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GambleAware Commits £4M for Britain’s First Academic Research Hub Specialising in Gambling Harms

Published

5 years ago

August 18, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

GambleAware has begun an eight-month grant award process to establish the first Academic Research Hub in Great Britain specialising in gambling harms research.

The ambition is for the Academic Research Hub to have a significant impact on the whole gambling research landscape, both within Great Britain and across the globe, through the inclusion of new and diverse areas of research. The Hub will contribute to GambleAware’s overarching vision of creating a society safe from gambling harms and help deliver the charity’s strategic objective to actively build academic research capacity. To ensure longevity, it is also expected the successful institution will secure alternative funding to allow continued growth and development beyond the initial grant award.

In Great Britain at present, most gambling research is from a social science perspective and is delivered by a small number of academics. However, the new Hub seeks to broaden out the range of academic disciplines engaged with gambling harms research in Great Britain. With the application of a public health lens, the successful institution will dictate its own research focus and will support and inform the wider system of treatment providers, organisations and agencies working to prevent and reduce gambling harms.

A select number of universities have been invited to apply for the grant and were chosen based on multiple university rankings, including those rated highly for research areas relevant to gambling behaviour and harms prevention. Whilst the grant will be awarded to a single university, it is expected the successful institution will take a highly collaborative and multi-disciplinary approach both within its own institution and externally with other academics and partners, including internationally.

GambleAware is encouraging applications from those with a strong academic track record in adjacent disciplines, including but not limited to public health, mental health, health inequalities, health economics, epidemiology, clinical health and/or psychology.

Alison Clare, Research Director (Interim) at GambleAware, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for a British university to develop and innovate in a relatively under-researched field, bringing to bear a much wider range of academic disciplines than are currently engaged in gambling harms research. With this significant investment, a British university and its partners will have the chance to create a step change in building knowledge in an area which links and overlaps with many other subjects and fields.

“It’s a different type of grant award to the smaller projects and programmes in our current research portfolio, with GambleAware taking a much more arm’s length approach in guiding the area of research focus. Our main criteria is that universities apply a multi-disciplinary, public health lens in setting out the rationale for their chosen research area. From our early discussions with selected universities, we’re expecting some very creative and innovative proposals at the initial Expression of Interest stage.”

BVGroup

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

Published

8 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

8 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

8 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.