About this app
About Grand Wheel
Ours is a niche industry, but it is a wonderful and welcoming one, and Calvin Ayre has been a huge part of the poker industry in my time, too. The name has opened doors, helped me speak to some of the biggest and best poker players from around the globe.
Recent articles have been just important in bringing you, poker fans, the latest news, features that cut to the heart, diamond, spade and club of each issue and hopefully, entertaining you. While to some, the future of online poker is the most vital discussion point, others would like to know what it takes to quit their job and become a professional player.
There have been many uplifting elements to writing about poker through a global pandemic, as odd as those words must feel to read and certainly are to write. From inspirational quotes to motivate players who are just joining or continue to love the game to what could help players turn pro as an alternative to more difficult careers to sustain (they do exist!), it has genuinely been a job I have treasured and I hope you have enjoyed the content that I and the incredible Calvin Ayre content team have been able to bring you during the past 18 months or so.
About Grand Wheel
From July 2027, the company will lose exclusivity over betting and iCasino products, which will become licence-based, while retaining exclusive rights for lottery games, scratchcards, slot machines and physical table games.
The company has committed to paying market-based compensation for exclusive operations, estimated at around €1 billion for a 10-year licence period, with a significant front-loaded payment scheduled for 2026.
In further preparations for the competitive market, Veikkaus this week joined the market’s trade body, the Finnish Gambling Association, which has long lobbied for market liberalisation.
How to play Grand Wheel
The enlarged group could deliver up to €4 billion in capital returns over the three years following the completion of the deal.
Cirsa has followed an aggressive acquisition strategy in recent years, most recently entering the land-based casino market in Portugal by acquiring a majority stake in Sociedade Figueira Praia, S.A., the owner and operator of Casino Figueira.
Prior to that, Cirsa entered the Paraguay market through an acquisition of the online slots operator Slots del Sol, while it also acquired the leading Peruvian operator Apuesta Total in 2024.
