Popular iGaming content provider BGaming has discovered a brand-new moon where Christmas-loving spiders are ready to party. Wild Moon Thieves X-Mas Edition is a charming seasonal slot which features a whole host of special symbols, including Collector, Booster and Cleaner symbols, two Bonus games and an inviting mini-game.

With the lunar glow shining over the 5×4 game field, friendly Wild Moon spiders come out to unleash mischief on the reels, delivering a delightful bundle of festive treats. Donning their party hats, smiling arachnids can appear in the form of Scatter symbols, with three of their symbols on reels 1, 3 and 5 triggering three Free Spins.

The endearing mini-game starts before the Free Spins Bonus game. Players are faced with 16 closed doors and can click each one, or use the Autoselect function, to reveal the number of Wild symbols that will appear in the Free Spins round. Doors are opened until a Collector symbol appears, adding up the Multipliers.

During the Free Spins round, spiders randomly replace the regular symbols with cobweb Wilds. The Wilds then complete any winning combination before the next spin starts.

To trigger the second Bonus game, Moon Respin, two iced gem Bonus symbols must land on reels 2 to 4. This Hold and Win game offers three starting respins and features special symbols, such as sticky Moon Multipliers with values of up to x100, a Collector, Booster and Cleaner. Respins can be retriggered if any of these symbols land on the reels. The more Moon symbols drop in this medium volatility slot, the higher the total win. This game ends when all the cells are filled or the respins run out. All dropped Multipliers are then summed up and applied to the bet.

The rocket Booster adds a random value to the Multipliers on the reels, while the Cleaner captures all Multipliers and then turns into a Moon symbol to display the sum of the Multipliers, erasing the other Moons.

Wild Moon Thieves X-Mas Edition offers attractive rewards, with the default max win of €250,000 and 97% RTP.

Alex Baliukonis, Game Designers Team Lead at BGaming, said: “As the holiday season approaches, we are excited to transport players to our magical winter wonderland set on the glistening Wild Moon. In Wild Moon Thieves X-mas Edition, we have not one but two Bonus games for players to revel in, resulting in an unforgettable gameplay variety.

“With our unique mini-game adding a new layer of anticipation and welcoming a cast of adorable spiders to take the game in different directions, we expect this slot to engage players well beyond the month’s festivities.”

Pollard Banknote Limited has congratulated Niké (“the Lottery”), Slovakia’s largest betting company, on its outstanding success in achieving record-breaking instant ticket sales over the last several years. Since 2018, Niké’s instant ticket sales have grown by over 52%—making it one of the fastest-growing lotteries in Europe. Most recently, Niké attained consecutive record sales in fiscal years 2022 and 2023 and 2024 is set to surpass last year’s impressive performance.

As Niké’s exclusive instant ticket partner since 2013, Pollard Banknote collaborates closely with the Lottery, offering expertise in portfolio management and a wide array of sales-driving print innovations. Niké’s continued success is propelled by a forward-thinking instant ticket marketing strategy that prioritizes the development of eye-catching games, delivering value to players, carefully planned portfolio design and retail expansion.

By strategically incorporating Pollard Banknote’s cutting-edge print innovations across all price points, Niké offers a rich portfolio of bold designs to maximise appeal to players. Niké leverages the company’s industry-leading Scratch FX products, specialty inks, and innovative concepts such as Jumbo Pop ‘n’ Play to effectively increase game visibility and drive sales. For instance, for the game DVOJITÁ VÝHRA (DOUBLE WIN), the Lottery used Spectrum Scratch FX Duos to produce a striking ticket design with two contrasting holographic patterns, which delivered great results—it sold 20% higher than the average non-holiday €5 game. Niké has also utilised Pollard Banknote’s digital printing capabilities to launch the highly successful Kapitán GECO (Captain GECO) series of games, distributed exclusively at GECO retailers and tied into GECO’s loyalty programme.

Pollard Banknote has worked closely with Niké to optimise its product portfolio—increasing launches from 10 in 2017 to 25 in 2023, with a variety of options to ensure broad player appeal, including different play mechanics, price points, prize structures and ticket designs. Drawing on Pollard Banknote’s strategic advice, in October of 2023 Niké launched its first-ever €30 game, DELUXE 30—a large, folded ticket featuring Spectrum Scratch FX, offering players 30 games inside—and it became one of Niké’s top-selling games during the 2023 holiday period. Niké also strategically expanded its holiday offerings in 2023 to include games at the €10 price point, as well as released its first holiday family. Building on the sell-out success of the 2022 €5 holiday game Vianočný žreb (Christmas Ticket), Niké launched the Vianoce (Christmas) family of games at the €2, €5, and €10 price points. The family’s cute critters were once again embraced by Niké’s players, with the €10 game featuring Scratch FX almost entirely sold through during the holiday season.

“We are thrilled with how successful our partnership has been, and in particular with achieving two years in a row of record instant sales. Pollard Banknote has been an unwavering partner—constantly bringing new ideas, captivating artistic design, and portfolio recommendations that contribute to our success. We look forward to continuing to work together to provide innovative and fun games to our players,” said Marián Jamrich, Lottery Director of Niké.

“Congratulations to Niké, whose enthusiasm for innovation and implementation of proven growth strategies have led to impressive sales growth year after year. It’s always a pleasure to work with forward-thinking lotteries like Niké, and in the coming years of our partnership we look forward to delivering more outstanding games for Niké’s players,” said Laura Kroeker, Director of Sales & Marketing at Pollard Banknote.

Former Irish tennis professional Conor Niland has won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2024 with his memoir The Racket: On Tour with Tennis’s Golden Generation.

The Racket becomes the first tennis book to clinch the world’s longest established and most valuable literary sports-writing prize in its history and Niland is the first author from the Republic of Ireland to win since Paul Kimmage’s Rough Ride: Behind the Wheel with a Pro Cyclist in 1990.

Niland’s autobiography describes the highs and lows of his career on the ATP Tour, revealing the hardships of the majority of players struggling to balance the books as they seek to breakthrough against the game’s best.

The Racket is an underdog story that lifts the lid on the perils of match-fixing and doping in tennis, while also sharing light-hearted tales of Niland’s seven years on the road.

The debut release from the 43-year-old was one of six books shortlisted for this year’s award, which was decided by a six-person judging panel, with Niland beating off competition from the likes of double Olympic champion Kelly Holmes and Afghanistan women’s football captain Khalida Popal.

Niland’s memoir was crowned the winner by a judging panel comprising chair Alyson Rudd, Clarke Carlisle, Gabby Logan, Dame Heather Rabbatts, Mark Lawson and Michelle Walder. In addition to the prestigious trophy, Niland also claims the winning £30,000 prize.

Alyson Rudd, Chair of the judging panel, said: “We are delighted to present Conor Niland with the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2024 for his astonishing autobiography, The Racket.

“This prize seeks to highlight the best in sports writing and there is no doubting the fact that Conor’s work is of the highest calibre, offering a fascinating insight into his career as a tennis professional.

“The book brings the reader into the world of elite sport, but also emphasises the relatable underdog story of an everyman fighting against the odds to fulfil their dreams.

“The panel wishes to praise all six nominated authors and another year of stunning releases, showcasing the rich diversity of perspectives and experiences.”

Winning author Niland said: “I accept this award with a lot of humility. The other shortlisted books are incredible stories so I feel very fortunate to have won and so grateful.

“This is all pretty improbable. My brother told me I would win the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award when he read this last Christmas, I took that with a pretty large pinch of salt, but he was right. It’s amazing.

“The pro tennis tour is a little bit of a misunderstood sport, we were able to show what the world is really like, for the guys a little bit further down the rankings.”