The Plaza Hotel & Casino is bringing to Las Vegas the iconic “Wing Bowl,” the premier chicken wing-eating competition that was founded in Philadelphia in 1993. The main event, Wing Bowl 2026®, will take place on Feb. 7, 2026, and the first qualifying “Wing Off” event will take place at Carousel Bar at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 4, and it is free to the public to attend.

The first and second place eaters in the July 4 qualifying event will move on to the February contest. The Plaza will also award $1,000 to the person who eats the most Buffalo wings in 10 minutes on July 4.  The July 4^th qualifying event is one of several that will be held in Las Vegas and Philadelphia in the coming months to compete in the Feb. 7 event at the Plaza.

The main event on Feb. 7 will host a live audience of hundreds of attendees in the Plaza showroom and reach an even wider audience through online broadcasting. With a $5,000 cash prize at stake, 20 competitors will battle it out in three rounds of intense wing-eating action. This competition will feature both amateur and competitive eaters.

The February event will also feature the Wingettes, the cheerleaders of Wing Bowl who escort contestants on stage and bring energy, glamour, and charisma to the event. They will be selected through an exclusive online and live audition process later this year.

William Hill Sportsbook is a partner sponsor of Wing Bowl, and additional sponsorship opportunities are available by contacting

Industry leaders agree new extension to data and streaming partnership that will see FIRST – Best in Sports turbo-charge global growth and boost annual revenues for Genius Sports

 FIRST – Best in Sports, the Tier 1 provider of sports betting solutions, and Genius Sports, the leading sports data and technology company, today announce that they have extended their landmark partnership that will see Genius Sports continue to deliver its industry-leading betting data and streaming technology to FIRST – Best in Sports.

As part of the new agreement, FIRST – Best in Sports will distribute Genius Sports data and streaming content to its expanded B2B network and grow the data company’s volume, reach and annual revenues in a major way as it brings partners onstream in Latin America, with Brazil as a major focus.

• FIRST’s growth in Brazil and leading position as a LATAM-focused sportsbook solution will be further enhanced by Genius’s focus in South America.
• This includes coverage of Brazil’s Serie A, Serie B, Campeonato Paulista, Mexico’s Liga MX and the Primera Ligas in Uruguay, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Paraguay.

The deal extension is part of a comprehensive agreement between two companies that are setting industry standards for the speed, accuracy and depth of their online sports betting offerings. The new partnership also sees FIRST become the official betting partner of Genius Sports, with the group set to recommend FIRST – Best in Sports to operators seeking fully-managed sports betting solutions.

Tom Light, CEO of FIRST – Best in Sports, commented: “We have been working with Genius Sports for many years, and I am delighted to be extending and deepening our relationship with such an industry leader. FIRST – Best in Sports and Genius Sports represent the gold standard in their respective fields and the new agreement will enable us to continue growing revenues for Genius Sports as we launch new partners and expand our network. We look forward to providing the most complete and data-rich solution to sports betting operators in the world’s fastest-growing markets.”

International Game Technology PLC, doing business as Brightstar Lottery (Brightstar), announced that Michelle Carney, Brightstar’s Vice President of Global Lottery Marketing, will be inducted into the Lottery Industry Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2025. The induction ceremony will take place this September at an industry event in Ontario, Canada hosted by the Public Gaming Research Institute (PGRI) in conjunction with the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL).

“Michelle is an incredible asset to Brightstar, its partners and customers, and the entire lottery industry. Over the course of her highly accomplished 25-year career, she has successfully cultivated strategic partnerships, contributed to Brightstar’s global lottery leadership, and championed innovation to drive the evolution of lottery forward. Michelle is a shining reflection of what our new brand represents: an optimistic source of inspiration and innovation for lottery. All of us at Brightstar congratulate Michelle on her well-deserved induction into the Lottery Industry Hall of Fame,” said Vince Sadusky, CEO of Brightstar.

“It is a great honor to be inducted to Lottery Industry Hall of Fame and stand alongside all of the lottery professionals who contributed so much to our industry, many of whom inspired and supported me over the years. I am grateful for the privilege to collaborate with my colleagues at Brightstar and in the industry around the globe and look forward to continue working together to drive the success of lottery and contributions to good causes,” said Carney.

In her current role, Carney is responsible for the development of marketing and communications strategies that support growth for Brightstar’s Global Lottery business, including lottery product marketing, trade shows and events, thought leadership communications, and B2C marketing campaign materials to support customer launches of new game content. She also manages Brightstar’s relationships with industry associations such as the World Lottery Association (WLA), European Lotteries (EL) and NASPL. Under Carney’s strategic planning and guidance, Brightstar is positioned as the industry leader at all trade shows, conferences and events, including customer visits and RFI/RFP presentations.

A recent industry highlight was Carney’s leadership of the development and implementation plan to deliver a $5 Mega Millions game in April 2025, on behalf of the Mega Millions Consortium. She developed an inclusive technical, operational, and retail execution strategy that provided the framework for a successful project delivery of all key milestones across 11 subcommittees comprising lottery and vendor employees. Her comprehensive oversight and leadership ensured that 47 U.S. lotteries and all vendor partners experienced a successful game launch. In earlier years, Michelle collaborated with MUSL and Mega Millions working groups on other multi-jurisdictional game rollouts including Cross-Sell, $2 Powerball, and Cash 4 Life.

The Lottery Industry Hall of Fame was founded by PGRI in 2005 as a means of honoring those who have done the most to make the lottery industry the great success that it is today. Membership is reserved for lottery professionals who have promoted excellence and integrity throughout their careers.