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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.”

BVGroup

BVGroup community jackpot pays nearly £1m across 501 UK players

Published

45 minutes ago

June 30, 2026

Wladimir P.

bvgroup-community-jackpot-pays-nearly-1m-across-501-uk-players

BVGroup’s opt-in Epic Community Jackpot has paid out nearly £1 million to 501 customers across its UK iGaming brands, following a drop on June 30, 2026. ThrillTech, which supplied the jackpot technology, said the payout is the first UK “Community Jackpot” of its kind.

The main winner, playing on BetVictor’s online casino, received £488,035.59. BVGroup said 500 additional players across BetVictor, Heart Bingo, Smooth Spins, Betano, Parimatch and TalkSPORTBET each received £976.07 from the same prize pool.

According to the companies, the jackpot was configured to allocate 50% of the total prize to the main winner and distribute the remaining 50% across contributing players, using ThrillTech’s ThrillPots engine. Peter Mareš, Chief Technical Officer at ThrillTech, said: “This is the first community jackpot of its kind in the UK, enabling operators to reward hundreds or even thousands of players with a single jackpot instead of just one. Distributing these payouts at scale requires absolute precision. Our robust technology effortlessly handles the complex mathematics and has advanced protocols in place to ensure that all payouts are delivered exactly as intended.”

The companies also pointed to a previous payout on BetVictor’s “The Jackpots” product last month, when a single BVGroup player won £1,531,130, also powered by ThrillPots. Side bet, opt-in jackpot prize pools are player funded and sit on top of base casino games or sports wagering activity, with this implementation designed to distribute a single drop across a wider pool of contributors.

The post BVGroup community jackpot pays nearly £1m across 501 UK players appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Africa

Booming Games renews Hollywoodbets Durban July activation partnership

Published

45 minutes ago

June 30, 2026

Wladimir P.

booming-games-renews-hollywoodbets-durban-july-activation-partnership

Provider plans on-site game demos and a new Golden Gallop release on Hollywoodbets later this year.

Booming Games has renewed its activation partnership with Hollywoodbets for the Hollywoodbets Durban July, returning for a second year at the event at Hollywoodbets Greyville Racecourse.

The company said it will run a cowboy-themed stand aligned with the event’s “Country Allure” theme, offering demo versions of games and a branded “Spin and Win” wheel for prizes. Booming Games added that Founder Max Niehusen, Vice President of Product Moritz Blume, and Head of Africa Solomon Godwin will attend.

Ahead of the event, Booming Games said it has been running a nationwide giveaway offering prizes including VIP experiences at the Hollywoodbets Durban July and a soccer shirt signed by Ronaldinho.

The companies also pointed to a broader commercial pipeline, with Booming Games stating that new releases are set to go live on the Hollywoodbets platform later this year. One of those is Golden Gallop Hold and Win Extreme 10,000, which Booming Games described as the latest entry in its Golden Gallop series, featuring a 5×3 grid, 25 fixed paylines, a maximum win potential of 12,000x, and bonus features.

Solomon Godwin, Head of Africa at Booming Games, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Hollywoodbets for the Hollywoodbets Durban July again this year, and the launch of the latest game in the Golden Gallop series is the perfect way to celebrate. This year’s event also marks two years since we launched in South Africa, one of the world’s fastest growing and most exciting casino gaming markets.”

Wayde Dorkin, Head of Product at Hollywoodbets, said: “Booming Games is a key partner for Hollywoodbets, and we are pleased to be building on last year’s collaboration at the Hollywoodbets Durban July. In a crowded market, the quality of Booming Games’ offering and customer-focused approach to game development provides the foundations for a long and fruitful partnership, which we hope will remain strong for many years to come.”

The post Booming Games renews Hollywoodbets Durban July activation partnership appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

BetMGM

Gaming Realms launches Marilyn Monroe Slingo with BetMGM

Published

45 minutes ago

June 30, 2026

Wladimir P.

gaming-realms-launches-marilyn-monroe-slingo-with-betmgm

Gaming Realms has partnered with BetMGM to launch Marilyn Monroe Slingo, an exclusive Slingo title for the operator. The companies announced the release on 30 June 2026.

According to Gaming Realms, the game combines its Slingo mechanic—blending slots-style reels with a bingo grid—with Marilyn Monroe-themed visuals tied to celebrations marking the centennial of the star’s birth.

Ian Robson, Commercial Account Management Lead at Gaming Realms, said: “We are thrilled to further strengthen our partnership with BetMGM through the launch of Marilyn Monroe Slingo. Working closely with BetMGM, we’ve created a bespoke title that captures the glamour and excitement associated with Marilyn Monroe while delivering the engaging gameplay that Slingo fans know and love.

“We look forward to seeing players enjoy this release and the unique blend of entertainment and Slingo action it offers.”

Rob Passerino, BetMGM’s Director of Gaming, said: “Partnering with Gaming Realms allows us to combine an iconic figure with the proven, popular Slingo format. Bespoke games like this are central to how BetMGM differentiates and we are confident our players will love celebrating Marilyn Monroe’s centenary with this new release.”

The post Gaming Realms launches Marilyn Monroe Slingo with BetMGM appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.