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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.”

Amigo Gaming

VeliGames adds 10 studios as content library tops 35,000 games

Published

32 minutes ago

April 14, 2026

Wladimir P.

veligames-adds-10-studios-as-content-library-tops-35,000-games

VeliTech’s aggregator names Amigo Gaming, Playnetic, FA CHAI Gaming and GameBeat among new partners.

VeliGames, the aggregation platform from VeliTech, has expanded its supplier roster with 10 additional content studios, the company said on 14 April 2026. The aggregator now offers “35,000+” games from “160+” suppliers via its Single API.

New providers now available through VeliGames are Amigo Gaming, Playnetic, FA CHAI Gaming, GameBeat, Ready Play Gaming, Slot Mart, Dynabit Gaming, EEAI, IMK 365 and Triple Cherry. VeliGames also distributes its exclusive in-house studios VeliPlay (crash and instant games) and Heaven of 7 (slots).

The company said the expansion is aimed at helping operators diversify and localise their game lobbies for emerging markets through a single integration. VeliGames said its catalogue spans slots, live casino, scratch cards, table and crash games, with tailoring for Asia, Africa and Latin America, including “regionally adjusted pricing” and back-office capabilities.

Irakli Kakhidze, CEO at VeliGames, said: “Our technology is shaped by real-world operator needs, and that’s why VeliGames is a plug-and-play solution that allows operators to access more than 35,000 titles from 160+ providers, plus market-ready customisation, and robust engagement and reporting tools.

“VeliGames has established itself as a partner that understands the business of gaming, not just the code, and these integrations are a testament to that.

“The Single API approach only delivers real value when it is built on battle-tested technology. That has made VeliGames the go-to choice for operators in high-growth markets across the world.”

Revaz Janelidze, Operations Lead at VeliGames, added: “At VeliGames, we live and breathe content, and that’s why we pull out all the stops to constantly bring remarkable providers to our platform.

“These are studios that are pushing boundaries to deliver never seen before themes, mechanics, bonuses and formats, and in doing so are tearing up the rulebook for iGaming content.

“We look forward to seeing our clients strengthen their casino lobbies with the likes of Amigo Gaming, Playnetic and others, while we’re already hard at work on the next round of integrations, so watch this space.”

The post VeliGames adds 10 studios as content library tops 35,000 games appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Broadcaster Video on Demand

Comparasino launches three-month ITVX BVOD ad campaign

Published

32 minutes ago

April 14, 2026

Wladimir P.

comparasino-launches-three-month-itvx-bvod-ad-campaign

Leeds-based casino comparison platform spotlights its Recommendation Engine and Member Zone in exclusive ITVX placement.

Comparasino has launched a three-month Broadcaster Video on Demand (BVOD) advertising campaign running exclusively on ITVX, starting Tuesday 14 April, 2026. The Leeds-based online casino comparison platform said the campaign will run across ITVX premium prime-time programming and hit shows.

Check out the ad here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqAM4KOi3UQ

The company said the creative focuses on its proprietary Recommendation Engine, positioning it as an alternative to static casino list formats. Comparasino said the tool asks users for preferences such as bonuses, payment methods and minimum deposits, then returns matches from UK Gambling Commission (UKGC)-licensed brands.

Comparasino also pointed to its free-to-join Member Zone, which allows users to save preferences and a list of matches. The company said the portal’s automation engine surfaces new matches in real time as additional casino partners are added, and that members can receive brand-launch news and profile-based bonus offers.

Martyn Hannah, Co-founder and CEO of Comparasino, said: “Advertising on ITVX is a transformative step for us. For too long, the online casino search process has been a ‘one size fits all’ experience. Our mission is to humanise that journey by putting the player’s specific needs first.

“By launching this three-month campaign on a platform as prestigious as ITVX, we’re not just building brand awareness, we are showing the UK public that there is a smarter, safer and more tailored way to play.”

Comparasino said all brands featured on its platform are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, positioning compliance and player protection as central to its UK-facing proposition.

The post Comparasino launches three-month ITVX BVOD ad campaign appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

blask

Blask data: lottery drives 78% of France’s gambling search demand

Published

32 minutes ago

April 14, 2026

Wladimir P.

blask-data:-lottery-drives-78%-of-france’s-gambling-search-demand

New category-level analysis breaks down non-branded iGaming demand by vertical across France, Brazil, India, Italy and Switzerland.

Blask says lottery-related queries account for around 78% of total gambling search demand in France, outweighing online casino (~10%) and live dealer, betting and poker (each ~4%). The company positions the data as evidence that sports betting is not the primary driver of gambling demand in every market.

Blask said the figures come from non-branded search data and are part of a new category-level analysis feature designed to break down demand across verticals and subcategories within each market. The tool is intended to help operators compare player intent across jurisdictions, including “lottery in France, football betting in Brazil, or culturally driven formats in India.”

Outside France, Blask’s data shows Brazil is more betting-led, with online betting at ~52% of demand, which the company attributes largely to football. Lottery represents ~25%, fantasy sports ~11%, while casino (~6%) and live dealer (~2%) remain smaller segments.

India is described as more evenly distributed, with lottery at ~35% and live dealer at ~29%, and online casino, betting and fantasy each at roughly 10%. In Europe, Italy’s demand is reported as seasonally influenced by football, with fantasy sports leading at ~37%, while Switzerland is presented as casino-first, with online casino at ~38%.

Across the markets analysed, Blask said two themes recur: older categories often remain the biggest, and regulation heavily shapes demand. Where certain verticals are restricted, the company said interest tends to shift into adjacent or offshore segments rather than disappearing.

The post Blask data: lottery drives 78% of France’s gambling search demand appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.