Hellcatraz II

What is Hellcatraz II?

Here, advertising for online betting sites is positioned differently. Presented as news, the content talks about the highest odds on the market, features offered by operators, regulatory changes and various cases of bettors, ranging from those who made huge financial gains to those who lost everything. 

It is very common among the different profiles identified to refer to regulatory bodies, such as the National Advertising Self-Regulation Council and SIGAP (Brazil’s betting management system). They also speak of responsible gaming in a generic way. In many cases, this is associated with illegal operators and potentially irregular advertising practices.

In this context, the regulations developed to protect players begin to function as a means of legitimisation, with illegal operators even using the term “authorised” in their communication and the “.bet” extension in their domain, which is intended only for licensed operators.

How to play Hellcatraz II

“You shouldn’t necessarily need 100 people and millions of euros of infrastructure to have a great idea and turn it into a successful slot,” Curwen says.

Lower barriers to entry could significantly widen the pool of potential game creators. Curwen sees opportunities not only for established and emerging studios, but for operators, suppliers, entrepreneurs and potentially entirely new entrants.

“The big change is that technology can increasingly provide the infrastructure,” he says. “The creator provides the idea. And I think that will make the industry much more interesting.”

What is Hellcatraz II?

In Q1 2025, the group reported double-digit digital growth, thanks to strong UK, Brazil and US online performances. The period marked Stella David’s first quarter in the full-time group CEO role.

David, at the time, said she was “optimistic but prudent” about Entain’s Q1 performance.  

Numbers have remained steady a year on, and in H1 this year, various markets were hailed as core growth drivers for the business, including Australia, New Zealand, Spain and the UK.