Press Releases
Smarkets partners with Affinity Interactive to bring SBK betting app to Iowa

Smarkets, one of the biggest betting exchange platforms in the world, and Affinity Interactive, an omni-channel gaming industry leader, today announced a new agreement for sports betting market access in the state of Iowa.
Smarkets will launch in Iowa with its SBK sportsbook app, which will be unique in the market as it draws prices from the Smarkets betting exchange, one of the worldās leading platforms for betting and trading on sports, politics and current affairs.
Smarkets expects to launch SBK in Iowa later this year. In 2019, Smarkets signed an agreement with Full House Resorts, and the SBK app has been live in Colorado since June 2020, with an additional launch planned in Indiana prior to SBKās introduction in Iowa.
Jason Trost, CEO/Founder of Smarkets, said: āIām incredibly excited about this deal. The potential for SBK is huge in America, so adding our third licensed state is key as we move to our next stage of growth.
āIt is particularly meaningful for me as my family is from Iowa, and so I have always wanted the opportunity to launch there. I canāt wait for bettors in Iowa to enjoy SBKās market-leading odds.ā
Mary Beth Higgins, CEO of Affinity Interactive, said: āWe are pleased to help Smarkets add SBK to another U.S. marketplace, and look forward to welcoming them to Iowa.ā
The state of Iowa legalized sports betting in May 2019, and wagers totaled more than $2 billion in 2021.
Central America
21VIRAL Boosts Latin American Reach Through Strategic Partnership with Virtualsoft

21VIRAL, a leading games aggregator for the Central and Latin American market, has strengthened its expansion by signing an agreement with platform provider Virtualsoft
21VIRAL, a leading games aggregator for the Central and Latin American market, today announced a strategic agreement with prominent platform provider Virtualsoft, significantly strengthening its expansion across the region.
This collaboration will integrate 21VIRALās extensive portfolio of games into Virtualsoftās platform, providing enhanced content options for operators across key Central and Latin American nations. Virtualsoft is a key supplier with a strong presence in markets including Ecuador and Peru, delivering innovative gaming solutions to a diverse range of operators.
Christoph HƤrtel, CEO of 21VIRAL, commented: “Partnering with Virtualsoft is a pivotal moment for 21VIRAL as we deepen our engagement with one of the worldās most rapidly advancing online gaming markets. Virtualsoft underpins numerous leading brands in the region, and integrating our GameConnector solution will allow swift access to their operational brands. We look forward to working closely with Virtualsoftās talented team to deliver innovative and revenue driving gaming experiences.”
Alejandro Velez, General Manager at Virtualsoft, stated: “21VIRAL has a strong reputation for seamless integrations and profound expertise in the Latin American gaming market, making them an ideal partner for us. Together, we are streamlining operations and elevating the gaming experience for players, aiming to set new benchmarks for the industry.”
Compliance Updates
New Initiative from DI Council Aims to Enable Betting on Professional Sports

The Division I Council introduced a proposal that, if adopted in October, would change sports betting rules to permit student-athletes and staff members to bet on professional sports and refocus the Association’s enforcement efforts on college sports betting and behaviors that directly impact game integrity. If adopted, the change will be implemented only if Divisions II and III also vote to allow betting on pro sports.
The council’s introduction of the proposal,Ā which comes after a directive from the Division I Board of Directors in April that the council adopt changes to sports betting rules,Ā is not an endorsement of sports betting behaviors, especially for college athletes.Ā The NCAA’s prohibition against betting on college sports would remain in place, as would the prohibitions against sharing information about college events with bettors.Ā The NCAA also would continue to maintain its prohibition for NCAA championshipsĀ Ā against advertising and sponsorships associated with betting.
“NCAA rules prohibiting sports betting at all levels were written and adopted at a time when sports gambling was largely illegal nationwide,” said Josh Whitman, athletics director at Illinois and chair of the council. “As betting on sports has become more widely accepted across the country, Division I members have determined that further discussion of these sports betting rules is warranted, particularly as it relates to the potential distinctions between betting on professional versus collegiate sports. Throughout our discussions, the council has remained focused on student-athlete wellness and educating student-athletes about the risks and potentially harmful impacts of betting.”
Current NCAA rules do not allow student-athletes or institutional staff to engage in sports betting at any level (professional, college or amateur) for any sports that have NCAA championships, and NCAA members have continually maintained that any betting by a student-athlete on his or her own team or own sport in college should continue to result in a permanent loss of any remaining collegiate eligibility. However, in 2023, Division I changed theĀ reinstatement guidelinesĀ for student-athletes who participate in sports betting on professional sports to focus on harm reduction for problematic betting behaviors.
“Deregulating professional sportsĀ betting may provide schools an additional opportunity to implement harm-reduction strategies, which can be more effective and have long-term benefits not seen with abstinence-only approaches. Harm-reduction strategies include education, stigma reduction and acknowledging actual behaviors,” said Dr. Deena Casiero, NCAA chief medical officer. “By meeting student-athletes where they are, schools may be more effective at preventing, identifying and supporting student-athletes with problematic gambling behaviors. Regardless of the change, schools are encouraged to use the many sports betting resources already available.”
The recently releasedĀ Harm Reduction Considerations for Gambling & Sports Betting in Collegiate Sports references available sports betting resources, including theĀ NCAA Mental Health Best Practices. Additionally, more than 100,000 student-athletes, coaches and administrators have been reached through the NCAA’sĀ education efforts with EPIC Global Solutions, and the NCAAĀ has launched an e-learning moduleĀ to educate student-athletes on problem gambling harms and the integrity risks associated with sports betting.
Several sports betting-related violations by staff members at NCAA schools have been resolved through the infractions process in recent years, and the enforcement staff is working on issuing Notices of Allegations in several ongoing cases that involve allegations of betting on professional and college sports by student-athletes and/or athletics department staff members at a handful of NCAA schools.
The proposed rule change would not be retroactive. If it is adopted, it would apply only to sports betting activities that occur after the effective date of the proposal.
“The enforcement staff’s sports betting-related caseload has significantly increased in recent years, and our staff ā including our new sports betting integrity unit ā has been effective in detecting and pursuing violations,” said Jon Duncan, NCAA vice president of enforcement.
The Association prioritizes competition integrity, which is vital to college sports. The NCAA uses a layered strategy to respond responsibly to the rise in sports betting across the United States by monitoring over 22,000 contests per year, advocating for limits onĀ Ā prop bets that pose heightened risks, reducing the potential for student-athlete abuse by aggrieved bettors, and creating greater transparency to assist with the timely investigation and resolution of integrity-related issues.
This layered approach includes the most recent agreement extension with Genius Sports to establish unprecedented betting restrictions on high-risk proposition bets. Sportsbooks licensing NCAA championship data must cooperate fully with NCAA investigations, including providing access to account data, financial history and geolocation records. This will allow the NCAA to work with the sportsbooks to gather detailed account information when harassers are identified to prevent repeat offenders from continuing to place bets across platforms, increasing safeguards to protect student-athlete mental health and well-being.
Latest News
Optimove and EveryMatrix Launch Real-Time Integration to Power Smarter Marketing for iGaming Operators

Optimove, the leader in Positionless Marketing, has announced a new integration with iGaming technology provider EveryMatrix.
EveryMatrix delivers modular and turnkey iGaming software, solutions, content and services across casino, sports betting, payments, and affiliate management to global tier-1 operators as well as newer brands.āÆThe integration enables shared operators to activate real-time marketing campaigns based on player behavior.
The collaboration introduces a custom integration allowing joint clients to stream real-time event data from EveryMatrix directly into Optimove. As part of Optimoveās platform, the integration empowers any marketer to launch personalized campaigns in real time, without dependency on technical teams. The result is faster execution, increased engagement, and higher player lifetime value.
āWe are confident that with EveryMatrixās powerful platform solutions, combined with our real-time capabilities, operators can realize a new level of speed and precision in marketing. This reflects the power of Positionless Marketing in action,ā said Motti Colman, VP Revenue, Gaming at Optimove. āWeāre giving operators the tools to act instantly on player behavior without waiting on analysts, engineers, or manual processes. Itās all about speed, personalization, and removing the bottlenecks that hold marketing teams back,ā he concluded.
With the integration now live, operators can leverage Optimoveās real-time capabilities to trigger automated campaigns based on deposits, withdrawals, game behavior, and more. This helps deliver contextually relevant experiences at the exact moment players are most likely to engage.
Immediate marketing benefits iGaming operators can realize include:
- Welcome offers following a first deposit
- Instant reactivation messages after session abandonment
- Real-time loyalty rewards based on gameplay milestones
āThis integration adds tremendous value for our operator partners,ā said Kevin Furlong, Group CPO, EveryMatrix. āCombining our robust gaming infrastructure with Optimoveās Positionless Marketing platform with its real-time marketing engine allows our clients to deliver deeply personalized player experiences, when they matter most.āĀ
The launch of real-time with EveryMatrix reflects the growing demand for agility and responsiveness in iGaming marketing. It also underscores the strength of the Optimove-EveryMatrix partnership and their shared commitment to helping operators deliver smarter, more dynamic campaigns.
-
eSports5 days ago
TEAM VITALITY WINS THE BLAST.TV AUSTIN MAJOR 2025, WELCOMING THE ERA OF TEAM VITALITY
-
eSports5 days ago
Red Bull Home Ground Heads to New York this November
-
Gambling in the USA5 days ago
Catawba Two Kings Casino Resort Rising in Kings Mountain as First Year of Construction is Completed
-
Latest News5 days ago
WNBAās Chicago Sky Announces Multi-year Partnership with bet365
-
Compliance Updates4 days ago
PHAI Files Lawsuit in Pennsylvania Over Caesarsā Dangerous Online Casino Promotion and āPay Through Bonusesā
-
Latest News4 days ago
TG Lab unveils new Brazil office to further cement position as marketās most localised platform
-
partnerships3 days ago
International Gaming Standards Association Welcomes New Payments Committee Member: Sightline Payments
-
Latest News4 days ago
Arizona Lottery Awards Pollard Banknote Three-year Contract Extension for Warehousing and Distribution