Press Releases

UK Gambling Commission guidance in light of COVID-19 outbreak

Published

6 years ago

March 20, 2020

As the situation with COVID-19 continues to impact daily life in Great Britain, like many of you, the Commission is following Public Health England guidance and we have told all staff to work from home until further notice.

We recognise these unprecedented circumstances will be having a significant impact on businesses and many will be facing uncertain and unsettling times. The Commission has a well-practised and comprehensive Business Continuity Plan, which we have invoked with the intention of minimising the impact on our regulatory work and the advice and services we provide.

A number of operators have already contacted us to alert us to the challenges they face and seek our advice about how to respond. We realise that the unprecedented changes to daily life, and in some cases, financial uncertainty, will create challenges for your business. The changes will also increase the risks to some individuals, which means that despite the fact that these are challenging times we must all continue to protect consumers.

Here you can find information about how the Commission will be operating during this time, along with important reminders about how you should continue to protect consumers.

COVID -19 – A reminder to operators

First and foremost, we expect all our licensees to follow the applicable Public Health guidance. Where facilities for gambling are being offered we expect all our licensees to ensure that they have sufficient management, staffing and oversight in place to maintain compliance with the LCCP that apply to their licences.

Fees and applications

Our expectation remains that licensees ensure the maintenance of sufficient management, staffing and oversight in order to uphold the licensing objectives. Licensees should assess their ability to maintain compliance with the LCCP and consider voluntary partial or full suspension of their offerings should compliance not be achievable and until such time that a fully compliant service can be offered.

Unfortunately, due to the way that our fee system is structured we don’t have the ability to reduce fees.

We are also unable to fast track applications. We will continue to monitor the situation and will communicate any changes to our expectations accordingly.

A reminder specifically for online operators

The social distancing measures that are being put in place will mean that more people will be at home and we would like to remind online operators that they must continue to act responsibly, especially in regards to individual customer affordability and increased social responsibility interactions.

As a reminder, we expect licensees to:

Assess individual affordability on an ongoing basis – customers may be experiencing disrupted income. (Social Responsibility code 3.4 refers to our guidance – ‘Customer interaction- formal guidance for remote gambling operators’ )
Increase social responsibility interactions and intervene where customers are showing signs of gambling related harm
Onboard new customers in a socially responsible way and not exploit the current situation for marketing purposes
Refresh the information they have on customers regularly
Review the levels which trigger interaction for AML and SR
Ensure that your gambling products have been tested by a test house before they are released to the market.

Source: UKGC

Related Topics:COVID-19 UK Gambling Commission UKGC

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SkillOnNet adds Octoplay casino games across its UK brands

Published

1 hour ago

June 16, 2026

Wladimir P.

skillonnet-adds-octoplay-casino-games-across-its-uk-brands

Octoplay titles go live on PlayOJO, Genting, SpinGenie and MegawaysCasino, with more regulated markets planned.

SkillOnNet has launched Octoplay’s casino games across its UK iGaming sites, making the supplier’s content available to players on brands including PlayOJO, Genting, SpinGenie and MegawaysCasino.

The UK rollout includes Octoplay titles such as Vegas is Dead: Battle Arena, Shaolin Panda: Chaos Reels, and Serpent Gold: Hold and Win. SkillOnNet said it plans to expand the partnership into additional regulated markets in the coming months.

Jani Kontturi, Head of Games at SkillOnNet said: “We’re delighted to welcome Octoplay to our platform in the UK. The studio has built a strong reputation for developing high-quality games that combine engaging mechanics with blockbuster production values. We are confident our players will love the content, and we’re excited to extend the partnership into additional regulated markets in the near future.

Ralitsa Georgieva, CEO at Octoplay: “Launching with SkillOnNet in the UK represents another important milestone for Octoplay. SkillOnNet operates some of the industry’s most established iGaming sites, and this partnership allows us to bring our games to a wider audience of players. We look forward to building on this initial launch and expanding together into further markets.”

The post SkillOnNet adds Octoplay casino games across its UK brands appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

blask

New Blask heatmap tracks real-time interest across World Cup 2026 nations

Published

3 hours ago

June 16, 2026

Wladimir P.

new-blask-heatmap-tracks-real-time-interest-across-world-cup-2026-nations

Blask has launched the Blask World Cup Index, a free interactive map showing daily interest across the majority of the 48 nations competing in the 2026 tournament. It runs for the duration of the competition.

Blask updates the map every 24 hours. Countries where interest towards the major football tournament grows over the previous day turn green. Countries where it fell turn red. Unchanged markets stay grey. Hover over any country for a quick snapshot, click through for a multi-day view, or follow the leaderboard of the fastest-rising and falling markets.

What the Blask World Cup Index measures
Blask World Cup Index draws from the Blask Index, Blask’s measure of iGaming search volume within a given market. On the landing page it tracks football related categories: how actively people in each country are searching for odds, match markets and other football-related content tied to the 2026 tournament.

Country cards show day-by-day trends; a daily leaderboard surfaces the daily World Cup Index and its change with the previous day. Visitors can track how interest in their country builds in the days before their team’s next match and how fast it collapses after an exit. The leaderboard shows which nation leads the index and how that position shifts with results. For operators and affiliates, the most actionable view is a market where interest is growing faster than the team’s performance would predict — the signal that precedes a volume spike.

After a 4-1 victory over Paraguay, the United States leads our World Cup Interest Index with 14.4 million demand points — more than three times ahead of second-placed Brazil (4.28 million), despite the Seleção’s global popularity. Germany sits third with 3.15 million following a 7-1 win over Curaçao, while England (2.53 million) and Egypt (2.22 million) round out the top five ahead of their opening group-stage matches.

To put the 2026 data in context, Blask has published two research reports drawing on iGaming activity across the 2018 and 2022 World Cups — one covering six European markets (UK, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy), one covering six LATAM markets.

The data shows the effect is not automatic: Germany posted positive acquisition signals at both tournaments despite group-stage exits; Peru surged +41% in 2022 without qualifying; Colombia fell 14% the same year.

Both reports include country-level APS data, cross-market patterns, and 2026 projections.

The post New Blask heatmap tracks real-time interest across World Cup 2026 nations appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Ani Isakhanyan Head of Rights and Content at FeedConstruct

FeedConstruct Adds Ecuador’s Liga Básquet Pro to Its Global Basketball Rights Portfolio

Published

3 hours ago

June 16, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

feedconstruct-adds-ecuador’s-liga-basquet-pro-to-its-global-basketball-rights-portfolio

FeedConstruct has acquired the exclusive worldwide streaming and data rights for all matches of the Liga Básquet Pro, Ecuador’s premier men’s basketball competition.

Latin America continues to emerge as a fast-growing market for the sports betting industry, with basketball playing an increasingly important role in regional engagement. The Liga Básquet Pro has helped elevate the sport’s visibility in Ecuador while building a passionate local fan base. With its growing commercial appeal and competitive matchups, the league continues to strengthen its position within the Latin American basketball ecosystem.

The addition of the competition enables sportsbooks to deliver consistent and engaging basketball content to bettors while benefiting from favorable regional time zones that support increased betting activity and stronger player engagement.

“This partnership with FeedConstruct marks a decisive step in the international projection of Ecuadorian basketball,” said Enrique Zeballos Márquez, President of Liga Básquet Pro. “Working with a global leader in sports media and data rights allows us to maximise the value of our competition, safeguard the integrity of its data, and bring it to new audiences worldwide.”

Ani Isakhanyan, Head of Rights and Content at FeedConstruct, commented: “We are excited to expand our regional basketball portfolio with the addition of Liga Básquet Pro. With its passionate fan base and strong competitive profile, the league brings valuable content opportunities to our network of more than 100 operators worldwide.”

The acquisition further strengthens FeedConstruct’s basketball rights portfolio and supports the company’s continued expansion across emerging betting markets worldwide.

The post FeedConstruct Adds Ecuador’s Liga Básquet Pro to Its Global Basketball Rights Portfolio appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.