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 Shortlisted at iGB Affiliate Awards

Published

24 minutes ago

May 19, 2026

Master Editor

N1 Partners was shortlisted for the iGB Affiliate Awards in two categories: “Best Affiliate Program” and “Marketing Campaign of the Year”.

iGB Affiliate Awards is a prestigious award in the affiliate industry, annually honouring companies and experts who develop the iGaming market, influence its future, and set industry standards. For N1 Partners, these nominations reflect the high results of the past year.

N1 Partners received nominations in two categories at once:

Best Affiliate Program

N1 Partners creates the best conditions for partners by providing a portfolio of 14+ betting and casino brands in 10+ Tier-1 GEOs. Moreover, in 2025, the average monthly volume of FTDs driven by partners increased by 150%. This is one of the most striking indicators of company scaling and effectiveness. N1 products are also constantly evolving and expanding, with 4 new brands added in 2025 with high conversion rates and extensive scaling capabilities.

Marketing Campaign of the Year

N1 Puzzle Promo has become one of the largest promos in the affiliate industry in 2025, with 350+ partners, reaching over 6 million views in 50+ media. With a prize pool of €500,000 and the main gift, Robinson R22 helicopter, the campaign brought partners from around the world together and provided an opportunity to receive solid rewards for traffic achievements.

At the same time, N1 Partners continues to create competitive mechanics for partners in 2026 — the N1 Traffic Cups tournament series continues to strengthen partner engagement and develop the affiliate community.

This year, the company also launched sports traffic on three brands — N1 Bet, RollXO, and Lucky Hunter — and released a new vertical, Prediction Markets, a betting format for real events with simple “yes/no” mechanics.

Scale your results with N1 Partners:

14+ casino and betting brands with high Reg2Dep
10+ Tier-1 GEOs
CPA up to €700 and RevShare up to 55% + NNCO for top affiliates

Be number one with N1!

Compliance

The Mill Adventure wins GLI-19 certification ahead of Ontario market entry

Published

29 minutes ago

May 19, 2026

Wladimir P.

the-mill-adventure-wins-gli-19-certification-ahead-of-ontario-market-entry

The Mill Adventure has obtained GLI-19 certification as it prepares to enter regulated online gaming in Ontario, a key step in the platform provider’s North American expansion plans.

The company said the certification supports technical compliance requirements common across regulated North American markets, including platform functionality, reporting processes, KYC measures and geolocation. GLI-19 is a technical standard used for interactive gaming systems.

The milestone comes ahead of The Mill Adventure’s planned launch with its first client in Ontario. The company said it will build on experience in multiple European regulated jurisdictions as it targets further growth in North America.

The Mill Adventure also pointed to recent developments including the launch of Dutch operator Winz.nl and a wider integration with Optimove’s CRM suite.

Bjørnar Heggernes, Chief Commercial Officer at The Mill Adventure, said: “Achieving GLI-19 certification reinforces that our platform and compliance framework are built to support the complexity regulated operators face in markets like Ontario, without compromising performance or scalability.

“Our focus is not simply on entering North America, but on becoming a long-term technical partner for operators looking to scale efficiently across regulated jurisdictions.”

The post The Mill Adventure wins GLI-19 certification ahead of Ontario market entry appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Alberta

EveryMatrix gets conditional AGLC approval ahead of Alberta iGaming launch

Published

29 minutes ago

May 19, 2026

Wladimir P.

everymatrix-gets-conditional-aglc-approval-ahead-of-alberta-igaming-launch

EveryMatrix has received conditional licensing approval from the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) to offer its iGaming technology in Alberta.

The approval allows the supplier to provide casino and sports platform technologies to licensed operators in the province, which is expected to launch a regulated iGaming market in July. Alberta would become Canada’s second regulated iGaming territory after Ontario.

At launch, EveryMatrix said it will offer titles from its in-house studio Fantasma Games and aggregated content, with plans to expand its portfolio over time.

The company said the Alberta approval adds to its North American licensing footprint, which includes Ontario (since 2022) and US states New Jersey, Michigan, West Virginia, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. EveryMatrix also said it has signed agreements to deliver platform and in-house gaming content in Alberta.

Rani Axon, Market Manager, North America, EveryMatrix, said: “Entering Alberta marks an exciting step for the Group as we expand further into one of North America’s most attractive regulated markets. This approval shows the strength of our compliance team and our readiness to meet regulatory requirements in any market.”

The post EveryMatrix gets conditional AGLC approval ahead of Alberta iGaming launch appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.