Press Releases

National Gambling Education and Support Programme Launched for the UK

Published

5 years ago

May 19, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes

GamCare and YGAM will be working together to provide a new national gambling education and support programme for young people aged 11-19 across the UK.

The initiative will equip a generation of young people to better understand the risks associated with gambling and engage with gambling products and environments in an informed way.

The programme is part of a package of BGC Safer Gambling Commitments announced in November 2019. It will involve direct provision of education to 120,000 young people, in addition to the training of over 100,000 professionals who deliver education to young people – including teachers, youth workers, community mental health practitioners, police and community sports trusts.

GamCare and YGAM have set out the following shared aspirations for gambling education in the UK:

All 11-19-year-olds in England, Wales and Northern Ireland receive at least one session of gambling awareness education during their secondary/further education (provision in Scotland is delivered through Fast Forward)

All teachers, youth workers and other professionals working with young people should have access to information about the risks of gambling, how to identify gambling related harm in young people and where help can be sought.

All parents and families should have access to information about young people’s gambling, how to keep young people safe, and where they can be referred for help and support.

All young people (aged 18 and under) who are ‘at risk’ of or have developed a problem with gambling, or are affected by the gambling of someone close to them (e.g. a parent), should have access to age-appropriate treatment

The evidence-led, evaluated, and accredited education programmes extend beyond the individuals they reach directly by equipping people with the skills and confidence to talk to others about gambling harms and identify harmful behaviour in those close to them.

Anna Hemmings, CEO of GamCare, says:

“GamCare have been working with young people and youth facing professionals to deliver gambling education for many years. What we see in the classroom tends to be polarised views on gambling, and a lack of clear understanding about its potential risks. We are delighted to be working with YGAM and extending this much needed programme. We believe that gambling education should have parity with education around other risky behaviours and the extension of this programme will help us take a significant step towards achieving that aim.”

Lee Willows, founder and CEO of YGAM, says:

“Building upon our five-year track record of training professionals who have influence over young people’s learning, we are delighted to be working with GamCare, the Betting & Gaming Council and their members and our various external evaluation partners to scale our geographical reach to deliver this ambitious programme. Raising awareness and harm-prevention education is an important component to reduce gambling-related harms. By training professionals who have influence over young people’s learning, we will equip these professionals with the skills, knowledge and confidence to not only deliver the programme but also highlight the age-appropriate support available from GamCare.”

The education programme will be supported by a range of high-quality materials developed in accordance with PSHE Association, City and Guilds and Pearson quality standards.

To ensure the programme is delivered throughout the COVID-19 lockdown, resources will be further enriched by quality video and digital content reflective of the spaces in which young people consume information.

Those identified as being impacted by gambling-related harm through the programme will be able to receive seamless access to help and support from the GamCare team and via our youth facing website: www.BigDeal.org.uk

The Betting and Gaming Council is providing funds for the programme to the Charities Aid Foundation, which will disperse the funds to GamCare and YGAM in accordance with the grant. The programme will be overseen by an independent evaluator who will report regularly on progress against key target objectives.

Compliance Updates

KSA: Monitoring report autumn 2025: turnaround in market development, concerns about illegal share

Published

16 minutes ago

October 15, 2025

George Miller

ksa:-monitoring-report-autumn-2025:-turnaround-in-market-development,-concerns-about-illegal-share

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The growth of the legal online gambling market appears to be stagnating, but the illegal market continues to grow. This turnaround in the legal market is partly due to the positive effects of measures introduced a year ago to protect players. This is according to the Dutch Gaming Authority (Ksa) in its autumn 2025 monitoring report. Although the number of players is still increasing, the gross gaming result (GSR) of the legal market is lagging behind.

The gross gaming result (GSR, stakes minus prizes paid out) for the first half of 2025 is €600 million. Six months earlier, it was 16% higher, at €697 million. This is partly due to the introduction of new rules to better protect players, which also include a deposit limit.

Number of players and accounts

The number of accounts played on a monthly basis has increased: in the second half of 2024, this averaged 1.18 million accounts. In the first half of 2025, this number rose to 1.29 million. On average, 7.1% of the accounts are new. More new accounts are likely being created because, with the implementation of the new rules at the end of 2024, players will be able to deposit less per account monthly without sharing their income data with the provider.

A player can have multiple accounts, so the number of accounts doesn’t equal the number of people gambling. It’s estimated that in the first six months of 2025, there were 839,000 active players with legal providers. This means that 5.7% of the adult population gambled legally online during those months. That’s slightly more than the previous six months, when that percentage was 5.4%.

Loss

The average player’s monthly losses have decreased substantially since the implementation of the protective measures. While the average loss per player was €146 per month at the end of 2024, it has dropped to €119 per month by the beginning of 2025. This takes into account the fact that players play with multiple providers and may not be active every month.

Young adults (ages 18 to 24) played with 23 percent of the accounts used in the first half of 2025. This is relatively high, as they represent only 9.3% of the adult population. They do lose less money per account on average than adult players, namely €37 per month compared to €78 for adults. Compared to the total player population, young adults also engage in relatively more sports betting.

Illegal market

The channeling in terms of players (the percentage of people gambling with legal providers) is stable: approximately 94% gamble exclusively legally. The channeling in terms of BSR (the amount of total gambled money going to illegal providers) has shown a slight downward trend that continued in the first half of 2025: from 51% at the end of 2024 to 49% at the beginning of 2025. This downward trend may be explained by players shifting to illegal offerings due to the new player protection regulations, where these perceived restrictive rules do not apply. The Ksa considers this a worrying development, as players in the illegal market are much less well protected.

Source: kansspelautoriteit.nl

The post KSA: Monitoring report autumn 2025: turnaround in market development, concerns about illegal share appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Africa

BongoBongo Partnership Boosts GR8 Tech’s Expansion in Africa

Published

19 hours ago

October 14, 2025

George Miller

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

GR8 Tech has joined forces with East African iGaming brand BongoBongo. Active across Uganda, Zambia, Tanzania, and Kenya, BongoBongo is known for its bold growth strategy and sharp market focus. Now, that momentum continues with the launch of GR8 Tech’s ULTIM8 Sportsbook—a high-performance solution built for ultimate speed, scale, and competitive edge.

While the iFrame integration already powers live operations, BongoBongo is also one of the first brands to leverage GR8 Tech’s robust backend integration via API. This will enable BongoBongo to take full control of the front end, tailoring the player experience to its brand vision while relying on GR8 Tech’s infrastructure under the hood. It’s a heavyweight blend of freedom and firepower, built for operators ready to differentiate and dominate.

“As we continue to grow across Africa and expand our local teams, having a high-performance sportsbook that complements our casino-first strategy is key. GR8 Tech gives us exactly that: the freedom to shape our frontend on top of a powerful, scalable engine. With the ULTIM8 solution and API, we’re ready to raise the bar for our players,” said Randy Heyrowsky, CEO at BongoBongo.

GR8 Tech’s Proven Success in Africa

GR8 Tech has already demonstrated strong traction in Africa by delivering a custom light sportsbook frontend for a regional operator in 2024. Designed for real-world conditions typical for the region, such as slow networks, older devices, and limited bandwidth, the solution prioritized speed and performance. The results were striking: conversion from registration to first deposit rose by 12% and user retention more than doubled, from 10% to 25%.

It was a strategic localization. GR8 Tech’s ability to blend performance engineering with market-specific UX shows what’s possible when products are built to meet the moment. In Africa and beyond, this is how heavyweight platforms win.

“Every market has its own demands, and success comes from listening closely and building accordingly. With Africa, we’ve proven that smart technical decisions drive long-term value. Now, with BongoBongo, we’re doubling down on that principle. They have bold plans and deep market insight, and we’re excited to support their next phase with tech that’s fast, flexible, and built to scale with their vision,” said Yevhen Krazhan, CSO at GR8 Tech.

Connect with GR8 Tech at the upcoming SiGMA Central Europe to discover new developments and explore opportunities.

The post BongoBongo Partnership Boosts GR8 Tech’s Expansion in Africa appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Daniel Falvey Casino Manager at Dragon Bet

DragonBet fires up its slots offering with Stakelogic games

Published

20 hours ago

October 14, 2025

George Miller

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Reading Time: < 1 minute

Stakelogic’s latest UK deal brings its full slot suite and Spin to Win jackpot feature to DragonBet players

Casino content provider Stakelogic has announced a new partnership with UK-facing sportsbook and casino operator DragonBet, bringing its extensive suite of slot titles to one of the UK’s most exciting independent brands. The integration, facilitated via Relax Gaming, further strengthens Stakelogic’s presence in the UK and adds a high-performance slot offering to Dragon Bet’s growing casino vertical.

As part of the deal, Dragon Bet players will now have access to Stakelogic’s complete slot portfolio, headlined by recent top performers including Wrath of Zeus ClusterBreaker and Kraken’s Catch, alongside classic-style fruit games and modern video slots packed with advanced mechanics.

Also included in the rollout is Spin to Win, Stakelogic’s pioneering progressive jackpot system. Built to deliver real-money wins directly from within the base slot game, Spin to Win randomly selects a player and transports them to a live jackpot wheel – injecting gameplay with the potential for an unexpected twist and big rewards.

Neil Tanti, Head of Sales at Stakelogic, said: “Dragon Bet is a standout brand in the UK betting scene, with strong local roots and big ambitions. We’re thrilled to bring our full slot portfolio to their players and to support their casino growth strategy with content built for engagement and performance. Spin to Win is a great example of how we’re pushing the boundaries of what a slot experience can be.”

Daniel Falvey, Casino Manager at Dragon Bet, added: “At DragonBet, we’re committed to offering something fresh, exciting, and truly engaging for our players. Stakelogic fits that bill perfectly. With innovative, fast-paced slots and unique features like their Spin to Win progressive jackpots, they bring a dynamic new edge to our offering that we’re confident our players will love.”

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