Pandemic Rising

What is Pandemic Rising?

For Splash Tech, optimisation means protecting a safe and enjoyable experience while giving operators the opportunity to increase gross gaming revenue. “Getting that balance right is why we exist, really,” Wilson says.

These are not capabilities that Splash Tech intends to begin developing now the acquisition has completed. Its products are already live with recognised operators including ComeOn, while a number of its free-to-play relationships are entering their fifth year.

Commercial confidentiality prevents Wilson from attaching individual numbers to those partnerships, but he is unequivocal about the jackpot engine’s record. “Every operator or brand that’s launched our jackpot engine has seen an immediate lift in GGR,” he says.

How to play Pandemic Rising

The historic showdown between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers will take place at a venue located 7,971 miles from Levi’s Stadium, home of the last meeting between the NFC West rivals. Both teams are based in California, a fertile ground for prediction markets given a sports betting ban in a state with more than 39 million residents. But the Americans in attendance for Thursday night’s matchup (Friday in Melbourne) will not be able to live-trade from their seats.

That is because trading on prediction markets is illegal down under, according to the Australian Securities and Investment Commission, the nation’s regulator on financial services. Last month, in perhaps the ASIC’s strongest warnings yet against the asset class, the commission reiterated that prediction markets are not licensed as financial markets to operate in Australia. Through the guidance, the regulator urged consumers to exercise caution before partaking in certain investments on offshore platforms which have not obtained licensing nationwide.

The advisory could be music to the ears of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, whose league has pushed a federal derivatives regulator in the US to enact more rigorous standards to help protect the integrity of professional sports. Ahead of the matchup, Goodell spoke with CNBC from Melbourne.

What is Pandemic Rising?

In a separate case, the ASA examined display advertising for White Hat Gaming’s Casimba and The Grand Ivy Casino brands, which had appeared on HLTV.org – a specialist Counter-Strike 2 e-sports website – in March 2026.

Two banner ads promoted a “100% match bonus up to £100 on 1st deposit” and displayed the mandatory 18+ logo. The ads appeared alongside live match coverage featuring betting odds and sponsor logos, including a link to Casimba’s website. 

A complaint suggested that such placements were inappropriately targeted at under-18s.