Connect with us

Latest News

Revealed: worst areas in England for gamers during lockdown

Published

on

Reading Time: 4 minutes

 

  • South West bottom of the pile for broadband speeds, with five of the ten areas where gamers are most likely to disrupt gameplay
  • Cities of London and Westminster the worst area for access to superfast broadband
  • Kingston Upon Hull ranks the highest for the best place to play video games online based on average speeds and availability of superfast broadband

New research from comparethemarket.com reveals the areas in England that are the worst for gamers, with gameplay in Central Devon the most likely to be disrupted due to poor broadband speeds.

The research analyses the average download speed (Mbps), superfast broadband availability and the percentage of households’ ability to receive decent broadband.

Gamers based in the South West score the least points when it comes to connection speed, with five out of the top ten worst hit areas in England. With Central Devon having the dubious distinction of being the worst in the country, Torridge and West Devon, Forest of Dean, Somerton and Frome, and Tiverton and Honiton all suffer disruption from poorer broadband speeds.

Some may be surprised to see the Cities of London and Westminster ranked the 10th worst constituency for gamers overall. When it comes to access to superfast broadband, this area takes the last place out of all areas, with a quarter unable to access the very fastest connection. By comparison, in Luton North and Leicester West, superfast broadband availability is 100%.

Kingston Upon Hull is hailed as the best place for gamers, ranking top in the country for average speeds and the availability of superfast broadband. Less than 2% of the area’s households have access to decent broadband. Other cities areas that rank highly for gamers include Grimsby, Gillingham and Rainham in the South East, and Nottingham North in the East Midlands.

Top 10 – England’s worst areas for gamers

 

Rank

Area Name  Region Average speed (MBPS) Superfast availability Unable to receive decent broadband
10 Cities of London and Westminster London 34.41 75% 0%
9 Somerton and Frome South West 42.75 82% 10%
8 Harwich and North Essex East of England 37.06 83% 9%
7 Tiverton and Honiton South West 31.89 81% 9%
6 North Herefordshire West Midlands 35.09 80% 9%
5 Penrith and The Border North West 36.01 81% 12%
4 Ludlow West Midlands 33.09 81% 11%
3 Forest of Dean South West 31.61 79% 10%
2 Torridge and West Devon South West 34.01 81% 12%
1 Central Devon South West 34.05 77% 12%

 

Top 10 – England’s best areas for gamers

 

Rank

Area Name  Region Average speed (MBPS) Superfast availability Unable to receive decent broadband
1 Kingston upon Hull East Yorkshire and The Humber 137.44 99% 1%
2 Kingston upon Hull North Yorkshire and The Humber 132.15 100% 1%
3 Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle Yorkshire and The Humber 122.24 99% 2%
4 Crawley South East 88.40 99% 0%
5 Filton and Bradley Stoke South West 93.49 98% 1%
6 Luton North East of England 84.10 100% 0%
7 Morecambe and Lunesdale North West 87.70 99% 0%
8 Great Grimsby Yorkshire and The Humber 89.56 98% 1%
9 Stevenage East of England 86.93 99% 0%
10 Gillingham and Rainham South East 86.61 99% 0%

 

Holly Niblett, head of digital at comparethemarket.com, commented:

“Lockdown has seen a surge in the number of people relying on the internet for work and leisure. There is a wide disparity in the connection speeds and access to superfast broadband across the country, with people facing a particularly hostile environment in parts of the south west. For many, a reliable internet connection is a lifeline during a difficult time.

“Our new speed-test tool allows people to see how fast their broadband speed is and what better deals and speed is available in their area, because for many households, a fast download speed is a deal-breaker when it comes to choosing a provider. Perhaps unsurprisingly, we have seen a steep rise in the number of customers switching online to the fastest packages during isolation.”

 

comparethemarket’s tips for improving your broadband speed:

1. Test the speed of your broadband connection

You can run a speed test on comparethemarket’s new speed-checker tool, which enables users to check how long it will take to download a film or game in their area: http://www.comparethemarket.com/broadband/speed-test You’ll be shown both your download and upload speeds.

2. Move your router away from other devices

Keep your router as far away as possible from other electrical equipment and devices that emit wireless signals, such as cordless phones, baby monitors and computer speakers. Try to place your router on a table or shelf rather than on the floor and keep it switched on.

3. Turn off WiFi on devices you’re not using

If you have multiple devices such as tablets and smartphones running in the background, it can slow down your broadband, so try switching WiFi off on these when you’re not using them. You should also avoid carrying out data-heavy tasks like HD streaming, gaming or video calls at the same time as others in your household.

4. Give your computer a spring clean

There are many applications on your PC that could affect your broadband speed, some without you even realising it. A few simple quick fixes include making sure your anti-virus software is up to date, making sure you’re using the latest version of your web browser, such as Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge and clearing your cache and browser history.

For more information on the research, please go to: https://www.comparethemarket.com/broadband/content/best-cities-in-england-for-gamers/

 

Methodology:
The following table reveals the areas of England where gamers are most likely to disrupt gameplay due to bad broadband speeds.

Data taken directly from the source are in the columns titled Area name, Region, Average speed (MBPS), Superfast availability and unable to receive decent broadband.

To calculate the index we first normalised the data categories individually from 0 to 1 and then summed the results.

On this scale, for

  • Average speed – The higher index would be weighted closer to 1 – detailed in the average speed weighting column
  • Superfast availability – The higher index is weighted closer to 1 – detailed in the superfast weighting column
  • Unable to receive decent broadband – The higher index is weighted closer to 0 – detailed in the Decent broadband weighting column

Total and rankings were determined by the above.

Powered by WPeMatico

Continue Reading
Advertisement

bet-at-home

ZEAL and bet-at-home launch joint gaming initiative

Published

on

zeal-and-bet-at-home-launch-joint-gaming-initiative

Reading Time: < 1 minute

  • bet-at-home integrates  ZEAL Instant Games titles into its German website
  • First selection of ZEAL slots now available
  • Partnership boosts reach, portfolio strength, and growth for both companies

ZEAL Instant Games, a brand of the ZEAL Group and a provider of  online games, announces a new strategic partnership with online gaming operator bet-at-home. As part of the collaboration, bet-at-home seamlessly integrates the growing portfolio of ZEAL slots into its website. The first titles are already available to customers on bet-at-home.de.

Stronger together: Premium content meets established brand presence

Both partners stand to benefit from the collaboration: While bet-at-home expands its portfolio offering with ZEAL titles – enhancing its appeal and reach within the online games segment – ZEAL Instant Games gains another prominent partner whose market presence accelerates the brand’s dynamic growth and enables access to a broader user base.

In addition to best-selling ZEAL titles such as “The Bookmaker”, “Crime Scene”, “Vegas Blaze“, and other premium slots, the portfolio will continue to grow steadily in the coming months.

Shared perspectives

“Our mission is to make innovative, high-quality games accessible to the widest possible audience,” says Alex Green, Vice President Games at ZEAL. “With bet-at-home, we are gaining a partner that has held a strong position in the market for many years. This collaboration opens up new opportunities for expanding our reach and underscores the enormous potential of our growing games portfolio.”

From bet-at-home’s side: “We are delighted to have ZEAL Instant Games as a partner known for quality, creativity, and reliable performance,” says Claus Retschitzegger, CEO, bet-at-home. “The new ZEAL titles are a great addition to our offering and provide our customers with exciting and varied gaming experiences. This partnership is an important element of our growth strategy.”

The post ZEAL and bet-at-home launch joint gaming initiative appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Continue Reading

ELA Games

Glory & Honour Await the Strongest Gladiators in ELA Games’ Newest Game, Roman Fortune

Published

on

glory-&-honour-await-the-strongest-gladiators-in-ela-games’-newest-game,-roman-fortune

Reading Time: 2 minutes

All reels lead to Rome in ELA Games’ newest atmospheric and bold slot.

ELA Games creates an immersive adventure in its latest title, Roman Fortune. Players battle for glory and honour in the heart of ancient Rome, where every spin carries the might of an empire.

Roman Fortune takes place in a roaring Colosseum under Caesar’s watchful eye, where fortunes wait for the victors. Designed with ELA Games’ signature visual richness and refined gameplay, this new title balances entertaining gaming experiences with operator-focused value, building on previous successes, such as Piñatas Festival.

Caesar’s Riches: Features that Favour the Brave

Roman Fortune offers several features that build excitement and depth for the player, ensuring action on every spin.

  • Scatter Symbols: Collect Scatters to earn Free Spins — the more you collect, the greater the prize.
  • Caesar Wilds: At any moment, a Caesar Wild may appear to spread wealth across the reels or even trigger the Hold & Win Bonus.
  • Hold & Win Bonus: In this feature, players encounter Red, Blue, and Green Coins, each with their own imperial strengths. Red Coins multiply prizes, Blue Coins unlock Jackpots, and Green Coins collect all visible values for greater wins.

Gladiators can activate all of these features at once, where glory and honour will rain down on the victor.

An Experience Built for Impact

Just like the actual intense clashes that occurred in the Colosseum in ancient Rome, Roman Fortune is crafted for players who enjoy an atmospheric experience with excitement, tension, and memorable moments.

The game’s 95.99% RTP and high volatility ensure that even the base game has plenty of action. Roman Fortune embodies ELA Games’ game creation philosophy, where creativity and strategic development work together to deliver a product that delivers sustained engagement and strong performance for its partners

Marharyta Yerina, Managing Director of ELA Games, commented on the release, “Roman Fortune is a visually forward title that captivates players’ imaginations with thrilling battles in an ancient arena. Every detail exists to create a world players can step into and instantly feel connected to. The game’s bold theme, supported by strategic mechanics and layers of atmosphere, shows what our team does best: creating experiences players enjoy while providing value for our partners.”

Enter the Arena For Eternal Glory

Step into the Colosseum and fight for your place in history.

The post Glory & Honour Await the Strongest Gladiators in ELA Games’ Newest Game, Roman Fortune appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Continue Reading

Dinos Doxiadis Head of Sportsbook Business at GR8 Tech

GR8 Tech Expands Virtual Sports Portfolio with New Basketball Offering, Deepens Localization Strategy

Published

on

gr8-tech-expands-virtual-sports-portfolio-with-new-basketball-offering,-deepens-localization-strategy

Reading Time: 2 minutes

GR8 Tech has expanded the virtual sports lineup within its ULTIM8 Sportsbook with a new range of virtual basketball, continuing a year of investment in the category that has already seen the addition of virtual horse racing and virtual cricket roulette—a unique format blending casino mechanics with the sport of cricket.

The expansion builds on GR8 Tech’s established strength in cricket, where the company developed one of the industry’s most comprehensive betting lines. Virtual cricket was designed to fill gaps between real-world tournaments, giving operators a way to maintain player engagement year-round—a model now being applied to basketball for markets where the sport dominates.

This content independence stems directly from GR8 Tech’s in-house trading capabilities.

“One of the things that GR8 Tech stands out for is the quality of the trading and the fact that we perform extremely well in very difficult environments, like Asia,” said Dinos Doxiadis, Head of Sportsbook Business at GR8 Tech. “Even our clients’ players in these challenging markets don’t behave like typical players in ‘easier’ regions such as Latin America, we still manage to achieve some of the highest margins there.”

That trading foundation enables GR8 Tech to build and localize content for specific markets rather than relying solely on third-party providers.

“We already have a very strong sportsbook, and now we’re scaling our processes and output capabilities to take it even further,” Doxiadis explains. “We’re improving the product and creating the conditions to localize very quickly and offer a truly localized experience across the world.”

GR8 Tech is also investing in infrastructure to give operators greater control over how they deploy this content.

“The goal is to put even more power into the hands of our operators so they can tailor the product exactly as they want. As we move forward with new data and content agreements, they’ll gain an even greater ability to adapt the sportsbook to their specific needs—on top of what they can already do today.”

Personalization is central to that roadmap. “We have delivered quite a few recommendation models, and right now we can serve custom content on a user level, and we will continue working in this direction,” said Doxiadis. “We have a very good infrastructure and baseline to invest in.”

The post GR8 Tech Expands Virtual Sports Portfolio with New Basketball Offering, Deepens Localization Strategy appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Continue Reading

Trending

Get it on Google Play

Fresh slot games releases by the top brands of the industry. We provide you with the latest news straight from the entertainment industries.

The platform also hosts industry-relevant webinars, and provides detailed reports, making it a one-stop resource for anyone seeking information about operators, suppliers, regulators, and professional services in the European gaming market. The portal's primary goal is to keep its extensive reader base updated on the latest happenings, trends, and developments within the gaming and gambling sector, with an emphasis on the European market while also covering pertinent global news. It's an indispensable resource for gaming professionals, operators, and enthusiasts alike.

Contact us: [email protected]

Editorial / PR Submissions: [email protected]

Copyright © 2015 - 2024 - Recent Slot Releases is part of HIPTHER Agency. Registered in Romania under Proshirt SRL, Company number: 2134306, EU VAT ID: RO21343605. Office address: Blvd. 1 Decembrie 1918 nr.5, Targu Mures, Romania