Bally’s Intralot S.A. has reached an agreement with evoke plc, a Gibraltar-incorporated company listed on the London Stock Exchange, on the terms of a recommended all-share acquisition of its entire issued and to-be-issued share capital. The parties have entered into a Co-operation Agreement dated 5 June 2026.
The transaction will be implemented via a scheme of arrangement under Gibraltar law, subject to shareholder approvals and customary conditions. Bally’s Intralot reserves the right to proceed via a takeover offer.
Under the terms, evoke shareholders will receive 0.537 new Bally’s Intralot shares per evoke share, valuing evoke at approximately £243.1 million (52 pence per share). Shareholders may alternatively elect a cash consideration of 52 pence per share, with the total cash component capped at £117.1 million.
The cash option will be funded through a bridge facility of up to €200 million, arranged with Deutsche Bank and Jefferies. Additional committed financing includes up to £889 million equivalent in second lien debt to refinance existing obligations, and a £157 million senior facility from institutional investors.
The transaction is expected to complete between Q4 2026 and Q1 2027.
Mr. Sokratis Kokkalis, Chairman of the BoD of Bally’s Intralot, stated: “Today marks the beginning of a major new chapter for our company with the submission of a binding offer for the acquisition of evoke, aimed at creating a very strong global player in the gaming industry. This move demonstrates the new momentum our company has gained, justifying the trust shown to us by the investment community.”
Yaspa, a leading fintech specialising in payments and identity solutions, has announced that it has won two awards at the EGR B2B Awards 2026, held on 3 June.
The company walked away with both the AI Solutions Provider and Safer Gambling Supplier awards. The EGR B2B Awards – this year held at the HAC In London – recognise suppliers operating across the iGaming industry.
When presenting Yaspa with the AI Solutions Provider award, the judges noted: “Yaspa has demonstrated a highly credible, research-backed, and socially responsible innovation that uses AI to address one of the industry’s toughest challenges: linking financial well-being with gaming behaviour. Yaspa’s Intelligent Payments platform combines technical depth, regulatory alignment, and real-world performance metrics, making it a standout entrant for categories focused on AI innovation, data analytics, or responsible gambling enablement.”
The company collected another prize for Safer Gambling Supplier, which the judges highlighted: “Yaspa has delivered a strong and innovative submission focused on financial vulnerability and demonstrating a great take on open banking’s ability to link to at-risk indicators. Intelligent Payments is well aligned to current affordability challenges and provides useful research validation,” said the judging committee.
In the last 12 months, Yaspa was also named winner of the Payment Solution of the Year at SBC Awards Europe and Best Payments Solutions Provider at the European iGaming Awards. This is in addition to winning the Real-Time Payments Innovation award at the 2025 Payments Awards, and listing as one of the CB Insights Top 100 Fintechs, a global ranking that spotlights the most promising and innovative companies shaping the future of financial services.
James Neville, CEO of Yaspa, shared: “To win not one but two awards at the coveted EGR B2B Awards is an incredible achievement and testament to the great work the whole Yaspa team has done from the company’s inception to now. The recognition by the industry of how our technology is using AI to make gambling safer shows the direction the market is heading and how we are leading the technological innovation in this space, from the front.”
This comes during a period of sustained growth for Yaspa in the past 18 months and closed a $12m investment round in July, led by Discerning Capital. This growth has culminated in the opening of its new Atlanta office in the US, as well as the opening of its tech hub in Leeds, UK, in August 2025.
As Thailand‘s coalition government moves to revive its long-delayed Entertainment Complex Bill, policymakers across Asia are confronting a question that extends far beyond casinos: when legal gambling options are restricted or prohibited, where does consumer demand actually go?
Recent developments in Europe offer a revealing answer
The choice is usually framed as a binary: legalise and regulate, or ban and enforce. Yet the evidence from regulated Western markets suggests prohibition rarely removes demand. It redirects it. The term regulators use is channelization, the share of total gambling activity that flows through licensed, supervised operators rather than the unregulated grey market.
In the Netherlands, that share has just fallen below half. The Netherlands Gambling Authority reported channelization dropping from 51 percent at the end of 2024 to 49 percent in the first half of 2025. For the first time, the country’s illegal online market, estimated at around €617 million in that period, overtook licensed operators by revenue. Stricter deposit limits and higher gambling taxes, both intended to protect players, appear to have pushed a meaningful share of them toward sites with no protections at all.
That is the paradox at the centre of the regulate-versus-prohibit question. Tighten the licensed channel too far, and players do not stop. They leave for operators beyond any regulator’s reach.
Mark Griffiths, Professor of Behavioural Addiction
What that licensed channel is meant to provide explains why the gap matters. Behavioural researchers such as Nottingham Trent University’s Mark Griffiths have long argued that the structural features of a product, above all its event frequency (how rapidly a game allows repeat bets), are what drive harm in vulnerable players.
In a regulated market, that risk is managed through enforceable safeguards: deposit and time limits, self-exclusion, reality checks and problem-gambling screening of the kind catalogued in iGamingCare’s safer-gambling tools. On an offshore site, a banned or self-excluded player simply registers again, and none of those controls follow them.
European policymakers are responding by funding the evidence base rather than retreating. In May 2026, UK Research and Innovation backed a new national programme to study gambling harms of exactly this kind.
For legislators in Bangkok, Manila and beyond, the lesson is less about morality than plumbing. Thailand’s bill was shelved late last year before its current revival, and the Philippines is still reckoning with the fallout of its offshore-operator ban. Prohibition does not switch demand off. It decides only whether that demand sits inside a system that can see it, or outside one that cannot.
Building upon their analysis of Europe’s major leagues, which revealed a multimillion-dollar, 12-percentage-point gap in trading performance between top sportsbooks and the wider market, odds intelligence firm Bettormetrics will publish a live leaderboard to track operator performance throughout the World Cup.
The analysis measures operator uptime on the Total Goals market across all 1,752 fixtures in the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1, taking the Top 10 from a sample of 22 leading operators with a focus on Latin America, Europe, The UK and Ireland, and the United States.
La Liga emerged as the key differentiator across operator rankings. Several operators who performed competitively in other leagues showed a notable dip in La Liga availability.
The Premier League tended to yield the highest availability figures across the board, reflecting its status as the highest-turnover league globally and the corresponding prioritisation by many trading desks worldwide.
European operators set the standard
European-native operators held a number of top positions in the overall rankings. Tipico led the field with an overall uptime of 95.9% while the trio of Betsson (94.9%), Betano (94.8%) and Superbet (94.7%) each claimed spots in the top 5. Performance varied materially across the full field, with a gap of more than 12 percentage points between the highest and lowest performers.
European sportsbooks are reaping the rewards of their long-term focus on global soccer trading frameworks. By exporting this well-honed expertise to Latin America—a crucial battleground for World Cup betting—brands like Betsson, Betano, and Superbet are proving their dominance. The data confirms that their strategic investments translate directly into superior trading execution, crowning them the new benchmark for soccer availability.
US operators: promising progress, with room to grow
Among US operators, Fanatics delivered the most compelling result, finishing third overall, ahead of every other American competitor and many established European books. Where DraftKings and FanDuel have built dominant positions in American sports betting, Fanatics’ result suggests that when soccer becomes a genuine strategic priority, the gap with European operators can close quickly.
A new geography of trading excellence
The absence of British giants bet365, William Hill, Ladbrokes, and Paddy Power from the Top 10 marks a clear turning point. Though the UK and Ireland’s historical contributions to soccer trading technology and methodology remain foundational, industry leadership is rapidly decentralizing. A new wave of top-tier performance is surging from operators rooted in continental Europe and Latin America, alongside aggressive US contenders like Fanatics. As the industry’s center of gravity shifts globally, the World Cup will undoubtedly serve as a major catalyst for this realignment.
La Liga: a structural market constraint, not just an execution issue
La Liga consistently produced the lowest availability figures across the field. Using the TAP tool, Bettormetrics identified a number of sportsbook-specific reasons why some leagues underperform others on this metric, although live data supply occasionally plays a part.
Pinnacle, SBOBET and the pregame paradox
Despite strong reputations for pregame pricing and market depth, both Pinnacle and SBOBET rank poorly on inplay availability in this analysis, which serves as a reminder that traditional pregame strength does not automatically translate into inplay competitiveness, and that the skills required for each are increasingly distinct.
“The World Cup represents one of the highest-risk and highest-opportunity periods in the sportsbook calendar,” said Sabin Brooks, CEO of Bettormetrics. “Small differences in uptime, trading performance and market availability can have a material impact on turnover, profitability and even reputation.”
“The World Cup leaderboard will answer one simple question: which sportsbook performed best when it matters most?”
“Our objective is not simply to measure performance, but to help operators understand where they can improve,” Brooks added. “That’s why we’re providing complimentary access to the Bettormetrics Trading Analytics Platform during the World Cup group stage, allowing operators to benchmark themselves against the wider market and see first-hand how our observability platform can drive better trading outcomes.”
Benchmark your World Cup readiness
Bettormetrics is also offering complimentary access to its Trading Analytics Platform throughout the World Cup Group Stage, which will include these Top 10 global operators and many more.
Operators can use the platform to benchmark their own inplay performance against the wider market, identify gaps before they become costly, and see directly how the platform supports better trading outcomes during the industry’s most scrutinised event.
The current Top 10 leaderboard is shown below.
Totals Uptime for the Top 10 Performing Sportsbooks across the Big 5 European Soccer Leagues
To see how your sportsbook ranks and register for complimentary access, visit https://bettormetrics.com.
Prominent online poker and card game software developer EvenBet Gaming has been crowned Poker Supplier of the Year at the esteemed 2026 EGR B2B Awards.
Held at London’s City Central at the HAC, the 17th annual EGR B2B Awards gathered global iGaming stakeholders to honor the pioneering companies that set the wider gambling market’s ultimate benchmark for operational excellence, innovation, and customer service.
The Poker Supplier category specifically honors companies that deliver innovative, high-quality poker solutions, demonstrate strong product integration, maintain jurisdictional compliance, and consistently respond to the evolving needs of operators and players.
EvenBet Gaming’s prestigious award victory over tough industry competitors solidifies its market leadership, capping off a period of exceptional growth, technical evolution, and global expansion.
Commenting on the remarkable achievement, Dmitry Starostenkov, CEO of EvenBet Gaming, said: “Securing the Poker Supplier title at the EGR B2B Awards 2026 is a proud moment for EvenBet Gaming, validating over a decade of continuous technical innovation. We have always focused on eliminating operational complexity, making poker an accessible and highly profitable vertical for multi-brand operators. This recognition from industry leaders in London confirms that our product strategy aligns perfectly with modern iGaming demands.”
Over the past 12 months, EvenBet has introduced strategic upgrades to its core infrastructure, designed specifically to lower operational overheads for casino-first and multi-vertical operators. The launch of high-performance formats, including One Click Poker and Spins Poker, dramatically simplified the player experience, allowing operators to seamlessly tap into network liquidity.
Evoplay has unlocked Joker Jane, its latest jest-filled slot developed by Evoplay Studios, reimagining the iconic character through a bold and rewarding gameplay experience.
Moving away from the traditional portrayal of the classic Joker, the title introduces players to a charismatic new female lead character whose playful personality and mysterious edge drive the action.
Wild symbols featuring 2x and 3x multipliers appear on reels two to four, boosting winning combinations and creating stronger payout potential throughout both the base game and Free Spins feature.
Scatter symbols landing anywhere on the reels trigger Free Spins, with players awarded up to 20 spins depending on the number of Scatters collected. During the feature, every Wild symbol carries a multiplier, adding an even greater intensity to the gameplay.
The Bonus Game can be triggered by landing eight or more Bonus symbols. Each Bonus icon contains random cash values alongside the chance to collect one of four fixed jackpots, including the GRAND jackpot worth 5,000x the bet.
During the Bonus Game, players begin with three spins, with every newly landed Bonus symbol resetting the counter and remaining locked in place until the feature concludes. Collecting 20 Bonus symbols awards the top GRAND jackpot, creating a high-volatility experience designed to keep engagement levels high.
For players seeking immediate access to the game’s latter stages, the Bonus Buy feature allows direct entry into either the Bonus Game or Free Spins in selected markets.
Blending colourful presentation and strong jackpot potential, Joker Jane by Evoplay delivers a fun twist on a classic theme, building around personality-driven gameplay and fast-paced excitement.
Ivan Kravchuk, CEO at Evoplay, said: “Joker Jane takes a well-known slot theme and gives it an entirely new identity through character, energy and gameplay depth. We wanted the game to feel expressive and unpredictable from the very first spin, while still offering rewarding mechanics that keep players fully engaged. With multiplier Wilds, jackpot-driven Bonus gameplay and vibrant presentation throughout, Joker Jane delivers wild excitement at every stage.”
Ainsworth Game Technology (AGT) chairman Danny Gladstone and company secretary Mark Ludski have resigned from their positions, effective immediately, the Australian slot machine manufacturer told the Australian Securities Exchange on Friday, June 5th.
Both men told the board they had decided to step down in light of recent media reports regarding personal payments made to them more than eight years ago, adding that the move was in the best interests of the company so it could move past the ‘distracting complaints’ and focus on its strategic priorities.
The Australian Financial Review reported in February that founder Len Ainsworth had paid Gladstone a bonus of AU$10 million ($7.1 million) and Ludski AU$5 million ($3.6 million), shortly after Austrian gaming group Novomatic AG took a majority stake in the company in a deal finalized in early 2018.
Graeme Campbell, an independent non-executive director since 2007, has been appointed chairman, bringing more than 30 years of experience in corporate consultancy for the hotels and registered clubs sector. He also joins the company’s Regulatory and Compliance Committee, with non-executive director Heather Scheibenstock replacing Gladstone as its chair.
AGT named chief financial officer Lynn Mah and Andrew Kabega of BoardRoom Pty Ltd as interim joint company secretaries. Gladstone had served since 2007, first as chief executive and executive director before becoming chairman in 2019, while Ludski joined in 2000 and spent about 22 years as CFO.
The departures come amid a broader dispute involving Kjerulf Ainsworth, a son of the founder and the company’s second-largest shareholder, who has criticized AGT’s governance and opposed Novomatic’s takeover attempts as undervaluing the company. He raised his stake to 9.55 percent through on-market purchases, according to a June 3rd filing.
In the same announcement, AGT addressed a suitability review of its US subsidiary, AGT US, by the Forest County Potawatomi Gaming Commission in Wisconsin, prompted by allegations Kjerulf Ainsworth made to the regulator. According to documentation reviewed by media, the commission is examining ‘corporate governance deficiencies and undisclosed financial transactions’ involving AGT US executives, amid criminal proceedings involving Novomatic. AGT said the commission found the subsidiary had ‘fully complied with all requests’ and renewed its license on May 28th, with no adverse impact on its regulatory standing.
Yevhen Krazhan, CSO at GR8 Tech, explores how surging crypto adoption across Asia is revolutionizing iGaming payments, stating: “When I look at what’s changing fastest in Asia, it’s payment behavior,” as wallets, stablecoins, and seamless cross-border transfers become deeply ingrained in player habits. The winning operators will be those that offer fast, reliable, and local deposits and withdrawals. To make sense of it, Yevhen breaks Asia into two crypto realities.
RGB International Bhd’s near-term earnings outlook is improving, supported by stronger demand for electronic gaming machines and a gradual recovery in its technical support and management services segment, according to Phillip Capital Research, as reported by The Star.
The research house said RGB, a manufacturer, supplier and services provider of electronic gaming machines and casino equipment, is targeting deliveries of between 3,000 and 3,800 electronic gaming machines this year, compared with 2,300 units in 2025.
‘This is underpinned by healthy order replenishment from both replacement demand of about 2,000 to 2,500 units and new integrated resort projects of between 1,000 and 1,300 units,’ Phillip Capital Research said.
The firm has already secured about 2,000 units of orders year-to-date, including around 1,000 units from a new integrated resort project in the Philippines. Deliveries are scheduled by the third quarter of 2026, with a potential additional 200 units expected by the fourth quarter of 2026.
Phillip Capital Research also said RGB’s technical support and management services segment is positioned for recovery despite the continued closure of the Cambodia-Thailand border.
‘The TMS earnings outlook continues to improve, supported by cost rationalization in Cambodia and stronger customer traffic trends in Laos,’ it said.
The research house noted that RGB’s outlet rationalization efforts and a 50 percent workforce reduction in Cambodia are expected to support profitability, while rising Thai visitor traffic into Laos from the second quarter of 2026 should strengthen sales and earnings from the segment.
Over the longer term, RGB expects growth opportunities from new gaming markets, including Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates.
FeedConstruct has announced a strategic agreement granting the company exclusive data and video streaming rights to a comprehensive portfolio of Romanian football competitions.
The partnership provides FeedConstruct with full‑season exclusivity, significantly strengthening its European football offering and expanding access to one of the region’s most dynamic and tradition‑rich markets.
Romania’s football ecosystem represents a high‑growth opportunity for the global iGaming sector. With more than a century of history, a deeply passionate fan base, and a consistently high volume of competitive fixtures, the market is ideally positioned for modern betting engagement and enhanced live coverage.
The agreement covers major Romanian football properties, including the Romanian FA Cup, Super Cup, Men’s Liga 2 and Liga 3, Superliga Women, Women’s National Team matches, and Liga 1 Futsal competitions.
This partnership further reinforces FeedConstruct’s position as a global provider of sports data and streaming solutions. As Romanian football continues to attract strong regional and international interest, the collaboration expands operator access to high‑demand competitions while delivering the fast data, reliable coverage, and high‑quality streaming experiences required in today’s betting environment.
Through its global distribution network, FeedConstruct continues to support rights holders in increasing international visibility while enabling sportsbooks to drive deeper engagement and more dynamic betting experiences.
