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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.

Anthony Dalla-Giacoma Chief Commercial Officer at Swintt

Swintt adds Fresh Fruits Deluxe Diamonds to SwinttPremium slot line

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The five-reel, 50-payline release includes a coin respin feature and four-tier jackpot coins for potential wins up to 6,000x.

Swintt has launched Fresh Fruits Deluxe Diamonds, a new fruit-themed slot in its SwinttPremium lineup, featuring a five-reel setup with 50 paylines and a coin-driven bonus mechanic.

The title combines classic slot symbols including BARs, crowns and red sevens with a coin feature that triggers when six or more coin symbols land during the base game. In the bonus round, players receive three respins on a new reel set populated only by coin symbols, with additional coins resetting the respin counter. Payouts are based on the total value collected when respins end or when the grid fills.

Swintt said regular coin values reach up to 30x the bet, while special jackpot coins can award the MINOR, MAJOR, MAXI and MEGA jackpots. If all 15 reel spaces fill, the game doubles the value of every coin except the two MAXI and MEGA jackpots.

The slot also includes a Mystery Bonus that activates when three gem scatter symbols land on reels 1, 3 and 5. Swintt said the Mystery Bonus can award one of the four jackpots immediately or add enough coin symbols to trigger the coin feature.

Anthony Dalla-Giacoma, Chief Commercial Officer at Swintt, said: “Fruit-themed slots have always been a core part of our SwinttPremium catalogue, and in Fresh Fruits Deluxe Diamonds, we’ve created a fresh twist on the genre that will appeal to retro slot fans and new players alike. Packed with exciting features that can award huge jackpot prizes, the slot offers the perfect mix of nostalgia and modern gameplay, making it a mouthwatering addition to any operator’s line-up.”

The post Swintt adds Fresh Fruits Deluxe Diamonds to SwinttPremium slot line appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Movers and Shakers – Attack Of The Clones

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“Movers and Shakers” is a dynamic monthly column dedicated to exploring the latest trends, developments, and influential voices in the iGaming industry. Powered by GameOn and supported by HIPTHER, this op-ed series delves into the key players, emerging technologies, and regulatory changes shaping the future of online gaming. Each month, industry experts offer their insights and perspectives, providing readers with in-depth analysis and thought-provoking commentary on what’s driving the iGaming world forward. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or new to the scene, “Movers and Shakers” is your go-to source for staying ahead in the rapidly evolving iGaming landscape.

With the Live Casino landscape continuing to evolve in new and technologically exciting ways, Avanti Studios’ Jonas Delin explains how the use of digital clones is helping a traditionally costly vertical remove its adoption barriers and supply a much more scalable experience for operators

As a multi-billion dollar industry, Live Casino has long been one of the most prized product categories in online gambling. Built on a simple proposition of delivering the trust and spectacle of authentic, dealer-dealt games through the small screen, it’s one of the few verticals that can recreate the thrill of a bricks-and-mortar casino experience in an online environment – but until now, offering such engaging entertainment to players has come at a high price point for operators.

With recent advances in AI and MetaHuman technologies, however, this is starting to change. The movement to replicate real dealers using sophisticated digital clones or replace them entirely with real-time avatars and large language models is gathering pace; and while there are certainly arguments to be made for the benefits of both approaches, Avanti sits firmly in the former camp. In this article, I’ll look to explain why and outline the benefits that our unique approach can bring.

 

The Suspension Of Disbelief

For Avanti, choosing to work with clones rather than avatars was an easy decision. In our opinion, the moment a player perceives something to be artificial or uncanny, the trust relationship that makes Live Casino so valuable in the first place begins to erode. As such, in order for them to become fully invested in your product, all dealers need to be ultra realistic and completely human-looking. AI-built dealers aren’t quite there yet, but, by their very nature, digital clones are.

In our sophisticated motion capture studio, we record the performance and mannerisms of professionally-trained dealers and use this as the basis for our clones. Brought to life using Unreal Engine and the MetaHuman toolset, they’re then streamed directly into games, providing an experience that’s virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. Cards are also dealt in real time rather than being simulated, with every outcome being shared and dictated by provably fair RNG.

This second point is particularly key to the structural integrity of the live format itself. Real-time dealing – where multiple players make independent decisions against a shared dealer hand – is something that’s not easily replicated by a pre-rendered character, and this constraint currently puts a meaningful ceiling on what pure AI can deliver. At Avanti, there are no such concerns about our approach, helping us provide an authentic experience that all players can truly participate in.

 

Lower Costs, More Flexibility

Among those in the pro-AI camp, I’ve seen it posited that one of the biggest advantages of using this technology is that it substantially reduces traditional Live Casino costs for operators. While it’s certainly true having generated dealers eliminates set-up fees, removes the need for fixed-term contracts and reduces ongoing overheads, I’d argue Avanti’s approach is equally capable of delivering these competitive benefits without having to compromise on realism or visual fidelity.

Just like AI providers, we also offer a revenue share-only model; and the fact that we use a motion capture studio to create our clones doesn’t have any bearing on the that price operators pay. As opening one table costs just the same as opening 100, we provide an infinite level of scalability that comes with no studio rental, no staffing and no risk of sick days – and the fact that dealer language can be localised at the flick of a switch makes it easy for operators to enter new markets.

In a country like Brazil where Portuguese localisation will be legally mandated, this obviously provides a significant competitive advantage. Rather than scrambling to recruit Portuguese-speaking dealers at pace, we can simply change both the language and appearance of our existing clones to suit local requirements. We can also give operators the scope to open tables at any limits they require, creating a flexible product that can easily adapt to any market conditions.

With Avanti’s games providing the same benefits as their AI-generated counterparts in terms of software economics and scalability, there’s no doubt in my mind that the use of digital clones will have a big role to play in shaping the future of Live Casino. By removing the adoption barriers for operators and giving players a reliable and authentic experience they can trust, our unique approach offers the best of both worlds, helping make the vertical more accessible for everyone.

The post Movers and Shakers – Attack Of The Clones appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Gaming Corps launches on Casino777.es in Spain

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Gaming Corps has launched its casino content with Casino777.es in Spain. The operator is run by Digital Distribution Management Ibérica, S.A. and has been live in the market since 2015.

The rollout includes Instant Blitz, Gaming Corps’ new scratchcard-style title and the first release in its Super Scratch series. The company said the game features a Prize Pot mechanic alongside expanding rows, bonus triggers and multipliers.

Also going live are 3 Pigs of Olympus and Gates of Hellfire. Gaming Corps positions 3 Pigs of Olympus as a franchise entry, while Gates of Hellfire is billed as a high-volatility, grid-based slot.

Casino777.es operates under licences granted by Spain’s Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego, and its wider online gaming offer includes sports betting via sister brand Bet777.es.

Graham Greensmith, Chief Commercial Officer at Gaming Corps, said: “Spain is a market where operators need content that can cut through quickly, not just visually, but in how it plays. Casino777.es has a clear sense of where it wants to go as a brand, and this partnership is a strong reflection of that. We are pleased to be working with a team that is focused on building a high-quality destination for players.”

Alexander Stoeckl, Market Lead at Casino777.es said: “This dual launch reflects the direction we are continuing to take as a brand. Our ambition is to be recognised as a benchmark for online gaming in Spain, and that means building a platform that combines quality, variety and strong entertainment value. Gaming Corps brings a fresh energy to the casino, from the immediate appeal of Instant Blitz through to more immersive styles of play, and we are very pleased to add that mix to our offering.”

The post Gaming Corps launches on Casino777.es in Spain appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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