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Online poker: the biggest winner during the coronavirus pandemic

Published

6 years ago

July 13, 2020

The gambling industry has experienced both extremes during the coronavirus pandemic. On one side, land-based casinos and sportsbooks have been hit extremely hard.

The effects of lockdowns, quarantines, travel restrictions and social distancing measures have meant casinos have been forced to close for more than three months – and the financial consequences have been devastating. From Las Vegas to New Jersey, London to Macau – casinos all around the world are posting all-time low revenues.

Similarly, the lockdown of the vast majority of professional sport has seen sportsbooks grind to a halt, with sports betting companies in the United Kingdom and Europe experiencing slumps between 40 and 60 percent since March.

While the return of sport has helped the sector rebound to an extent, the cancellation of Euro 2020 and the Tokyo Olympics have presented other challenges as such major, international events are prime opportunities for sportsbook companies to attract new customers.

However, while land-based casinos and sportsbooks have felt the full force of the Covid-19 outbreak, other areas of the gambling world have thrived.

Online gambling in the United States, the United Kingdom, and mainland Europe has seen a record surge in the past few months as the very reasons that have damaged land-based casinos – such as lockdowns and social distancing – have directly benefited online operations.

For instance, New Jersey recorded record revenues in May for online casino betting, as companies, like BetAmerica, who offers this service profiting from the lockdown. Meanwhile The Stars Group in the UK reported a 92 percent increase in revenue the same month compared to 12 months ago.

While slots and gambling games have seen a major rise during the past few months, the big winner has been online poker.

Three of the four states in the US with legal online poker operations have reported a huge spike in revenues, while the fourth – Nevada – has not released the figures, but one can safely assume that they, too, have experienced an increase.

New Jersey saw online poker revenue jump from $1.57 million in April 2019 to $5.2m 12 months later, while Pennsylvania enjoyed 68 percent and Delaware 48 percent increases when comparing the same two months.

The trends are similar in Europe. In France, for example, online poker revenue is up 44.1 percent compared to the same month last year while UK-based gambling giant 888 has seen its share price surge.

Of all the online gambling games, poker has been uniquely placed to benefit from the current situation.

As friends and family members have been kept apart, poker has been a popular means of socializing. It explains the increased popularity of Poker Stars’ Private Home Games and the rush of competitors to launch similar services.

“It’s only natural. People are stuck at home, they’re bored and even though there are more live poker options starting right now, people are just hesitant to jump right back in because of the health risk implications,” said professional poker player Danielle Andersen.

Then there has been the move online for prestigious professional events which would otherwise have been cancelled or postponed.

It was announced in June that the World Series of Poker – which had been scheduled to take place from May 26 to July 15 at the Rio Convention Center in Las Vegas – would be held online throughout July through to the first week of September.

By taking the 2020 WSOP online, it has also increased the size of the player pool, allowing players from outside the United States to compete for WSOP bracelets.

While poker great Daniel Negreanu said the move online was a “classic case of making the best of it”, it has still allowed professional poker to continue – a luxury many other sports and competitions do not have.

Meanwhile, professional poker’s other flagship event, PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship, has been canceled.

Aware of the surge in popularity of online poker during these unprecedented times, operators have poured greater investment, marketing, and technology into their poker operations, which will only benefit the game in the long term and help attract and retain more customers.

As life gradually returns to normal, online poker will naturally see a relative decline in interest as millions of people are no longer confined to their homes and professional players are once again able to attend live events.

But what this pandemic has shown is that poker has not only been able to survive under such trying circumstances but has thrived.

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Where to Drive Tier-1 Sport Traffic in July FIFA World Cup Final & More

Published

19 hours ago

July 7, 2026

Master Editor

July is one of the strongest months for sports traffic, with the FIFA World Cup knockout stage, Wimbledon finals, Formula 1, UFC, esports, cricket, and rugby driving high-value Tier-1 audiences.

Moreover, with N1 Sport Promo by N1 Partners running until July 20, affiliates still have time to increase their CPA while scaling quality sports traffic during the busiest weeks of the season.

Key sports events in July

The N1 Partners team has made a list of the biggest sporting events this month to help affiliates plan campaigns and capture high-intent traffic.

Soccer

The FIFA World Cup enters its decisive stage, with every knockout match generating significant spikes in betting activity, search demand, and social engagement.

Until 07.07 | FIFA World Cup — Round of 16
09.07–12.07 | FIFA World Cup — Quarter-finals
14.07 | FIFA World Cup — Semi-final
15.07 | FIFA World Cup — Semi-final
18.07 | FIFA World Cup — Third-place Match
19.07 | FIFA World Cup — Final

Tennis

Wimbledon concludes with the biggest matches of the season before the tour moves to North America later in the month.

Until 12.07 | Wimbledon
12.07 | Wimbledon Finals
26.07–02.08 | ATP Washington
26.07–02.08 | WTA Washington

Formula 1

Formula 1 will get high interest from sport lovers throughout July with three Grand Prix weekends.

19.07 | Belgian Grand Prix
26.07 | Hungarian Grand Prix

MMA

UFC maintains strong engagement in Tier-1 markets, especially around numbered fight nights where title implications and high-profile fighters drive consistent betting interest.

13.07 | UFC 329 McGregor vs. Holloway 2

Esports

The biggest esports competitions will go on attracting highly engaged audiences across Tier-1 markets.

06.07–18.07 | Esports World Cup 2026 (Dota 2)
21.07–02.08 | BLAST Bounty Season 2 (CS2)

Cricket

Cricket is still one of the strongest niches that generates huge traffic amonts across several Tier-1 GEOs.

07.07 | England vs India — Test Series
13.07 | England vs India — ODI
16.07 | England vs India — ODI
22.07 | Southern Brave vs Welsh Fire — The Hundred
23.07 | London Spirit vs Manchester Super Giants — The Hundred
27.07 | Southern Brave vs MI London — The Hundred

Rugby League

Rugby League continues to generate steady betting interest in key English-speaking markets.

17.07 | NZ Warriors vs Broncos
30.07 | North Queensland Cowboys vs Roosters

How to maximize results from event-driven traffic

The summer month offers affiliates working with N1 Bet, RollXO, and Lucky Hunter through N1 Partners a strong environment to attract new players, increase FTD volumes, and scale existing campaigns across Tier-1 GEOs, supported by consistently high audience demand. With N1 Sport Promo running until July 20, affiliates still have time to maximize higher CPA rates while sports engagement remains at its seasonal peak.

Top promos for N1 Partners projects in July

This July, partners can take advantage of exclusive seasonal campaigns for players across N1 Partners’ leading brands, designed to drive stronger performance and help them get more from every visitor they refer.

Road to Riches Lottery (RollXO, N1 Bet)
Period: 01.07–25.08
Prize pool: €500,000

Road to Riches is the biggest lottery campaign in the project’s history, featuring a €500,000 total prize pool, 8 weekly stages, and 700 winners. With weekly prize drops and increasing stage prize pools, the promotion is designed to boost player engagement, retention, and repeat deposits—helping affiliates maximize traffic value throughout the campaign.

Lucky Lottery (Retrobet, Spirit Casino, Jet4Bet, Slot Lounge)

Period: 22.07–27.07

Prize pool: €50,000

Lucky Loot Lottery (Slotlords, Slotsmines)
Period: 10.07–16.07
Prize pool: €10,000 (Slotlords), €7,000 (Slotsmines)

Around the World Lottery (Slot Mafia, Slot Hunter, LuckyHunter)

Period: 13.07–23.07

Prize pool: €8,000

Wanna learn more? Contact your manager right now!

Winning Tips for July Sports Traffic

Treat the World Cup as a sequence of conversion peaks rather than a single final, as each knockout round has its own performance window under the promo.
Shift budgets dynamically between sports instead of overfocusing on one event: Wimbledon, F1, UFC, and esports often perform better once football CPMs peak.
Build creatives that reflect tournament progression (for instance, “Quarter-finals pressure” and “Road to the final”), not static team messaging.
Combine Sports Betting and Prediction Markets on N1 Bet to capture different user motivations during the same event cycle.
Reallocate traffic during promo weeks, as in the N1 Sport Promo timing can impact revenue almost as much as volume.

Join N1 Partners

N1 Partners is a multi-brand affiliate program and direct advertiser, bringing together 14+ casino and betting brands with high LTV and Reg2Dep rates in Tier-1 GEOs.

N1 Partners offers competitive terms for top partners, including CPA up to €700 and RevShare up to 55%, ensuring stable and scalable performance.

Trusted by 14,000+ partners, N1 Partners stands out for its transparency, flexibility, and focus on long-term partnerships, supported by a strong product portfolio and advanced retention systems.

Haven’t joined N1 Partners yet? Contact the manager, get involved and make the most of the 2026 sports season.

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N1 Partners at iGB L!VE 2026: Bringing Together Affiliates, Art and Innovation

Published

5 days ago

July 3, 2026

Master Editor

N1 Partners team has wrapped up its participation at iGB L!VE London 2026. Over the course of the two-day conference, the company unveiled its new N1 Duality booth concept, presented exclusive art collaborations as part of a capsule collection created with fashion illustrator Clym Evernden, launched the first drop of custom designer toys in collaboration with Yoomoota, and introduced the limited-edition SPLIT: London merch collection.

Special attention was also given to N1 Sport Promo — a campaign for affiliates working with sports traffic and the Prediction Markets vertical.

Over the two days, the conference served as a platform for hundreds of meetings with partners, conversations with industry media, and presentations of new opportunities for scaling affiliate businesses.

N1 Duality: When Art Becomes a Part of Networking

Throughout both days, N1 Partners’ booth remained one of the busiest destinations at iGB L!VE London. N1 Duality concept brought together business networking, contemporary art, and interactive experiences, transforming it into a space for meetings, new connections, and discussions of future collaborations.

The experience centrepiece was a live art performance by British artist Clym Evernden, who has collaborated with global luxury brands including Hermès, Prada, Tiffany, Diptyque, and others. Throughout the exhibition, he created a large-scale artwork directly on the booth walls using his signature continuous-line illustration technique.

Visitors were able to watch the creative process unfold in real time, receive original sketches, signed postcards, and exclusive merchandise from the capsule collection designed specifically for N1 Partners by the artist, including a tote bag, T-shirt, scarf, socks, and scented candles.

Another major premiere was the collaboration with designer and creator Yoomoota, whose works have been exhibited at PAD London, Art Miami, and the Red Dot Museum and featured in Forbes, Hypebeast, Vice, Elle Decor, and Designboom.

Exclusively for the conference, Yoomoota created a collectible designer toy that became part of N1 Partners’ limited-edition gift collection and quickly turned into one of the most talked-about pieces of the brand’s exclusive drop.

And this is only the beginning — new exclusive designer toys created by N1 Partners and Yoomoota are already in development for SBC Summit Lisbon and SiGMA Europe Rome.

The interactive DICES game, branded giveaways, and an atmosphere of open communication made the booth a natural meeting point for affiliates, clients, and industry professionals throughout the event.

iGB L!VE London 2026 Highlights

iGB L!VE London provided an excellent opportunity to reconnect with existing partners, meet new industry professionals, and discuss future cooperation opportunities.

Among the key outcomes of the conference for the N1 Partners team:

Presentation of the N1 Duality concept and the new SPLIT: London merchandise collection;
Exclusive art collaborations with British fashion illustrator Clym Evernden for the capsule collection and designer Yoomoota for the custom collectible toy series;
Presentation of N1 Sport Promo for affiliates working with sports traffic and the Prediction Markets vertical;
300+ meetings with existing and prospective partners;
10+ interviews and media productions with leading industry publications;
More than 2,400 pieces of exclusive merchandise and branded gifts distributed by N1 Partners.

“iGB L!VE London 2026 has been one of the most exciting and productive exhibitions of the year for us. We held dozens of meetings with partners, explored new opportunities for business growth, and received an outstanding response to N1 Sport Promo.

I’d also like to highlight our creative collaborations with designers Clym Evernden, who developed our exclusive capsule collection, and Yoomoota, who created our custom collectible toys. Together, we succeeded in bringing affiliate business, art, and creativity into one shared experience.

We’re grateful to all our partners for the productive meetings we had during this event in London. Face-to-face communication is what lays the foundation for new projects, stronger partnerships, and long-term growth,” said Alexa Bond, Head of Affiliates at N1 Partners.

Collaboration with N1 Partners

N1 Partners is a multi-brand affiliate program and direct advertiser, offering affiliates:

14+ casino and sportsbook brands with high Reg2Dep
10+ Tier-1 GEOs
CPA up to €700 and RevShare up to 55% + NNCO for top partners

Be number one with N1!

News

LEON announces LEON.bet Masters, a new CS2 tournament in Portugal

Published

6 days ago

July 2, 2026

Master Editor

LEON continues to strengthen its presence in esports with the launch of LEONBET Masters, a new Counter-Strike 2 tournament set to take place from September 24 to 27 at the SAW Esports Arena in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.

The tournament will bring together 16 teams competing for a €30,000 prize pool and valuable VRS points, which play a key role in qualification opportunities for major international events, including the Singapore Major later this year.

LEONBET Masters will feature a group stage with four groups of four teams, followed by playoffs that will determine the tournament champion. The event is expected to attract some of the strongest Tier 2 and Tier 3 teams looking to improve their rankings and continue their path toward the highest level of professional Counter-Strike competition.

The launch of LEONBET Masters marks another step in LEON’s long-term commitment to esports. Over the past few years, the company has actively supported the competitive gaming ecosystem through partnerships with prominent organizations and by hosting its own tournaments across multiple disciplines. Previous initiatives include the LEON Masters Dota tournament, the LEON Masters Deadlock competition, and the LEON Esports Cup Free Fire, further demonstrating the brand’s investment in developing competitive gaming.

LEON currently partners with German esports organization GamerLegion, supporting both its Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 rosters. The company also partners with teams such as SAW, one of Portugal’s most recognizable esports organizations, and FlyQuest, further strengthening its presence across key international esports markets.

By creating LEONBET Masters, LEON aims to provide emerging teams with additional opportunities to compete at a high level, gain valuable ranking points, and showcase their talent on a larger stage.

Additional information about the participating teams, tournament format, broadcast talent, and where to watch the event can be found on the official tournament page here:

https://leonbetmasters.com/

About LEON

LEON is an international sportsbook and online casino brand with over 17 years of industry experience. The company actively supports esports through strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and competitive gaming initiatives, working with organizations and communities across multiple regions worldwide.