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Embracing New Affordability Checks and Supporting Safer Gaming
By Adam Hancox, director of gaming for TransUnion in the UK
The gambling industry is facing major changes, with the UK government review of the 2005 Gambling Act white paper set to be published in the coming weeks and a new customer interaction guidance for remote gambling licensees coming into force in September 2022.
Although these upcoming changes will require adjustments from gaming operators, they can also bring new opportunities. The revised regulation – with precise details still to be revealed – is expected to further support safer gaming initiatives that were introduced by the UK Gambling Commission in 2019. This will also help operators to balance their social responsibilities with the products they provide and protecting vulnerable gamblers.
The time has come for increased protection
Problem gambling is not new, but given wider economic uncertainty and the cost of living crisis, it’s an area that needs increased attention. Recent figures suggest that 1.3% of the population – the equivalent of over 870,000 consumers – could be termed ‘problem gamblers’.[i]
With inflation at its highest rates since March 1991,[ii] over half of UK consumers have reduced their expenditure and intend to decrease it further as the year progresses,[iii] according to TransUnion’s latest Consumer Pulse study.
When these figures are viewed against the backdrop of a clear link between individuals facing financial strain and gambling issues, there is cause for concern. In fact, researchers from the University of Liverpool and the National Centre for Social Research found that people in deprived areas are more likely to use online casinos and place risky long-odds bets.[iv]
The NHS has pledged[v] to open two new clinics exclusively serving gambling addicts this year, on top of longer-term plans to bring the nationwide total to fifteen gambling clinics by 2024.
To support this, the Gambling Commission has shared new customer interaction guidance for remote gambling licensees which outlines how operators must “identify, act and evaluate” when a player may be displaying tell-tale signs of problem gambling.
The new framework is designed to help gambling operators spot signs of harm and subsequently take prompt action. But it is also designed to be reactive so that organisations can support players where harm is already being experienced, in order to reduce or stop gambling. Even at this later stage, intervention is most effective if the harm is identified promptly and responded to quickly.
The gaming sector is waiting to see what the long-awaited review of the 2005 Gaming Act spells for the industry. With publication imminent, it is expected that operators will be obliged to remove features from online games that heighten an at-risk player’s likelihood of engaging in unsustainable activity. Other restrictions could include caps on stakes of between £2 and £5 for online casinos, as well as a ban on free bets and VIP packages for players who incur heavy losses.[vi]
One particularly controversial point appears to be to what extent affordability checks will be ramped up, and whether the white paper will spell out the requirement for checks that oblige players to share personal financial information such as bank statements and payslips.
Increased protection without CX disruption
Any concerns that these changes could dilute customer experience (CX) are misplaced. Gaming operators need to adhere to more stringent regulations but in a way that doesn’t compromise their platform’s player experience – this is key. Using innovative, data-enabled solutions can maintain the smooth experience today’s players expect, whilst also promoting safer gaming through identifying and protecting the vulnerable.
For example, the Gambling Commission’s new customer interaction guidance requires licensees to analyse several factors to determine a player’s affordability credentials, which include spending patterns, time spent gambling and other key indicators. They are then obliged to “take appropriate action in a timely manner” if the risk of harm is identified.
Modern, AI-led solutions can enable gambling companies to assess and evaluate all relevant factors on an always-on basis. For example, TransUnion’s Affordability Solution for Gaming, uses cutting-edge modelling and analytics to help operators protect their business and players while supporting compliance strategies and regulatory requirements. Anti-fraud and identity verification capabilities can significantly amplify player protection, having stopped 300,000 underage gambling applications last year.
By using socio-demographic, behavioural and transactional data – such as playing time, a series of bad debt indicators, deposit and loss amounts, income sustainability indicators, operators that use the solution can assess players’ affordability and vulnerability throughout their journeys, with minimal impact to the gaming experience.
Additionally, there are already solutions in place that can alleviate any concerns around new affordability checks. For example, Open Banking that has had a strong impact on the financial services sector. At its simplest, Open Banking means that consumers can more easily utilise the power of their bank statement information.
For gaming, this could mean affordability and anti-money laundering (AML) assessments no longer require a request for documents that causes friction in the player experience. Instead, players can use a purpose-built screen flow which quickly, but securely, takes them through the consent and authorisation required for Open Banking. What’s more, the solution can be fully embedded into existing interfaces with simple integration meaning players are taken on an unintrusive, friction-right journey to better data sharing.
Gaming operators will need to meet new regulation, whether that be the framework that came into effect for remote licensees in September, or the soon-to-be revealed legislation in the forthcoming white paper.
Rather than interpreting these changes as challenging hurdles, gaming operators have the opportunity to embrace advanced automated solutions that will help meet new regulation with ease – allowing them to demonstrate to their players just how committed they are to protecting their financial wellbeing, as well as their gaming experiences.
[i] Gambling Commission: Andrew Rhodes speaks at Westminster Media Forum 2022, June 2022
[ii] Office for National Statistics: Consumer price inflation, UK, June 2022
[iii] TransUnion’s Consumer Pulse Q2 2022 UK Study, based on a survey of 1,004 UK adults from 20 May–1 June, 2022
[iv] National Centre for Social Research and University of Liverpool: 2022 Patterns of Play Report
[v] NHS England: NHS launches new gambling addiction clinics to meet record demand, February 2022
[vi] Gambling Insider: Gambling Review Whitepaper ‘Due in the Coming Weeks’
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Stake, the world’s largest online casino, today announced the launch of Stake Engine — a next-generation Remote Gaming Server (RGS) built to give developers the tools, infrastructure, and audience they need to succeed on their terms.
Backed by the technology behind 300 billion bets and a global community of over 20 million players, Stake Engine offers an instant path to revenue with full end-to-end game development tools and the most developer-friendly commercial model in iGaming: 10% GGR (Gross Gaming Revenue), paid monthly.
Whether you’re an indie creator or a full-scale studio, Stake Engine offers everything you need to build, deploy, and grow games on your terms.
Studios are already winning.
Over the past 12 months, games built on Stake Engine have generated $3.31 billion in turnover. In the most recent quarter, three titles ranked among Stake’s top 50 games by total bets: Massive Studio’s Jawsome at #17, Serpentina at #23, and Twist’s Samurai Dogs Unleashed at #25.
Who can build?
Any developer. From math devs and indie studios to full-stack teams, if you can design and deliver engaging games, you’re welcome here.
What can you build?
Anything your imagination allows. Slots, wheel mechanics, card-based logic, original IP, Stake Engine has no templates, no restrictions, and no gatekeeping. If it plays well and meets our standards, you can build it, launch it, and own it.
Why build on Stake Engine?
Stake Engine gives developers everything they need to launch faster, without the barriers that slow down traditional game development.
No need to build your own infrastructure, negotiate publisher deals, or spend months integrating with legacy Remote Gaming Servers (RGS). With Stake Engine, you can go from idea to live game in days.
Stake handles the infrastructure, distribution, and visibility, so you can focus on what matters: building great games. There’s no pitching, no storefront politics, and no delays.
Behind the scenes, Stake Engine powers everything with a full front-end SDK, integrated math engine, balancing toolkit, and real-time analytics dashboard — putting real performance data at your fingertips.
And once your game goes live, you get paid monthly, with 10% GGR royalties and zero lockups.
Proven at Scale
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Over 300 billion bets placed on Stake
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10 billion monthly wagers processed
- Stake is behind 4% of global Bitcoin transactions
Capable of handling 1 million+ bets per secondStake Engine: Key Features
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Stake Engine delivers unmatched scale and performance, supporting over 1 million bets per second and powered by the same infrastructure behind the world’s most popular crypto casino.
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It offers a full end-to-end developer stack, including a front-end framework, integrated math engine, and balancing toolkit — everything needed to build rich, interactive games quickly and at scale.
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Developers have complete creative freedom with no templates or restrictions. Build any game, upload it, and launch directly to Stake’s global audience.
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Instant deployment tools allow developers to upload, test, and go live in minutes, with full versioning and real-time testing capabilities.
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Stake Engine provides transparent analytics, offering real-time insights into game performance across players, markets, and engagement cohorts.
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It features an industry-leading commercial model with 10% GGR perpetual royalties — the most aggressive terms in gaming, paid monthly without delays or hidden fees.
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Stake Engine is built by developers, for developers. Created by the engineers behind some of iGaming’s top studios, it is focused on speed, control, and fixing everything broken about legacy game launch processes.
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Stake also handles all positioning, marketing, and growth — giving developers full visibility and freeing them to focus purely on building great games.
Brais Pena, Chief Strategy Officer at Easygo, the technology powerhouse behind Stake, said: “Stake Engine is built for creators, with speed, freedom, and scale baked in.”
“Stake Engine is more than just infrastructure, it’s a launchpad for the next generation of iGaming creators. We’ve taken everything we’ve learned building the world’s most popular online casino and packaged it into a platform that removes barriers, unlocks creativity, and delivers scale from day one.”
“Stake Engine is what happens when the biggest operator in iGaming builds for the builders. It’s not just a platform. It’s our commitment to the next generation of game creators.”
The post Stake unveils new Stake Engine: Build. Launch. Earn. The Engine Is Yours appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Big Time Gaming introducing its brand new Megapots™ – the future of jackpots! Capable of delivering truly colossal wins with every pulse-pounding spin.
Experience the glitz and the glamour from the studio known for redefining slots in their Art Deco era of 6×7 slot called Big Bucks Deluxe – where Megapots™, Megaways™, and Mega Wins Collide!
Drenched in dazzling visuals and driven by 117,649 Megaways™, Big Bucks Deluxe invites players into a world of opulence, where shimmering Coins, soaring multipliers, and colossal jackpots keep the action at a fever pitch.
With its latest groundbreaking innovation, Megapots™ where Mini, Midi and Mega Megapots™ sit above the reels and showcase random prizes that change with every spin but can only be awarded when the Hold and Spin feature triggers. This happens when you land six or more Coins in any position. This transforms each symbol into its own reel with prizes, multipliers—or Megapots™ themselves—up for grabs.
If players collect three matching Megapots™ symbols you unlock your jackpot and if every reel reveals a Coin symbol, the Hold & Spin ends with your total bonus prize doubled for the ultimate reward – a jaw-dropping crescendo to the feature.
In the Free Spins, Coins that don’t trigger Hold and Spin stay locked for one spin, turning every spin into a slow-burn suspense thriller with sky-high reward potential. Every new Coin resets your respins, and if the entire grid fills, your total prize is doubled.
But that’s not all…
Land three or more Brilliant Golden Stags to unleash 12 dazzling Free Spins with two extra spins for every triggering Scatter beyond the three. During Free Spins, every Coin ramps up your win multiplier—limitlessly!
While the Free Spins play out, the excitement soars as the win Multiplier starts at 1x and then climbs higher with every Coin that appears. If the Hold & Spin feature isn’t triggered, each Coin stays locked in place to build anticipation for the next spin.
Of course, there’s the Bonus Buy™ to buy your way into the feature and dive straight into the action by unlocking the Hold & Spin feature for 35x your bet or unleash 12 exhilarating Free Spins for 100x your bet.
With high-volatility and flexible RTP settings up to 96.26%, Big Bucks Deluxe is built to thrill both new players and high rollers alike. Available on all platforms, in 30+ languages, and designed with sleek HTML5 responsiveness, this is a slot that performs as beautifully as it looks.
Nik Robinson, CEO, at Big Time Gaming, said: “Big Bucks Deluxe puts players in the spotlight while showcasing our latest innovative mechanic, Megapots™. We are raising the curtain on a new era of jackpot gameplay — glamorous, electrifying, and undeniably BTG. This is a game that’s all about unlocking colossal wins in style, especially when the Hold & Spin feature triggers.”
“With dazzling visuals and cutting-edge mechanics, Big Bucks Deluxe puts players on the edge of their seats from the first spin to the last, providing an opulent gaming experience that very much lives up to the name of the game.”
The post Step into the spotlight and chase the Big Bucks! With BTG’s Big Bucks Deluxe appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Maltese game provider taps into extensive affiliate network to enhance game promotion and leverage powerful analytics platform that connects studios with 40 million players worldwide
Gamzix, a Maltese game provider, has joined First Look Games to access over 40 million casino players worldwide through a network of 1,000+ vetted iGaming affiliates.
Since launching in 2020, Gamzix has built a reputation for creating slots with detailed graphics, realistic animation, and mathematical models that drive player engagement. This strategic partnership will strengthen promotional reach and provide performance insights for Gamzix’s expanding portfolio.
The partnership equips Gamzix with valuable analytics, including player sentiment analysis, regional performance insights, and accuracy management to ensure consistent game information across affiliate channels. These reporting tools will help Gamzix evaluate game performance against competitors and refine their marketing approach.
“Getting our games in front of more players is important, but doing it with the right tools makes all the difference,” said Kateryna Havrylenko. “With First Look Games, we’re not just boosting visibility – we’re improving how we market, track, and optimize every release.”
Tom Galanis, CEO at First Look Games, said:”Our platform connects studios like Gamzix directly with publishers who reach millions of players. The reporting tools show exactly where games are gaining traction across different markets and provide valuable insights into how they’re being received by the affiliate community.”
The partnership comes at a strategic time for Gamzix as it continues to expand its suite of slots featuring in-game tournaments, achievements, and promotional tools. The platform’s Premium feature will allow Gamzix to build pre-release excitement by giving affiliates early access to upcoming titles, creating anticipation among players before launch.
The post Gamzix gains data-driven marketing advantage with First Look Games partnership appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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