LAS VEGAS, April 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Expanse Studios, a subsidiary of Meridian Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:MRDN), today announced the deployment of proprietary jackpot and tournament mechanics across its portfolio, providing B2B operator partners with engagement tools designed to enhance player entertainment value.

The system introduces two jackpot formats—Happy Hour Jackpot and Mystery Jackpot—alongside four tournament competition variants. Operators can control prize structures, scheduling parameters, and promotional configurations through platform interfaces.

Happy Hour Jackpot provides scheduled jackpot events aligned with operator promotional strategies, enabling coordinated marketing campaigns and player communication around jackpot opportunities.

Mystery Jackpot delivers multi-tier progressive prize mechanics integrated into gameplay, with operator-configurable prize values and event parameters that support diverse promotional objectives.

Tournament mechanics include four competition formats:

Bonus Buy tournaments create competitive environments for players who choose to engage with bonus purchase features, with scoring designed to reward strategic gameplay decisions.
Spin Count tournaments track player activity across gameplay sessions, offering multiple entry opportunities and achievement-based progression that accommodates different play styles.
Combo tournaments combine multiple competition elements, enabling operators to design promotional events that appeal to diverse player preferences and gaming behaviors.
Time-based tournaments operate within defined promotional windows, allowing players to participate according to their own schedules while competing for tournament prizes.

"Content providers increasingly compete on operational capabilities, not just game quality," said Damjan Stamenkovic, CEO of Expanse Studios. "This positions our portfolio as solutions-oriented infrastructure that helps operators execute diverse promotional strategies while maintaining control over player engagement parameters."

Tournament formats integrate with game interfaces through standardized promotional systems designed to enhance entertainment value while providing operators with promotional flexibility.

Addressing Operator Engagement Challenges

According to industry research, tournament and jackpot mechanics have emerged as effective engagement tools, with gamification elements including leaderboards, competitions, and progressive prize systems demonstrating measurable impact on player engagement and session frequency.

The Business Research Insights reports that progressive jackpots and themed slots contribute to 49% of user engagement in the online casino market, which is projected to reach $38 billion by 2030, growing at 12.2% CAGR. Slots represent 61% of online casino revenue, with jackpot mechanics serving as primary differentiation factors in an increasingly commoditized content market.

For Expanse Studios, the deployment strengthens competitive positioning in B2B partnerships where operators increasingly evaluate content providers based on promotional feature capabilities in addition to game performance metrics.

About Expanse Studios

Expanse Studios, part of the Meridian Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:MRDN), is a B2B iGaming content provider specializing in slots, crash games, turn-based strategies, and card games. With a growing portfolio of over 70 proprietary titles, Expanse powers over 1,300 casino brands across Europe, LATAM, and North America. Learn more at expanse.studio.

About Meridian Holdings

Meridian Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:MRDN), based in Las Vegas, is a gaming technology company operating globally through B2B divisions (GMAG, Expanse Studios) that develop and license proprietary platforms, and B2C operations including RKings (UK competitions), Mexplay (Mexico online casino), Classics (Australian – based subscription and loyalty business) and Meridianbet—a leading sportsbook licensed in 18 jurisdictions across Europe, Africa, and South America. Learn more at meridian-holdings.com

Contact: ir@meridianbet.com

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Expanse Studios Launches Proprietary Jackpot and Tournament System