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Check Before You Bet – Play Responsibly Ahead of March Madness

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On Sunday, March 16, 2025, the 2025 March Madness tournament begins with Selection Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on CBS. March Madness is the coined name for the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, a single-elimination tournament of 68 teams that compete in seven rounds for the national championship. The penultimate (second to last) round is known as the Final Four, where only 4 teams remain.

Check out the full schedule below:

  • Selection Sunday: 6 p.m. ET Sunday, March 16 on CBS
  • First Four: March 18-19
  • First round: March 20-21
  • Second round: March 22-23
  • Sweet 16: March 27-28
  • Elite Eight: March 29-30
  • Final Four: April 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
  • NCAA championship game: April 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas

With March Madness being one of the most anticipated, watched, and wagered-on events in all of sports, the Arizona Department of Gaming (“ADG”) is reminding Arizona residents and visitors to remember to play smart and bet responsibly, remaining within the bounds of the law.

“Every year, March Madness continues to rank among the top sporting events to wager on nationally, as excitement and anxiety builds as fans watch to see if their team will make it to the Final Four,” said Jackie Johnson, ADG Director. “The Department wants to use this opportunity as a chance to remind and encourage Arizona residents, as well as our springtime visitors, to make sure they are enjoying the games responsibly. Protect your bet and ensure your wagers are placed legally and thoughtfully this March.”

Sports Pools – Know What Rules to Follow

In the United States, it is common to see friends, families, and colleagues participate in sports pools for March Madness. These pools are legal as long as the state’s social gambling rules are followed. According to Arizona Law (A.R.S. § 13-3301(9)), social gambling requires:

  • That gambling cannot be conducted as business, which means that hosts cannot receive financial benefit, unless they are participating in the game;
  • Hosts pay out all pool money to the winner(s);
  • Only participants can win; and
  • Players compete on equal terms with each other.

A few things to be on the lookout for that indicate illegal gambling:

  • Paying a fee to participate, including “suggested” or “voluntary” donations.
  • A host who keeps a percentage of the pool for administering the game.
  • A required minimum purchase to participate (food or beverage, etc.).
  • Unequal odds.
  • Underage participants (under 21 years of age).

ADG takes complaints about illegal gambling seriously. To report suspected illegal gambling activity, visit our website at gaming.az.gov/about/contact-us, call (602) 255-3886, or email [email protected]. You can remain anonymous.

Responsible Betting – What to Keep in Mind

With sports betting legal in the state, it has become increasingly important to educate yourself on how you can bet responsibly. Listed below are some helpful tips as part of the American Gaming Association’s (AGA)

Have A Game Plan.® Bet Responsibly.™ campaign:

  • Set a Budget – It is crucial to keep in mind that everyone will have different budgets; never bet beyond your own means. Be cautious and make sure you set a limit – and stick to it – if you plan on wagering. More information on how to responsibly set a budget for wagering can be found on the AGA’s Have A Game Plan website: How Much Should I Wager?
  • Know the Odds – There are plenty of key terms everyone should know when making a sports bet. What’s a parlay? Over/under? Moneyline? If you decide to wager, make sure you are briefed on The Basics of Sports Betting.
  • Keep it Social – Whenever gambling, be mindful that all forms of gambling are for the purpose of entertainment. This is not a way to make money. By gaming with friends, family, and colleagues, you can keep playing responsibly and have fun.
  • Keep Your Cool – No one’s perfect, and in sports, winning and losing are all part of the game. Whether you’re wagering from the sidelines or watching from home, remember to keep your cool. Good sportsmanship isn’t just for the players on the field; it’s for everyone.
  • Play Legally – Legal operators provide important player protections that are not found in the illegal market. Whether you are placing a wager on your phone or at a physical sportsbook, make sure you are using a legal operator in the state. Visit the ADG website to view a full list of the state’s approved operators and retail locations: Approved Operators.

You can view more information on how to bet responsibly by visiting haveagameplan.org. In recognition of Problem Gambling Awareness Month (“PGAM”), the Department wants to remind Arizonans that if you or someone you know has a gambling problem, the Division of Problem Gambling (“DPG”) urges you to get help now by calling 1-800-NEXT STEP (1.800.639.8783), DPG’s confidential helpline, texting “NEXTSTEP” to 53342, or utilizing a chat feature on the DPG website. DPG’s helpline provides confidentiality and connects callers with a master’s level counselor who can connect them with available resources, including statewide treatment providers who specialize in problem gambling.

The helpline is available 24/7 to everyone facing a problem with gambling – individuals and affected family members, friends, or co-workers. Learn more and access resources at problemgambling.az.gov. Additionally, the ADG published a press release on March 3 recognizing PGAM.

Please view the press release by visiting our website’s Media Room, as well as DPG’s PGAM toolkit for more information.

 

The post Check Before You Bet – Play Responsibly Ahead of March Madness appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

Charly Lippoth

Immersive In-Car Gaming Becomes Reality: The Cinemo and SmashLabs Partnership

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Cinemo, a global leader and innovative one-stop-shop provider for fully integrated, multi-device in-car infotainment solutions, announces its collaboration with SmashLabs, a boutique gaming and technology company to deliver an extremely immersive in-vehicle gaming experience. The solution is designed to address growing consumer demand in connected, engaging cabin experiences.

The integrated solution combines SmashLabs’ music-based games with Cinemo’s scalable software, synchronizing lighting, haptics, audio and even climate elements with gameplay to create an immersive, multi-sensory experience. Optimised for low-latency performance across vehicle displays and audio systems, it enables interactive entertainment during charging stops and for passengers while driving.

The first game available from SmashLabs via Cinemo’s in-car immersion is Smashworld: Beat Explorers, a rhythm-based game where player interactions are directly synchronized with music, enhanced by immersive Dolby Atmos audio when supported by the vehicle. Through collaboration with Sony Music Publishing and Extreme Music (Sony Group), passengers can download new song packs for Smashworld: Beat Explorers at any time.

“OEMs are racing to turn the cabin into a standout experience. Together with SmashLabs, we’re proving that connected entertainment can captivate passengers, strengthen differentiation, and become a seamless part of the vehicle ecosystem,” said Charly Lippoth, Director of Partnerships at Cinemo.

“Bringing our games into the vehicle creates entirely new opportunities to engage passengers in ways that were not possible before. What makes this especially exciting is that we can now create experiences in the car that simply don’t exist at home: immersive, social, and perfectly integrated into the journey itself. It is a pleasure to work with Cinemo on this truly transformative gaming experience,” said Niccolò Cappon, President & CEO at SmashLabs.

The post Immersive In-Car Gaming Becomes Reality: The Cinemo and SmashLabs Partnership appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Pragmatic Solutions Enters into Partnership with FIRST.bet Sportsbook

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FIRST.bet, the Tier-1 sportsbook technology provider, announced its integration with Pragmatic Solutions’ iGaming Player Account Management (PAM) platform for regulated gaming and betting operators.

Under this collaboration, FIRST.bet is now available to operators through the Pragmatic Solutions platform ecosystem, providing access to its full sportsbook engine, trading stack, risk management and managed services.

The integration combines two core layers operators need to build and scale competitive betting operations: Pragmatic Solutions’ modern PAM platform and the trading-led sportsbook technology from FIRST.bet. The Pragmatic Solutions platform is designed to support end-to-end player journeys, multiple brands and flexible operations through a stable, scalable central infrastructure layer. Its open API model enables operators to integrate and manage sportsbook, casino, payments, CRM, compliance, reporting and third-party services within a single platform environment, while retaining control over their product roadmap, front-end experience and vendor strategy.

FIRST.bet is already live within the Pragmatic Solutions ecosystem, establishing FIRST.bet as a major sportsbook supplier and making its full managed offering available to operators across the platform. It is positioned as a managed sportsbook solution with advanced in-play betting and player engagement features.

Tom Light, Founder and CEO of FIRST.bet, said: “This is a major step for FIRST.bet. Operators don’t need another basic sportsbook connection – they need real trading depth, product innovation and managed execution that moves the business. That’s exactly where we focus: a sportsbook engineered to perform, run by a team that owns the result. Being available through Pragmatic Solutions puts that in front of operators who are serious about competing in sports.”

Ashley Lang, CEO of Pragmatic Solutions, said: “Sportsbook remains a core component of the product offering for many operators, particularly in regulated markets where flexibility, compliance, and speed to market are important. FIRST.bet brings a strong sportsbook product to our platform ecosystem, giving operators access to a modular product with proven in-play and player engagement capabilities.”

Two things set the FIRST.bet stack apart: API and gamification. SportOS, an open API, lets operators build and customise their own betting products on top of the FIRST.bet engine – the sportsbook becomes a platform they can extend, not a fixed product. GMFY, a full sportsbook gamification engine, makes engagement and retention native to the betting experience. Around them sit the essentials operators expect – Bet Builder, Player Props, Cash Out, Early Payout and ACCA Promotions – plus Fast Markets and SnapBet , all backed by FIRST.bet and its Managed Services for full trading, risk and operational expertise.

FIRST.bet powers a growing global partner network handling millions of daily transactions across LATAM, Europe and Africa.

This collaboration positions FIRST.bet as a leading B2B sportsbook supplier for operators that want more than standard sports betting technology. Through Pragmatic Solutions, operators can combine a proven Tier-1 PAM core with a fully managed sportsbook built around product depth, local-market execution, player engagement and trading performance.

The post Pragmatic Solutions Enters into Partnership with FIRST.bet Sportsbook appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Anne Marie Caulfield

Irish Gambling Regulator Threatens Prediction Market with High Court Action

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One of the largest prediction market websites has been threatened with court action if it does not geoblock Ireland, the head of the Irish gambling regulator has said.

Prediction markets are platforms where users can trade bets and gamble cryptocurrency on sports, the financial sector, politics and more, including events relating to the war in the Middle East, the existence of aliens, and tweets posted by Elon Musk.

Anne Marie Caulfield, who has been chief executive of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) since it began operations last year, said prediction markets amount to betting and therefore fall under her remit.

She said the GRAI enforcement team has already been active in the space, with one of the largest such markets already geoblocking on foot of “intervention” from the authority.

Speaking on RTÉ’s This Week radio programme, Ms Caulfield said a second “is in the process of doing so”.

She added: “And if they don’t, it’s open to us to go to the High Court.”

She said sites were withdrawn in Ireland in the “vast majority” of the almost 30 interventions the GRAI had made.

She added that this had happened as quickly as 35 minutes after the intervention.

Asked what the High Court action may look like, Ms Caulfield said: “In the instance where they don’t do so, we can go to the High Court and get a blocking order for access to the site, and also in relation to the funding involved.”

Pressed on whether that action had been threatened, she said: “We have issued warning letters, yes, to that effect.”

Ms Caulfield did not name the prediction markets involved.

However, users from Ireland are already prohibited from trading “event contracts” on the prediction market Kalshi, as per its membership agreement which also lists 55 other restricted countries.

One of the other main prediction markets, Polymarket, has seen restrictions in more than 30 countries including Belgium, Germany, Italy, France, the UK, and Poland – while it operates in the US with additional compliance measures.

In May, Tánaiste and Finance Minister Simon Harris said he would ask gardaí, regulators and government departments to examine “suspicious bets” made on Polymarket.

He raised “grave concerns” around a “Wild West” of unregulated betting on the platform, as he said it would be prudent to examine if there was money laundering occurring.

His comments came after reports highlighted a million dollars worth of betting on the outcome of the Dublin Central by-election, with hundreds of thousands of that volume placed on Gerry “The Monk” Hutch not to win a seat – which is what transpired.

There is no suggestion of wrongdoing on behalf of any candidate.

Mr Harris said: “What seems to be developing at a global scale and indeed a rapid pace now is a kind of Wild West where people are placing bets in the form of cryptocurrency in a secretive, murky and unregulated manner.”

The post Irish Gambling Regulator Threatens Prediction Market with High Court Action appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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