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Revealed: worst areas in England for gamers during lockdown
- 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.
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crypto betting
Duelbits adds Same Game Parlay for soccer player props and World Cup betting
New SGP lets users combine up to 10 same-match selections plus 10 across multiple events on desktop and mobile.
Duelbits has launched Same Game Parlay (SGP), adding a sportsbook feature that lets players combine multiple player and match markets within a single bet slip. The company said the initial rollout is focused on soccer and World Cup betting and is available on desktop and mobile.
The SGP product supports same-match combinations across player props including goals, shots, shots on target, assists, cards, fouls, tackles and goalkeeper saves, alongside match and team markets such as match winner, goals, corners and shots. Duelbits also said users can build parlays across multiple events where SGP markets are available.
Duelbits positioned the launch as a fix for bet combinations being rejected or marked invalid, saying the feature is powered by a specialist player props and statistics provider to reduce rejected selections and streamline odds updates and settlement. At launch, players can include up to 10 selections within a single event and a further 10 selections across multiple events, with plans to expand those limits in future updates.
Jasper Hoekert, Chief Marketing Officer at Duelbits, said: “Same Game Parlays have become one of the most popular sportsbook products globally, particularly as player prop betting continues to grow across major sports. We saw a clear opportunity to improve the experience available to our players by offering significantly more combinations, reducing invalid bet rejections, and creating a smoother betting journey overall.
“This initial launch is focused on soccer and the World Cup, but it’s only the first step. Our long-term vision is to allow customers to combine virtually any market they want across sports, events and player props, with US sports being the main focus for phase 2. We believe there is a significant gap in the crypto sportsbook market for this type of offering, and we’re excited to continue expanding the product over the coming months.”
The post Duelbits adds Same Game Parlay for soccer player props and World Cup betting appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Austria
Austria Could Force Offshore Operators To Sit Out Market Launch
Debate is raging within the Austrian government about whether to impose a cooling off period and freeze ex-grey market operators out of its upcoming open online casino market, with local operators looking to inflict maximum punishment and legal experts arguing that the proposal would be self-defeating.
Austria is on course for an historic opening of its long monopolized online casino market. Currently, only Casinos Austria, via its brand Win2Day, has the approval of the Austrian government to offer online casino games to the general public.
But for many years, that legal status was ignored by operators based largely out of Malta, who populated a vibrant grey market by leaning on the controversial argument that Austria’s monopoly model is in violation of EU law.
These offshore operators were eventually forced to retreat by a series of high profile court rulings that found Austrian consumers have the right to reclaim any and all losses to an operator without an Austrian licence.
Facing potentially hundreds of millions of euros in compensation claims, grey market providers have largely retreated to Malta, where Bill 55 continues to protect them.
With liberalisation now on the horizon, some forces within the Austrian government and the local gambling industry are insistent that companies which took part in the grey market should not be allowed to simply apply for a licence and wipe the slate clean.
Who’s in favour?
Those lobbying the hardest for a cooling off period are Austrian incumbents.
“One day you’re offering illegal services and the next day you get a license – that’s absurd,” a spokesperson for Casinos Austria told the Kronen Zeitung newspaper.
They are joined by German-headquartered gambling giant Novomatic, which operates a number of land-based venues in Austria under the brand Admiral.
Having sat on the sidelines of the online market for many years, Admiral is incensed by the idea that it could be competing on day one of a new market with operators who did not take the same approach.
The three parties that form Austria’s coalition government are still debating the issues, according to reports.
The only major practical example of a true “cooling off” period occured in the Netherlands, where an 18-month prohibition was in place that prevented many companies from entering the market when it opened in 2021.
At the time, Kindred reported that being forced to sit out market launch had cost it $16.2m a month, wiping out effectively 50 percent of the group’s EBITDA.
Kindred, which has since transformed into FDJ United following an acquisition by the French lottery giant, subsequently regained its strong Dutch position following the end of the cooling off window.
Likely to cool
At least one Austrian legal expert believes that there is a good chance that some form of cooling off, or an equivalent punishment, will be enacted as part of the new law.
“At the moment, it is likely that some form of cooling-off period will be introduced, perhaps by introducing sanctions that apply prior to licensing, but the details are yet to be determined,” said Nicholas Aquilina, a partner at Brandl Talos law firm.
“Whether a cooling-off period will be introduced and how restrictive measures will be will have a substantial impact on the success of the long-overdue opening of Austria’s online gambling market,” he added.
The time pressures referenced by Aquilina relate to the expiry of Win2Day’s exclusive licence, which is set to run out in October 2027. The government intends to establish its new online gambling regime well ahead of that date, so that new licences can be issued in time.
Any attempt to extend Win2Day’s monopoly could run into challenges with EU tender laws and the other highly unpalatable option is to leave the nation in limbo with no legal providers at all.
Complications
Despite how the debate has been framed by some parties, the reality will not be as simple as either allowing ex-grey market offenders into the new Austrian online casino marketplace free of consequence or forcing them to spend time in the sin bin.
There is broad political agreement that any international operator looking to obtain a licence in Austria must pay back taxes owed on its former activity in order to be granted approval.
Operators will also need to settle any outstanding player refund claims, something which could cost companies huge sums and may ultimately keep some of them out of the market for good.
There are thought to be thousands of pending refunds, which operators have largely been refusing to pay while they take refuge behind Malta’s Bill 55.
Against that backdrop, lawyers Christian Rapani and Felix Hohenthanner argue that the penalties for returning to Austria will likely be harsh enough.
“A further exclusion of two to three years on top of that would, in our view, work against the reform’s own central objective. The operators currently holding the largest share of Austrian play are exactly the ones a cooling-off period would shut out. If they cannot offer a licensed product for two to three years, their customers, it is highly likely, will not migrate to the licensed providers,” they told EEGaming.
Ultimately, the two lawyers said, the push for a cooling off period is more about protecting the vested interests in Austria’s casino market than an attempt to keep gamblers safe.
“Our impression is that the proposal is supported essentially only by the land-based operators and by the single provider that already holds a licence in Austria, in other words by those who benefit from keeping new entrants out. We therefore see it less as a genuine player-protection measure than as a last attempt to preserve existing market positions,” they said.
The post Austria Could Force Offshore Operators To Sit Out Market Launch appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Africa
African iGaming Alliance names SPRIBE a Platinum Supplier Member
The African iGaming Alliance (AiA) has signed a strategic partnership with iGaming supplier SPRIBE, with SPRIBE joining the pan-African industry association as a Platinum Supplier Member.
AiA said the partnership will focus on regulatory engagement, industry research, responsible gaming initiatives, policy advocacy and stakeholder engagement aimed at strengthening regulated gaming markets across African jurisdictions.
According to AiA, the collaboration will also support efforts to promote effective regulation, combat illegal gambling, improve market channelisation and encourage evidence-based policymaking.
Peter Emolemo Kesitilwe, Chief Executive Officer of the African iGaming Alliance (AiA), said:
“SPRIBE’s decision to join the African iGaming Alliance as a Platinum Supplier Member represents a significant endorsement of our vision for a sustainable and well-regulated African gaming industry. As one of the industry’s leading technology innovators, SPRIBE brings valuable expertise, insight, and global experience that will strengthen our efforts to support regulators, governments, operators, and other stakeholders across the continent. We look forward to working closely together to promote responsible gaming, regulatory best practice, and long-term industry sustainability.”
The post African iGaming Alliance names SPRIBE a Platinum Supplier Member appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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