Tag: UK

Entain, a leading player in the global sports betting and gaming sector, has launched an innovative new game, Bingo Tournaments, through its UK brands Gala and Coral – an industry-first that brings a fresh twist on the free-to-play experience. Players can now go head-to-head for leaderboard points to claim top ranking positions and win prizes, in tournaments that start on the hour, all day, every day.

Bingo has stood the test of time and evolved into a game that takes different formats – from the local community Bingo Hall, to free-to-play mobile games. In fact, the number of UK players logging in to play Bingo with Entain’s leading brands has increased by 80% since 2021[1], and this upward trend is continuing in 2024.

What makes Bingo so popular is that it is an inherently social game. It is about players enjoying the game, experiencing little moments of excitement, and sharing these experiences with other people who love the game. Bingo Tournaments brings this community-based element to the online game for the first time – providing more ways to play, more ways for players to interact with each other, and more ways to win.

Since its launch last month, Entain’s Bingo Tournaments has already been a hit, amassing over 80,000 unique players, and with 68% of Gala Bingo players engaging with the new game. These figures are expected to grow as Entain continues to deliver even better Bingo experiences for its customers.

Satty Bhens, Chief Product & Technology Officer at Entain, said: “Everything we do comes down to making sure that we’re providing the best experiences possible for our customers – so they enjoy playing with us, and keep playing with us. Introducing a groundbreaking game and a more social way to play through Bingo Tournaments is just one way that we’re refreshing and investing in our games to deliver the best products to our customers.”

Former eight-time Champion Jockey Peter Scudamore vocalises the meaning of Mark Boylan’s ‘A Song For Campbell’ on the latest episode of new podcast Disc Jockeys, produced by creative marketing agency Square in the Air.

The new weekly show sees host Chris Barnett chat to some of the biggest names in racing as they look back on the key moments in their careers through five carefully selected musical tracks, all in aid of the Injured Jockeys Fund.

Square in the Air will donate £250 per episode to the Injured Jockeys Fund on behalf of each guest and are encouraging listeners to also pledge support. Each show will also be available on Spotify.

Listen via Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2iQCJc7OpdX9ETe0BrT5ar?si=8e3a71b9858349c8
Donate via JustGiving: https://www.justgiving.com/page/sitadiscjockeys

EPISODE 4: PETER SCUDAMORE

This episode brought back some memories for Peter Scudamore, including what was and still is a tough and saddening moment in his life, losing stable jockey and friend Campbell Gillies. Furthermore, how Mark Boylan’s “extraordinary” ‘A Song For Campbell’ has brought some sort of joy from such a dark point.

“If Cheltenham Festival was a song, it would be Mark Boylan, A Song for Campbell,” said Scudamore. “It was a song written about someone and something that happened in my life that I will never get over – young Campbell Gillies.

“He can’t have been much older than 18 when Mark wrote the song, and it’s such an extraordinary song. Although it is about this boy, this moment in time, it has key connotations to Cheltenham Festival and what the emotion of Cheltenham is. It’s what we admire in people, it’s the honesty and bravery that Campbell also possessed.

“It is such a superbly-written song, I don’t think Mark knew Campbell, but he must have spoken to a lot of people he mentions. It’s an emotional song and it reflects the bravery of the jockeys and horses, I love it.”

Francome stopping riding to share record was a very poignant moment

Having ridden over 1,600 winners, including 13 Cheltenham Festival victories and having won the Champion Jockey title eight times, Scudamore revealed that the most poignant moment in his career was when becoming joint Champion Jockey for the first time when John Francome decided to stop riding to ensure they would finish level for the tally of wins.

“A very poignant moment is my career is when I was joint Champion Jockey in 1981/82 with John Francome. I broke my arm at Southwell which forced me to the sidelines in the closing stages of the season.

“John actually called my father and he expressed how, if he were to draw level with me on the tally of wins, then he was going to stop riding to share this title with me. I was 15 to 20 winners in front of him at the time and he had no reason to do what he did. It has to be considered one of the greatest sporting gestures of all time.

“He’s a great man and, funnily enough, he did say to me in years to come that he thought that was my one chance at Champion Jockey. He didn’t think I’d go on to win as many as I did!”

Injured Jockeys Fund very close to my heart

With the release of each episode of Disc Jockeys, Square in the Air will donate £250 to the Injured Jockeys Fund and it’s a charity that Scudamore and his family are a big part of.

“I’m immensely proud to be a part of the Injured Jockeys Fund as it goes back in my family a long way. My father used to collect donations in a blanket at the cricket for the injured jockeys.

“Lord John Oaksey had a massive influence on the growth of the charity, he’s probably one of the greatest men ever in National Hunt racing. I had the privilege of sitting as a director of the Injured Jockeys fund. It’s a truly magnificent charity – it’s the best sporting charity with the things they do and the aid they give.”

Playnetic, the new immersive iGaming business, has marked its introduction to the industry with a bang after enjoying a successful brand launch at this year’s ICE London. Using the prominent industry event to official announce itself and reinforce the company’s key messages to its partners, Playnetic also revealed details of ten exciting casino titles, as it previewed games from its ever-expanding portfolio.

The jampacked tradeshow saw Playnetic kickstart its mission in offering innovative titles built with the latest technology and most exciting in-game features. At ICE, potential collaborators were treated to a sneak peek under the hood of the new company, and a chance to understand the levels of quality, reliability and service on offer.

iGaming’s newest player exclusively showcased ten games from its growing library, demonstrating a range of captivating titles that are primed to enter key global markets.

The collection includes eight thematic slots and two classic tables games, including thrilling titles: Max Catch, Miners are Wild and Thor’s Wild Power. These absorbing games were the centre of attention for Playnetic’s highly popular daily tournament, presenting enchanting audio-visuals and a variety of mechanics, the trio of titles attracted more than 300 players each day, with nine lucky players taking home a collection of brilliant prizes.

Dan Phillips, Playnetic CEO said: “We’re pleased to have had such a successful launch at one of the most important gaming events of the year. It was a pleasure to speak with a variety of industry experts and relay our vision for what we can offer in a vastly competitive business environment.

“It was fantastic to see so many positive leads for our CCO, Julian Borg-Barthet and the sales team; highlighting what a triumphant show it was. We’re really looking forward to the year ahead and to showcasing more content from our growing games library, beyond the ten titles we launched at ICE. We have a lot planned and are excited to continue growing and making our mark in key jurisdictions.”

Further exciting and original titles demonstrated at ICE included: Pop the Bank, Osiris Fortune, Nefertiti’s Ring Jackpot, Dragon’s Blaze, Max Catch and Bison Trails. Each game presents a unique design, with most featuring a highly sought-after Free Spins mode, as well as a range of progressive mechanics and multipliers – guaranteed to increase player engagement and retention.