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Casino Guru’s complaint data reveals scope of UK players gambling at unlicensed websites
The Gambling Commission’s recent calls for evidence and views from the industry and the public regarding upcoming changes to Great Britain’s gambling regulation has seen a number of professionals emphasize the potential rise of black-market gambling as a consequence of tightening regulations.
These claims have been largely backed up by a PwC report, which estimates the number of UK online gamblers using unlicensed operators to have more than doubled from 2018 to 2020, from c.210,000 to c.460,000 gamblers.
Later on, UK gambling firms have been accused of exaggerating the scale of black-market gambling in an attempt to influence the GC’s decision to introduce tougher regulations. The GC’s chief executive Neil McArthur commented that the report delivered by PwC is not consistent with their intelligence picture and lacked any evidence to show an increase in illicit betting. He added that GC’s own evidence suggests that the impact may be being exaggerated.
Simon Vincze, Casino Guru’s Responsible Gambling Projects Manager, has been keeping up with the heated discussion taking place in British media and looked into their data on player complaints to get an idea about the scope of the issue: “I understand the need for regulation in the gambling market and its usefulness in keeping children and vulnerable players safe. It’s something I deeply believe in and work towards in my position as well. However, it didn’t seem right to me to just disregard the negative effects of tightening regulations altogether.”
Casino Guru operates a casino dispute mediation service, in which players can complain about any online casino if they feel to have been mistreated, regardless of its license, and get assisted for free. After looking into their data, Simon discovered 666 complaints submitted by players from the UK, of which 145 is about casinos with a license from GC and 521 is about casinos without it. This means that 78% of all complaints submitted by UK players have been about operators without a GC license.
“Of course, this doesn’t mean that 78% of UK players gamble at foreign websites. Because of the generally lower quality of service and reputation of these operators, it can be expected that these players will run into issues more often, resulting in a higher proportion of players submitting public complaints. However, it is also a clear sign that there are UK players gambling at casinos without a GC license, and that there is quite a lot of them,” Simon commented on this data.
He also compared the British situation to what has happened in Sweden: “When gambling regulations get more restrictive, an increased proportion of players usually start looking for unlicensed operators to avoid those regulations. Sweden is a great example of this, where 40% of casino players and 34% of sports betters gamble on unlicensed websites or would consider doing so in future, according to a study published back in April 2020. Taking a look at Google search data, there has been a major increase in Swedish players actively looking for unlicensed casinos since introducing the country’s gambling regulations with a strong focus on player safety.”
“With tighter regulations being introduced in Great Britain, the GC should be aware of the possibility of an increasing number of British punters actively looking for unlicensed sites in attempts to avoid the strict regulations. These players then gamble on foreign websites without the strict limits present at UK-licensed ones, ending up more susceptible to problematic gambling habits as a result of lower responsible gambling standards of some foreign operators, on top of other negative qualities that can be present at these websites.”
Data from the PwC report suggests that 4,5% of UK players gamble at foreign websites, while 78% of all complaints submitted to Casino Guru by UK players are related to these foreign websites.
Simon commented: “Combining this data would suggest that 4,5% of players are responsible for 78% of all casino complaints, which would signify a huge imbalance. Of course, the numbers are based on different data and there may be other factors in play, but I think that the imbalance is there, and has to do with the fact that players gambling on foreign websites simply run into issues more often. These can range from unclear bonus terms and bad implementation of responsible gambling features all the way to unscrupulous casinos outright scamming players.”
“If an increasing number of players leave the regulated market and go for foreign alternatives, they may be subject to a higher risk of developing problem gambling and losing money to foreign websites, some of which can have unscrupulous tendencies. This seems like a good enough reason to seriously consider the risk of rising use of black-market gambling websites by UK players,” he added.
While the GC is examining evidence presented by stakeholders and working towards updated gambling regulation, it remains to be seen how the situation ends up being handled and what new rules get implemented. Only time will tell whether tighter regulation really does increase the use of black-market sites or not, and whether the benefits will outweigh possible drawbacks.
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A large-scale $1 billion online casino shady scheme involving Ukrainian fraudsters Vadim Gordievsky and Alyona Suvorova has been discovered in Kazakhstan.
The Kazakhstan Financial Monitoring Agency has revealed a large-scale shady scheme with a whole layer of cross-border transfers. While referring to the press service of the Agency, Elordainfo.kz informs that numerous bank employees and 120 people from several countries were involved in the operation of the shady scheme.
The money was sent to various payment organizations, disguised as legal transactions, and was later withdrawn to numerous online casinos.
At the same time, local authorities managed to eliminate the call center, which employed foreigners, which provided technical support for four online casinos as well as advice on money transactions. In addition, the organizers of the call center created a gambling partnership program that was used to accept payments and withdraw them in cryptocurrencies. The overall turnover exceeded 200 million USDT.
During the implementation of all these measures, over 70 searches were conducted. As a result of these activities, local authorities managed to gather physical evidence as well as to detain nine suspects.
According to law enforcement authorities in Kazakhstan, the key organizer of the shady miscoding scheme is Ukrainian Vadim Ivanovich Gordievsky, born in 1974. He led this organized crime group and used the local Marginplus company for these purposes (marginplus.kz). In addition to companies from Kazakhstan, Gordievsky also worked with illegal Russian online casinos while helping them to facilitate payments.
Already in 2008, Vadim Gordievsky served as deputy head of the Boryspil Regional State Administration and was in charge of land issues. Under Gordievsky, various lands of Boryspil were sold while the money was stolen. In the same 2008, he was dismissed from his position with a huge scandal, but his case never resulted in criminal proceedings. A lot of money and connections in government offices helped him avoid accountability.
In 2012, when Viktor Yanukovych came to power, Vadim Gordievsky took the chair of the head of the highway service in the Odessa region, where he managed to get access to millions of dollars, which he later invested in FC Alta Capital.
After the initiation of criminal cases for financial crimes, fraud, and the announcement of his wanted list by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Vadim Gordievsky left Ukraine on forged documents.
According to investigators, Gordievsky’s partner, Mikhail Kovalev (Mykhaylo Kovalov), who has a number of companies in the EU, in particular, in Poland and a residence permit in Spain, was closely working with Gordievsky. By using numerous fictitious companies in Poland, in particular, STABLEX SOLUTION Sp. z o. o (solvexs.pl) he engaged in illegal payments and cash withdrawal in cryptocurrencies.
His partner, who is also his former Kyivstar employee, Alyona (Olena) Suvorova (born in 1983), who left Ukraine for Moscow after February 2022, and Ukrainian IT specialist Denis Andreevich Rykov (born in 1990), who currently lives in St. Petersburg, also participated in the shady scheme of illegal bookmakers and dubious payments.
Judging by her social media accounts, Alyona Suvorova is currently positioning herself “as an entrepreneur, investor, and crypto trader with 5+ years of experience.” According to Suvorova herself, she has been developing payment technologies in the field of FinTech for 10 years. In 2021, she opened her own business for international crypto transfers. In addition, she is the founder of the Lemoncoin Crypto Academy.
The law enforcement agencies of Kazakhstan are asking for information about the location and data of all these people. In the near future, Vadim Gordievsky, Alyona Suvorova, and other defendants will be put on the international wanted list. According to local laws, they face up to nine years in prison.
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El mundo de las apuestas deportivas y el gaming está a punto de experimentar una gran sacudida con el lanzamiento de Goal2Win, el innovador nuevo juego de números de GoldenRace, diseñado para cautivar a la masiva audiencia global del fútbol.
Goal2Win tiende un exitoso puente entre la pasión universal por el deporte rey y la probada emoción de las predicciones basadas en números, ofreciendo a los operadores un producto nuevo y de alto potencial para la monetización.
Goal2Win es una oferta de primer nivel que toma el formato familiar y clásico de los juegos de números y lo integra con una dinámica temática centrada en el fútbol. Esta combinación única hace que el juego sea instantáneamente reconocible, pero a la vez emocionante y nuevo, atrayendo tanto a apostadores deportivos experimentados como a recién llegados que buscan una experiencia atractiva y simplificada.
Goal2Win es la apuesta de GoldenRace entre la innovación y la tradición. Ofrece a los operadores un producto que aprovecha el inmenso alcance del fanatismo por el fútbol, a la vez que ofrece la jugabilidad sencilla y atractiva y el potencial de ganancias masivas que se espera de un juego de números de primer nivel. Es una mezcla convincente de emoción, simplicidad y un potencial de recompensa significativo.
Características clave que impulsan la fidelización y las ganancias potenciales
Goal2Win está diseñado para la máxima retención de jugadores y altas apuestas, con una jugabilidad dinámica y potentes características:
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Función multiplicadora: Los jugadores pueden realizar el mismo conjunto de apuestas en una impresionante cantidad de veintidós eventos consecutivos, lo que aumenta significativamente las ganancias potenciales y asegura una fidelización sostenida a lo largo del tiempo.
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Jackpots y Mega Jackpots: El juego incluye ganancias escalonadas con jackpots estándar y los codiciados Mega Jackpots, que prometen sumas que pueden cambiar la vida y actúan como un poderoso motivador para el jugador.
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Selecciones rápidas: Para un acceso rápido a la acción, la opción de Selecciones rápidas permite al sistema elegir números al azar, agilizando el proceso de apuesta para los jugadores.
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Selector de Fila/Columna: Mejorando la experiencia del usuario, los botones selectores permiten a los jugadores elegir fácilmente una fila o columna completa de números, simplificando las apuestas sofisticadas.
Goal2Win representa una oportunidad única para que los operadores aprovechen la inmensa base de aficionados al fútbol global con un producto que es a la vez innovador y reconocible al instante. Está listo para convertirse en una oferta básica, impulsando apuestas más altas y atrayendo a una demografía más amplia a la cartera de los operadores.
The post GoldenRace lanza Goal2Win, una fusión entre el fútbol y los juegos de números appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Wrap up warm this festive season with some retro-inspired slot action
Popular iGaming content provider BGaming invites you to cosy up to the fire and hit spin with the release of Totally Hot. This dynamic new title combines classic slot elements with modern gameplay mechanics.
Taking into account its December launch, BGaming dressed up the game for the season: the action is brought to life with bold visuals and festive animations, with roaring hot flames filling the background and Christmas candy canes bordering the reels. Totally Hot will revert to its original version when the holiday season is over.
It is not only the game’s visuals that have been given a modern makeover. Totally Hot deploys a pay-both-ways payment mechanic across its 5×3 game grid, giving players the chance to win with matching combinations in both directions across the reels. Wins go from left-to-right, right-to-left, and even begin in the middle of the reels.
There is also the potential for a festive treat to drop in the middle of the grid in the form of an Expanding Wild, holding players’ attention with the action on every spin.
Totally Hot keeps the good times rolling thanks to a low-volatility maths model that entertains players with frequent wins. This is complemented by an extremely attractive RTP of 97.21%.
Vasili Pauliuchenko, Game Producer at BGaming, said, “The holidays are here, and we wanted to provide our players with the bright and warm gift of nostalgia this Christmas. Totally Hot has been designed to captivate new players and seasoned classic slot lovers alike, keeping them engaged with wins coming from literally every direction.
The game’s blazing vibes and low volatility serve up plenty of laid-back fun.”
The post Experience Classic Slot Thrills this Christmas With BGaming’s Totally Hot appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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