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Betting Shops in England Eligible for Grants of up to £6000 a Site in £5B Recovery Plan
The UK Betting & Gaming Council (BGC) has welcomed the announcement ahead of Wednesday’s Budget that non-essential retail businesses such as betting shops will be eligible for direct cash grants of up to £6000 per site, although the bookmaker trade body has reiterated its call for an extension of business rates relief for a further year.
Details of the grant scheme came as part of a series of announcements ahead of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s annual budget speech, in which he is set to reveal a new grant scheme totalling £5 billion to aid the recovery of high-street businesses in England.
Nearly 700,000 shops, restaurants, hotels, hair salons, gyms and other businesses in England will be eligible for “restart grants,” to be distributed directly to firms by local authorities from April. It will replace the current monthly grant system.
Under the budget plans, non-essential retail will be eligible for direct cash grants of up to £6000 to help them start trading again when allowed to do so, while hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care and gym businesses in England – which will remain closed for longer under the government’s roadmap out of lockdown – will be able to apply for grants of £18,000 per site.
“The BGC would warmly welcome any additional support for betting shops, be that business rates or grants, particularly giving the pressure independent betting shops are under,” a spokesman for the BGC said.
Racecourses and bookmakers in England were given a clear set of dates to work towards for reopening last week when prime minister Boris Johnson gave the first details of a timetable for leaving lockdown.
Non-essential retail, which has for most of the pandemic included betting shops, will form part of phase two of the plan, with April 12 the provisional date for reopening if vaccination rates rise and hospitalisations drop sufficiently.
BGC chief executive Michael Dugher has written to Sunak ahead of the budget setting out a five-point plan for more business support to “unlock the power of the high street and drive economic growth.”
Dugher said in his letter: “With premises shut for much of the past year, this would help protect jobs and remove a major financial pressure on businesses that have suffered a significant loss of income during the pandemic.”
Dugher pointed to the fact that licensed betting offices had been severely impacted by the various regional and national lockdowns over the past ten months, with revenues for this sector falling by 45% in 2020.
The letter also seeks assurance that funding for devolved administrations is made available to all business sectors in need. While businesses in England and Northern Ireland have benefited from business rates relief since last April, the Scottish and Welsh governments took the decision not to provide support for gambling companies.
“The UK Government’s backing for business stands in stark contrast to the refusal of the devolved administrations in Wales and Scotland to offer business rates relief to our members,” states the letter.
“This has sadly had a disproportionate impact on our smaller independent businesses, many of them family run, which have faced making staff redundant and an uncertain future.”
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accumulators
Record-breaking volumes at the World Sports Betting Cape Town Met, powered by OpenBet technology
OpenBet, a global leader in betting and gaming technology, powered record-breaking volumes for World Sports Betting (WSB) during the 2026 World Sports Betting Cape Town Met, processing more than three times WSB’s typical daily activity with zero downtime.
The Cape Town Met is one of South Africa’s premier horseracing events, drawing intense traffic that tests platform performance. Less than a year after migrating to OpenBet’s unified technology stack, WSB demonstrated the resilience and scalability of its platform under extreme demand.
OpenBet’s Player Account Management (PAM) technology and sportsbook solution — phased in with PAM going live in February 2025 and the sportsbook in October 2025 — now underpin WSB’s enterprise-grade wagering infrastructure across both digital and retail channels. The integrated system delivers streamlined KYC, a unified wallet, accurate reporting and a robust compliance framework designed for South Africa’s regulatory environment.
Enhanced features available to WSB customers include 50-leg accumulators, partially redeemable free bets, advanced Telebet telephone betting and integrated pools betting for sports and racing through OpenBet’s advanced trading system.
“With the World Sports Betting Cape Town Met, we processed more than three times the usual volume with zero downtime, showcasing the strength and scalability of our technology,” said Runa Walia Desai, Chief Customer Experience Officer at OpenBet. “This milestone also extends our footprint into Africa, reinforcing our position across six continents.”
Warren Tannous, CEO of World Sports Betting, added that OpenBet’s modular solution gives the operator the confidence to expand its sportsbook offering and support increased user engagement while maintaining performance and compliance.
The post Record-breaking volumes at the World Sports Betting Cape Town Met, powered by OpenBet technology appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
10000x multiplier
Choice Gaming Launches Evra Crash in Exclusive Collaboration with Patrice Evra
Choice Gaming has officially launched Evra Crash, a new multiplayer crash game developed in exclusive collaboration with football legend Patrice Evra.
The title blends high-energy crash mechanics with football culture, delivering a synchronized, shared-table experience designed to boost player engagement and social interaction.
A Football Icon Powers the Gameplay
At the center of Evra Crash is Patrice Evra, one of football’s most recognizable personalities. His presence adds authenticity and competitive intensity to the gameplay, reinforcing the game’s energetic, community-driven concept. The partnership between Choice Gaming and Evra aims to merge competitive spirit with immersive entertainment in the fast-growing crash gaming segment.
Multiplayer Crash Experience
Unlike traditional single-session crash games, Evra Crash is built around real-time shared rounds:
- All players join the same round simultaneously
- Fully networked multiplayer participation
- Visible, synchronized gameplay across users
This structure creates a social crash environment where anticipation builds collectively, increasing engagement and enhancing the thrill of each round.
Game Features & Performance Metrics
Evra Crash offers a balanced gameplay structure designed for broad player appeal:
- RTP: 95%
- Maximum Multiplier: 10,000x
- Volatility: Low
The low-volatility model provides consistent entertainment while maintaining the potential for high multipliers, positioning Evra Crash as an accessible yet exciting crash title in the iGaming market.
Cross-Platform Optimization
Built for seamless performance across environments, Evra Crash is:
- Fully mobile-optimized
- Compatible with land-based gaming solutions
- Designed for consistent cross-platform gameplay
Whether accessed online or in physical gaming venues, players experience uninterrupted performance and smooth gameplay integration.
The post Choice Gaming Launches Evra Crash in Exclusive Collaboration with Patrice Evra appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Latest News
EARN YOUR PLACE AMONG THE BEST AS POKERSTARS REVEALS SCHEDULE FOR PRESTIGIOUS SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP OF ONLINE POKER
More than $45 million guaranteed across 400 tournament opportunities for all players to earn their greatness
The full schedule for poker’s first major online series of the year, PokerStars prestigious Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP), has been unveiled featuring 136 events and more than $45 million guaranteed.
From March 1 to 25, players have the chance to earn their greatness once more and battle for an acclaimed SCOOP title across three weeks of elite online poker action. The 136-event schedule (with a total of 400 tournaments) offers low, medium, and high buy-in levels from $5.50 to $15,000, and a wide range of formats including No-Limit Hold’em, PLO, 8-Game, Mystery Bounties, Turbo, and Deep Stack events, making SCOOP accessible for everyone.
KEY SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS
The flagship Main Events will be a schedule highlight and will award a total of $5.5 million across the NLHE Main Events on March 22, and $550,000 across the PLO Main Events on March 23.
- $109 SCOOP NLHE Main Event Low – $1.5 million guaranteed
- $1,050 SCOOP NLHE Main Event Med – $2 million guaranteed
- $5,200 SCOOP NLHE Main Event High – $2 million guaranteed
- 109 SCOOP PLO Main Event Low – $100,000 guaranteed
- $1,050 SCOOP PLO Main Event Med – $200,000 guaranteed
- $5,200 SCOOP PLO Main Event High – $250,000 guaranteed
Other highlights of the 18th edition of SCOOP include:
- March 1 – $215 Sunday Million PKO – $1 million guaranteed
- March 8 – $22 Mystery Sunday Special, $300,000 guaranteed – All-in Shoot Out for United Kingdom & Ireland players to award an Emerald Pass to the Irish Open on March 10 at 7am GMT
- March 8 – $109 Sunday Million PKO – $1 million guaranteed
- March 15 – $55 Mini Sunday Million PKO – $500,000 guaranteed – All-in Shoot Out for United Kingdom & Ireland players to award an Emerald Pass to the Irish Open on March 17 at 7am GMT
- March 15 – $530 Sunday Million – $1 million guaranteed
As well as the huge prizes and trophies on offer, players can also compete in the SCOOP Leaderboards where an additional $100,000 in cash prizes will be awarded across the Low, Medium and High Player of the Series Leaderboards.
As ever, there are a number of qualification routes giving players the chance to qualify into SCOOP events for a fraction of the buy-in. Routes include satellites from just $0.55, the SCOOP Lucky Dip where $500,000 in SCOOP tickets are up for grabs and the $55 Power Path Express SCOOP Edition, on March 1st,where more than $200,000 in SCOOP Power Passes and Main Event tickets will be awarded to boost players’ grind to greatness. Finally, all players are still in time to crack open a SCOOP Prize Vault and earn a SCOOP ticket worth up to $1,050 upon opt-in.
“SCOOP is where greatness isn’t given, it’s earned. Every title represents weeks of preparation, relentless competition and beating the toughest fields in online poker. That’s what makes a SCOOP win so special,” said Steve Clarricoats, Associate Director of Poker Operations at PokerStars. “With a huge schedule and accessible buy-ins and formats, SCOOP remains the title every online player wants on their record.”
For 17 years, SCOOP has been appointment poker of the highest order and winning a SCOOP title has been a bucket list dream for poker players all over the world. More than $1.4 billion in prize pools have been awarded to players since SCOOP started in 2009, with some of the world’s best players earning coveted SCOOP trophies.
Sweden’s Simon “C. Darwin” Mattsson is the greatest player in SCOOP history having earned 14 titles, followed by fellow Swede Niklas “Lena900” Astedt and the UK’s Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser who both have 11 titles, with Benny being the most decorated player in COOP history also having a record-leading 16 WCOOP titles.
For more information about SCOOP head to the PokerStars website or PokerStars Blog.
The post EARN YOUR PLACE AMONG THE BEST AS POKERSTARS REVEALS SCHEDULE FOR PRESTIGIOUS SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP OF ONLINE POKER appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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