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Xanada Investments Announces the Launch of the Xanada Pitch Contest 2025
$50,000 Investment Prize & Global Exposure Await the Next Big iGaming Startup
Xanada Investments announced the launch of the Xanada Pitch Contest 2025, a global competition aimed at supporting iGaming startups seeking investment and growth opportunities in partnership with NEXT.io and Lilith PR Agency.
The contest offers a $50,000 equity investment to the winning startup, along with strategic mentorship, industry connections, and marketing support.
The competition will follow a two-stage selection process. From February 10 to April 1, 2025, startups can submit their applications online. Following the initial evaluation, the top five finalists will be announced on April 10, 2025, and will proceed to a live pitch event at the NEXT Summit in Valletta on May 8, 2025.
A Panel of Experts Will Choose the Winner
The final five startups will pitch their ideas live on stage at NEXT Valletta to a distinguished panel of judges, including:
- Vladimir Malakchi – CEO & Managing Partner, Xanada Investments
- Pierre Lindh – Co-founder & Managing Director, NEXT.io – The World’s iGaming Community
- Dmitry Belianin – CEO & Founder at Belianin, Co-founder & Managing Partner at Blask
- A Secret Judge – To be revealed soon
“A Unique Chance to Scale and Succeed”
“The Xanada Pitch Contest is raising the bar for startup competitions. This is a rare opportunity for iGaming startups – whether they are launching, growing, or looking to scale – to showcase their vision in front of key investors and decision-makers. We are committed to bringing together the brightest minds in the industry to support the next wave of innovation,” said Vladimir Malakchi, CEO & Managing Partner of Xanada Investments.
Who Should Apply?
The contest is open to Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A startups operating in the iGaming sector. Startups at various growth stages – whether developing new solutions or scaling existing ones – are encouraged to apply.
Application and Key Dates
- Applications Open: February 10 – April 1, 2025
- Top 5 Finalists Announced: April 10, 2025
- Live Pitch Event: May 8, 2025, at NEXT Summit, Valletta
For further information and to apply, visit https://xanada.investments/contest or reach out to Xanada Investments at [email protected]
The post Xanada Investments Announces the Launch of the Xanada Pitch Contest 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Poppleston Allen bolsters Gambling Team with specialist commercial law consultant
Leading licensing law firm Poppleston Allen is delighted to announce that betting and gaming industry stalwart Tom Grant is joining their Gambling Team as a consultant solicitor, bolstering its offering by advising on commercial contracts.
Tom has more than 20 years of experience in the gambling sector and has advised high-profile clients including Buzz Bingo, Cowells-Arrow, FSB and GAN as well as numerous growing businesses within the sector. Tom will work with the Gambling team drafting, negotiating, and advising on a range of commercial agreements that are essential to the growth of our clients’ business, such as sponsorship agreements, game development agreement, sports data rights licences, content licensing, platform agreements, affiliate terms, white-label agreements and customer terms and conditions.
Partner and department head Nick Arron comments: “I’m really looking forward to working with Tom. We’ve had a number of clients in common for years and our legal practices complement each other nicely. Tom’s expertise and understanding of regulatory frameworks and commercial challenges are fairly unique within the gambling sector, and allows us to offer additional services to our clients and reflects the opportunities we see in the gambling industry.”
Tom Grant said: “This is a great opportunity for both of us. The team has an outstanding reputation in the sector, and I look forward to contributing my expertise to help clients navigate the complexities of commercial agreements and achieve success in a competitive and dynamic market.”
Alongside his work with Poppleston Allen, Tom will continue to grow his own practice at Grant Legal.
The post Poppleston Allen bolsters Gambling Team with specialist commercial law consultant appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Latest News
Altenar integrates Optimove’s Opti-X platform to deliver enhanced personalised content
Leading sportsbook technology provider adds dynamic layouts, real-time messaging and flexible experimentation tools
Altenar, a leading sports betting and iGaming software provider, has integrated Optimove’s Digital Experience Platform (DXP), Opti-X, to help operators boost engagement, personalisation and lifetime value from a player’s first visit.
Optimove’s DXP offers a Real-Time Messaging feature which allows operators to automatically trigger personalised messages across all marketing channels at the most opportune moments, ensuring timely and relevant communication that keeps players engaged.
Opti-X includes a Smart Search Engine powered by AI, which delivers lightning-fast, personalised search results. The engine tailors results based on a player’s past search history, platform behaviours, and betting preferences.
Altenar can now also offer more advanced end-to-end personalisation across all channels and platforms. Opti-X’s behavioural, historical, and predictive modelling equip operators to create detailed micro-segments, which promise more personalised interactions, fostering loyalty and increasing player value over time.
This strategic integration underscores Altenar’s commitment to continuously improving its offering and delivering innovative, player-centric solutions that have a significant impact for sports betting operators.
Diego Salas, Sales Manager at Altenar, said: “We are committed to enhancing the user experience and leveraging data to provide personalised content that offers clear benefits both to players and operators. Our partnership with Optimove allows our clients to better understand player behaviour and tailor their content to optimise their offerings and marketing messages.”
Adi Dagan, Senior Director of Partnerships at Optimove, said: “Altenar is a clear breakthrough leading sports betting software provider and being part of their solution is a true honour. This partnership is a boon for sports betting operators to ensure incredible personalised experience for each player. These are incredibly exciting times for online sports betting as we get to partner with an innovator like Altenar to take the industry to the next level.”
The post Altenar integrates Optimove’s Opti-X platform to deliver enhanced personalised content appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Spillemyndigheden Calls Attention to FATF’s Updated Lists of High-risk Jurisdictions
The Danish Gambling Authority has called attention to FATF’s (Financial Action Task Force) updated lists of high-risk jurisdictions: the Grey List (jurisdictions under increased monitoring) and Black List (call for actions). Among other things, gambling operators must include FATF’s lists of high-risk jurisdictions when assessing players’ risk.
Jurisdictions listed on the Grey List are Algeria, Angola, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Ivory Coast, Croatia, DR Congo, Haiti, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Mali, Monaco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Venezuela, Vietnam and Yemen.
Jurisdictions listed on the Black List are Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran and Myanmar
Gambling operators are required to conduct enhanced customer due diligence (EDD) pursuant to section 17(1) of the Danish AML Act, if a player is assessed to impose a higher risk of the gambling operator being misused for money laundering or terrorist financing.
Gambling operators shall conduct this risk assessment based on Annex 3 to the AML Act (high-risk factors) which includes the FATF high-risk country lists (the so called black list and grey list)
It is not required that gambling operators perform EDD if a country is listed on the FATF’s list. EDD are only a requirement for players from jurisdictions listed in the EU Regulation of High Risk Third Country list pursuant to. 17(2) of the AML Act.
The post Spillemyndigheden Calls Attention to FATF’s Updated Lists of High-risk Jurisdictions appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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