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UKGC Publishes 2023 Young People and Gambling Report
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.
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Paf employees donated €125,000
The Nordic gaming company Paf decided to give all employees the opportunity to donate €125,000 to various good causes, initiatives and projects. The causes were selected through a nomination and voting process by the employees.
All Paf employees were given the opportunity to nominate their own initiatives that they felt were worthy of Paf’s €125,000 donation. Once the nomination process was complete, employees were asked to vote for the initiatives, and it was the employees’ votes that determined which initiatives received the donation and how much of the sum was allocated to each project.
“It’s really important that everyone who works at Paf feels that our core mission is different and that it’s well worth working for. That’s why we wanted to involve the employees and give everyone a direct opportunity to determine the distribution of the donation,” says Paf’s CEO Christer Fahlstedt.
Paf’s basic purpose is to generate funds for the benefit of society. The annual profit is used as Paf funds for social, environmental, youth, sports and cultural purposes, among others.
Second year in a row
This is the second year in a row that Paf employees have been able to donate a sum of money to various good causes. Last year employees donated €100,000 and this year the amount was increased to €125,000.
“It was a great way to end last year and a good initiative to repeat this year. The donation is not part of Paf’s usual mission and purpose, but it reflects our overall core purpose in an excellent way,’ says Paf CEO Christer Fahlstedt.
The distribution of €125,000
When the employees gathered in December for the annual Christmas speech, the vote was taken and the result determined how the €125,000 would be distributed. The Employee vote gave causes for Ukraine the biggest donation and €40,000, followed by causes against cancer €25,000 and in third place causes for combating abuse of children €15.000.
1. €40.000 – Causes for Ukraine
2. €25.000 – Causes against cancer
3. €15.000 – Causes for combating abuse of children
4. €12.000 – Causes for Children
5. €9.000 – Causes for Animals
6. €7.000 – The Swedish Brain Foundation (Hjärnfonden)
7. €6.000 – Medical aid for Palestine
8. €5.000 – Causes for Women
9. €3.500 – Relief efforts – Spanish weather disaster
10. €2.500 – Jesuit Refugee Services Malta
Most votes – top 3
Causes for Ukraine goes to the following initiatives;
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Power Up Ukraine, Swedish based, helps with energy solutions
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Blågula Bilen, Swedish based, donates trucks & 4×4 vehicles with supplies
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Hospitallers, based in Ukraine, Hospitallers is a volunteer organization of paramedics.
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Come Back Alive, Ukraine, Demining in Ukraine
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Safe & Smart, Ukraine based, Restoring hybrid and offline learning in Ukrainian schools
Causes against cancer goes to;
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Barncancerfonden, Sweden, They help families and contribute to paediatric cancer research with the aim of eradicating childhood cancer
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Kingitud Elu, Estonia, Estonian Association of Parents of Children with Cancer
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Rintasyöpäyhdistys, Finland, Europa Donna Finland ry works to increase awareness of breast cancer and improve the quality of life for patients during and after the treatment period
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Project Liv, Finland, support children with cancer and their families
Causes for combating abuse of children goes to;
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Internet Watch Foundation, UK, stop child sexual abuse online
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Anti-Human Trafficking Intelligence Initiative, USA based, end human trafficking and child exploitation
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Missing Children Europe, protects children from going missing
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ECPAT, based in Thailand, ensures children live a childhood free from sexual abuse and exploitation
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La Strada International, Europe, works against human trafficking
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Prajwala, India, works to end sex trafficking & sex crime
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Maiti Nepal, Nepal, works for a society free from trafficking of children & women
The nomination and voting process was not open to organisations or initiatives that were already beneficiaries of Paf funds. Since 1966, Paf has distributed more than €447 million in Paf funds. In the spring of 2024, Paf was able to distribute €31.4 million for the benefit of society.
The post Paf employees donated €125,000 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
2025 ICR Conference
Golden Matrix Group to Participate in the 2025 ICR Conference
Golden Matrix Group Inc., a developer and licensor of online gaming platforms, systems, and gaming content, today announced that management will participate in the 2025 ICR Conference on January 13-15, 2025 at the Grande Lakes Resort in Orlando, FL.
Zoran Milosevic, Chief Executive Officer of Meridianbet, will participate in a fireside chat with an equity research analyst on Monday, January 13, 2025, at 2:30 PM ET and will also be available for meetings during the conference.
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The Power of High Performance: GR8 Tech Achieves 25% Turnover Growth in 2024
GR8 Tech has successfully closed the year – a 25% year-on-year increase in turnover, dozens of new clients signed, and a significant boost in client revenue. Throughout the year, the company developed nearly 200 new features and improvements, continually enhancing the functionality of its platform. With over 12.4 billion bets placed in 2024 (a 125% increase year-on-year), GR8 Tech has proven its ability to scale and deliver consistent performance, even during the busiest events.
“Our primary focus in 2024 was to empower operators with tools for seamless platform customization and streamlined management. We introduced geo-specific solutions that enable faster market launches, adapting platforms to meet local demands—whether through bonus mechanics, payment methods, or tailored content for sportsbook and casino. At the same time, we strengthened our offerings with enhanced sportsbook features, new games in the casino vertical, and innovative gamification mechanics to drive player engagement,” said Denys Parkhomenko, Chief Product Officer at GR8 Tech.
GR8 Tech demonstrated its robust scalability by handling 21.5 million bets during the IPL 2024 alone. With the capacity to process 20,000 bets and 54,000 wallet transactions per second, the platform consistently performs even during high-traffic periods.
In 2024, GR8 Tech signed numerous long-term partnerships, bringing its total number of projects worldwide to 45+ and proving the growing demand for customizable iGaming solutions. The company also received industry-wide acclaim, securing multiple prestigious awards, such as Silver as the Best Platform Provider of the Year at SBC Awards, “Best Online Sportsbook Provider” at SiGMA Eurasia, “Best Workplace” at SiGMA Americas, and “Rising Star Provider of the Year” at the Affpapa iGaming Awards 2024.
Building on its achievements, GR8 Tech is set for another successful year, continuing to deliver industry-leading solutions for operators around the world.
“Improvement and excellence are about consistently staying ahead. A trend might emerge and then disappear tomorrow, but improving your product – making it better than the competition – has lasting value. Whether it’s through better personalization, risk management, recommendations, or any other aspect, improvement is essential. And in this industry, you don’t really have a choice. It’s so fast-paced that if something new and valuable appears, you need to adopt it immediately. The mindset of constant improvement is what keeps a product relevant and competitive,” said Sergey Ghazaryan, CRO at GR8 Tech.
GR8 Tech heads into 2025 with a continued commitment to driving high-performance results, leading industry trends, and challenging the norm.
The post The Power of High Performance: GR8 Tech Achieves 25% Turnover Growth in 2024 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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