Industry News
British & Irish Industries Unite To Support Responsible Gambling Week 2018
The Industry Group for Responsible Gambling (IGRG) has announced that Responsible Gambling Week 2018 will take place from 1st – 7th November and that, for the first time, organisations and businesses from Ireland and Northern Ireland will join those from Great Britain in supporting the event.
The IGRG brings together every sector of the gambling industry through its member trade associations, covering online, amusement arcades, bingo clubs, bookmakers and casinos: all with the common objective of raising awareness of responsible gambling behaviours and encouraging staff, customers and the wider public to discuss what it means to gamble responsibly.
The headline theme of the Week will be Let’s Talk About Responsible Gambling. By coming together with one voice, the industry is able extend its reach and ensure that the message of responsible gambling connects with the widest possible audience.
Encouraged by the success of the inaugural Responsible Gambling Week, held in 2017, which encompassed more than 10,000 gambling venues and online sites, 120,000 employees across Great Britain and created more than 10 million impressions on social media, the IGRG is seeking to build on the excellent results and take the campaign further in 2018. In Ireland, the initiative will be supported by more than 800 bookmakers shops and head offices, involving around 5,500 staff, and by the Arcades Association, the Gaming and Leisure Association of Ireland, Horse Racing Ireland and both the Irish Greyhound and Horse Racing Tote.
A new website www.responsiblegamblingweek.org has been created and contains information about the Week, its supporters, responsible gambling and where to find further help and information. The website provides a central resource and information point for customers, the general public, staff and supporting organisations, in addition to providing information and material for the media. Social channels for Responsible Gambling Week 2018 are also active on Facebook and Twitter: RGWeek18
Operators promote responsible gambling 365 days of the year, but Responsible Gambling Week creates the opportunity for businesses to start a conversation about how to keep gambling fun and safe, not only with their customers, but also with their friends and families.
John Hagan, Chairman of the Industry Group for Responsible Gambling, said:
“Social responsibility is fundamental to the gambling industry’s approach, and we are all dedicated, year-round, to promoting responsible gambling. But what makes Responsible Gambling Week special is that the whole industry is united and engaged, and we are pleased that this hugely positive collaboration extends to working with the Irish industry this year too.
Responsible Gambling Week 2018 seeks once again to call upon and harness the collective networks, venues and staff of all gambling sectors. For 2018, we will be seeking to broaden the Week’s base of supporters and make use of communication networks, both traditional and digital, to have a conversation with a wider audience and raise awareness, continuing the “Let’s talk” theme of 2017.”
Sharon Byrne, Chairperson of the Irish Bookmakers Association, said:
“We are delighted to be partnering with the IGRG and joining their Responsible Gambling Week in November. Following our very successful Responsible Gambling Week here in Ireland last February, it is a logical and progressive step to join forces with the UK campaign.”
“The week is all about having that conversation, raising awareness on gambling responsibly, and on how to access help or support for those who need it. Merging both campaigns can only help to increase the impact and reach of the campaign and ensure maximum coverage for the week”.
Responsible Gambling Week 2018 will take place from 1st – 7th November 2018. Organisations wishing to support the Week and get involved should, if a member of a supporting trade association, contact their trade association first. Organisations that are not members of a supporting trade association should contact the Responsible Gambling Week team by email: [email protected]
To stay up to date, please visit and follow Responsible Gambling Week 2018 on Facebook www.facebook.com/RGWeek2018 and on Twitter at @RGWeek2018 .
About Responsible Gambling Week
- Responsible Gambling Week (RGW) is a national, cross-industry awareness campaign to promote responsible gambling
- Responsible Gambling Week 2018 runs from 1st November-7th November 2018.
- The campaign is led by the Industry Group for Responsible Gambling (IGRG) and all five sectors of the UK gambling industry (arcades, bingo clubs, bookmakers, casinos and online) and the Irish Bookmakers Association will be taking part.
- The aim of the campaign is to further raise awareness amongst customers and the wider public of:
– How to gamble responsibly
– The tools that are available to help individuals gamble responsibly
– Where to find more information, help and support for those who need it
About IGRG:
- Established in 2014, the IGRG promotes socially responsible gambling within the British gambling industry, in support of the three licensing objectives in the Gambling Act 2005.
- The IGRG comprises the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB); British Amusement Machine Association (BACTA); The Bingo Association (BA); National Casino Forum (NCF); and Remote Gambling Association (RGA).
- IGRG’s member associations represent some 640 operators and 8,500 licensed premises, reflecting the spectrum of gambling businesses.
- igrg.uk
Association of British Bookmakers (ABB)
The Association of British Bookmakers (ABB) is the industry association for the high street betting industry. Our members include three of the four largest high street operators: Ladbrokes-Coral, Paddy Power Betfair, and William Hill along with many independent bookmakers. Collectively, the ABB represents almost 80% of the high street betting shop industry. www.abb.uk.com
Bacta
Bacta represents the amusement and gaming machine industry in the UK. Its 500 members range from high-tech and creative manufacturers, to machine suppliers to pubs, clubs and bingo halls, to the operators of seaside Family Entertainment Centres and over-18s Gaming Centres. The industry’s 310,000 machines contribute nearly £2 billion to the British economy and employs 34,000 people. www.bacta.org.uk
The Bingo Association
The Bingo Association is the trade association of the licensed bingo industry in Great Britain, representing the proprietors licensed under The Gambling Act 2005. Its aims are to promote and develop the interests of all licensed bingo operators. There are 103 operators in membership, ranging from large operators to single business units. The Bingo Industry Code of Conduct for Responsible Gambling is a condition of membership. www.bingo-association.co.uk
National Casino Forum (NCF)
The National Casino Forum (NCF) is the sole trade association for non-remote casinos in Great Britain. All non-remote casinos are members. NCF promotes a positive agenda for a well-regulated, socially responsible and economically sustainable casino industry. Adhering to the principles of Playing Safe, the sector’s responsible gambling initiative, is a condition of membership. www.nationalcasinoforum.co.uk
Remote Gambling Association (RGA)
The Remote Gambling Association (RGA) is the largest online gambling trade association in the world, representing the largest licensed stock market listed remote gambling operators and software providers. The organisation provides the remote gambling industry with a single voice on all issues of importance to regulators, legislators, and key decision makers around the world. www.rga.eu.com
Irish Bookmakers Association (IBA)
The Irish Bookmakers Association (IBA) is a trade organisation, representing more than 85% of the retail betting sector in Ireland, including large multiples and independent operators.
It is responsible for working with and on behalf of the industry, to draft and implement codes of practice to ensure betting is kept fun and safe, and that the relevant information and services are readily available to anyone suffering from gambling related harm.
It makes submissions to Government to keep the betting environment and practices in Ireland in-line with international best standards. www.irishbookmakersassociation.com
Industry News
Maximising Your Cross-Market Appeal
With Bitblox introducing an entirely new breed of crypto-based price prediction games to the iGaming industry, we talked to CEO, Brandt Page, to discover how combining elements of both chance and skill with lightning-fast betting rounds has helped improve their cross-market appeal.
When Bitblox was first established, our core concept was relatively simple; we didn’t just want to provide players with a new twist on an existing format like slots or casino games, but instead sought to create an entirely new vertical that combined elements of chance and elements of skill.
One of the main drivers behind this decision was the fact that we wanted our releases to appeal to as broad an audience as possible – and I think from the figures we’ve seen so far, we’ve already had some notable success on that front in terms of the players that are engaging with our games.
Funnily enough, I was recently talking to the Head of Marketing from one of the operators that we work with and they told me they were struggling to place our games optimally. Initially, they’d put them in with crash and instant win content, but they soon discovered a lot of their in-game traffic was coming from sports bettors. A move to the sports betting tab followed, but the exact same-thing happened with casino players, leading to the games eventually winding up on the front page.
As this was going on, our games were continuing to post solid numbers with the customers who bet on both sports and casino – and all of this engagement was coming without there being any additional promotion from us or the operator. So why was it that our games were performing so well across these different player segments? I believe there are a number of contributing factors.
First and foremost, having this hybrid model of games of chance and games of skill that I’ve already mentioned has placed us in a fairly unique position within the iGaming industry. On the one hand, the simple premise of our Bitcoin-based titles – coupled with their attractive designs and intuitive UI – makes them highly accessible to casino players who are just looking to have fun.
On the other, the fact that Bitblox games aren’t based on RNG and are instead pinned to the real-time movements of the Bitcoin market certainly resonates with a sports betting audience. As they have the ability to follow the charts and use this information to inform their decisions, they definitely feel they have more control over the outcome than if they were playing a traditional slot.
Another key aspect of our cross-market appeal is the fast-paced nature of all Bitblox releases. With casino players being accustomed to the quick wins and instant gratification of slots and crash games and sports bettors also showing a growing preference for in-play wagering, we’ve ensured each game round is resolved quickly and that there are multiple opportunities for betting.
When we first launched Up or Down?, which features one-minute betting rounds, we soon learned that even this timeframe is too long for some players. This resulted in us developing Up or Down? Turbo – a game which kept the same mechanics as its predecessor but reduced the betting window to 20 seconds – and this has gone on to become one of our most successful titles.
Keeping all this in mind, one of the things I’m most excited about is the upcoming release of our latest game, 3 in a Row, as I think this is a title that really ties everything I’ve talked about so far together. Designed to look like a slot machine, 3 in a Row challenges players to correctly predict how the Bitcoin price will move over three separate 20-second windows for even bigger payouts.
Intended to appeal to casual users and serious sports bettors alike, players can elect to either spin the reels for fun and select a random price sequence or use the bet builder feature to put together their own custom prediction. With the latter essentially functioning like an accumulator bet, players can select up to three possible combinations – i.e. Up/Up/Up, Up/Up/Down etc – and only one result needs to land for them to win, ensuring they stay engaged until the final seconds.
I believe that 3 in a Row can help build on the strong foundations we’ve laid down with casino and sports bettors and provide operators with another popular option that offers significant cross-market appeal. Based on what we’ve seen from previous Bitblox releases, the audience for titles that combine elements of chance and elements of skill is definitely out there – and I’m looking forward to our unique brand of crypto-based games being enjoyed by even more players in future.
Industry News
Gaming Corps to launch with lotteries in the USA via EQL games deal
In-demand content provider extends reach into largest iGaming market in the world with its full suite of games made available via iLottery aggregation platform
Gaming Corps, a publicly-listed game studio based in Sweden renowned for creating industry-leading games, has made its debut in the US market through a breakthrough agreement with leading lottery provider, EQL Games.
The distribution agreement will see Gaming Corps’ full suite of games made available to EQL Games’ powerful iLottery Aggregation Platform, developed to provide lottery operators across America with direct access to a portfolio of proprietary and third-party games.
Following the integration, EQL Games’ lottery operator partners will be offered proven Slots, Table Games, Multiplier Games, Mine Games and Plinko Games, as well as titles under Gaming Corps’ innovative and trademarked Smash4Cash™ series.
The deal and integration come at a time of growing demand among online lottery operators in the US for non-traditional content, a format that Gaming Corps has excelled in, especially with its Smash4Cash™ games, which have been a hit with players in global markets.
EQL’s aggregation platform has been developed to allow online lottery operators to quickly and easily access content from multiple game studios simultaneously through one integration and one commercial agreement.
Its iLottery Aggregation platform simplifies the process of adding new games to an online lottery brand across regulated states. In addition to the third-party content provided via its aggregator platform, EQL Games has a portfolio of in-house titles.
This includes games produced under licence with Team USA which were rolled out by several state lotteries for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris this year, with new titles being planned ahead of the Winter Games in Milan (2026) and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles (2028).
Juha Kauppinen, CEO of Gaming Corps, said: “The USA has always been somewhat of the holy grail for game developers like us, which has been further emphasised as markets in several states have become regulated. The potential in the American market is enormous, and the impact for us is a bit difficult to assess, but we have great hopes for the collaboration with EQL Games, which has an impressive platform towards U.S. lotteries.
“We believe it will have a significantly positive impact on our revenues. I would like to personally take the opportunity to thank EQL Games and Brad Cummings for the collaboration, and we are now working hard to complete the integration so that all our games will be offered to EQL’s customers via their platform.”
Brad Cummings, CEO of EQL Games, added: “Including Gaming Corps as a supplier to the EQL Games iLottery Aggregator is an exciting step forward in our mission to offer unique, high-quality content to state lotteries. Gaming Corps’ expertise in iGaming, along with their unique game portfolio, fits perfectly with our vision of enhancing the lottery experience through dynamic and engaging content.”
Industry News
Public Voting Starts for Ortak x B.F.T.H. Arena Awards 3.0
The highly anticipated Ortak x B.F.T.H. Arena Awards 3.0 has officially entered the public voting phase as submissions are closed.
More than 70 game providers have turned in over 160 submissions, including Tom Horn Gaming, Pragmatic Play and RubyPlay. Public voting involves enthusiasts casting their votes to pick the winner of the Game of Public Choice category.
The Public voting phase ends on December 1st 23:59 GMT+4.
Concurrent to public voting, the first phase of private voting also starts during which all participants who have submitted entries get the chance to vote for one favourite in each category. An international auditing company oversees this phase to eliminate duplicate votes and self-votes. This phase ends on November 19, 23:59 GMT+4.
The second phase of private voting will also take place with a jury of industry experts making their decisions based on the shortlist picked by participants during the first phase.
-
Asia4 days ago
Hong Kong Construction Titan Turned Macau Casino Boss Lui Che-Woo Dies Aged 95
-
Cryptocurrency6 days ago
Kyrrex to host online panel discussion on MiCA and the future of crypto in Europe
-
Australia6 days ago
Light & Wonder Signs Multi-year Systems Deal with SkyCity Entertainment
-
Asia6 days ago
Skillhub Online Games Federation Launches SOG Grandmasters Series, Targets Discovery of 1 Lakh Gaming Talents Nationwide
-
Africa5 days ago
SunBet Extends Online Betting Platform Contract with Bede Gaming Amid Record-Breaking Performance
-
Conferences in Europe6 days ago
Aviatrix approved for Sweden take-off
-
eSports6 days ago
Welcome to the World Esports Championship 2024!
-
Greece6 days ago
Stakelogic Live Pens Deal with Novibet for Mexican and Greek Markets