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Two in Three People Experiencing Gambling Problems Keep Issue Hidden
As many as 2 in 3 adults (64%) in Great Britain who have experienced any gambling problem have kept their experience hidden, new research from GambleAware has revealed. With almost 2 in 5 (39%) of those who hadn’t opened up stating feelings of stigma such as shame, guilt and fear of judgement represent key barriers to reaching out for support – the charity is issuing a call to end damaging stigma and encourage those who may be experiencing gambling harms to “open-up about gambling”.
Zoë Osmond, Chief Executive of GambleAware, said: “It’s alarming to see the number of people who are struggling in isolation. As a hidden addiction, gambling harms can be incredibly hard to spot from the outside. It is therefore critical that people impacted are aware of the wide range of support services available, and that they feel safe to come forward. Anyone can be impacted by gambling harms, but the first step is to open up and have that first conversation, ideally as early as possible.”
The campaign launch comes as research also suggests that most of the public believe certain gambling products, such as instant win games, are addictive, indicating how gambling harm can affect anyone and the importance of building empathy for those experiencing harm. Specifically, over seven in ten (71%) respondents said they believe instant win games are very or fairly addictive, followed by 64% for scratch cards and 62% for casino games.
Noteworthy football commentator Clive Tyldesley said: “I think that since I’ve started to work with charities and meet and talk with both people who gambled which were in recovery and bereaved family members, the thing that has struck me is how normal and unremarkable their backgrounds invariably are. Harmful gambling really can affect anyone and very often those suffering show no outward signs of their issues. It’s a silent, invisible problem because too often the gamblers disappear into their own feelings of embarrassment and guilt. They think they’re to blame when they are not, they think they’re alone when many others are wrestling with the same issues. Getting them to open up and talk is half the battle to beating the problem, either with people close to them or via the professional support the GambleAware website offers. The first conversation is maybe the most difficult but it’s the most soothing and the most important too.”
Professor Dame Clare Gerada said: “When I opened the doors of the nation’s first Primary Care Gambling Service a few short years ago, I was a relative newcomer to the challenges surrounding gambling. However, since then, my eyes have been thoroughly opened.
“Gambling is an addiction which can only be described as ‘uniquely’ awful: the ruin it wreaks on people’s lives can be complete and multi-layered; the collateral damage is also considerable as families and loved ones suffer alongside. Its inherently hidden nature means that, at the moment, people have to see their lives collapse around them before they get the help they desperately need. It doesn’t need to be like this. There is an incredible breadth of support service, from how to deal with debt, to how to stop gambling completely which people can access for free through the National Gambling Support Network, and I urge anyone concerned about their gambling to do so.”
Positively, the research also supports the benefits of opening up, as three out of four (76%) who had talked about their problems stated they felt better after speaking to someone. With gambling harms often manifesting as intrinsically “hidden” and isolating, GambleAware is aiming to bring to the surface the power of conversations and provide reassurance that help is never far.
The campaign has been developed in close collaboration with the gambling harms lived experienced community, and is supported by a range of expert and influential voices including ex-Love Islander Scott Thomas, who has previously experienced gambling harms.
Scott Thomas, Entrepreneur and Presenter, said: “It’s an incredibly scary thing to first tell someone that you’ve got a gambling problem. Many people assume it’s just because you can’t handle your money, but it needs to be viewed as seriously as any other mental health condition. I was terrified when I first opened up about the problems I had been having but, once I did, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I no longer had to hide. I want the same to happen for anyone out there who feels like they might be struggling on their own.”
There is a vast range of resources available and anyone who is worried that gambling might be affecting themselves or someone they love are encouraged to use the self-assessment tool to get free and confidential support tailored to them and their specific needs.
Elissa Hubbard, who has lived experience of gambling harms, said: “Every day was full of anxiety – trying to keep my gambling a secret, whilst finding opportunities to do it more. People think you can ‘just stop’, but you can’t… it’s so easy to be dismissed, and I didn’t want anyone to think bad of me. Finding help changed everything. I discovered that by keeping quiet, it helps no one, and when you start to talk about it, people start to understand you.”
GambleAware has also created tools to help users calculate the time and money spent gambling, served with recommendations in line with the internationally proven Lower Risk Gambling Guidelines. These are expected to become available from early December as part of a soft launch on the GambleAware website.
Dr Ellie Cannon, medical expert and commentator, said: “Gambling harms – or the negative consequences of gambling – are a complex issue that goes far beyond just financial challenges. It can lead to poor mental health, physical health, and relationships break down. They way these issues manifest will vary from person to person, but being aware and recognising the early warning signs of spending increasing amounts of time, money and hiding your gambling can help get people to a better place, sooner.”
Gambling Minister Stuart Andrew said: “Too often we see the devastating impacts of harmful gambling, and our white paper outlines a host of new measures we’re implementing to protect those most at risk. A key element of our plans is the introduction of a statutory levy on gambling companies to raise sufficient, sustainable and trusted funding for research, prevention and treatment of gambling related harm. Stigma is the biggest barrier preventing people from seeking help, and I welcome GambleAware’s vital campaign which is raising awareness of the issue and helping people get the support they need.”
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A large-scale $1 billion online casino shady scheme involving Ukrainian fraudsters Vadim Gordievsky and Alyona Suvorova has been discovered in Kazakhstan.
The Kazakhstan Financial Monitoring Agency has revealed a large-scale shady scheme with a whole layer of cross-border transfers. While referring to the press service of the Agency, Elordainfo.kz informs that numerous bank employees and 120 people from several countries were involved in the operation of the shady scheme.
The money was sent to various payment organizations, disguised as legal transactions, and was later withdrawn to numerous online casinos.
At the same time, local authorities managed to eliminate the call center, which employed foreigners, which provided technical support for four online casinos as well as advice on money transactions. In addition, the organizers of the call center created a gambling partnership program that was used to accept payments and withdraw them in cryptocurrencies. The overall turnover exceeded 200 million USDT.
During the implementation of all these measures, over 70 searches were conducted. As a result of these activities, local authorities managed to gather physical evidence as well as to detain nine suspects.
According to law enforcement authorities in Kazakhstan, the key organizer of the shady miscoding scheme is Ukrainian Vadim Ivanovich Gordievsky, born in 1974. He led this organized crime group and used the local Marginplus company for these purposes (marginplus.kz). In addition to companies from Kazakhstan, Gordievsky also worked with illegal Russian online casinos while helping them to facilitate payments.
Already in 2008, Vadim Gordievsky served as deputy head of the Boryspil Regional State Administration and was in charge of land issues. Under Gordievsky, various lands of Boryspil were sold while the money was stolen. In the same 2008, he was dismissed from his position with a huge scandal, but his case never resulted in criminal proceedings. A lot of money and connections in government offices helped him avoid accountability.
In 2012, when Viktor Yanukovych came to power, Vadim Gordievsky took the chair of the head of the highway service in the Odessa region, where he managed to get access to millions of dollars, which he later invested in FC Alta Capital.
After the initiation of criminal cases for financial crimes, fraud, and the announcement of his wanted list by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Vadim Gordievsky left Ukraine on forged documents.
According to investigators, Gordievsky’s partner, Mikhail Kovalev (Mykhaylo Kovalov), who has a number of companies in the EU, in particular, in Poland and a residence permit in Spain, was closely working with Gordievsky. By using numerous fictitious companies in Poland, in particular, STABLEX SOLUTION Sp. z o. o (solvexs.pl) he engaged in illegal payments and cash withdrawal in cryptocurrencies.
His partner, who is also his former Kyivstar employee, Alyona (Olena) Suvorova (born in 1983), who left Ukraine for Moscow after February 2022, and Ukrainian IT specialist Denis Andreevich Rykov (born in 1990), who currently lives in St. Petersburg, also participated in the shady scheme of illegal bookmakers and dubious payments.
Judging by her social media accounts, Alyona Suvorova is currently positioning herself “as an entrepreneur, investor, and crypto trader with 5+ years of experience.” According to Suvorova herself, she has been developing payment technologies in the field of FinTech for 10 years. In 2021, she opened her own business for international crypto transfers. In addition, she is the founder of the Lemoncoin Crypto Academy.
The law enforcement agencies of Kazakhstan are asking for information about the location and data of all these people. In the near future, Vadim Gordievsky, Alyona Suvorova, and other defendants will be put on the international wanted list. According to local laws, they face up to nine years in prison.
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El mundo de las apuestas deportivas y el gaming está a punto de experimentar una gran sacudida con el lanzamiento de Goal2Win, el innovador nuevo juego de números de GoldenRace, diseñado para cautivar a la masiva audiencia global del fútbol.
Goal2Win tiende un exitoso puente entre la pasión universal por el deporte rey y la probada emoción de las predicciones basadas en números, ofreciendo a los operadores un producto nuevo y de alto potencial para la monetización.
Goal2Win es una oferta de primer nivel que toma el formato familiar y clásico de los juegos de números y lo integra con una dinámica temática centrada en el fútbol. Esta combinación única hace que el juego sea instantáneamente reconocible, pero a la vez emocionante y nuevo, atrayendo tanto a apostadores deportivos experimentados como a recién llegados que buscan una experiencia atractiva y simplificada.
Goal2Win es la apuesta de GoldenRace entre la innovación y la tradición. Ofrece a los operadores un producto que aprovecha el inmenso alcance del fanatismo por el fútbol, a la vez que ofrece la jugabilidad sencilla y atractiva y el potencial de ganancias masivas que se espera de un juego de números de primer nivel. Es una mezcla convincente de emoción, simplicidad y un potencial de recompensa significativo.
Características clave que impulsan la fidelización y las ganancias potenciales
Goal2Win está diseñado para la máxima retención de jugadores y altas apuestas, con una jugabilidad dinámica y potentes características:
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Función multiplicadora: Los jugadores pueden realizar el mismo conjunto de apuestas en una impresionante cantidad de veintidós eventos consecutivos, lo que aumenta significativamente las ganancias potenciales y asegura una fidelización sostenida a lo largo del tiempo.
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Jackpots y Mega Jackpots: El juego incluye ganancias escalonadas con jackpots estándar y los codiciados Mega Jackpots, que prometen sumas que pueden cambiar la vida y actúan como un poderoso motivador para el jugador.
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Selecciones rápidas: Para un acceso rápido a la acción, la opción de Selecciones rápidas permite al sistema elegir números al azar, agilizando el proceso de apuesta para los jugadores.
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Selector de Fila/Columna: Mejorando la experiencia del usuario, los botones selectores permiten a los jugadores elegir fácilmente una fila o columna completa de números, simplificando las apuestas sofisticadas.
Goal2Win representa una oportunidad única para que los operadores aprovechen la inmensa base de aficionados al fútbol global con un producto que es a la vez innovador y reconocible al instante. Está listo para convertirse en una oferta básica, impulsando apuestas más altas y atrayendo a una demografía más amplia a la cartera de los operadores.
The post GoldenRace lanza Goal2Win, una fusión entre el fútbol y los juegos de números appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Wrap up warm this festive season with some retro-inspired slot action
Popular iGaming content provider BGaming invites you to cosy up to the fire and hit spin with the release of Totally Hot. This dynamic new title combines classic slot elements with modern gameplay mechanics.
Taking into account its December launch, BGaming dressed up the game for the season: the action is brought to life with bold visuals and festive animations, with roaring hot flames filling the background and Christmas candy canes bordering the reels. Totally Hot will revert to its original version when the holiday season is over.
It is not only the game’s visuals that have been given a modern makeover. Totally Hot deploys a pay-both-ways payment mechanic across its 5×3 game grid, giving players the chance to win with matching combinations in both directions across the reels. Wins go from left-to-right, right-to-left, and even begin in the middle of the reels.
There is also the potential for a festive treat to drop in the middle of the grid in the form of an Expanding Wild, holding players’ attention with the action on every spin.
Totally Hot keeps the good times rolling thanks to a low-volatility maths model that entertains players with frequent wins. This is complemented by an extremely attractive RTP of 97.21%.
Vasili Pauliuchenko, Game Producer at BGaming, said, “The holidays are here, and we wanted to provide our players with the bright and warm gift of nostalgia this Christmas. Totally Hot has been designed to captivate new players and seasoned classic slot lovers alike, keeping them engaged with wins coming from literally every direction.
The game’s blazing vibes and low volatility serve up plenty of laid-back fun.”
The post Experience Classic Slot Thrills this Christmas With BGaming’s Totally Hot appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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