Industry News

GamCare Teams Up with YGAM to Bring Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Programme to Northern Ireland

Published

5 years ago

December 10, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes

GamCare has teamed up with the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM) to bring an education and support programme to Northern Ireland, with the mission of safeguarding young generation from gambling and gaming-related harms.

The Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Programme is a ground-breaking initiative supported by members of the Betting and Gaming Council and has already been rolled out across England and Wales. Both charities deliver evidence-led workshops and resources to teachers, youth workers and directly to young people to help raise awareness of the issues and help prevent harm.

The move has been welcomed by prominent politician Robbie Butler MLA who is the Chair of the Gambling Related Harm in Stormont. Mr Butler has campaigned for new laws to help protect people from gambling-related harms.

“I welcome this social gaming and digital resilience initiative from Youth Work Alliance. When the APG launched our inquiry into how new legislation can reduce gambling related harms, we made it clear that prevention is better than cure. The stronger gambling laws we are hoping for in Northern Ireland need to be backed up by better education to stop harm before it occurs. So therefore, it is hugely encouraging to see the Youth Work Alliance working with YGAM and GamCare to educate and support our young people,” Robbie Butler said.

Youth Work Alliance, a charity based in Belfast, is working with YGAM to deliver evidence-led and evaluated training to teachers and youth workers, in addition to giving them access to City & Guilds assured training and education resources which provide a full curriculum of lesson plans for primary and secondary age children as well as youth work specific resources.

“The work we are doing with YGAM, working alongside GamCare, delivering their training and resources on the ground here in Belfast and across Northern Ireland is going to be a huge benefit to our local communities. Gambling-related harms have been presented as a hidden issue in Northern Ireland for many years, which makes it even more vital for us to ensure children and vulnerable people are informed, educated and safeguarded against the potential harms associated with gambling and increasingly, gaming too,” Stephen Hughes, Development Manager at Youth Work Alliance, said.

“The expansion of our work into Northern Ireland is a great step for this programme. The partnership relationship really makes this work unique so I’m really pleased we, alongside YGAM, will be working with the Youth Work Alliance. No matter where young people are located the challenges they face when dealing with gambling harms are the same. The Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Programme will give young people in Northern Ireland the opportunity to explore how gambling might be affecting them in a safe and trusted environment, giving them the tools to make good decisions,” Anna Hemmings, CEO of GamCare, said.

“Having seen first-hand the impact that our work has had in the places we have already rolled out the National Gambling Education Programme in partnership with GamCare, I am thrilled that we are now able, with the support of Youth Work Alliance, to start delivering the programme in Northern Ireland. As well as educating, informing, and safeguarding, it is also vital that we raise awareness and start a conversation about those very personal experiences of gambling related harms in communities across Northern Ireland,” Lee Willows, Founder and CEO of YGAM, said.

appointments

Behind The Gloves forms Advisory Board to scale beyond event activations

Published

23 hours ago

April 15, 2026

Wladimir P.

behind-the-gloves-forms-advisory-board-to-scale-beyond-event-activations

Behind The Gloves has formed an official Advisory Board as it moves from event-led activations to what it describes as a scalable, long-term business and community.

The board includes Michael Brady, Founder and Chairman of Bede Gaming and Chairman of Connexus Group; Rob Fell, CEO of RiskCherry; and Katie Byers, former SVP of People and Capability at Light & Wonder.

According to the organisation, the appointments are intended to support expansion into new verticals including corporate wellness programmes, brand partnerships and future digital products.

Behind The Gloves said it plans to continue operating as a “business for good” by reinvesting a portion of profits into community initiatives and charitable causes.

Lee McFarland, Founder of Behind The Gloves, said: “The foundation of our Advisory Board reflects Behind The Gloves’ commitment to building a strong business that can expand globally and reach more people than ever.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Katie, Rob and Michael to the Board and look forward to leveraging our industry’s unmistakable energy to support good causes and deliver accessible activities for all fitness levels on a larger scale.”

The post Behind The Gloves forms Advisory Board to scale beyond event activations appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Industry News

LuckyCasino launches in Spain as LCKY Group expands B2C footprint

Published

24 hours ago

April 15, 2026

Wladimir P.

luckycasino-launches-in-spain-as-lcky-group-expands-b2c-footprint

LuckyCasino has gone live in Spain, LCKY Group confirmed, marking the brand’s entry into the regulated market.

The operator said LuckyCasino is the second brand in the LCKY Group portfolio to operate in Spain, following OneCasino. The company positioned the launch as part of its long-term growth plans and noted the brand has previously operated in Sweden.

LCKY Group said the Spanish-facing offering includes more than 2,000 games, alongside localised offers and payment methods. It also claimed the catalogue includes “many LuckyCasino exclusives.”

Mark Schram, MD B2C Central & South Europe at LCKY Group, said: “Everyone at LuckyCasino is looking forward to showing off the mix of variety and innovation that’s made our platform such a huge hit elsewhere.

“With Spain being a key market for us going forward, we’re excited to build on the success LCKY Group has already enjoyed in the country with OneCasino, and we expect our vast selection of content will prove hugely appealing for Spanish customers.”

The post LuckyCasino launches in Spain as LCKY Group expands B2C footprint appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

game studios

Evoplay rolls out Season of Legends campaign with €512,000 spring prize pool

Published

2 days ago

April 14, 2026

Wladimir P.

evoplay-rolls-out-season-of-legends-campaign-with-e512,000-spring-prize-pool

Evoplay has launched Season of Legends, a year-long network campaign built around four seasonal phases, starting with a spring edition carrying a €512,000 prize pool. The spring phase launched in March and runs across March, April and May.

The studio said the new format follows its previous Big Adventures network campaign and is designed to drive sustained engagement through a more structured seasonal approach. Each season runs for three months with new mechanics and prize pools.

A new mechanic, Infinity Prize Drops, will run daily throughout each month and is not tied to tournament windows. The spring edition also includes a Tournament and Wheel of Fortune, each operating in four monthly phases: 1st- 5th, 9th- 13th, 17th- 21st, and 25th- 29th.

Evoplay said the €512,000 spring prize pool will be distributed across the three-month period via a consolidated leaderboard spanning participating operators. Players earn points through qualifying spins on selected Evoplay titles including Hot Triple Sevens, Piggy Bank: 3 Pots Bonanza, and the Penalty Shoot-out series.

Diana Larina, Head of Marketing at Evoplay, said: “Season of Legends marks the next evolution of our network campaigns. With Big Adventures, we saw just how effective long-term engagement can be, and this new format takes that even further.

“By introducing seasonal structure and mechanics like Infinity Drops, we’re giving operators the tools to maintain consistent player activity, rather than relying on short-term spikes. This is just the beginning, and we’re excited to build momentum throughout the year.”

The post Evoplay rolls out Season of Legends campaign with €512,000 spring prize pool appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.