Three-year deal sees Altenar continue its investment in Isle of Man community

Altenar, a leading sports betting and iGaming software provider, has signed a three-year deal to become the title sponsor of the Gran Fondo Isle of Man cycling event.

This strategic partnership marks a major commitment by Altenar to support cycling on the Isle of Man, a place with a deep-rooted cycling heritage. The island is famously the birthplace of Mark Cavendish, the most successful Tour de France stage winner of all time, who himself has taken part in the Gran Fondo in both 2019 and 2022.

Set against the stunning backdrop of the Manx countryside, over two action-packed days on 19th to 20th July, more than 1,000 riders from around the world will compete across four challenges – the Gran Fondo (85 miles), the Medio Fondo (39 miles), the Piccolo Fondo (20 miles), and the family-friendly Minisculo Fondo, held in the heart of Ramsey’s Mooragh Park which doubles as the race village.

Since its inception, Gran Fondo Isle of Man has attracted over 8,000 riders from as far afield as Japan, Australia, South Africa and the USA. It has earned major accolades – named one of Cycling Weekly’s “Top Ten Must-Do” events for three consecutive years – and been a qualifying round of the prestigious UCI Gran Fondo World Series from 2021-2024.

2025 will mark the final Gran Fondo Isle of Man in the current format, with organisers set to announce exciting plans for their future events shortly, alongside new partner Altenar.

This agreement reaffirms Altenar’s passion for supporting community sports in the Isle of Man and builds on its successful sponsorship of the Isle of Man Marathon and Half Marathon, which will take place in August.

John Quaye, Chief Financial Officer at Altenar, said: “The Isle of Man has cycling woven into its identity, and Altenar is proud to be part of a new chapter for this incredible event.

“With our headquarters at Cycle 360 House, and our existing sponsorship of the Isle of Man Marathon and Half Marathon, this sponsorship is a natural fit – uniting endurance and community, highlighting the beauty of the Isle of Man and showing why it has Unesco World Biosphere status.”

Paul Phillips, Director, Gran Fondo Isle of Man, said: “Having Altenar on board as our title sponsor is a huge vote of confidence in the event’s direction and our long-term vision.

We’re incredibly excited about what we can build together – not just for 2025, but for the evolution of mass participation cycling for all ages and abilities within the context of our own event.

“Our event is well established both within the local community and with international cyclists and we will continue to adapt to deliver memorable and enjoyable cycling experiences that capitalise on the Island’s rich environment and terrain.”

Studio’s savannah-themed release captivates with a host of player-favourite mechanics

Playson, the accomplished digital entertainment supplier, invites players on a high-stakes safari in Lion Gems 3 Pots: Hold and Win, where Special Gems hold the key to lavish Bonus Game variants.

A stunning African landscape plays host to the 5×4 slot as the reels blaze with powerful lions, radiant gems, and dazzling diamonds. Presenting players with bountiful winning opportunities, the type of Special Gems or Pots that activate the Hold and Win Bonus Game determines the Pot Features activated.

As part of Playson’s highly successful 3 Pots mechanic, the red Special Gem activates the Double feature which sees all subsequent identical icons multiplying Bonus symbols by 2x. After all Bonus symbols have been multiplied, a further value is granted, rising to a potential 50x. The Mystery feature, represented by the green Special Gem, awards random instant cash or Jackpot payouts up to an impressive 150x, whilst the violet Special Gem holds the key to the Collect feature which gathers all symbol’s values that land on the reels.

Adding extra flair to the Golden Bonus Game, landing the multi-coloured Extra Gem will see the standout feature transform into either a green, red, or violet Special Gem, allowing players to benefit from an additional Pot Feature to supercharge Bonus riches.

The Golden Bonus Game is further boosted by three shimmering Jackpot diamond variants, with fortunate players who fill all 20 cells able to take home the coveted Grand Jackpot standing at 5,000x.

Base play is also elevated with the thrill of access to the Free Spins mode. Landing three Scatter symbols in the Main Game grants eight Free Spins with Wild icons doubling the win of each payline they are part of. The Bonus Game can also be activated during Free Spins mode.

Marking the award-winning studio’s latest release, Lion Gems 3 Pots: Hold and Win underlines Playson’s ability to meticulously enhance its top-performing mechanics, capturing the imagination of slot enthusiasts globally.

Tamas Kusztos, CCO at Playson, said: “With its sumptuous bonus game offering and thrilling 30 paylines, Lion Gems 3 Pots: Hold and Win offers players an array of opportunities to secure bountiful rewards.

“The savannah-styled theme and pulsating soundtrack offer an intriguing spin to the overall gameplay, whilst the eye-catching Extra Gem feature and 5,000x Grand Jackpot ensure this is a safari not to be missed!”

Founded by two betting industry stalwarts, ParUp Golf brings an eclectic range of exciting features to transform the amateur golf experience, with social betting set to launch in the next phase

The Unit, a leader in product design and development for sports betting and iGaming, is helping shake up the amateur golfing world by delivering the game-changing ParUp Golf app, after being chosen as ParUp Golf’s app development partner.

The launch is set to disrupt and streamline the logistical demands of organising and participating in recreational golf; the app will also introduce social betting features, gamifying the group golf UX, in future iterations of its rollout.

Free to download on the App Store and Google Play, ParUp Golf is designed to help small groups of friends or larger golfing societies manage and elevate their golf-day experience. By creating a digital clubhouse for scheduling and monitoring their rounds of golf, this agile control centre is now fostering more excitement and deeper engagement both before and during the round.

Users can log into the app to make use of a number of features that add to the entertainment, including:

• Live Leaderboards: See real-time scoring for both individual and team events during the round to crystallise positional awareness and fuel the battle for bragging rights;

• Digital Scorecards: An easy-to-use scoring system with minimal clicks for a best-in-class user-experience;

• Schedule Group Events: Organise events at more than 39,000 golf courses worldwide;

• Share & Invite Members: Seamlessly send an event link to ensure group members can join instantly in just one click;

• Highlight Key Event Details: Share event times, costs, prizes and other key information, plus track attendance and payments;

• Multi-Round Series Scoring: Track multi-round series leaderboards for weekend trips or season-long events;

• Team Formats & Side Games: Track longest drive and nearest-the-pin competitions, offering players a fun way to interact on golf days;

• Play Friendly Rounds: Set up casual rounds with friends anytime.

ParUp Golf is the latest product from two industry stalwarts. Ian Lowther is a former Head of Brand Marketing for Betway, and has also worked in senior leadership roles for Betfair, BetVictor and Ladbrokes. While his co-founder, Andy Dymock, also has an extensive background in gaming, having worked in senior management roles at Ladbrokes, BetVictor and The Ritz Club London. Dymock’s most recent role was with the German industry giant Merkur.

The application has been fully developed by The Unit, demonstrating its ability to create and execute robust, scalable platforms. Accordingly, ParUp Golf is another successful example of The Unit’s nous in creating native iOS and Android applications tailored to the specific needs of a client to enhance engagement, user experience and monetisation potential.

In a future phase of the launch, ParUp Golf will unveil a peer-to-peer betting feature, where players will be able to seamlessly place bets against each other within the app, with the winners of a specific side or social game taking their cut of any pooled prize pot.

Paddy Casey, Co-founder at The Unit, said: “We are very proud to have played our part in bringing ParUp Golf to market. It’s an innovative and incredibly useful platform that will add more excitement and gamification to the recreational, social golf experience.

“While The Unit is primarily associated with sports betting and iGaming, the production of the ParUp Golf app as a sports app in its first iteration is proof of how we can diversify and adapt our offering to different domains, formats and game types.

“Custom mobile app development is a key part of our core offering, and we are thrilled to be able to bring that expertise to the world of golf. We wish Ian, Andy and their team all the best with ParUp Golf and we’re very excited to see how it will grow in the coming years.”

Ian Lowther said: “We have launched ParUp Golf with the aim of making recreational group golf easier to manage and more fun to play. By partnering with The Unit, we have given ourselves the best possible chance of success.

“The technology provided by The Unit allows ParUp to create and maintain a more inclusive, more interactive, and more memorable golfing journey – via high-quality, easy-to-use reliable tech.

Andy Dymock said: “We will keep working with The Unit as we continue to grow. And with our background in sports betting, we are perfectly positioned to introduce social betting features into an upcoming phase of our launch. This will be one of several new features still to come, so watch this space!”