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REVEALED: These are the Online Games that Cause the Most Arguments đŽđ
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- 1 in 50 couples row over gaming every day
- Call of Duty is the online game most likely to cause a rift between couples
- 1/4 Women have (unsuccessfully) tried to ban gaming in the house, compared to 1/5 Men
- 25% of men have thought about breaking up with their partner because of online gaming-related arguments, compared to 17% of women
With Valentines day almost a week away, new data from CardsChat.com reveals which online games cause the most arguments in a relationship. CardsChat surveyed 1,000 UK adults whose partner plays online games, to find out how gaming affects relationships. CardsChat also spoke to three relationship experts to explain the findings.
1 in 50 couples row over games every dayÂ
Out of the 1,000 surveyed, 1 in 50 couples said they argued over gaming every day! 1 in 25 of the respondents said they squabbled a little less, âjustâ 250 to 300 times per year, while 3 in 25 âfessed up to having gaming-related rows 150 to 200 times a year.
| Arguments per year | No. of couples |
| 50-100 | 1 in 4 |
| 150-200 | 3 in 25 |
| 250-300 | 1 in 25 |
| Every day! | 1 in 50 |
According to the survey data, Call of Duty is the online game most likely to cause a rift between couples with 38% of couples admitting to have argued about time spent on the game.
Fifa is a close second, with 34% of couples confessing to argue over the football game.
According to Iain Macintoshâs book, âFootball Manager Stole My Lifeâ, the titular game was cited as a factor in a whopping 35 divorce cases back in 2012. However, despite these stats, we found that the addictive micromanagement game came fourth with 15%.
| Game | Argument about time spent on the game |
| Call of Duty | 38% |
| Fifa | 34% |
| Fortnite | 21% |
| Football Manager | 15% |
What the expert says:
So whatâs behind these rows? Chris Pleines, a dating expert from Datingscout says forgetting important dates and a lack of quality time can contribute: âBeing preoccupied with gaming will most likely let you forget what day it is, especially if you pull an all-nighter. Instead of preparing something special for your partner, you are busy levelling up on your game.â
Letâs hope that these gamers donât forget about Valentineâs Day!
Who Is Trying â and Failing â To Ban Gaming?
1/4 Women Vs 1/5 Men
We dug deep into our research to find out who is trying to ban gaming in these households. The girls just edge it slightly, with one quarter of female respondents admitting to unsuccessfully trying to ban gaming in their house. While around one fifth of men said they had also tried unsuccessfully to put a stop to gaming in the home.
What the expert says:
We spoke to Susan Trombetti, leading matchmaker, relationship expert, and CEO of Exclusive Matchmaking, to delve even deeper into the impact of gaming on relationships. She told us: âGaming is a way to be connected without really connecting with people thus sometimes increasing your social isolation. This can cause issues for relationships.â
Her advice? âSome things you can try are limiting time spent on the game instead of banning them altogether. Opposed to making your household a gaming free household, if your partner enjoys it, consider limiting the time gaming, similar to how you may set boundaries like no phones while eating dinner together. Small compromises may work for you and your partner.â
Gaming Causing Break-Ups
25% Men Vs 17% Women
Have thought about breaking up with their partner over gaming
Our data reveals that 25% of men have thought about breaking up with their partner because of online gaming-related arguments. Compared to 17% of women surveyed admitting theyâve considered calling time on a relationship for the same reason.
What the expert says:
Dainis Graveris, a certified sex educator and relationship expert at SexualAlpha suggests that: âWhen people play online games, they become a part of something that involves responsibilities, loyalties, and interactions. These interactions, however, donât spill through with their relationships offline.
And why does this seem to bother more men than women? Dainis says:â it boils down to the male gamerâs motivations for playing online games thatâs why you can find that most of them get into serious fights with their partners and have thought about breaking up with them.
For instance, some male gamers feel that playing online games helps alleviate stress, serves as an outlet for negative energy, and/or helps them regain a sense of control. When their female partners donât understand their motivations, they take offense and get into serious argumentsâ.
Peace of the action
Considering how many relationships are on the ropes due to online gaming, we started thinking about how couples can avoid the agro.
The simple solution? Get gaming included in your vows
âDo you [insert name] promise to play only an hour of gaming a day?â
âI promise never to ban gaming in the houseâ
âI vow to always put you first, even when Iâm playing Fortniteâ
âI promise never to keep score, even when Iâm beating you at FIFAâ
âI vow to never let the PS5 come between usâ
âI [insert name], take thee, [insert name]âŚ.forsaking all othersâŚâtil COD do us partâ
âWhatâs mine is yours and whatâs yours is mineâŚexcept the Xboxâ
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Affiliate Industry
SiGMA exclusive: Aleksandra Drigo on traffic shifts, transparency, and the future of SEO affiliates
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In an exclusive interview for the SiGMA News, Aleksandra Drigo, Chief of Business Development at SEOBROTHERS, shared her perspective on the future of affiliate marketing in Canada.
She discussed how Albertaâs upcoming market launch could reshape competition, why transparency has become a cornerstone of operator-affiliate partnerships, how compliance is changing the way affiliates choose partners, and why localisation, trusted brands, and data-driven decision-making will define the next generation of SEO affiliates.
Regulation will reshape Albertaâs affiliate landscape
As Alberta prepares to regulate its online gambling market, affiliates are entering a more challenging environment. While regulation brings greater transparency, it also increases compliance demands, acquisition costs, and competition â particularly from larger, well-funded companies.
âMany affiliates, especially independent SEO players, may decide not to enter fully regulated markets and instead focus on regions with more predictable economics and lower regulatory pressure,â Aleksandra said.
Bigger brands gain the advantage
According to Drigo, regulated markets naturally favour established affiliate businesses, whereas smaller publishers face much higher barriers to entry despite niche opportunities still existing.
âRegulated markets tend to favour larger players. Big affiliate companies have the resources for legal support, compliance teams, advanced tracking infrastructure, and long-term investment without expecting fast ROI.â
Compliance is now a deciding factor
Operator selection is no longer based solely on commercial terms. Affiliates increasingly assess partners by their transparency, reporting quality, responsible gaming standards, responsiveness, and ability to meet local regulatory requirements.
âWe pay close attention to how consistent an operator is in terms of reporting, responsible gaming policies, speed of communication, and local regulations compliance. Reputation risks affect both sides. If an operator lacks transparency or fails to follow compliance standards, it directly impacts the affiliate business as well.â
Communication matters more than financial disputes
Drigo believes that most partnership conflicts arise not from payment issues, but from poor communication and limited access to performance data.
âFinancial disagreements can usually be resolved quickly if there is trust and clear communication between both sides. Whereas, when affiliates do not receive timely information, face unclear reporting, or get no explanation for performance changes, tensions escalate very quickly. In regulated markets, communication and transparency become just as important as the financial terms themselves.â
The future belongs to trusted brands and localisation
Looking ahead, Drigo expects meticulous localisation, brand authority, first-party audiences, and community-driven products to define success in regulated North American markets. As AI reshapes search, affiliates will need stronger technology, diversified traffic sources, and compliance-friendly SEO strategies to remain competitive.
âWith AI and online search ecosystem changes already transforming the SEO landscape, affiliates need to become much more flexible and technology-driven than before. And compliance-friendly SEO strategies and diversification beyond traditional search traffic are becoming increasingly important.â
The post SiGMA exclusive: Aleksandra Drigo on traffic shifts, transparency, and the future of SEO affiliates appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Belgium
EveryMatrix to replace Betcenter Belgium sportsbook platform in omnichannel deal
Merkur Group-owned operator will migrate retail and online sports betting across 50+ shops and hundreds of terminals onto EveryMatrixâs full stack.
EveryMatrix has agreed an omnichannel partnership with Betcenter Belgium to power the operatorâs sports betting platform, replacing an in-house legacy setup with EveryMatrixâs full technology stack.
Under the deal, EveryMatrix will migrate Betcenterâs customer activities and operations and deliver sportsbook services across both retail and online channels. Betcenter operates online and in more than 50 retail betting shops, with 600 Self Service Betting Terminals (SSBTs) and 300 SSBT-light units, according to the companies.
The agreement extends EveryMatrixâs relationship with Betcenter owner Merkur Group, following a March announcement that EveryMatrix would power Merkurâs Cashpoint brand in Denmark for online sports and casino and more than 1,000 sports betting terminals in 230 shops.
Ebbe Groes, Group Co-CEO & Co-Founder, EveryMatrix, said: âTo be able to extend our partnership with Merkur Group in Belgium so soon after agreeing to work with its Cashpoint brand in Denmark is something you rarely see in our industry.
âThere has been, and continues to, be an enormous amount of hard work put into both making and delivering these deals on both sides so Iâd like to thank the Merkur Group and my own internal EveryMatrix teams for making this a reality.â
Mathias Dahms, Managing Director of the Sports Betting Division, Merkur Group, said: âWe have learned to regard EveryMatrix as a reliable and competent partner and look forward to taking the next step with them on this challenging project in Belgium.
âThrough this partnership, we will consolidate our market-leading position in Belgium and further expand it with new products.â
The post EveryMatrix to replace Betcenter Belgium sportsbook platform in omnichannel deal appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Blueprint Gaming
Blueprint Gaming rolls out Rapid Fire Jackpots to NetBet UK
The expanded integration will bring Blueprintâs full Rapid Fire Jackpots portfolio into NetBetâs casino lobby over time.
Blueprint Gaming has expanded its partnership with UK-facing operator NetBet by rolling out its Rapid Fire Jackpots
progressive jackpot content to the operatorâs casino lobby.
The companies first partnered in 2025, with NetBet already offering Blueprint releases including Fishinâ Frenzy
Lure âEm In, Eye of Horus and King Kong Cash. NetBet has also run a selection of Rapid Fire Jackpots
titles, including Fishinâ Frenzy
Big Catch 3, The Goonies
Quest for Treasure 2 and Fishinâ Frenzy
Even Bigger Fish 2.
Under the extended collaboration, Blueprint said the entire Rapid Fire Jackpots
portfolio will be integrated into NetBetâs casino lobby over time, starting with an initial batch of titles now made available to NetBet players.
Rapid Fire Jackpots
launched in June 2024 and is positioned by Blueprint as a complementary mechanic to its Jackpot King
product, designed to deliver more frequent jackpot wins. Jack Lawson, Senior Account Manager at Blueprint Gaming, said: âRapid Fire Jackpots
has added a new dimension to our portfolio since launch, giving players access to more frequent jackpot drops alongside the premium gameplay experiences our content is known for.
âExpanding the rollout of the mechanic with NetBet allows us to build on the strong momentum already generated through our partnership, while further cementing our position as a leading supplier in the UK market.â Claudia Georgevici, PR Manager at NetBet Casino, said: âBlueprint Gamingâs titles have proven to be a strong addition to our casino lobby over the past year, and the integration of Rapid Fire Jackpots
is set to further boost that offering.
âThe mechanicâs combination of achievable, frequent jackpot wins and engaging gameplay delivers exactly the type of experience that resonates with our players, making it a valuable addition to our growing content selection.â
The post Blueprint Gaming rolls out Rapid Fire Jackpots to NetBet UK appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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