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BetMGM confirmed its arrival on the British gambling landscape back in August 2023 and as they prepare to mark the first half-year period, the company believes the results vindicate the “big splash” in the UK.
As reported by i Gaming Business, high-profile sports sponsorships, glitzy ‘Vegas style’ advertising and an engaging customer experience are all said to have contributed to the initial success which has gone above and beyond the expectations of BetMGM’s UK director, Sam Behar.
“It’s been an unbelievable first five months entering the UK, especially given the way we did. We had a unique ambition to make things work and we’ve certainly made a big splash, which is excellent,” he said.
“Of course, we always thought it would, but it’s made a much bigger impact than even we could have anticipated and, even though we had high hopes, we even exceeded those expectations. It’s fair to say punters really like our product, especially the Vegas experience that we’ve brought to the UK,” added Behar.
MGM has appeared to carve a slice of the pie for itself by providing an alternative. That has been made possible by focusing on engagement and the customer experience for users.
Data utilization has been a driver for the company, steering its direction with further credit given to its own exclusive products such as the MGM Grand Gamble slot game.
That’s Entertainment
BetMGM has attempted to bring the glamour of its Las Vegas image into its online casino offering, whilst shaking up the traditional sportsbook market for British customers. On this, Behar confirmed the deliberate ploy to combine US elements with a distinct UK-based identity.
Their endeavors have been helped by a bold television advertisement featuring American comedian Chris Rock and a lion gliding along London’s famed River Thames in a golden speedboat, whilst supplementary ads have run on Sky Sports, a major UK broadcaster.
The brand aims to be more than a disruptor. It wants to be loud, to be brash, to be an entertainer and to provide something different.
Sponsorship and alignment are also part of the plan with high-profile deals in place with Premier League soccer clubs Manchester City, Wolves, Brighton, Aston Villa and Newcastle. MGM branding is apparent at all of those stadiums, with the marketing plan extending to title sponsorship of Darts’ Premier League.
The UK operation is a joint venture between MGM and Entain, a major international gambling company, listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Image: Pixabay/Pexels
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Google may be adding a new Bluetooth feature for Android 15 that could allow broadcasting audio to nearby devices, according to Android Authority. Currently, unless someone is using an app with a built-in social listening feature like Spotify, it can be challenging for them to share what they are listening to with everyone else in their group. However, Auracast is said to be able to use Bluetooth Low Energy without the need for pairing.
In order for this to work, both the sender and receiver will need to have Auracast for it to work, which will only be available for the latest version. This is based on a work-in-progress code that is hidden at present. Android Authority reports that it is possible that “such predicted features may not make it to a public release.”
While investigating the Android 14 QPR2 Beta 3 release, there were a number of new audio “strings” reportedly found within the Settings function. It apparently contained a toggle for sharing audio, along with a button for scanning a QR code to link to a nearby audio stream, a button for selecting a different Bluetooth device for listening, and a section displaying a list of nearby audio streams.
Although Android 13 can already connect to nearby LE Audio broadcasts through a button in Android’s media output switcher, Google is believed to be making this feature more prominent in the Settings for Android 15.
What could we expect from Android 15?
Google hasn’t published official information on Android 15 and its possible release dates, however, it is expected that the company may launch the Android 15 Developer Preview in February or March 2024. There has been speculation regarding Android 15 bringing back lock screen widgets, a functionality removed from the operating system with Android 5.0 Lollipop.
Reports from Android Police also indicate that Android 15 has been named Vanilla Ice Cream, succeeding Android 14’s Upside Down Cake. This name, Vanilla Ice Cream, is said to be a homage to Android’s history. The term “vanilla Android” is commonly used to describe the basic version of Android, a nod to “plain android.”

It’s a bit earlier than usual, but it seems the internal dessert code-name for Android 15 V has been revealed: “Vanilla Ice Cream”. pic.twitter.com/pRTFJ4iIfO
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) March 3, 2023

Mishaal Rahman from Android Authority revealed that the cloud file selection for the Photo Picker will enable apps utilizing the native Photo Picker for media sharing to access images stored in Google Photos’ cloud storage, rather than being limited to only local files.
Another feature reportedly found in many custom skins is Private Space. It generates a list of apps that can be secured with a password or biometric feature, similar to Samsung’s Secure Folder.
Featured image: Canva
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Imane Anys, or Pokimane to many of her nine million followers sprung a surprise by announcing she is to leave Amazon’s Twitch platform after a decade and concentrate on other, as yet unconfirmed things.
In a tweet to her followers, Pokimane simply said, “The end of an era. twitch has been my home for a decade..but it’s time to say thank you for all the memories and love during my League, Fortnite, & Among Us days.”
Pokimane is one of the most famous streamers on the planet and shot to fame streaming Fortnite, League of Legends, and other popular games such as Minecraft. Her departure from Twitch will be another blow to the platform that recently “had” to lay off a large portion of its staff to keep profitable.
Pokimane has “left” Twitch before, in fact, I have covered her leaving Twitch before, although Twitch managed to hang on to her talent and re-sign her, but this time it seems more final, even though the streamer has often found herself on the edge of controversy despite her popularity. 

the end of an era
twitch has been my home for a decade..
but it’s time to say thank you for all the memories and love during my League, Fortnite, & Among us days pic.twitter.com/S8FMp6G3I8
— pokimane (@pokimanelol) January 30, 2024

Why has Pokimane quit Twitch?
The stream queen has not given her reasons yet but she has increasing been taking on other opportunities and increasing her workload. It’s possible she now needs more time on these projects than a full-time streaming career allows.
Starting out at 17 in the streaming game, the Morrocan-Canadian Anys is now 27 and soon grew to be the most followed female streamer on the platform. Her popularity helped her land a role in the 2021 movie Free Guy, directed by Shawn Levy. She has also appeared in music videos.
However, in November last year Poki also launched a “healthy snack alternative cookie” company, Myna which was widely criticized for being expensive and provoked a tirade from her calling those complainers “broke boys”, which sparked further backlash.
Anys also helped launch brand consulting and talent management firm RTS in 2021 where she is still listed as Chief Creative Officer.
It is unlikely we are seeing the end of the Pokimane brand, just that it is moving into other profitable spheres, which we will doubtless hear more of soon.
Featured Image: Pokimane on X
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