Vegangster taps into trading card hype with Phygitals. Published on: 10 September 2026 | Last updated: 10 September 2026, 4:18 pm Vegangster has strengthened its product offering with the addition of Phygitals' graded card systems. The technology provider's operator partners can now offer randomised Pokémon and sports packs where every pull is a graded card kept in a vault until the player decides to trade it or have it shipped. Vegangster emphasised that Phygitals will add a new engagement layer for players, who will return to platforms to check the value of their card, redeem it or attempt to complete a set. Michael Oziransky, Chief Product Officer at Vegangster, commented: "Each new format we add opens a door to a different group of players. Pack opening speaks to people who already follow the card market, and it gives our operators a way to reach them with something they recognise." Phygitals is a US-based marketplace for trading card pack openings. Alongside Vegangster, the company has also agreed to a partnership with the fantasy sports operator Underdog to power its Underdog Rips digital card pack product in the US. The graded trading pack market has exploded in popularity, and some analysts estimate it is now worth more than $50bn annually, with further growth expected. Vegangster claims that it will become the first iGaming platform to offer the format. This is not the first instance of Vegangster seeking to tap into the popularity of formats found in other entertainment products. The lootboxes, created by Vegangster, utilise similar mechanics to video games. For a fixed price, players can purchase a lootbox and receive rewards based on predefined probabilities, and the value of the box may exceed its cost. Rewards available to players include cash, digital items, NFTs or other operator-defined assets, and players can keep the prize or sell it back for cash.

Underdog bought by IG Group for up to $1.3 billion. Thursday, July 30, 2026 2:54 PM * Matthew Waters, Legal Sports Report Email, LinkedIn, and more IG Group is buying Underdog for a total consideration of up to $1.3 billion, the London-listed financial technology company announced Thursday afternoon. Upfront consideration is $1.1 billion partially paid in IG Group shares along with a $200 million earnout payable to shareholders. The decision comes out of IG Group's strategic review launched in March as the company sought to build a global trading, investing and entertainment platform. IG intends to more than double U.S. revenues by growing U.S. monthly actives more than tenfold, according to the announcement. The hope is for Underdog to become a "coherent customer funnel" that can turn sports and prediction markets customers into "active trading and derivatives on financial markets."

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