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UKGC Publishes 2023 Young People and Gambling Report

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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has published its 2023 Young People and Gambling Report – an annual study which helps understand children’s and young people’s exposure to, and involvement in, all types of gambling.

The research was conducted in schools, with pupils completing online self-completion surveys in class. The study collected data from a sample of 3453 11 to 16 year olds as in previous years and, for the first time 17 year olds, attending academies, maintained and independent schools in England, Scotland and Wales.

This year:

  • 26% of respondents spent their own money on some form of gambling in the last 12 months, compared with 31% in 2022
  • excluding arcade gaming machines which young people can play legally 4% of respondents spent their own money on regulated gambling (age restricted products), compared with 5% in 2022
  • 7% of respondents were identified as problem gamblers by the youth adapted DSM-IV-MR-J screen compared with 0.9% in 2022
  • 5% of respondents were identified as at-risk gamblers compared with 2.4% in 2022
  • 55% had seen gambling adverts offline, compared to 66% in 2022, and 53% had seen adverts online, compared to 63% in 2022.

The Commission requires gambling operators to have strong protections in place to prevent children from accessing products illegally. This means the most common types of gambling activity that young people spent their own money on were legal or did not feature age restricted products:

  • playing arcade gaming machines such as penny pusher or claw grab machines (19%)
  • placing a bet for money between friends or family (11%)
  • playing cards with friends or family for money (5%).
  • Protecting children and young people from harm remains a priority for the Commission and it is working hard to implement relevant proposals by Government in its Gambling Act Review White Paper.

This includes examining strengthening age verification in premises by considering responses to proposals to:

  • remove the current exemption from carrying out age verification test purchasing for the smallest gambling premises
  • changing the good practice code to say that licensees should have procedures that require their staff to check the age of any customer who appears to be under 25 years of age, rather than under 21 years of age.

As part of the White Paper, the Commission is also examining staff supervision in some premises. The Commission will explore through consultation the evidence around premises where there is not normally direct staff supervision (such as Adult Gaming Centres in service stations) and consider whether existing requirements effectively prevent underage gambling.

Chicken X & Friends

Million Games unveils multiplayer crash game Chicken X & Friends at ICE

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Million Games is heading to ICE 2026 with its most ambitious release yet.  Chicken X & Friends is a real-time, unlimited multiplayer crash game and the official sequel to their award-nominated hit Chicken X.

Set across a chaotic multi-lane highway, Chicken X & Friends brings the beloved Jack Chicken back into action. This time, he is not crossing the road alone. Players jump into a shared, always-on playground where gameplay never pauses and no sessions need to fill. There is no waiting. Players can join at any moment and start their run instantly.

The game introduces a genre-first for crash gameplay. Unlimited, real-time multiplayer gameplay. Players see each other live on screen as they navigate traffic, build multipliers, and decide when to cash out before the crash hits.

“This is a big moment for us,” said Thomas Nimstad, CEO at Million Games. “Crash games are built on tension and timing. With Chicken X & Friends, we’ve made that tension social. You’re not just watching a multiplier climb. You’re watching other players make decisions in real time. We’re pushing the format further by making it social, visible, and strategically deeper.”

Player choice at the core

Gameplay takes place across multiple traffic lanes, each offering a different risk-and-reward profile. Slower lanes feature lighter traffic and steadier multiplier growth. Faster lanes increase volatility with denser traffic, but multipliers rise much quicker.

Players actively decide where to play. Stay in safer lanes. Push into danger lanes. Or move between them as traffic patterns change. Every jump is a choice, and every choice affects potential payout.

Safe zones offer a brief pause from traffic, but they are not an escape. Stay too long and the game will automatically cash you out, keeping the pace fast and the pressure on.

Movement is intuitive and fast, controlled via taps or directional buttons, allowing players to react instantly as traffic closes in.

Always social, always competitive

Up to eight players appear live on screen in each public playground. Jack Chicken represents you, while other players appear as pigeons, creating instant visual awareness of who is still in the race. The current top performer is crowned “the king”, highlighted with a unique skin and a visible live multiplier.

Leaderboards track the best runs over the past hour and the past 24 hours, allowing players to compare performance, chase rankings, and return repeatedly to improve their position.

Players can choose how they want to play. Join a public playground by default and compete with others. Create a private room and invite friends. Or play solo without other players visible. The experience adapts to different play styles while keeping the same high-pressure core.

Play it first at ICE

Chicken X & Friends will be showcased at ICE 2026 ahead of its official launch on 28 January. Visitors can experience the game live at the Million Games stand 2C72, where a daily tournament will run throughout the show, giving attendees a hands-on look at real player behaviour, competition, and pacing.

The original Chicken X was shortlisted for Crash Game of the Year and quickly became one of Million Games’ most played titles. With Chicken X & Friends, the studio expands the format with unlimited gameplay, deeper strategy, and visible multiplayer tension.

Fast to enter. Hard to master. Impossible to ignore.

Operators and partners interested in early access or distribution opportunities are encouraged to visit the Million Games team at ICE 2026.

The post Million Games unveils multiplayer crash game Chicken X & Friends at ICE appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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QTech Games shepherds more creative content through Wild Sheep Games

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QTech Games, the leading game aggregator for emerging markets, has continued to build the strong momentum in its pipeline, thanks to its exclusive deal with the rising star supplier, Wild Sheep Games.

Integrating content from such a forward-thinking studio, ably abetted by its founders’ combined decades of experience and expertise in the slots sector, adds yet more creative muscle to QTech Games’ offering, which is taking the broadest spectrum of online games to emerging territories with established names sitting alongside the industry’s most exciting up-and-coming providers – of which Wild Sheep Games is another timely example.

Wild Sheep Games is known for its high quality slots and engaging gameplay, which has manifested itself in a range of ten popular initial releases, with two more new titles scheduled to follow each week until the end of 2026. These titles will comprise a wider library of constantly upgraded content, all of which is now exclusively available via the QTech Games.

The announcement organically broadens Wild Sheep’s international footprint, unlocking untapped jurisdictions for global growth, where Wild Sheep is looking to make a big impression over the coming 12 months. Philip Doftvik, QTech Games’ CEO, said: “We’re thrilled to unveil this partnership with Wild Sheep, making the point that our diverse portfolio draws from a deep well of established stars and emerging forces in slots provision. Their unique focus on emerging markets perfectly matches our own ethos, while the power of their production line is relentless.

A Wild Sheep Games spokesperson added: “Wild Sheep Games is growing at a great pace, thanks to our “players-first” mentality to game development and only build high-quality games. This collaboration with QTech will only accelerate that growth. Moreover, every title benefits from Wild Sheep’s RG mantra of great returns, transparent mechanics, and certified integrity. We don’t copy — we craft. Every slot runs on fresh, in-house maths that’s built to keep our partners’ players coming back for more.

“We can’t wait to see how these games perform across a spread of new territories via QTech Games’ preeminent platform for emerging markets.”

To find out more, or book a demo, email: [email protected] or visit: https://wildsheepgames.com/

The post QTech Games shepherds more creative content through Wild Sheep Games appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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2026 Tech Partnerships

eyeDP Partners with idvcheck to Provide Anti-Money Laundering Solutions

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eyeDP, the innovative provider of AI-powered document verification technology, has announced a strategic partnership with idvcheck, an international identity verification and customer acquisition specialist.

Per the partnership, eyeDP’s Anti-Money Laundering (AML) services will be integrated into the idvcheck platform, enhancing existing systems to help clients maintain their AML obligations across iGaming, fintech, financial services, and other regulated sectors.

Additionally, idvcheck will integrate eyeDP’s core document verification services including data extraction from unstructured documents; AI-powered data summarisation; content validation; and document tamper and fraud detection. to boost efficiency across its service offering.

This two-way partnership will see idvcheck’s manual review and forensic investigation workflows being fully integrated into eyeDP’s platform, providing built-in failsafe for cases that cannot be automatically verified or more sophisticated requests that require further intervention. This combination of AI-powered verification and human expertise will provide the highest quality document verification and AML protection in the market.

idvcheck currently verifies documents from around 200 countries worldwide, specialising in white-labelled customer acquisition services. By integrating eyeDP’s AML technology, idvcheck will be able to process a higher volume of straightforward cases, more efficiently, whilst enabling its team to focus their expertise on more complex tasks.

Jess Whitehouse, Director of Customer Operations, at eyeDP, said: “This partnership gets 2026 off to a strong start for eyeDP as we continue to grow and establish ourselves as one of the leading document processing companies on the market.

idvcheck has a strong, international presence that will allow our platform to showcase its ability on a larger scale. Together, we can continue to develop identity and document verification solutions that provide efficient, reliable safety checks for our partners.”

Andy Pinks, Chief Operating Officer at Idvcheck, said: “During extensive testing, the benefits of integrating eyeDP’s technology into our existing infrastructure became quickly apparent. Although (at least in its current form) AI cannot replace human experience, the symbiosis of human and artificial intelligence has created immediate operational improvements. This enables us to deliver a more cost-effective and time-efficient service, to all markets, without compromising on quality.

We are excited to be working in partnership with eyeDP to deliver new and innovative products that satisfy the ever-evolving needs of our clients.

The post eyeDP Partners with idvcheck to Provide Anti-Money Laundering Solutions appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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