UK – Page 13

Sky Betting and Gaming renews partnership with Spotlight Sports Group for Cheltenham

March 9, 2023 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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Spotlight Sports Group (SSG), a world-leading technology, content and media company, has announced a new partnership with Sky Betting and Gaming. This partnership will see Spotlight Sports Group develop and manage a racing content hub in Sky Betting and Gaming branding with horseracing content for the ever-popular Cheltenham Festival.

Last year, SSG produced a Cheltenham Festival content hub for Sky Betting and Gaming and due to the great success and learnings from that partnership this year’s edition includes further enhancements in content and functionality. The hub will feature add-to-betslip functionality, live odds, social share capabilities and customer CMS access.

The development of this content hub allows Sky Betting and Gaming to differentiate their Cheltenham Festival content for their audience, which in turn will help maximise key racing-interested audiences during one of the largest racing events of the year.

Speaking of the agreement, Andrew Mook, Head of Marketing Strategy & Planning at Sky Betting and Gaming said: “We know from some great success last year that these content hubs succeed in engaging our audience. Spotlight Sports Group’s technical expertise allows us to maximise the potential opportunity from the biggest sports events of the year, whilst also allowing us to differentiate our content strategy from our competitors.”

Head of UK and Ireland B2B sales for Spotlight Sports Group, Daniel Smith, spoke about the renewed partnership, saying: “We are delighted to be working with one of the biggest brands in the industry again this year, as we roll out the newest edition of the Cheltenham Festival Hub. We’re especially excited to showcase an adapted and amended hub this year following learnings from last year. I’m looking forward to delivering what will no doubt be the best hub we’ve built so far. Sky Betting and Gaming and its team are brilliant to work with and we can’t wait to bring their content strategy to life.”

Spotlight Sports Group content hubs are proven to drive revenues with a rich content experience for betting audiences. They provide partners with a state-of-the-art solution, no technical burden and the ability to provide content in any language for big events or be a long-term content solution.

Expanse Studios Partners with Gamblizard to Boost European Presence

March 8, 2023 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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Expanse Studios, one of the fastest-growing casino games developers, is ramping up its presence in highly regulated European markets by partnering with Gamblizard, an elite casino affiliate review site based in the UK.

Gamblizard is a trustworthy platform committed to providing players with the latest and most attractive casino bonuses and coupon codes available from a wide range of prominent online casinos. Their standout feature is their unwavering commitment to safety and reliability, ensuring that they only list online casinos with premium reputations and years of experience in the industry.

This, in turn, gives players the confidence to trust them with their sensitive financial and private information.

What sets Gamblizard apart is their expertise in online casino bonus offers, which is poised to play an invaluable role in profiling Expanse Studios in Europe’s most sophisticated and saturated markets. Their team of professionals and gaming enthusiasts are dedicated to bringing the best bonus codes to their players, with their physical office conveniently located in London.

Despite being geographically dispersed, their global remote team ensures they can provide seamless services to their clients. This partnership is a landmark acknowledgment for Expanse Studios, and it underscores the importance of working with an affiliate platform that has a proven track record of excellence.

Lebby Eyres appointed new CEO at The Health Lottery

March 3, 2023 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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Society lottery operator The Health Lottery has appointed Lebby Eyres as its chief executive officer. Lebby joined the business in January and has been working through a handover period with outgoing CEO Des Duffy, who left the company this week.

Lebby has a long history with The Health Lottery’s parent company Northern & Shell, having previously worked for the business for more than 14 years. Her most recent role in the company was as editor-in-chief of new! and Star magazines, publications she headed up for five years between 2013 and 2018.

Martin Ellice, joint group managing director at Northern & Shell, said: “We are delighted to welcome Lebby back into the Northern & Shell family. In her previous roles she was a strong leader and played an integral role in the company’s strategy. In particular, she was a key player in the transformation of the media business from print-led to digital-first prior to its sale to Reach PLC.

“The Health Lottery is going through a similar transition, and is moving towards a more data-driven approach. We believe Lebby will do an excellent job of managing the different and exciting opportunities presented by both the digital and retail arms of the business.”

Eyres will oversee a relaunch of The Health Lottery’s website this summer, as well as the introduction of a new brand identity.

She said: “I am excited to take up this new challenge. The Health Lottery is a really impressive business and brand, with innovative lottery games such as All or Nothing and QuickWin helping attract new players and drive engagement. I’m looking forward to substantially growing the business further.

“On a personal level, I’m pleased the timing of my taking over as the company’s first female CEO falls just ahead of International Women’s Day. Coming from a different industry, it has quickly become apparent to me there are few women at the top of gambling organisations. I’m happy to now be part of that small group and I hope that in the future I can play a role in attracting more women into what is a very innovative and rewarding industry to work in.”

As well as drawing on her experience managing business transformations, she plans to put her health journalism background to good use by improving the storytelling used in the business.

She said: “Our Good Causes work is built into our name, unlike any other lottery, so people know that the money raised through The Health Lottery goes towards health issues.

“However, some people don’t realise our focus is on addressing health inequalities and the most disadvantaged members of society, and I want to make that clear by publicising the stories of the people who benefit. These compelling stories will focus on individuals whose lives are being transformed by the projects funded through us, and will get to the heart of how we’ve helped them. I think today’s players really want to know where the Good Causes element of their ticket is going.”

Eyres is a keen charity fundraiser herself and recently rowed across the Atlantic to raise funds for Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice, the Felix Fund and Women in Sport.

The winner of Slotegrator’s top prize at ICE London 2023, an online casino platform, is iGaming expert Jamie Daniel

February 14, 2023 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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At ICE London 2023, Slotegrator’s team presented the company’s most popular solutions for the gambling industry, including an upgraded online casino platform, which was first prize in a raffle — claimed by Jamie Daniel, the well-known iGaming expert in Europe.

According to organizers, this year’s event was one of the largest in ICE history. “Attendees from 68 countries gathered in one place to present the gambling industry’s latest innovations and the best solutions. Without a doubt, ICE London 2023 was the tech event of the year,” says Dmitry Taran, COO at Slotegrator. “The Slotegrator team is very satisfied: we had up to a hundred meetings with representatives and partners from all continents, and, of course, we are thrilled with the results of our lottery.”

There were 3 incredible prizes: a 100% discount on the set-up for integration of game providers, our Telegram Casino solution, and a free turnkey online casino platform with 5 upgraded modules:

Casino Builder (allows the operator to quickly and easily create a front-end design).
Business Intelligence module (provides statistics and analytics from the platform).
risk management module (helps prevent suspicious behavior and fraud).
bonus module (allows operators to create and change bonuses and loyalty programs).
KYC module (responsible for the fast and convenient verification process).

The winner of first place, where the prize is an online casino platform, was Jamie Daniel, well-known iGaming expert in Europe. “I said to my colleagues, I am going to ICE to win that online casino from Slotegrator. I made sure I was signed up for the second day’s game, and when first prize was drawn, I couldn’t believe it! I’m ecstatic and very excited to get started,” said Jamie Daniel in a video interview after the results were announced.

Approximately 60% of the guests at Slotegrator’s booth were interested in the company’s innovative solution for mobile gambling with a chat-bot — Telegram Casino. This is an alternative front-end to the classic gambling platform in the most popular mobile messenger, which has aroused unbelievable interest from the audience for almost 2 years due to its ability to attract new audiences.

The main sporting attraction at Slotegrator’s booth was an impressive high striker carnival-style game that attracted the interest of every participant. As for the future, Slotegrator is already planning to take part in ICE 2024, with an updated program and set of software products and services.In 2023, the Slotegrator team is also going to the industry’s other highly anticipated events like SiGMA Eurasia, iGB Amsterdam, SBC Summit Barcelona, and SiGMA Europe, and during the year this list will keep growing.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Since 2012, Slotegrator has been one of the iGaming industry’s leading software and business solution providers for online casino and sportsbook operators.

The company’s main focus is software development and support for online casino platforms, as well as the integration of game content and payment systems.

The company works with licensed game developers and offers a vast portfolio of casino content: slots, live casino games, poker, virtual sports, table games, lotteries, casual games, and data feeds for betting.

Slotegrator also provides consulting services in gambling license acquisition and business incorporation.

More information: https://slotegrator.pro/

Pariplay® partners with BoyleSports in latest Fusion® expansion

February 14, 2023 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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NeoGames S.A subsidiary Pariplay^® has partnered with renowned operator BoyleSports in a multi-jurisdiction agreement.

The deal sees proprietary content from the Wizard Games portfolio, as well as products from the Fusion^® platform, go live across Boylesports’ offering in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

The agreement will further scale to include more titles from the 14,000 strong aggregation platform, as well as more territories

It is the latest in a string of commercial successes for Pariplay^®, which has gone from strength to strength in recent years. The provider recently announced the launch of a brand-new Client Area, designed to give partners worldwide an easier route to assets than ever before.

Pariplay’s Fusion offering consists of over 14,000 games from 100+ suppliers, as well as a comprehensive suite of back-office conversion and retention tools that enhance player value, including Fusion Tournaments, Raffle Rocket and Spin that Wheel.

Andrew Maclean, VP of Sales at Pariplay^®, said: “We’re delighted to partner with BoyleSports, a supremely well-known brand across the UK and Ireland.

“Taking both proprietary content and third-party games live across multiple jurisdictions highlights the agility and scalability of our Fusion^® platform, and we are confident it will be a game changer for the BoyleSports casino offering.”

Steve Payne, Gaming Director at BoyleSports, said: “Pariplay^®’s offering consists of some of the premier titles from across the industry, fitting a huge variety of player preferences. We’re very happy to see key games go live in the UK and Ireland, as we look to further grow our footprint in our core markets and beyond.

“This is an important deal for us as we look to bring great content to diverse audiences, and we’re confident it will be a success for all parties involved.”

UK Govt Restructures the Department Responsible for Gambling

February 12, 2023 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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The UK government has announced another change in the department responsible for gambling policy. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has lost its digital duties, becoming the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It will be led by Lucy Frazer, who replaces Michelle Donelan at the helm.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak’s latest shakeup will see Donelan lead the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). It has not yet been confirmed whether the DCMS will retain responsibility for gambling. Frazer is the MP for South East Cambridgeshire, home to Newmarket and the National Stud.

It seems likely that the change can only further delay the government’s gambling white paper. Donelan was appointed to lead the DCMS by former PM Liz Truss in September, replacing Nadine Dorris.

She remained in the role after Sunak took office as PM, but a subsequent move saw Damian Collins replaced by Paul Scully as the DCMS minister directly responsible for gambling. Scully became the fifth person in two years to have responsibility for the UK government’s review of the 2005 Gambling Act.

Scully recently stressed that the paper’s publication will not be the end of the reform process, echoing comments made in early December.

He said: “The white paper is not the final word on gambling reform. It will be followed by consultations led by both DCMS and the Gambling Commission. I want the industry to stay engaged as policies are refined, finalised and implemented.”

New report reveals Ygam is safguarding millions of young people through education

February 10, 2023 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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The portfolio of gaming and gambling harm-prevention programmes delivered by Ygam is helping to safeguard millions of children and young people, according to the charity’s latest impact report.

The report reveals the evidence-based education programmes trained more professionals than ever in 2022 covering all regions of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The charity delivered training to 4,819 delegates including 2,994 teachers and youth workers. Other professionals included health practitioners, social workers, mental health specialists, university staff and community leaders. Those trained are equipped with the knowledge, confidence, and resources to help support and safeguard the children and young people they have influence over.

The delegates trained by Ygam have committed to reaching an estimated 1,857,895 young people over the next 12 months. Teachers deliver the Ygam resources as part of the PSHE curriculum in schools with resources mapped from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 5/Post 16. 96% of teachers and youth workers trained agree that they feel confident about talking to young people about gambling and gaming, compared to 33.3% before the Ygam training. 98.1% agree they can signpost and support young people if they’re concerned about gambling or gaming harms, compared to 25.8% pre-training. 98.5% agree they can recognise signs of gambling and gaming harm in young people post-workshop, compared to 31.5% pre-workshop

Dr Jane Rigbye, Chief Executive Officer of Ygam said: “The findings of this report are a source of pride, and I want to thank the team, our partners, and supporters for their dedication and effort during this year. Our focus was to consolidate and build on the impact of our existing work, whilst looking to the future through the development of a new strategy to guide us from 2023.”

“The team have risen to the challenge; they have been flexible, inspiring, and creative. They have set the foundations to enable us to deliver programmes which meet the needs of those who have responsibility for safeguarding children and young people, in a way which will deliver continuously improving standards and real impact.”

The report details the number of independent evaluations and academic studies that Ygam has been engaged in. The charity says it is committed to supporting research activity to further develop the evidence base and better understand what works in gaming and gambling harm prevention. Over the past 12 months, Ygam has worked closely with leading academics from universities including Plymouth, Loughborough, Bristol, and Newcastle.

The charity has also increased its engagement with parents in 2022 through online workshops and their Parent Hub website. 94.9% of parents felt confident about spotting signs of gaming and gambling related harm after a Ygam workshop compared to 14.9% pre-workshop.

A foster carer who completed the Ygam training praises the charity saying: “This course has taught me so much – the online gaming world is so important in the lives of the young people I look after. I now have much more confidence in being able to start conversations and to be curious about their online worlds.

Through the League Football Education programme, Ygam worked with 12 professional football clubs. The charity delivered educational workshops on gaming harms to over 336 academy players.

Ygam has also continued efforts to review and improve its systems and ways of working. The charity passed several robust audits and assessments which demonstrated Ygam is operating above all statutory and regulatory requirements.

ProgressPlay bringing new Licensee platform to ICE

February 5, 2023 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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Whitelabel and platform provider ProgressPlay is bringing a new Licensee platform to ICE2023 in London with a dedicated stand N8-340, heralding in a new era of service by the dynamic company now into its second decade of iGaming market supply.

This new service introduction is devoted to operator differentiation underpinned by a high-quality new technology platform that can be configured around any tailored third party configuration.

During 2022 and into 2023 ProgressPlay’s significant platform re-engineering investment, which primarily benefits the B2B channel, will be accented on current as well as pipeline operators, with single or multiple brand ambitions.

ProgressPlay has also relaunched their popular 25% discount Global Shows Offer 2023 to coincide with their first outing of the year at ICE2023, giving operators who join them at ICE a head start.

ProgressPlay is offering a standalone Licensee platform open to partners who want to manage and execute everything other than the platform. Scalable, flexible and powerful ProgressPlay’s technology stack integrates easily across the board leaving Licensees free to choose their partners and third-party providers.

The new Licensee service has been designed to deliver to international operators a solid, open, sophisticated, adaptable and highly scalable platform that is specifically customised for the demands of gambling and delivers these scalable solutions for any channel, any jurisdiction, and any business model.

At ICE2023 the ProgressPlay team will have their hands full demonstrating the versatility of this new Licensee offering for web and mobile and explaining the easy integrations that can be supported; from game provision to payment gateways, and everything in-between.

ProgressPlay has made a name for itself as a pioneer in the Whitelabel industry and was most recently shortlisted for the prestigious EGR B2B Awards.

ProgressPlay CEO Itai Loewenstein said: “As we enter our second decade in this wonderful industry, we recognise from experience that the needs of every operator vary significantly. Our deep experience gives reassurance to Licensees that we have the technology, solutions and capability to support their market ambitions.”

Summary of bacta’s Spring Budget submission

February 4, 2023 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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Bacta is the voice of the amusement machine industry and its supply chain. The sector is a key driver of economic activity in our communities, our high streets and towns, employing approaching 40,000 people and contributing £2bn to the national economy.

The amusement machine industry has been particularly badly hit by the dual shocks of the pandemic and the ongoing cost of living crisis and the cost of doing business. This has been driven by high levels of inflation and soaring energy bills. This has been acutely felt by our members who are particularly energy intensive by their very nature, and unable to pass on costs to customers to offset these additional expenses.

In addition, those costs associated with the provision of games of chance are unable to reclaim VAT, adding 20% to already sky-high costs. That our members are forced to pay these extra costs, alongside the increase in energy bills, with no room for recompense, is fundamentally wrong and must be addressed if the sector is to thrive.

Despite these challenges, the sector remains a key vehicle for unlocking growth and driving the economic recovery, particularly at the coast and in our hard-pressed High Streets. We help to keep pubs and clubs afloat. Our policy proposals are cost-effective solutions, which set out how some small adjustments to existing regulations could unlock considerable capital which could be reinvested back into the business.

For example, enabling businesses that pay Machine Games Duty (MGD) to reclaim VAT would unlock an additional £150 – £200 million which could be reinvested in their business. Moreover, a simple tweak to the existing MGD thresholds, increasing the base rate to include machines costing 25p to play would unlock £5 to £10 million which again could be reinvested back into the wider economy and stimulate a small part of the manufacturing sector.

Finally, the Super Deduction has been a considerable success in achieving its goal of unlocking additional business investment at a time in which it was most needed. With this investment still key to unlocking long term growth, we would like to see the scheme extended, or replaced with a similar scheme, and with the eligibility criteria extended to include leased assets such as pool tables, juke boxes, and fruit machines hired to pubs and clubs.

Pocket Gamer Connects London Smashes Attendance Records

February 3, 2023 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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The industry’s most popular mobile games industry event, Pocket Gamer Connects London officially revealed the attendance numbers for the biggest and most successful conference since launching in 2014. The highest-selling and well-turned-out B2B event took place on January 23rd and 24th in The Brewery, London which saw over 2,600 industry professionals looking to meet and network with the inspirational leaders in the mobile games and tech sphere space.

A total of 1,200 companies attended Pocket Gamer Connects over the course of the two days, with over 280 influential speakers showcasing their expertise to the masses. 68% of game makers made up the bulk of the attendees as the show hosted the meeting space for thousands of business professionals to network, grow and be known amongst the mobile games and technology community.

Pocket Gamer Connects has established an outstanding global reputation as the must-attend conference to meet the exciting global game makers, developers and publishers of tomorrow. Adding to the mix were some of the world’s top investment funds, angel investors, tools providers and platforms.The content also broke records with multiple panels and thought-provoking discussions on all relative subjects in AI, Web3, Blockchain, the Metaverse and more, matchmaking activities for game makers, as well as networking opportunities for those in the industry looking to scale their business and grow their companies.

A total of 65 countries were represented this year at Pocket Gamer Connects across 6 continents bringing together the best influential names in mobile games. This particular event saw 50% of UK attendees and 50% of international guests contributing to London’s booming economy.

Lousie Connoly from London & Partners said “The staggering number of UK and international attendees at this year’s Pocket Gamer Connects highlights London’s global reputation as a mobile games capital and hotspot. The event acts as one of the key cornerstones for London’s mobile gaming sector, providing incredible opportunities for industry professionals, investors and thought leaders to meet, network and push new boundaries in the gaming space”

Pocket Gamer Connects London 2023 saw new rising stars within the games and tech industry including MobileAction- an intuitive App Store Optimization and Mobile App Intelligence platform that announced the launch of its new CPP Product. The new product is the first and the only CPP Intelligence in the industry, offering several solutions to app marketers.

Launching at Pocket Gamer Connects London, Mobile Action has expressed its appreciation for the event and on exhibiting their new product there “Pocket Gamer is a huge event for the mobile gaming industry and CPP‘s a highly leveraged feature among gaming apps. This was the perfect opportunity for us to launch our new product in PGC, and to meet with high-quality prospective clients” said Alara Ozcam of MobileAction.

Hitting record numbers of attendees to date, Pocket Gamer Connects is successfully contributing to becoming one of the most highly praised and respected mobile games conferences for those within the games industry. Pocket Gamer Connects sets its standards high at the start of the year before a host of upcoming events set to take place internationally.

Chris James, CEO of Pocket Gamer says “What a fantastic way to start the year! Our most successful PGC event to date so far, and it’s only the beginning of what we have planned this year! We can’t wait to see more new faces from all areas of the games industry at our next event due to take place in Seattle in May.”

Tag: UK

Sky Betting and Gaming renews partnership with Spotlight Sports Group for Cheltenham

Expanse Studios Partners with Gamblizard to Boost European Presence

Lebby Eyres appointed new CEO at The Health Lottery

The winner of Slotegrator’s top prize at ICE London 2023, an online casino platform, is iGaming expert Jamie Daniel

Pariplay® partners with BoyleSports in latest Fusion® expansion

UK Govt Restructures the Department Responsible for Gambling

New report reveals Ygam is safguarding millions of young people through education

ProgressPlay bringing new Licensee platform to ICE

Summary of bacta’s Spring Budget submission

Pocket Gamer Connects London Smashes Attendance Records

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