Industry News
Gauselmann Group Opens New Venues in UK
German gambling company Gauselmann group has gone one step further by investing in the high street and launching its Merkur Slots brand nationally. The company has opened three brand-new venues in Southall, Hornchurch and Lancaster on July 4.
Gauselmann group plans to open many more Merkur Slots venues across the UK this year. The company will open with three more venues in Saltash, Bolton and Wolverhampton, this month.
“This is a very exciting time for the Merkur Slots brand. So many companies haven’t survived the effects of the pandemic and we are delighted to be able to give customers a brand-new experience in locations where we don’t currently have a presence. It means a lot to us to be part of kick-starting the high street again and supporting the local community with new job opportunities,” Mark Schertle, COO of Gauselmann group, said.
Merkur Slots provides the latest in digital venues. All machines and advertising are fully digitised and customers will be able to enjoy all of their favourite games, as well as the latest in Blueprint games.
All venues will be COVID-secure, with Gauselmann group implementing an “Open, clean, safe” campaign which will focus heavily on ensuring new safety precautions are in-place and everything is communicated effectively with customers, via social channels and the official website.
“We look forward to welcoming customers back to gaming after a small hiatus and we feel we have a unique edge in that we can offer them brand-new, modern venues that have been designed with social distancing in mind. Customers can game with total confidence. Thank you to all our staff who have worked tirelessly to get the venues up and running ahead of opening,” Schertle said.
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BetBlocker
New Turkish-language tool from BetBlocker extends service to 90 million additional people
Gambling harm prevention charity BetBlocker today reveals the extension of their award-winning assistance into Turkish.
In 2025, BetBlocker saw a tremendous increase in support, with more than three hundred thousand individual users initiating a block throughout the year. This significant level of engagement has been made possible by the diverse array of languages into which the charity has translated its assistance.
Yesilay, the main Turkish support service, reports that requests for help with gambling are now surpassing those for alcohol, drugs, or tobacco, alongside significant uptake and harm among youth, making the launch of Turkish language support timely and relevant.
Founder and Trustee for BetBlocker, Duncan Garvie, offered these comments: “BetBlocker is genuinely excited to roll out our second language expansion of 2026.
We’ve experienced phenomenal uptake of the service over the last 12 months and figures hare steadily rising. One of the biggest drivers of that growth has been improving the accessibility of our support by meeting users where they are and offering support in the language that they’re most comfortable accessing in.
Alongside Turkey itself, there are substantial Turkish speaking communities across Europe, the Middle East and North America. It is our hope that this evolution of BetBlocker will ensure that a deeper level of support is available more widely across the Turkish diaspora.
BetBlocker would like to offer our deepest thanks to Fatmatuz Zehra Pehlivan, a Clinical Psychologist and researcher, who volunteers Green Cresent in the field of addiction treatment. Fatmatuz volunteered her time to help translate our app, and every Turkish language user we support owe her their thanks for the donation of her time and expertise.
As with many of the communities BetBlocker now supports, we would not be able to reach so many people without the kindness and generosity of field experts like Fatmatuz.”
The post New Turkish-language tool from BetBlocker extends service to 90 million additional people appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Anastasia Rimskaya Chief Account Officer at Aviatrix
Aviatrix Launches New Loot Boxes to Deepen Progression and Reward Paths
Aviatrix has launched a new Loot Box feature for its premier crash game, presenting collectible rewards, free bets, and progression bonuses aimed at boosting long-term player engagement.
Loot Boxes are granted through a daily rewards mechanism, with players obtaining them according to their in-game actions and advancement. Every box holds a variety of rewards, such as aircraft skins, complimentary bets, and aviation experience points.
The feature enhances Aviatrix’s developing loyalty system, providing players with fresh options to personalize their aircraft and earn rewards through continuous engagement.
Anastasia Rimskaya, Chief Account Officer at Aviatrix, said: “Loot Boxes are part of our wider vision for Aviatrix as a connected multi-game universe. As we expand our iGaming Metaverse, features like Loot Boxes add another meaningful layer to how players build their profile, customise their aircraft and earn rewards across the ecosystem.”
Unveiled in February, the Aviatrix iGaming Metaverse signifies the supplier’s shift from a standalone crash game to an integrated multi-title ecosystem.
Starting with the imminent debut of Aviatrix Second Chance and continuing with upcoming titles like Aviatrix Fruits and Aviatrix Mines, every game will utilize a single integrated player profile, progression system, and rewards and achievements framework.
The post Aviatrix Launches New Loot Boxes to Deepen Progression and Reward Paths appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Alec Gehlot Chief Executive Officer at PlaySignal
PlaySignal Debuts: Alec Gehlot’s New Sophisticated Responsible Gaming Platform
Alec Gehlot, previous senior executive at Optimove, has introduced PlaySignal, a responsible gaming platform aimed at assisting operators in identifying and addressing player risk promptly.
PlaySignal employs a traffic-light system featuring green, amber, and red signals to steer player conduct and indicate when behaviors start to enter higher-risk areas. The platform seeks to minimize avoidable exclusions by offering operators enhanced visibility of rising risks, while simultaneously giving players more understanding of how their actions are evaluated.
Leveraging behavioural analytics, PlaySignal tracks player actions during gameplay and displays information as distinct signals. This allows teams to act earlier and react more appropriately as risk evolves.
The product connects with current operator systems to assist responsible gaming, CRM, and compliance teams by providing a unified view of activities, encouraging a more uniform strategy among teams as regulatory demands grow in important markets.
Building on his time at Optimove, where he collaborated with operators on segmentation, retention, and user engagement, Gehlot recognized a demand for innovative tools to enhance player protection as regulatory and tax pressures mount in regulated markets.
The company launched PlaySignal at ICE earlier this year, where it was a contender in the Innovators Challenge, and initiated talks with operators in various markets. The initial launch will concentrate on the UK prior to global expansion.
Alec Gehlot, Chief Executive Officer at PlaySignal, said: “Regulation and taxation are only moving in one direction, and operators need new tools to adapt. Player protection can no longer be treated as a compliance obligation; it has to become a competitive differentiator.
“Regulated operators are under real pressure, particularly in the UK, and we believe giving them earlier visibility of risk is essential not just for protection, but for long-term sustainability.”
The post PlaySignal Debuts: Alec Gehlot’s New Sophisticated Responsible Gaming Platform appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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