Latest News
GambleAware recommissions the Scottish Gambling Education Hub delivered by Fast Forward

GambleAware has recommissioned the Scottish Gambling Education Hub for a further three years from 1st November 2021. The Hub has been delivered by the Scottish charity Fast Forward since 2018.
The Scottish Gambling Education Hub, funded by GambleAware, works with young people, and the adults in their lives, to raise awareness of gambling harms, and ensure that those working with young people and families are confident in their ability to offer harm reduction advice and signpost those who need it to advice and support.
The Hub’s mission will remain to ensure all children, young people and families in Scotland have access to gambling education and prevention opportunities and resources. Improvements to the current structure of the programme will be made, to ensure partners, practitioners, and policymakers remain engaged with the issue.
To date, the Hub has trained staff from more than 550 different organisations across all 32 local authorities in Scotland, including schools, colleges, universities, youth work and family services.
Since its creation, the Hub and the external evaluation provider, identified potential areas for improvement in the existing gambling training delivery model. Based on these insights the updated structure for the programme will offer a more tailored approach to gambling prevention and education training for professionals and practitioners. With an increased use of the existing training and resources, the availability of gambling harm awareness and support activities for children, young people, and families across Scotland will be improved.
In addition, in 2019, the Scottish Gambling Education Hub established the Scottish Gambling Education Network (SGEN) to bring together individuals from a variety of settings with the aim to share best practices, provide support and help establish, sustain, and improve gambling education and prevention provision across Scotland. The Hub will continue to facilitate and broaden the scope of SGEN activities, introducing hosting a national conference in 2022.
The Scottish Education Hub will play a key part in supporting the creation of the English Education Hub and Welsh Education Hub, projects that will soon be commissioned by GambleAware to help the prevention of gambling harm among young people in both nations.
Dr Jane Rigbye, Prevention Director at GambleAware said: “Fast Forward has demonstrated its value as a key partner to prevent gambling harm among young people in Scotland. Given the success of the work already carried out, continuity is vital.
“The Scottish Education Hub has engaged with young people, parents, the community and youth workers in an impactful and creative way to deliver unique projects over the years.
“We are delighted to support them further in their prevention and education work and look forward to publishing the independent evaluation of the project for their work in 2022.”
Allie Cherry-Byrnes, Fast Forward’s CEO said: “Fast Forward’s work supports young people to make informed choices regarding risk-taking behaviours, towards positive life-long health outcomes.
“Gambling has become normalised in our communities, with many young people affected by their own gambling, or by the gambling of a parent, carer, or family member.
“The renewed funding from GambleAware means that the Scottish Gambling Education Hub will continue to work with young people, parents and educators to raise awareness of gambling harms and ensure support is accessible if they need it.”
Latest News
Bacta to host Social Responsibility Exchange in November

Bacta will host its annual Social Responsibility Exchange at the County Hall in London on Thursday 22nd November, the trade body announced today. The event will provide members with an opportunity to share best practice tactics and strategies around Social Responsibility.
The event will be introduced by Elizabeth Speech, chair of bacta’s Social Responsibility Committee. YGAM and GamCare will also be speaking at the event alongside Social Responsibility updates from the Gambling Commission.
Bacta Membership, SR and Compliance Manager Russell Edge said: “Our Social Responsibility Exchange will allow members to hear crucial updates on Social Responsibility from the likes of the Gambling Commission, YGAM and GamCare.
“The day-long event will also provide a structured forum for discussion around the tactics and strategies bacta members are employing across the country.
“Ultimately, we hope members leave the event knowing more about Social Responsibility and having exchanged their knowledge where they can.”
Australia
Massive News for the Esports Industry with Potential Inclusion in the Commonwealth Games

Esports is one of the fastest growing industries in the world and there’s no limit to how big it could become. It’s already breached a valuation of $1 billion, and it’s expected to grow to $13.05 billion by 2025.
One of the greatest indicators that competitive gaming is going mainstream is the fact that it has been recognised by the Commonwealth Games. Indeed, it is expected to be included when the event takes place in Victoria in 2026.
Test Run Has Already Taken Place
A few years ago, the thought of seeing Esports at the Commonwealth Games would have been laughable. Now, it is a realistic prospect. It was recently reported that a dry run of the Commonwealth Esports Championships was held in Birmingham, England, at the 2022 Commonwealth Games to see if this type of competitive action could be included as an official event in 2026. It went well and garnered positive feedback from the people involved.
The Victoria edition of the Commonwealth Games is set to take place in 2026, with 16 sports already confirmed. However, the organisers are hoping to add more to the schedule with Esports being strongly considered. Competitive gaming has proven to be a popular spectator sport, with more people tuning in to watch it every year. By 2026, there could be close to a billion people watching Esports, meaning that it would be a popular inclusion at a major event.
Esports has been referred to as the “new sporting frontier,” and it wouldn’t be surprising to see it gaining even more credibility in the next decade. Even the world’s biggest traditional sports had to start somewhere. Football and cricket are now well-established and loved the world over, and there’s nothing stopping Esports from following a similar trajectory.
How Will This Affect Related Industries?
With the Commonwealth Games set to take place in Australia next time, the country could be in a prime position to capitalise on the inclusion of Esports. Part of the success of competitive gaming up to this point has been thanks to related industries pushing it, along with big name companies striking sponsorship deals. Australian companies, therefore, will most certainly seek to capitalise in 2026.
The betting industry was built around traditional sports, and it is now a behemoth industry around the world. In Australia, online betting is so popular that there are countless sites vying for bettors’ attention. Indeed, there are so many to sift through that people turn to comparison sites that list the best ones based on their offers and ratings. Bettors simply scroll through and then click a link to be taken directly to a site.
Many of these online sportsbooks are already offering eSports betting, and the number of markets available is only set to rise in the future. When the Commonwealth Games rolls around, betting sites could benefit from special offers. They may also start to have a greater focus on Esports, thus drawing more attention to the competitive gaming industry.
Esports at the Commonwealth Games isn’t just huge news for the industry itself, but it’s a great move for related industries. Australian companies are set to benefit in 2026, with the betting industry being in a particularly strong position to take advantage.
eSports
Nigma Galaxy female CS:GO Champions: New docu-series follows rise to becoming champions

This Sunday 14th, Nigma Galaxy is set to release the first episode of their new docu-series, Jiggy Biggy Best: A CS:GO Story, which follows their hugely successful female CS:GO team and their journey to becoming champions at two major tournaments this year.
The first instalment of the series will be launching on Nigma Galaxy’s YouTube channel at 1pm CEST on Sunday. You can find more information below, in case the team’s story would be of interest to your editorial plan:
- Fans will get a behind the scene glimpse into the female Nigma Galaxy CS:GO team preparing for two of the biggest tournaments of their careers – ESL Impact League Season 1 in Dallas to the stand-alone ESL Impact tournament in Valencia
- The docu-series also offers an exclusive peek into the teams journey to the top – their training regime, team cohesion and a deeper dive into the world of female esports
- Uncover the dedication and support Nigma Galaxy have placed on the competitive female esports scene, one of the fastest-growing sub-genres in the industry
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