Pragmatic Play, a leading content provider to the iGaming industry, takes players on an astonishing visual journey in bright and sparkly new slot, Little Gem™. 

In the base game, the wild substitutes for everything except for silver and gold Money symbols andpays out 50xthe stake when three land in a row. 

The focal feature of the vibrant game is the Hold and Respin bonus round, which when triggered provides respins and the opportunity to take home a whopping 2,460x the bet.  

Landing three Money symbols on the central reel will activate the Hold and Respin feature, and when the mode starts, the symbols on the middle reel remain in place. The values of the gold and silver coins on the central reel are added to the total win at the end of the round. 

Little Gem™ follows in the footsteps of recent hits The Great Stick-Up™, Goblin Heist PowerNudge™, and Fire Strike 2™, which reside amongst a collection of over 200titles in Pragmatic Play’s award-winning games portfolio.  

Yossi Barzely, Chief Business Development Officer at Pragmatic Play, said: “Little Gem™ provides players with a blend of simple gameplay and rewarding multipliers that effortlessly complement each other. 

“The visually striking theme delivers an engaging environment as users try and reach the bonus feature, and we expect to see players return to the dazzling experience time and time again.” 

Pragmatic Play currently produces up to six new slot titles a month, while also delivering Live Casino and Bingo games as part of its multi-product portfolio, available through one single API. 

Scottish esports event and tournament operator Esports Scotland has appointed sponsorship management company Strive Sponsorship to develop its commercial approach across its range of properties ahead of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and beyond.

Strive Sponsorship is updating Esports Scotland’s commercial partnership proposition and strategy, upskilling staff’s sponsorship skills and helping the organisation better understand the value of all its leagues, tournaments, venue and teams.

This summer’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham includes esports as a pilot event offering brands a unique marketing opportunity. Nations will compete across the games DOTA 2, eFootball series and Rocket League in both a Women’s Category and an Open Category in the Commonwealth Esports Championships. Esports Scotland is responsible for selecting, coaching and managing the Scotland team.

Malph Minns, Managing Director of Strive Sponsorship, said: “Esports Scotland has an incredibly capable, passionate and hungry team who have done great work in both promoting and supporting esports in Scotland, and on a small budget.

“As they look to grow existing properties, like the Scottish Esports League (SEL5), and launch new ones, like the Road to Gold, there are opportunities for brands to realise real value by engaging with the growing Scottish gaming community.”

James Hood, CEO at Esports Scotland, said: “The commercial framework and strategy that Strive has provided will be a key factor in delivering value for our existing Lenovo and IRN-BRU partnerships, whilst also helping us better explain the opportunity to potential new sponsors.

“We have big plans, and a growing team, and upskilling our people with new skills, knowledge, and a refreshed approach will help us to deliver our objectives and strengthen the Scottish esports community further.”

Gaming sector trade bodies, bacta, The Bingo Association and the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), last week finalised work on a Safer Game Design Code for gaming machines in the land-based sector.

The Code is a cross-sector initiative started before the Covid 19 pandemic in response to calls from the Gambling Commission for the industry to take further measures to address risks in game design features. It follows publication last year of a similar Code for the on-line sector.

A group of gaming machine manufacturers and operators met under the Chairmanship of Reflex’s Mat Ingram throughout the pandemic to evaluate common features found on gaming machines in light of current research, current standards and the views of those with lived experience of gambling-related harm.

One of the major changes from the adoption of the Safer Game Design Code for gaming machines will be that machines will no longer celebrate wins of less than the stake with visual or auditory fanfares.

Bacta CEO John White said: “It is significant achievement for the whole industry to reach agreement on such a broad topic. Nevertheless, the challenge was one that had to be met and we now have a Code which again demonstrates industry’s commitment to socially responsible recreational gaming. It adds to a long list of industry initiatives that have played their part in reducing problem gambling rates to the historically low level of 0.2% of the population.”

Miles Baron CEO of the Bingo Association added: “The Bingo Association is pleased to support this code in partnership with bacta and the BGC demonstrating the ability of the land based sector to come together when required to strengthen safer gambling protocols.”

BGC Executive Director Wes Himes added: “We welcome this Code as another example of industry driving higher standards to address the issues of risk and we will continue to introduce further measures based on evidence in our fight to prevent harm.”