Latest News
GambleAware App Launched as New Analysis Shows That 18-24s are Twice as Likely to Want to Cut Down or Quit Gambling

New data from the 2024 Treatment and Support Survey released by GambleAware shows that 18-24 year olds who gamble are twice as likely to want to reduce or quit gambling compared to the average among all people who gamble (29% compared to 15%), with the charity responding with the launch of a new gambling harm prevention app, called the “GambleAware Support Tool”.
The app, which offers free and anonymous support to those looking to quit or reduce their gambling, is designed to prevent the escalation of gambling harm, and allows users to set their personal goals. Since the launch of the app, 48% of users aged 18-24 have indicated their motivation to change their gambling habits is to “save money,” while 27% say they want to “feel happier”.
Previous research from GambleAware’s 2023 Audience Segmentation report, produced as part of the discovery phase for the app development, has shown that there are up to 4.5 million people in Great Britain wanting to reduce or quit gambling, 93% of whom – over 4.2 million people – want to do so without using a treatment service. This means it is crucial to offer informal “self-help” support to meet people where they are on their journey and help them take action before any harm escalates. Whilst the charity works to reduce the barriers to support, such as stigma, we also wish to help those who still want to reduce or quit gambling on their own.
Each individual’s journey on the app is unique, with the support tool offering a personalised experience for those looking to reduce their gambling.
The app was developed in line with the internationally recognised Lower Risk Gambling Guidelines. These were created by academic gambling experts across the globe, through a multi-faceted project including analysis of data from over 60,000 people from eight different countries.
The LRGG highlight three limits that should be followed if an individual wants to keep gambling, but reduce many of the risks that come with it:
• Gamble no more than 1% of your income
• Gamble on no more than 4 days per month
• Avoid more than 2 types of gambling per month
This is the only app in Great Britain using the LRGGs to suggest limits for users who are looking to reduce their gambling.
Those who download the app can track their activity by inputting the frequency and spend of their gambling, with the aim of informing their chosen journey as to whether they wish to reduce or quit their gambling.
All advice and support is evidence based, while there is also access to resources such as podcasts and educational materials. For those who feel they need further help, there is also clear signposting to formal support options, such as GambleAware’s service finder tool.
Alexia Clifford, Chief Communications Officer for GambleAware, said: “Whether individuals want to reduce, manage or stay gamble-free, the GambleAware Support Tool is here every step of your journey.
“The digital age means we essentially have a casino in our pocket, and we know increased accessibility leads to increased participation and therefore increased risk of harm.
“These harms are a growing public health issue, but early intervention is key, and the GambleAware Support Tool app is designed to give people a timely insight into their gambling, with the aim of supporting their journey to reducing or quitting their activity.”
Catherine Adams, a member of the GambleAware Lived Experience Council, said: “I would be gambling on the computer from six in the evening until six in the morning and I just was not sleeping.
“It’s positive being able to monitor your progress yourself and to see how well you’re doing in reducing or quitting your gambling if you’re goal orientated. To see ‘I’ve done this many days now ‘or ‘I’ve saved this much money, I think it really does give variety of choice in your recovery.”
The GambleAware Support Tool App can be downloaded from the Google Play Store for Android users, and the Apple App store for those using iOS.
The post GambleAware App Launched as New Analysis Shows That 18-24s are Twice as Likely to Want to Cut Down or Quit Gambling appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Latest News
Rising Bonus Abuse in Sports Betting: Fraudsters Leveraging Hidden AI Powered Bots

As digitalisation sweeps through the industry, the sports betting market has flourished. Taking betting online has made the experience more accessible, convenient, and interactive than ever. Artificial intelligence (AI) has made a big splash in recent years, giving sportsbooks access to more detailed data analytics. AI doesn’t only benefit sportsbooks however, as fraudsters have taken advantage of the technology for more malicious purposes. If sportsbooks don’t take action now, they face rapid losses to their budgets.
Sportsbooks frequently invest in pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns to drive first-time depositors (FTDs), using promotions such as bonuses to attract new users. However, these bonuses are a prime target for fraudsters, who leverage advances in AI to exploit them—driving fake sign-ups that drain budgets without delivering genuine new players.
To accomplish this, bad actors program AI-powered bots to rapidly create new accounts and take advantage of promotions without ever generating a conversion on the site. Bot networks like this are detrimental to advertising budgets, being responsible for nearly 40% of click fraud according to FraudLogix.
Most sportsbooks have fraud management systems in place to intercept and block these bad actors during the sign-up process. However, this does not prevent bots from clicking on paid search ads in the first place, driving up costs and draining marketing budgets before fraud can even be detected.
Sportsbooks need to take it upon themselves to develop a proactive strategy to identify fraudulent engagement. Without a strategy in place, sportsbooks risk significant profit loss and distorted campaign metrics.
Evolving Fraud tactics
Sportsbooks have been reaping the rewards of digitalisation, but this increased success comes with a hidden cost. The success of the industry has drawn the attention of bad actors, and with AI they pose a bigger threat than ever. Bad actors can now program AI bots to convincingly behave as a human user would. Bots can then carry out repetitive tasks repeatedly, allowing fraudsters to create floods of them to interfere with campaigns.
The PPC campaigns utilised by sportsbooks are often targeted by bots which repeatedly click on these paid ads. This drives up ad revenue for the publisher drastically, as bots increase the overall customer acquisition costs (CACs).
To carry out an attack, fraudsters use hosting servers. These servers can be used to store large amounts of data. From here, bad actors can then disguise themselves using a residential Internet Service Provider (ISP) to blend in with other users. Bad actors can mask their real location by routing their connection through a different server. This is typically carried out by using a residential IP address through a residential proxy, making the fraudster appear like a legitimate user to trick systems.
Fraudsters are experts at covering their tracks, as they can program bots to delete their information and cookies after clicking on a paid ad. Bots can then carry out the task on repeat by switching to a different device to appear as a new user. Fraudulent clicks from bots increase market expenditure without leading to a legitimate conversion, draining resources, and diluting return on investment (ROI). The problem is plaguing the industry as bots are responsible for approximately 24% of all clicks according to Imperva, and the risk is only increasing.
Bots Taking Advantage of Paid Promotions
A great way for sportsbooks to capture a new audience is through one-time special promotions. Bonuses like these are a popular hook, and encourage players to keep betting, even after the bonus funds are used up. Most of these promotions are offered once per account, but fraudsters can use bots to manipulate the system. These bots are programmed to generate multiple fake accounts and abuse the bonus repeatedly. Funds intended to drive FTDs are then diverted by bots without delivering genuine value, significantly draining resources.
Fraudulent traffic negatively impacts future campaigns as bot activity skews metrics. An influx of bot activity provides marketers with false positive results. Sportsbooks will then mistakenly direct more funds to these campaigns, setting them up for future losses and more bot activity.
Legacy fraud tools typically concentrate on the sign-up stage, targeting and blocking fraud there. However, this tactic doesn’t stop bots from siphoning media spend beforehand. Differentiating between sophisticated bots and legitimate traffic is difficult for these tools, allowing fraudsters to act before they can be identified. Attacks are on the rise, and if sportsbooks fail to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves against fraudulent clicks, they face considerable losses.
Utilising Transparency to Tackle Fraud
To ensure marketing efforts aren’t wasted and first-time depositors can be reached, sportsbooks need a strategy in place to combat fraud. Sportsbooks should be analysing their traffic for any sign of potential bot activity before they suffer multiple losses.
Monitoring traffic allows sportsbooks to identify irregular engagement, such as high bounce or click rates, or traffic from suspicious locations. To identify bots before they can impact campaigns, sportsbooks should continuously monitor their traffic for anomalies like these so they can be dealt with.
Fake accounts run by bots are a growing problem for sportsbooks, therefore sportsbooks should deploy strong identity verification alongside a trusted partner. This prevents fraudsters from creating multiple accounts to exploit promotions by forcing them to prove their identity.
Sportsbooks can also set click frequency limits for users. Setting limits prevents a particular user from repeatedly clicking on the same paid ad campaign. Bots are especially vulnerable to this tactic, preventing them from driving up costs by blocking them with a click threshold.
Ending Bonus Abuse
Digitalisation has provided both opportunities and complex challenges for sportsbooks. The pivot towards online betting has presented sportsbooks with the chance to reach a whole new audience. However, sportsbooks can’t truly capitalise on this new opportunity as long as bots are draining budgets behind the scenes.
To protect their advertising investments, sportsbooks need to take action. Sportsbooks need to take control of their traffic and identify any bot activity before bad actors have the chance to take advantage. By taking an active role in their defence, sportsbooks can ensure their bonuses stay strictly in the hands of their real audience.
Article by Chad Kinlay, Chief Marketing Officer, TrafficGuard
A driven, open-minded, creative senior marketer with a strong sense of dedication and commitment. With over 15 years of progressive international experience in marketing and communications management, Kinlay has a credible history of commercial success.
The post Rising Bonus Abuse in Sports Betting: Fraudsters Leveraging Hidden AI Powered Bots appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Latest News
Sweet Fortune Megaways: A Sweet Slot with Free Spins and Expanding, Multiplying Wilds

MGA Games has announced the launch of its new slot, Sweet Fortune Megaways, in the .com markets on August 25th. This game transports players to Sugarland, a magical universe made of sweets and candy. Set in the city of Candyville, where chocolate rivers and caramel streets create a unique atmosphere, the title features the Megaways mechanic and promises a memorable experience.
The gameplay is full of surprises. Players can enter a majestic candy palace through the Free Spins screen, where prizes multiply and a mini game is activated inside the Grand Prize Hall. This combination of mechanics, setting, and interactive elements has been designed to maximize user engagement.
Among its main innovations are random multiplying Wilds (x2, x3), expanding Wilds, and the Megaways structure, which allows for thousands of possible combinations with each spin. Additionally, this marks the first time MGA Games has embraced a candy-themed slot, aligning with the most popular trends in the gaming and entertainment sectors.
The post Sweet Fortune Megaways: A Sweet Slot with Free Spins and Expanding, Multiplying Wilds appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Latest News
EGT Digital’s games are available to Bangbet’s customers in Tanzania

EGT Digital and Bangbet have once again strengthened their collaboration. After the impressive results in Kenya and Nigeria, the customers of the popular operator in Tanzania can now enjoy the Bulgarian provider’s gaming content. Players are able to choose among more than 150 in-house developed slot titles, the crash game xRide, as well as the jackpot bestsellers Bell Link, High Cash, Clover Chance, Single Progressive Jackpot, and Gods & Kings Link.
“I am very happy that our games are already live in another key market for Bangbet,” commented Zsuzsanna Zeibig, Sales Manager for Africa at EGT Digital. “By extending our reach to Tanzania, one of East Africa’s fastest-growing iGaming markets, we expand our brand visibility and further strengthen our strategic position on the continent. Each new step with Bangbet confirms our role as a trusted partner and supports our long-term growth ambitions to reach more players across Sub-Saharan Africa.”
David Kabue Gichuhi, Director of Bangbet, also expressed his satisfaction with the partnership: “EGT Digital’s gaming products continue to demonstrate remarkable performance in all markets where we have integrated them to date, becoming our clients’ absolute favorites. The strong results in Kenya and Nigeria gave us the confidence to bring their content to Tanzania as well, and we are already seeing the same positive impact. This partnership is an important part of our business strategy and we look forward to introducing EGT Digital’s portfolio to players in Ghana and Uganda in the coming months.”
The post EGT Digital’s games are available to Bangbet’s customers in Tanzania appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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