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New Research Shows Public Want National Lottery to Do More to Help People Experiencing Gambling Harms
GambleAware has published a new research which shows that three in four members of the public want the National Lottery to do more to help people experiencing gambling harms. The charity is urging the National Lottery provider, Allwyn UK, to direct people to help and support available. Unlike other charity lotteries the National Lottery does not currently signpost to support on its advertising.
The research is based on figures from GambleAware’s forthcoming Annual Treatment and Support Survey 2024, a nationally representative online survey of almost 18,000 adults over the age of 18, conducted by YouGov. It found that the majority of the public (84%) agree that the National Lottery is a form of gambling, with almost half (46%) disagreeing that the National Lottery products are harmless. The research also found that almost three quarters (74%) of the public agree that the National Lottery should signpost people to support for gambling harm on its products. Similar research in 2023 also found that almost seven in 10 (69%) of the public also agree that National Lottery adverts should sign post to GambleAware “like other gambling adverts do”.
GambleAware is calling on the National Lottery to signpost people to gambling support services on its advertising as well as products such as tickets, scratchcards, and online instant win games. Unlike other charity lotteries, the National Lottery does not currently signpost to support on its advertising, making it an outlier in this respect.
The House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee also recommended in 2022 that the National Lottery should signpost to gambling support services, such as GambleAware, but this has not been implemented.
National Lottery products are used by millions of people each week and reach far more people experiencing gambling harms than any other gambling brand. Previous research from GambleAware found there could be up to 600,000 people experiencing “problem gambling” who take part in the National Lottery draw.
“When I gave up gambling and self-excluded myself from places I could gamble, the one thing I couldn’t bar myself from was playing the lottery in shops. When I got a craving in my early recovery, I bought £450 worth of scratch cards.
“I later moved on to buying online scratch cards, which look like fruit machines and make sounds. There was a big jackpot where you could win a million pounds so I was really lured into those and was spending a lot. I know other people experiencing gambling harm who have had similar experiences with the National Lottery, so putting information on tickets and scratch cards about where people can get support would help so much,” a woman with lived experience of gambling harm said.
“I registered on the National Lottery app, and I got a bit of a habit with the instant scratch cards on there because they make it so easy for you to play… it did lead me into financial difficulty; I wasn’t able to buy food for about a week because I’d spent the food shopping money on scratch cards,” a respondent to GambleAware’s Annual Treatment and Support Survey said.
The National Lottery’s reach amongst those experiencing gambling harm means it has a critical role to play in preventing and reducing gambling harm. This alongside its popularity and public trust in its brand, means that measures taken by the National Lottery operator to improve signposting across its products and advertising could have a substantial positive impact.
Andy Boucher, GambleAware Chair of Trustees, said: “We recognise the great work the National Lottery has done supporting a range of worthy causes over many years. In the public’s mind, it is there to do good in the community, and so we believe it is also the right thing for it to look after the people who play the National Lottery. Allwyn, the National Lottery’s current operator, has previously stated that ‘player safety is our top priority’ and it must live up to those words and play a critical role in protecting people from gambling harms, which are a serious public health issue that can drive societal inequalities, worsen mental health issues, and increase pressure on our over-burdened health system.
“This is why we are calling for clearer signposting on the National Lottery’s products and advertising. The signposting we want to see is already a minimum standard across other charity lotteries, and we believe that it is only right that the National Lottery adopts them, as an organisation whose purpose is to benefit good causes and have a positive effect on society.”
Ian Semel, CEO of one of the National Gambling Support Network treatment providers, Breakeven, said: “At Breakeven we have over 20 years’ experience of delivering help and support to anyone affected by gambling-related harms. We are proud to be an integral member of the National Gambling Support Network and offer services across the East of England, and Kent and Sussex in the South East of England, with instant access to treatment and support without any waiting times.
“Around 11% of clients who came to us for support in 2024 disclosed that the National Lottery or scratch cards were causing them gambling harm. Therefore we have joined the call for the National Lottery to signpost to support services like us as it is crucial for people to be able to access support as soon as they recognise they may be starting to experience gambling harms.”
The post New Research Shows Public Want National Lottery to Do More to Help People Experiencing Gambling Harms appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Firecracker Frenzy™ Money Toad™
Ancient fortune explodes to life in Greentube’s Firecracker Frenzy™: Money Toad™
Greentube is leading players on a memorable adventure through ancient China with Firecracker Frenzy
Money Toad
, its newest five-reel slot game where rockets and pathways spark exciting action with each spin.
Set against the stunning scenery of China, the game features the mythical Money Toad, leading players through a realm of amazement and wealth.
The Firecracker Frenzy
Trail aspect is central to the gameplay experience and may result in the potent Lock ‘N’ Spin bonus. In this area, players can hit Mystery Rocket symbols that randomly disclose purple, red, or green rockets. Every disclosed rocket might add to its respective trail as players progress towards earning bonus rewards.
When one or more trails are finished, the Lock ‘N’ Spin activates with unique modifiers in effect (Extra Rows, Zone Boost & Coin Boost). By accumulating sufficient coins in the marked areas on the reels, a multiplier beside the area increases certain coin values and boosts a random count of coins on the reels by one or more.
In the Lock ‘N’ Spin bonus, every spot on the grid turns into a separate reel. The feature starts with three spins and resets to three each time a new symbol lands, keeping the action ongoing as Coin symbols, Mystery Coins, Trail Feature symbols, and Jackpot symbols show up.
Jackpots can be won by gathering all matching Jackpot Letter symbols, and at the conclusion of the bonus, all Coin values displayed on the screen are summed up, including any finished jackpots, to yield potentially impressive payouts.
In certain markets, participants can also instantly unlock the Lock ‘N’ Spin bonus through the well-known Bonus Buy feature.
Firecracker Frenzy
Money Toad
represents the newest addition to Greentube’s expanding collection of high-quality slot games, succeeding recent launches like Gorilla Cash
and Enchanted Pegasus
BOOM.
Richard Ganster, Director of Games Strategy and Games Portfolio Management at Greentube, said: “Firecracker Frenzy
Money Toad
delivers an exciting blend of mythology, atmosphere and innovative bonus mechanics and features. The slot also boasts visually stunning graphics that perfectly captures the magic of ancient China.
“The Firecracker Frenzy
Trails bring a fresh sense of anticipation to every spin, while the Lock ‘N’ Spin feature offers multiple ways to unlock wins.”
The post Ancient fortune explodes to life in Greentube’s Firecracker Frenzy™: Money Toad™ appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Aurimas Šilys
REEVO Announces Partnership with Betsafe
REEVO has announced a new partnership with Betsafe, strengthening REEVO’s growing presence across regulated European markets and reinforcing its expansion strategy in the Baltics region.
Through this collaboration, REEVO’s aggregation platform will support Betsafe’s casino offering in Estonia and Latvia, enabling access to a wide range of premium third-party content through a streamlined integration. The partnership reflects REEVO’s continued commitment to providing operators with scalable technology and an efficient route to expanding their game portfolio.
Betsafe is part of the Betsson Group, a global online gambling company operating more than 20 gaming brands across multiple markets. In the Baltics, Betsson Group operates under the Betsafe brand in Estonia and Latvia, offering a trusted and dynamic entertainment experience.
This partnership marks another important step forward for REEVO as it continues to grow as an aggregator and strengthen its reputation as a trusted partner for leading operators in key regulated territories.
Karl Grech, Head of Business Development at REEVO, said: “Estonia and Latvia are exciting markets with strong growth potential, and partnering with Betsafe is a fantastic milestone for REEVO. Betsafe is a well-established and trusted brand in the Baltics, and we’re proud to support their expansion through REEVO’s aggregation platform. This collaboration is another clear step forward in our growth strategy and reinforces our commitment to delivering efficient, high-performance solutions that help operators enhance their casino offering.”
Aurimas Šilys, Managing Director Baltics at Betsson Group, said: “Our collaboration with REEVO opens so many doors for Betsson Group brands in Baltics to onboard and launch more game providers and have the biggest and widest casino selection in Baltics markets.”
The post REEVO Announces Partnership with Betsafe appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Africa
Meridianbet Marks 17 Years in Tanzania with Over 500 Community Initiatives
When Meridianbet’s Tanzania operations spoke at the American Chamber of Commerce Appreciation Dinner last week, the presentation opened with a single number: 500.
That’s how many community initiatives the sports entertainment company has completed across Tanzania since 2009. Education programmes. Small business training. Youth sports sponsorship. Public health awareness campaigns. Local infrastructure support.
For a gaming company operating under a NASDAQ-listed parent, sustained community investment at this scale is unusual. The industry has a reputation for extracting value. Meridianbet’s seventeen-year presence in Tanzania tells a different story.
The Social Model
“We’re in the business of friends gathering at local clubs to watch matches, share a drink, and place small stakes on the outcome. The betting is part of the experience. The gathering is the real value,” a company representative said at the event.
The framing matters because it shapes operational decisions. Meridianbet Tanzania, as is the case worldwide, structures its platform to encourage many customers placing small amounts. The alternative would be concentrating revenue among high-stakes players. That model creates problems. Problem gambling. Revenue volatility. Regulatory scrutiny.
Small-stake betting spread across many customers creates different dynamics. Lower risk per individual. More stable revenue. Better alignment with Tanzania’s consumer protection regulations.
The company’s responsible gaming protocols reflect this approach. Early intervention when betting patterns suggest trouble. Support resources in Swahili and English. Limits designed to keep stakes small and entertainment value high.
Community Ambassadors
The scale of Meridianbet’s community programmes drew attention at the AmCham dinner. What got people talking was who runs them.
The company built a network of “community ambassadors.” These are customers who participate in CSR initiatives as partners. They identify needs in their neighbourhoods. They volunteer in education programmes. They mentor local entrepreneurs. They organise school supply drives and coach youth sports teams.
This shifts how corporate social responsibility works. Traditional CSR runs top-down. Companies donate money. Communities receive it. The relationship is transactional.
Meridianbet’s model distributes responsibility. Customers become patrons of community development. The company provides platform and resources. The customers craft the donation policy.
“When a customer helps fund a school program or mentors a young business owner, they’re building their own community. We make it possible,” the representative said.
Seventeen years and 500 initiatives suggest the model works. Whether it scales beyond Tanzania remains to be seen. For now, it appears to have created genuine community ties rather than performative charity.
The Gender Metric
One data point from the presentation got repeated in conversations after the event: 70% of managerial positions across Meridianbet’s African operations are held by women.
The gaming industry globally runs around 30% women in leadership roles. East African businesses average 35%. Meridianbet’s 70% is an outlier.
The company implements a performance-based hiring and promotion. No quotas. Just competence rewarded. Whether that’s the full story or not, the outcome is measurable. Management teams reflect the communities they serve. Diversity intentions are easy to state. Diversity outcomes are harder to deliver. The Company’s numbers show outcome.
Seventeen Years
Tanzania’s gaming market has grown considerably since 2009. Mobile penetration increased. Disposable incomes rose among the middle class. International operators entered. Some stayed. Many left when margins compressed or regulations tightened.
Meridianbet stayed. Seventeen years. 200 employees. Hundreds of local retail partnerships. That longevity suggests the company views Tanzania as infrastructure, not opportunity.
American companies face pressure to demonstrate ESG commitments in emerging markets. Words are easy. Execution is hard. Meridianbet’s Tanzania operations show what seventeen years of execution looks like.
The post Meridianbet Marks 17 Years in Tanzania with Over 500 Community Initiatives appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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