Latest News
BGC Calls for Urgent Implementation of Casino Modernisation Plans
Standards body The Betting and Gaming Council has welcomed the modernisation plans for casinos, and called for their swift implementation.
Proposals outlined by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, in their White Paper consultation response on land-based betting and gaming, included a host of modest, but mission critical, modernisation measures.
While it will take time to consider the full impact of the proposals, they did include the introduction of cashless payments, new rules on gaming machines allocations and allowing all casinos to offer sports betting for the first time.
In a further move welcomed by the BGC, the government said the Gambling Commission would consult on player protection measures to ensure the correct standards are in place where debit card payments are used on gaming machines.
While these proposals are welcome, the BGC urged ministers to act swiftly to implement the plans, so businesses could improve their offer to customers without delay.
Michael Dugher, CEO and Acting Chair of the Betting and Gaming Council, said: “Casinos are a vital pillar of the UK’s leisure, hospitality and tourism sector and we welcome the Government’s consultation response which is positive progress on the modest, long-overdue but mission critical modernisation reforms needed for the land-based casino sector to compete and thrive.
“Casinos currently employ more than 10,000 people, contribute £300m annually in tax and generate an estimated £800m a year to the UK economy.
“Much needed reforms on cashless payments, gaming machine allocations and allowing all casinos to offer sports betting will strengthen the sector to better meet the needs and expectations of their customers.
“While we welcome these proposals, attention must now shift to the timeline for implementing policy changes and we urge the Government to urgently set out a clear timeline for progressing the relevant legislation to make them reality for our members.
“Too many casinos have sadly closed in recent years as successive administrations failed to deliver the changes we needed to protect jobs and growth. The BGC and our fantastic casino members have campaigned for these new measures for years to allow businesses to modernise, innovate and grow, and we strongly welcome the Government’s approach to ensure casinos are better placed to make that happened.”
The new proposals were outlined in a Written Ministerial Statement, by Minister for Sport, Gambling and Civil Society Stuart Andrew MP.
Announcing the new measures, he said: “As set out in the Gambling Act Review white paper, the measures we consulted on are therefore necessary to modernise the outdated and overly restrictive regulations that apply to the land-based gambling sector.”
Casinos are a vital pillar of the regulated betting and gaming sector, as well as the leisure, tourism and hospitality sector. In London alone, they deliver an additional £100m to the capital’s economy. Each month around 22.5m adults in Britain enjoy a bet, whether it’s buying a lottery ticket, having a game of bingo, visiting a casino, playing online or having a wager on football, horseracing and other sports.
The regulated betting and gaming industry, including the land-based sector, already makes a huge economic contribution throughout the UK, with BGC members supporting 110,000 jobs, generating £4.2bn in tax and contributing £7.1bn to the economy. Meanwhile, the most recent NHS Health Survey for England estimated that 0.4% of the adult population are problem gamblers.
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Paf employees donated €125,000
The Nordic gaming company Paf decided to give all employees the opportunity to donate €125,000 to various good causes, initiatives and projects. The causes were selected through a nomination and voting process by the employees.
All Paf employees were given the opportunity to nominate their own initiatives that they felt were worthy of Paf’s €125,000 donation. Once the nomination process was complete, employees were asked to vote for the initiatives, and it was the employees’ votes that determined which initiatives received the donation and how much of the sum was allocated to each project.
“It’s really important that everyone who works at Paf feels that our core mission is different and that it’s well worth working for. That’s why we wanted to involve the employees and give everyone a direct opportunity to determine the distribution of the donation,” says Paf’s CEO Christer Fahlstedt.
Paf’s basic purpose is to generate funds for the benefit of society. The annual profit is used as Paf funds for social, environmental, youth, sports and cultural purposes, among others.
Second year in a row
This is the second year in a row that Paf employees have been able to donate a sum of money to various good causes. Last year employees donated €100,000 and this year the amount was increased to €125,000.
“It was a great way to end last year and a good initiative to repeat this year. The donation is not part of Paf’s usual mission and purpose, but it reflects our overall core purpose in an excellent way,’ says Paf CEO Christer Fahlstedt.
The distribution of €125,000
When the employees gathered in December for the annual Christmas speech, the vote was taken and the result determined how the €125,000 would be distributed. The Employee vote gave causes for Ukraine the biggest donation and €40,000, followed by causes against cancer €25,000 and in third place causes for combating abuse of children €15.000.
1. €40.000 – Causes for Ukraine
2. €25.000 – Causes against cancer
3. €15.000 – Causes for combating abuse of children
4. €12.000 – Causes for Children
5. €9.000 – Causes for Animals
6. €7.000 – The Swedish Brain Foundation (Hjärnfonden)
7. €6.000 – Medical aid for Palestine
8. €5.000 – Causes for Women
9. €3.500 – Relief efforts – Spanish weather disaster
10. €2.500 – Jesuit Refugee Services Malta
Most votes – top 3
Causes for Ukraine goes to the following initiatives;
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Power Up Ukraine, Swedish based, helps with energy solutions
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Blågula Bilen, Swedish based, donates trucks & 4×4 vehicles with supplies
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Hospitallers, based in Ukraine, Hospitallers is a volunteer organization of paramedics.
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Come Back Alive, Ukraine, Demining in Ukraine
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Safe & Smart, Ukraine based, Restoring hybrid and offline learning in Ukrainian schools
Causes against cancer goes to;
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Barncancerfonden, Sweden, They help families and contribute to paediatric cancer research with the aim of eradicating childhood cancer
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Kingitud Elu, Estonia, Estonian Association of Parents of Children with Cancer
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Rintasyöpäyhdistys, Finland, Europa Donna Finland ry works to increase awareness of breast cancer and improve the quality of life for patients during and after the treatment period
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Project Liv, Finland, support children with cancer and their families
Causes for combating abuse of children goes to;
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Internet Watch Foundation, UK, stop child sexual abuse online
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Anti-Human Trafficking Intelligence Initiative, USA based, end human trafficking and child exploitation
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Missing Children Europe, protects children from going missing
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ECPAT, based in Thailand, ensures children live a childhood free from sexual abuse and exploitation
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La Strada International, Europe, works against human trafficking
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Prajwala, India, works to end sex trafficking & sex crime
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Maiti Nepal, Nepal, works for a society free from trafficking of children & women
The nomination and voting process was not open to organisations or initiatives that were already beneficiaries of Paf funds. Since 1966, Paf has distributed more than €447 million in Paf funds. In the spring of 2024, Paf was able to distribute €31.4 million for the benefit of society.
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2025 ICR Conference
Golden Matrix Group to Participate in the 2025 ICR Conference
Golden Matrix Group Inc., a developer and licensor of online gaming platforms, systems, and gaming content, today announced that management will participate in the 2025 ICR Conference on January 13-15, 2025 at the Grande Lakes Resort in Orlando, FL.
Zoran Milosevic, Chief Executive Officer of Meridianbet, will participate in a fireside chat with an equity research analyst on Monday, January 13, 2025, at 2:30 PM ET and will also be available for meetings during the conference.
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The Power of High Performance: GR8 Tech Achieves 25% Turnover Growth in 2024
GR8 Tech has successfully closed the year – a 25% year-on-year increase in turnover, dozens of new clients signed, and a significant boost in client revenue. Throughout the year, the company developed nearly 200 new features and improvements, continually enhancing the functionality of its platform. With over 12.4 billion bets placed in 2024 (a 125% increase year-on-year), GR8 Tech has proven its ability to scale and deliver consistent performance, even during the busiest events.
“Our primary focus in 2024 was to empower operators with tools for seamless platform customization and streamlined management. We introduced geo-specific solutions that enable faster market launches, adapting platforms to meet local demands—whether through bonus mechanics, payment methods, or tailored content for sportsbook and casino. At the same time, we strengthened our offerings with enhanced sportsbook features, new games in the casino vertical, and innovative gamification mechanics to drive player engagement,” said Denys Parkhomenko, Chief Product Officer at GR8 Tech.
GR8 Tech demonstrated its robust scalability by handling 21.5 million bets during the IPL 2024 alone. With the capacity to process 20,000 bets and 54,000 wallet transactions per second, the platform consistently performs even during high-traffic periods.
In 2024, GR8 Tech signed numerous long-term partnerships, bringing its total number of projects worldwide to 45+ and proving the growing demand for customizable iGaming solutions. The company also received industry-wide acclaim, securing multiple prestigious awards, such as Silver as the Best Platform Provider of the Year at SBC Awards, “Best Online Sportsbook Provider” at SiGMA Eurasia, “Best Workplace” at SiGMA Americas, and “Rising Star Provider of the Year” at the Affpapa iGaming Awards 2024.
Building on its achievements, GR8 Tech is set for another successful year, continuing to deliver industry-leading solutions for operators around the world.
“Improvement and excellence are about consistently staying ahead. A trend might emerge and then disappear tomorrow, but improving your product – making it better than the competition – has lasting value. Whether it’s through better personalization, risk management, recommendations, or any other aspect, improvement is essential. And in this industry, you don’t really have a choice. It’s so fast-paced that if something new and valuable appears, you need to adopt it immediately. The mindset of constant improvement is what keeps a product relevant and competitive,” said Sergey Ghazaryan, CRO at GR8 Tech.
GR8 Tech heads into 2025 with a continued commitment to driving high-performance results, leading industry trends, and challenging the norm.
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