Latest News
Allwyn’s Local Retail Champions Returns for 2025
Allwyn, operator of The National Lottery, has begun its search for the most community-minded National Lottery shopkeepers in the UK after opening nominations for Local Retail Champions 2025. The nominations period for the two national and 16 regional awards will run until midnight on 19 October.
A successful inaugural Local Retail Champions 2024 saw Raj and Manish Suchak, and Natalie and Martin Lightfoot – owners of Coldean Convenience in Brighton and Londis Solo Convenience Store in Glasgow respectively – crowned the two national award-winners. This was ahead of 16 regional winners who also picked up awards. The 18 winners fended off competition from almost 1000 other National Lottery retailers from across the UK, who had all been nominated by their customers for going above and beyond for their communities.
Allwyn is once again partnering with Reach plc – the UK’s largest commercial news publisher – to promote the Local Retail Champions campaign across consumer-facing national and regional publications and websites. It will also be supported through special in-store posters, which are new for this year.
Also new for this year is a special Innovation Award category that will reward two National Lottery retailers for their ideas about how they would celebrate National Lottery Good Causes in their store.
Prizes available:
• Two National Winners will each take home a £15k cash prize (customer nomination)
• 16 Regional Winners will each win a £5k cash prize (customer nomination)
• Two Innovation Award winners will win £2.5k cash plus up to £2.5k to bring their idea to life in store (retailer self-entry)
There are a host of reasons why retailers could get their customers nominating them for one of the national and regional prizes. For example, Raj and Manish Suchak were nominated by their customers last year for a variety of community-focused work, including creating a safe space for those in need, donating generously to local food banks, providing food for a local school’s breakfast club and fundraising for the local cat shelter. Meanwhile, Natalie and Martin Lightfoot received nominations for organising charity fundraising events and local litter-picking activities, while also providing a home delivery service for those in need.
Anything that positively impacts the local community could be a reason for a nomination.
Allwyn’s Director of Commercial Partnerships and Retail Sales, Alison Acquaye-Acford, said: “Local Retail Champions is back and we’re excited to once again be celebrating National Lottery retailers making a massive difference in their communities. As we saw from last year’s almost-1,000 store nominations, retailers right around the UK are doing incredible things to support their communities every single day. We want to find even more great stories again this year and reward retailers for their dedication and goodwill.
“As an organisation that is committed to positively contributing to society in how we go about our business, and with retailers helping to raise £30m every week for National Lottery Good Causes by selling tickets to players, it’s really important to us that we recognise and celebrate the incredible impact local retailers have on the places we live, work and visit.”
The initiative is being enabled by using part of Allwyn’s dedicated Social Value Fund, which is £1m that the company has committed to investing annually to help communities and high streets across the UK and Isle of Man to thrive.
To nominate a local retailer, a customer must be 18 or over and should write up to 150 words before 19 October on how their local National Lottery retailer has made the community a better place.
The post Allwyn’s Local Retail Champions Returns for 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Anna Hargrave
GambleAware Warns Outdated Gambling Advertising and Marketing Regulations are Leaving Children at Risk of Gambling Harm
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Regulations for online gambling marketing must urgently be brought into the digital age, a new report from the charity GambleAware has warned.
The report reveals that despite gambling being an age-restricted product, children are being exposed to gambling marketing online, before they reach an age at which they can critically evaluate it. This is leading to gambling being normalised and portrayed as “risk-free”, which increases the risk of them experiencing gambling harm.
Gambling harms are becoming an increasing part of children’s lives, with previous research finding that in 2024, around 85,000 children in Britain were experiencing harm from their own gambling, a figure which has doubled since 20233. GambleAware’s new report highlights how seeing gambling marketing and content, online and via social and streaming platforms, could be encouraging children to gamble and contributing to the number experiencing harm.
The new report calls out poor regulation of gambling marketing online, highlighting how more needs to be done to ensure the rules reflect the unique challenges presented by the digital age and urges a reduction in self-regulation to protect children from being exposed to age-restricted gambling content. Alongside this, GambleAware is also calling for mandatory health warnings to be put on all gambling marketing so people are aware of the risks and support available.
Specific changes to help protect children could include moves to hold online platforms to greater account and ensuring existing government programmes, such as the Online Safety Act and Online Advertising Programme, more directly address gambling marketing and content online. Alongside this, other recommendations include the alignment and strengthening of online safety regulatory powers and programmes.
GambleAware research also found strong public support from children and adults for changes to gambling marketing and advertising regulation. Around four in five children (79%) say they want more rules around gambling content and advertising on social media. Alongside this, over seven in ten adults also agree, saying they want more regulation around gambling advertising on social media (74%) and gambling related content on social media (70%).
Anna Hargrave, GambleAware Transition CEO, said: “Gambling operators invest significant resources into online marketing because it works at getting people to gamble more. This has resulted in children and young people being exposed to gambling content online before an age at which they can critically evaluate it and understand the risks that come with it.
“The current regulations covering gambling marketing and advertising online were designed before most children had easy access to the internet. Urgent action is needed to update these rules and bring them into the digital age to help keep children and young people safe from gambling harm.”
The post GambleAware Warns Outdated Gambling Advertising and Marketing Regulations are Leaving Children at Risk of Gambling Harm appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Angelina Stasiuk Head of Business Line at SOFTSWISS Jackpot Aggregator
SOFTSWISS Jackpot Aggregator Marks Four Years of Growth and Global Expansion
Reading Time: 2 minutes
The SOFTSWISS Jackpot Aggregator, an award-winning player engagement solution, celebrates its fourth anniversary, delivering strong business results and expanding into new regulated markets.
Since its launch in 2021, the SOFTSWISS Jackpot Aggregator has become a trusted engagement and retention tool for operators worldwide. By the beginning of Q4 2025, the solution powers over 100 active brands, with more than 520 jackpot campaigns launched and 68,000+ jackpot hits. These numbers reflect growing adoption and consistent performance across regulated markets.
In early 2025, the SOFTSWISS Jackpot Aggregator obtained certifications in Brazil, Peru, and Estonia, strengthening its position in Latin America and Europe. These approvals allow operators in both markets to integrate the tool in full compliance with regulatory and technical standards.
Angelina Stasiuk, Head of Business Line at SOFTSWISS Jackpot Aggregator, shares: “Four years of consistent growth show how powerful engagement mechanics can be when built on flexibility and trust. Our recent expansion into new regulated markets marks an exciting new chapter, giving regional operators access to the same reliable and engaging jackpot solutions that have already proven successful worldwide. We’re proud to see the Jackpot Aggregator evolve into a solution that brings real value to both operators and their audiences.”
The flagship Prime Network Jackpot remains the key feature of the Jackpot Aggregator. The tool unites multiple operators under a shared prize pool, driving some of the industry’s most impressive payouts. One of its campaigns paid out a record-breaking €1,368,013, while a recent win in September 2025 saw a lucky player take home €758,262.71. The growing scale of the network confirms its power to increase engagement and deliver immersive gaming experiences for players worldwide.
Rosaria Freitas, Director of Product at Kirgo Casino, comments: “Congratulations to SOFTSWISS on four years of the Jackpot Aggregator. At Kirgo, we emphasise real play, real rewards, and zero distractions. This partnership enhances what our players can win without compromising that focus. By combining our local jackpots with the Prime Network, we’re offering Kirgo players exclusive community rewards and access to major shared prizes: simple, transparent, and designed for real enjoyment value.”
The SOFTSWISS Jackpot Aggregator continues to evolve as a cornerstone of player engagement strategy. This year, the solution introduced a major update – the Paid Participation Campaigns feature, which expands entertainment options for players and creates new revenue opportunities for operators. In this format, players contribute an entry fee to join jackpots, prize drops, multi-prizes, or even the Prime Network Jackpot. The feature also encourages closer collaboration with game providers, driving mutual promotion and long-term player engagement.
About SOFTSWISS
SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience in developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS provides comprehensive software for managing iGaming projects. The company’s product portfolio includes the Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with over 35,000 casino games, Affilka Affiliate Platform, the Sportsbook Platform and the Jackpot Aggregator. The expert team, based in Malta, Poland, and Georgia, counts over 2,000 employees.
The post SOFTSWISS Jackpot Aggregator Marks Four Years of Growth and Global Expansion appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Latest News
Betbazar’s AI Revolution: Where Algorithms Play and Humans Watch
Max Sevostianov, CCO at Betbazar, reveals how AI Cricket blurs the line between sport, tech and entertainment — creating a 24/7 AI sports universe — where every match feels alive and every second counts.
- How did the idea of creating AI-driven Cricket come about?
It started from our roots in Live Data Feed and Live Content. We constantly saw the same demand from operators worldwide — they needed fast, round-the-clock sports content that actually feels alive. Traditional virtuals didn’t cut it anymore; they were too static, too predictable.
Cricket, with its global fanbase and built-in drama, became the perfect playground for something new. We wanted to merge sports logic, AI, and entertainment to create a product that doesn’t just simulate a match — it lives one. That’s how AI Cricket was born: a fast, emotional, and unpredictable experience built for the next generation who expect energy, not repetition.
- What market gap does this product fill – and which Operators or regions is it most relevant for?
The biggest gap we saw was the “dead zone” between traditional virtuals and real sports. Virtual games looked repetitive and lifeless, while real matches were limited by schedules and logistics. Bettors were stuck between predictability and waiting.
AI Cricket closes that gap completely. It runs 24/7, behaves like a real sport with live odds movement, and keeps the unpredictability that makes real competition exciting. It’s already resonating strongly in cricket-driven regions — India, Bangladesh, Australia, and across Africa — where players crave constant, authentic action that never sleeps.
- AI Cricket offers a short dynamic format (3–6 minutes). How does it align with the behavior trends of the Next Generation of bettors?
Today’s bettors live in a scroll culture. They want action, not waiting. The next generation grew up on TikTok clips, Reels, and esports rounds that last minutes, not hours. That shift completely changed attention patterns — and we built AI Cricket for that world.
Each match lasts just 3 to 6 minutes — quick, intense and rewarding. It’s snackable entertainment with real IGaming logic behind it. Players can jump in, experience the thrill, and move on — or stay for hours of back-to-back action that never loses momentum.
- How exactly does the AI model work to make every match unpredictable and “alive”?
Behind every match is a living algorithm. Our AI engine processes thousands of variables — team stats, player behavior, pitch and weather conditions, even dynamic momentum shifts. It learns from real cricket patterns but never repeats itself.
That’s what makes it unpredictable — no scripted loops, no recycled outcomes. Every delivery, every wicket, carries its own story. You can literally feel the rhythm of the game changing, just like in live sports. That’s where the emotion comes from — not from animation, but from intelligence.
- How customisable is the product for each Operator’s brand?
We built AI Cricket to be more than a plug-and-play product — it’s a canvas for each Operator’s brand. Our customisation layer lets partners design branded tournaments with their own visuals, logos, and atmosphere.
That means every sportsbook can offer something that feels exclusive — not “another virtual,” but their cricket universe. It’s a powerful way to build loyalty and keep players coming back, because the experience looks, sounds and plays like it truly belongs to that Operator.
- Does Betbazar plan to expand the AI-driven approach to other sports as well?
Absolutely — Cricket was just the opening chapter. The core AI engine we’ve built is flexible enough to adapt to any sport with a short, dynamic format. We’re already experimenting with new disciplines that share the same DNA: fast action, unpredictability, and constant engagement. Our goal is to create a full AI-driven sports universe.
- How do you see AI-powered Content evolving in the iGaming industry over the next 2-3 years?
AI-powered content transforms iGaming by making it faster to test ideas, launch products, and measure results. It turns IGaming into a form of entertainment — offering new, immersive experiences rather than just odds and outcomes. It’s a powerful way for Operators to experiment with different hypotheses, understand player behaviour, and adapt their sportsbook in real time. The line between sports, gaming, and entertainment is fading — and we want Betbazar to lead that evolution.
About Betbazar
Betbazar is a product-first iGaming technology company that empowers Operators with profitable solutions. From low-latency Live Data Feed and AI-driven products to a Turnkey Platform and Sportsbook Solutions, the company delivers performance, reliability and growth Operators need to stay ahead. Betbazar is a long-term technology partner, helping Operators integrate faster, operate smarter and scale stronger.
Website: https://betbazar.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betbazar
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