Latest News

BGC Warns Permanent Industry Damage Following Delay in Casino Reopening

Published

6 years ago

August 4, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has warned that the UK Government’s last-minute reversal of plans to allow casinos to reopen on August 1 has dealt a wrecking ball to the industry, from which it may never recover.

The casino sector employs more than 14,000 people across the UK in 125 casinos and a further 4000 in the supply chain. Casinos also paid over £300 million each year in tax before the lockdown.

With casinos across England forced to remain shuttered, the BGC warns that up to 6000 jobs may be permanently lost.

In a letter to Chancellor Rishi Sunak MP on July 31, BGC described the decision to keep casinos closed as “highly illogical, inconsistent and deeply damaging to those businesses and the thousands of staff they employ.”

BGC has also rejected the Prime Minister’s categorisation of casinos as “higher risk” during his Downing Street briefing. Casinos have spent weeks and invested millions of pounds to ensure their premises are covid-secure, with measures such as perspex screens, sanitisation equipment and sophisticated track and trace systems, as well as introducing strict social distancing measures and hygiene protocols.

BGC Chief Executive Michael Dugher said: “The Government are swinging a wrecking ball right through the middle of our industry and large scale job losses, which ought to be unnecessary and avoidable, now look inevitable unless ministers act fast.”

“Casinos are a small but fundamental part of our leisure, hospitality, entertainment and tourism industry. They employ over 14,000 people across the UK and indirectly support another 4,000 jobs in the supply sector, and last year casinos paid over £5.7 million in tax per week.

“The ongoing cost of remaining in a holding pattern to reopen is clearly not sustainable, with more jobs and livelihoods being put at risk with every last minute change and delay to reopening.

“The Job Retention Scheme has helped but our members will now be forced to pay National Insurance and pension contributions on top of salaries in August while they remain closed. As furlough payments are phased out, there will be no flexibility for casinos to adapt to the new working and leisure environment and I now fear that many thousands of jobs could be lost.

“We made the all necessary preparations for safe reopening and we were given the green light by Public Health England on the basis of the significant investment made by operators, and having been told by the Government themselves that casinos posed a ‘negligible’ risk compared with the tens of thousands of other places that they have been reopened.”

Latest News

N1 Partners at Search iGaming Conference 2026 in Limassol

Published

30 minutes ago

April 9, 2026

Master Editor

The N1 Partners team will attend the Search iGaming Conference 2026, held on April 16 in Limassol, Cyprus.

The conference will bring together more than 1,200 professionals in SEO and iGaming, including PPC experts, ASO teams, and affiliate programs representatives for networking and sharing insights.

At the event, the N1 Partners team will not only be an active participant but also a conference bags sponsor for guests. This is the part of a comfortable event experience that helps participants focus on networking and knowledge-sharing.

The conference is a perfect place to discuss profitable deals and SEO traffic, as well as learn more about the N1 SEO Traffic Cup, the first tournament in the N1 Traffic Cups global promo series from N1 Partners. The team will explain how to enter the promotion with highest efficiency at the final stage — there’s still a chance to join the tournament until April 30th.

Participate in the largest SEO tournament in the industry this spring and acquire generous prizes!

In addition to the current promo, N1 Partners affiliate managers will be happy to discuss working with any of the 14+ brands in the portfolio, top Tier-1 GEOs, as well as individual payment terms and payment models.

Why meet the N1 Partners team at the Search iGaming Conference 2026?

In Limassol, the N1 Partners team will show how partners scale traffic and increase revenue.

Key advantages include:

10+ GEO Tier-1
CPA up to €700 | RevShare up to 45% for top partners
Reg2Dep up to 70%
Top personal offers
Insights from analysts

Book a meeting with N1 Partners in Limassol!

Wanna get the most out of the intense Search iGaming Conference? Book a meeting with the N1 Partners team in advance.

Discover the exclusive terms of cooperation and engage with the expert team in person — guaranteed insights await!

N1 Partners team contacts:

Oleksandr Havrylov — Affiliate Manager
Aleksandrs Ohtins — Account Manager
Victoria Sokolenko — Affiliate Manager

Start working with N1 Partners — become number one!

belatra Gaming

Belatra collars another hit with Cops vs Robs

Published

54 minutes ago

April 9, 2026

Wladimir P.

belatra-collars-another-hit-with-cops-vs-robs

Belatra, a leading developer of innovative online slots, has unveiled its latest high-stakes release, Cops vs Robbs—a 5-reel slot that plunges players into the classic battle between law enforcement and daring outlaws. Noir-inspired visuals, a gripping soundtrack, and dynamic gameplay bring the crime thriller to life.

Choose Your Side: Cops or Robbers
Players can stake their allegiance before spinning:

Cops Mode: Smoother gameplay with frequent, consistent wins.
Robbers Mode: High-volatility action for players chasing big payouts.

Multiplier Wilds & Shootout Mechanics
Wild symbols expand to cover entire reels and grow multipliers with each step—up to x5 for Cops and x10 for Robbers. Multiple Wilds on a payline combine values for explosive wins, and landing five simultaneously triggers the 10,000x grand prize.

The Shootout mechanic dynamically drops high-value Coin symbols (Cops) or forces random winning combos (Robbers), keeping the action unpredictable.

Hold & Win Bonus and Buy Feature
During Hold & Win, cash and power-up symbols lock for three spins. Special tools like the Revolver Drum and Thompson Submachine Gun double coin values, while Coin Merge consolidates full lines for larger payouts.

The Buy Bonus menu offers direct access to three options: a Cop-themed Hold & Win for consistent returns, a Robber-themed version for high ceilings, or a guaranteed Wild spin delivering 1–5 Wilds with 10,000x win potential.

Misha Voinich, Head of Business Development at Belatra, commented:
“Cops vs Robbs is a fully customisable gambling experience where players can adjust their risk and reward. With Multiplier Wilds, Shootout mechanics, and Hold & Win bonuses, every spin has the potential to change the plot, just like the best crime thrillers.”

The post Belatra collars another hit with Cops vs Robs appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

GR8 Tech

GR8 Tech World-Cup-Ready Series: Sportsbook Upgrades to Convert Tournament Traffic Into Results

Published

54 minutes ago

April 9, 2026

Wladimir P.

gr8-tech-world-cup-ready-series:-sportsbook-upgrades-to-convert-tournament-traffic-into-results

Attracting World Cup traffic is easy, but converting that traffic into bets—and retaining those players—depends on the sportsbook experience. GR8 Tech is addressing this with a major overhaul of ULTIM8 Sportsbook, its flagship sports betting solution.

“The World Cup moves a lot of money regardless of operators,” said Dinos Doxiadis, Head of Sportsbook Business at GR8 Tech. “The challenge is retaining it. Players who can find and place bets efficiently during the group stage are the ones you keep.”

Seamless Navigation and Reduced Friction
The upgraded sportsbook separates Live and Pre-Match flows, adds dedicated Sport and Tournament Lobbies, and introduces multiple entry points to bring players directly to their desired content. This reduces friction and boosts conversion. The widget-based architecture now spans the redesigned navigation, allowing operators to manage layouts, campaigns, and featured markets without developer support—crucial during fast-moving tournaments.

Enhanced Bet Builder for Football
GR8 Tech expands Bet Builder with Corners, Cards, and Player Props for football, offering more combinations per slip. Longer sessions and more complex bets drive higher margins and deeper engagement.

Bet Booster Promotions Embedded in the Product
Odds-based promotions via Bet Booster provide boosted markets inside the sportsbook without eroding margin. Integrated with segmentation and the new navigation, the tool enhances player retention and activation while leveraging Bet Builder for maximum impact.

Sharper Odds, Controlled Margin
A dedicated Enhanced Prices market allows operators to offer competitive odds for football without impacting promotional mechanics on the standard market. This structural separation balances sharp pricing with profitability.

Ready for the Tournament
Several upgrades are already live, with the remainder rolling out before the World Cup begins. ULTIM8 Sportsbook offers operators a proven revenue stream with minimal operational overhead, making it a key tool for the year’s biggest betting window.

GR8 Tech.
GR8 Tech is an award-winning provider of sportsbook and iGaming solutions, including ULTIM8 Sportsbook, Infinite Casino Aggregation, and proprietary affiliate management via Aff.Tech. Focused on operator-first innovation, GR8 Tech has delivered measurable results in over 100 markets and was named Platform Provider of the Year at the SBC Awards 2025.

The post GR8 Tech World-Cup-Ready Series: Sportsbook Upgrades to Convert Tournament Traffic Into Results appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.