-fire Sit & Gos for casuals, and velvet-rope VIP tables for the whales. Add Mystery Bounty, Progressive Knockout, or Multi-flight qualifiers, and you’ve got unpredictability on tap. Which means the game always stays interesting.

Linking Tournaments to Gamification Layers

Hybrid play is where tournaments meet missions, leaderboards, and badges:

  • “Climb the Ladder” challenges that pay points for each event played.
  • Leaderboards stretching over weeks and sparking long grinds.
  • Achievements for milestones like “Final Table Three Times in a Week” or “Knock Out 10 Players in a PKO.”

This crossover keeps casual players chasing goals and competitive players grinding for prestige — all while strengthening retention loops. When you nail it, tournaments become recurring, gamified events that handle acquisition, retention, and loyalty in one package.

Why It Works for Operators

Gamification in online poker is not just a UX add-on — it moves numbers if done properly.

  • Retention and monetisation: longer sessions, more logins, bigger rake, and better LTV. Plus, new players convert faster when there’s a mission to chase.
  • Skill development: challenges teach strategy, confidence, and adaptability without feeling like homework.
  • Audience segmentation: freerolls for newbies, high-stakes bounties for veterans. You serve each player just the right challenge without losing focus.

Risks and Implementation Challenges

Gamification’s upside is clear — but mess it up, and it quickly becomes a liability. When these risks are managed, gamification pays off big time. Treat it with respect and care like a strategy, not a shortcut or gimmick.

Over-Gamification
Stack too many overlapping mechanics, and the gaming experience turns into a mess. Players get overwhelmed, quit the game altogether, or even fall into unhealthy patterns. The balance is in adding enough variety to motivate, without creating constant pressure to act. It’s a fine line between motivation and overload.

Regulatory Compliance
Operating inside responsible gaming guidelines is a must. Rewards should be transparent, achievable, and not designed to exploit compulsive tendencies. As noted by Dmitry Starostenkov, regulators are increasingly wary of features that blur the lines between skill-building and pushing players too hard.

Technical Complexity
Integration has to be smooth. If missions lag, leaderboards glitch, progression breaks, or interfere with core poker gameplay, this erodes trust. EvenBet’s modular system gives control, but operators still need rigorous testing, UX tweaks, and performance checks.

Building Gamification That Lasts

When done right, gamification in online poker isn’t just bells and whistles. It’s a full-on retention driver. Mix leaderboards, missions, badges, and tiered rewards right into the core game, and you create a cycle that hooks players, grows skill, and boosts revenue.

The winning formula is balance: enough variety to keep things fresh. Clarity so players aren’t guessing. Responsibility so the game stays ethical. Data-driven personalisation ensures that every segment — from first-timers to VIP grinders — finds a reason to return.

Our research at EvenBet Gaming is clear: sustainable gamification is a long game. Set measurable goals and transparent rewards, enhance the poker spirit — never overshadow it. Attention is the rarest currency these days. Platforms that get this balance don’t just hold players — they win the loyalty battle.

The post Why Gamification Is Reshaping Online Poker appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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SlotMatrix ignites the reels of West Virginia with Wild Extravaganza launch

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SlotMatrix, the world’s largest casino content aggregator, has expanded Wild Extravaganza’s reach in the U.S launching in West Virginia, alongside existing markets, New Jersey and Michigan.  

Wild Extravaganza is a high-energy 5×3 video slot that packs vibrant visuals, dynamic gameplay, and huge win potential in a 10-payline experience. The game pays left to right, right to left, and even from the middle, offering players multiple chances to win on every spin.

The core feature of Wild Extravaganza is its multiplying wilds, which can stack on three of the five reels and can reveal a 2x, 3x, or 7x win multiplier.

Wild Extravaganza is fully supported by EveryMatrix’s suite of advanced engagement tools, including free spins, leaderboards, and tournaments, helping operators drive acquisition and retention in regulated U.S markets.

This U.S release is part of a recent surge of SlotMatrix exclusive games entering the market, including 3 Coin Treasures, Lara Jones Treasures of Egypt 2, and Glorious Diamonds.

EveryMatrix holds licences in key North American markets, including West Virginia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Ontario, and powers more than 300 customers globally.

Stephen Orchard, Head of Commercial Operations, SlotMatrix, said: “Wild Extravaganza is all about giving players thrilling, fast-paced action and the chance to land some seriously big wins. We’re excited to bring this experience to West Virginia as we continue our expansion across the U.S.”  

The post SlotMatrix ignites the reels of West Virginia with Wild Extravaganza launch appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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DATA.BET Secures Spot at SBC Summit 2025

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The company strengthens its market position with the recent launch of sports betting

DATA.BET, a trusted sportsbook solution supplier, will present its expanded portfolio at SBC Summit 2025 in Lisbon, stand D160. The company now offers a unified solution covering sports, esports, and virtual sports.

From September 16 to 18, the company’s representatives will unveil the updated product suite. Building on its established presence in esports and virtual sports betting, DATA.BET has expanded into traditional sports betting, covering over 50,000 sports events per month across 63+ pre-match and 38 live sports disciplines. The company’s 24/7 in-house trading team maintains 93% market uptime while delivering 1000+ betting markets backed by official data partnerships.

Each betting vertical, as well as individual sports and leagues within them, can be activated separately or combined based on market needs. Operators can instantly launch the complete sportsbook solution through a ready-to-use Single Page Application (iFrame), while those with an existing betting platform can integrate directly via the Odds Feed API.

At SBC Summit, visitors will explore DATA.BET’s core products: Risk Management system, Odds Feed, Widgets, Streams, SPA (iFrame), and Bet Builder available for all three verticals. The latest features joined our comprehensive suite include Hot Bundles for express betting optimization and Timeline Widget for enhanced game process tracking.

“This marks our first offline presentation of the complete sportsbook solution we launched in May with our full product range and latest features for betting,” said Natalie Loshatynska, Head of PR & Marketing at DATA.BET. “We look forward to showing SBC Summit participants how our technology empowers operators and platform providers to offer their clients a more dynamic and engaging betting experience.”

Discover DATA.BET’s betting technology solution at stand D160. Connect with the team at [email protected] to schedule a meeting.

The post DATA.BET Secures Spot at SBC Summit 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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