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House of Lords Questions UK Gambling Commission

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A House of Lords select committee has questioned the members of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) during a hearing researching “the social and economic impact” on the country.

The hearing put Neil McArthur, the chief executive of the UKGC, and Bill Moyes, the agency’s chairman, on the hot seat. The two were asked about specific details on how the gambling industry was being run and how the regulatory agency has been involved in regulating the gambling industry within the country.

Committee leader Lord Garde of Yarmouth began the questioning, asking questions about the 2005 Gambling Act. The committee leader wanted to know if the law now sufficiently serves its purpose, especially in light of how the gambling industry has grown within the UK.

Moyes agreed that the Gambling Act may be antiquated and has deficiencies, but stated that the legislation still meets its core objectives and that it will “remain broadly relevant in making sure that gambling is safe and fair, vulnerable people are protected and at stopping crime getting a hold on gambling.”

McArthur pointed out that the agency is focused on maintaining consistency in how it operates and regulates the gambling industry. He frequently pointed to “constant touchpoints,” specific markers that he believes are necessary to prevent harm related to the gambling industry, as well as in stopping crime while ensuring that gambling is conducted in a safe and legal manner.

During the appearance, McArthur continually touched on the point of consistency, addressing the need to “balance the consumer choice of an industry in which 24 million people gamble in the U.K., against the fact that gambling harm is a problem for a significant number of people, 340,000 according to our latest statistics with a further 5 million marked as vulnerable.”

The committee focused on questions related to media skepticism of how the UKGC has been governing the industry. They highlighted specific instances of gambling problems and how the committee has been criticised for being much more “reactive rather than pro-active” in their actions.

“The Strategy has been a much tougher approach to compliance and enforcement. This was deliberate at changing the behavior of operators since we had seen too many instances of failures being repeated,” McArthur said.

eSports

Esports Nations Cup 2026 Announces Official VALORANT Rosters

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The Esports Foundation (EF) confirmed the official roster submissions and direct invite recipients for the VALORANT tournament at the Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC), the global nation-based esports competition set to debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from November 2-29, 2026.

111 rosters representing 111 countries and territories have been officially submitted and confirmed for the VALORANT tournament. 32 of those rosters will compete at the ENC Finals for VALORANT, with 16 countries and territories receiving direct invitations through the official ENC 2026 Rankings. The system has scored, accumulated and ranked submitted roster player performances across all official Riot Games competitions through the conclusion of Masters London. Those invited countries and territories, and their submitted rosters, are:

• UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – trent, valyn, leaf, zekken, skuba, Ethan and Cryocells

• REPUBLIC OF KOREA – iZu, BuZz, Francis, Munchkin, Ivy and Dambi

• PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA – ZmjKK, CHICHOO, nobody, Knight, slowly, K1Ra and Lysoar

• CANADA – TenZ, mada, eeiu, Marved, JonahP, koalanoob and Zander

• TÜRKIYE – Alfajer, Ruxic, Lar0k, RieNs, xeus, Wo0t and s0pp

• BRAZIL – aspas, artzin, spikeziN, Less, Sacy, Sato and lukxo

• SINGAPORE – Deryeon, Jinggg, nephh, STYRON, wayne, Vera and JayH

• POLAND – kayak, kamo, starxo, PROFEK, westside, paTiTek and UNFAKE

• PHILIPPINES – Zeus, kellyS, xavi8k, invy, PatMen, Markyyy and Wild0reoo

• GREAT BRITAIN – Lime, Severe, benjyfishy, keiko, Ticey and YaBoiLewis

• CHINESE TAIPEI – Nicc, SpiritZ1, WsLeo, Spring, S1Mon and Yuicaw

• MALAYSIA – d4v41, theDoctorr, xan, Riza, Fixy, toggle and aplycs

• FINLAND – Jamppi, Derke, iluri, Famsii, H1ber, hoody and Snowi

• LITHUANIA – Boo, MiniBoo, Koshmaras, Kajuks, Destrian, roxie and vakk

• THAILAND – killua, Primmie, JitboyS, PTC, Apinya and Kadoom

• CHILE – kiNgg, erde, Mazino, keznit, Tunaso, Shyy and david

A clear favourite emerges near the top of the rankings: the US. G2 Esports’ highly decorated and highly dangerous trio of trent, valyn, leaf lead the way for the US, with multiple VCT Americas stage trophies to their names, and the desire to finally claim an international trophy still in their hearts. Joining them though are a handful of superstars that have won on VALORANT’s biggest stages: VALORANT’s only two-time world champion Ethan, his reigning world champion NRG teammates skuba, and former Masters Madrid winner zekken of MIBR, joined by one of the game’s most elite players in Cryocells. The best of the best from one of the game’s strongest regions are all together on one roster, and expectations are sky high.

But they only have to look north to spot an equally dangerous contender. Leading Canada is one of Ethan and skuba’s teammates, fellow world champion mada. Joining him are more VCT Americas standout players in FURIA duo eeiu and koalanoob, and Sentinels’ jonahP. And coming out of retirement to compete for Canada are two former Sentinels stars, and Masters winners, in TenZ and Marved. A match between Canada and the US at ENC would be a dream come true for VALORANT fans not just in North America, but around the world.

Brazil is bringing back former champions of their own. Sacy, the only VALORANT player to be able to claim a Masters and a Champions trophy, is back with his former teammate Aspas and less, alongside FURIA’s artzin and LEVIATAN’s spikezin. LEVIATAN’s tremendous victory at Masters London not only drastically improved Brazil’s ranking, but allowed kiNgg and Chile to just narrowly sneak into the top 16 and secure an invite.

Nongshim RedForce trio Francis, Ivy and Dambi will make up the core of the team representing South Korea, with DRX star BuZz and Gen.G star Munchkin joining them, while the People’s Republic of China roster is bolstered by an equally dangerous trio in ZmjKK, CHICHOO and nobody from EDward Gaming. Across Europe, a number of prolific duos will attempt to bring glory to their home nations, including Vitality twosome Derke and Jamppi for Finland, keiko and EWC 2025 champion Benjyfishy for Great Britain, and brothers Boo and MiniBoo for Lithuania. Teams from Singapore, Türkiye, Poland and the Philippines are also decorated with sensational talent and former trophy winners.

With Masters London concluded and invites to the top 16 teams sent out, the attention turns to the online regional qualifiers taking place June 26-28. The top two teams from the qualifiers for North America, South America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia and Southeast Asia/Oceania will qualify for ENC, alongside the sole winners of the MENA qualifier and the Sub Saharan African qualifier. The final two teams will go to Wildcard slots.

The post Esports Nations Cup 2026 Announces Official VALORANT Rosters appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Booming Games

Booming Games launches Fortune Paw slot with 2,500x top win and respins

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New 3×3, five-payline release includes an all-payline 10x multiplier and a Wild-collection respins mechanic.

Booming Games has launched Fortune Paw, a new slot title featuring a 3×3 grid with five fixed paylines and a stated maximum win of 2,500x.

The game includes an all-payline multiplier mechanic. According to the supplier, landing winning symbols on all five paylines awards a 10x multiplier.

Fortune Paw also includes a respins feature tied to Wild symbols in the base game. The company said Wilds are collected and can trigger respins “at any time,” after which a symbol is selected at random and a respin series is awarded, with landed symbols held as additional respins are granted.

Craig Asling, Director of Games at Booming Games, said: “Fortune Paw combines simple mechanics with large win potential to create a fast-paced, high-stakes gameplay experience. We are particularly proud of the fantastic artwork and our titular Fortune Paw character that really brings the game to life.”

The post Booming Games launches Fortune Paw slot with 2,500x top win and respins appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Blueprint Gaming

Blueprint Gaming launches Red Hot Catch with Money Collect and stacked bonus upgrades

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New 5×4, 20-payline slot adds a Wicked Wheel feature and up to five stackable Red Hot Spins enhancements.

Blueprint Gaming has released Red Hot Catch, a new Money Collect slot title featuring a Wicked Wheel bonus and a Red Hot Spins feature with up to five stackable enhancements.

Set in a “neon-lit underworld” theme, Red Hot Catch is a 5×4, 20-payline slot. Cash symbols can land across all five reels and are awarded when a collect symbol appears on reel 1 or 5, according to the supplier. Blueprint said the game has a one-in-five win hit rate and high volatility.

The Wicked Wheel feature triggers a spin of the “Devil’s Wheel” to award either an instant cash prize or the Super Bonus. Separately, Bonus Scatter symbols add to one of the chests above the reels, each with the chance to trigger Red Hot Spins.

When Red Hot Spins activates, the bonus round starts with a cash multiplier and one or more of five upgrades already active. Blueprint said the upgrade set includes multiplied cash values, boosted symbols, respins and a fully cleared reel set.

Jo Purvis, Director of Marketing, PR and Events at Blueprint Gaming™, said: “Red Hot Catch brings a new dimension to our Money Collect offering, layering a proven formula with an intuitive range of bonus upgrades that give players real variety and sustained engagement.

“With five distinct Red Hot Spins enhancements that can stack in combination, no two bonus rounds play out the same way. We’re confident the game will resonate strongly with players who have come to love frequent opportunities to collect wins, and we look forward to seeing it perform across our regulated markets worldwide.”

The post Blueprint Gaming launches Red Hot Catch with Money Collect and stacked bonus upgrades appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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