Industry News
Covid-19 – A message from UKGC chair, Neil McArthur to online gambling operators
Since I wrote to you last week, the response to Covid-19 has affected everyone in Great Britain.
Over the last week, I have spoken to representatives across the industry and understand the significant impact that these uncertain and unsettling events are having on your businesses, your customers and your employees. We have been drawing up an initial assessment on the impact recent events will have on the gambling industry and assessing how we should approach our own work over the coming months.
Protecting children and vulnerable people from being harmed by gambling has always been a major priority and we are very mindful – as you should be – of the fact that the risks of harm arising from online gambling have increased as a result of recent events. As you know, the social distancing measures that have been imposed this week now mean that anyone other than key workers will be at home for most of the day. We are already seeing reports of an increase in online slots, poker, casino gaming and virtual sports.
In light of these developments, whilst I recognise the enormous challenges businesses are facing, I want to make the Commission’s expectations absolutely clear:
- Consumer protection must be paramount
- We expect you to act responsibly, especially around individual customer affordability checks and increased social responsibility interactions.
- We expect you to be very mindful that customers may be vulnerable and experiencing financial uncertainty, whilst others may be experiencing other effects of being isolated including, for example, feelings of anxiety, loneliness or boredom.
- We expect you to know your customers and step in if they are showing signs that they are experiencing or at risk of harm.
- Marketing must be conducted responsibly
- We expect you to on-board new customers in a socially responsible way.
- You must not exploit the current situation for marketing purposes and should be very cautious when seeking to cross-sell online gaming products to customers who signed up with you in order to bet.
- We expect you to ensure that your affiliates are conducting themselves appropriately.
- Compliance with licence conditions and codes of practice
- We expect you to act in a way that minimises the risks to the licensing objectives.
- Treat consumers fairly and communicate with them in a clear way that allows them to make a properly informed judgment about whether to gamble.
- Work with the Commission in an open and co-operative way and act in accordance with both the letter or the spirit of the regulatory framework we have set.
If we see irresponsible behaviour we will step in immediately. So, whilst I know that the current climate is unprecedented, gambling operators must play their part in making sure that people are kept safe.
If you want to share your own analysis of impacts to the industry, or share other information that may be relevant to our work on this issue, you can talk to Ben Haden, Programme Director for Industry Insight, who is collating all of the information about how Covid-19 is affecting the industry.
If you have information or concerns about the behaviour of an operator then our Confidential Intelligence Hotline is continuing to take calls or you can email the team. Finally, you can continue to contact your Account Manager in the normal way to notify of any key events or questions you have during this time. If you have other questions or queries, please let us know and we will do our best to get you an answer.
Yours sincerely,
Neil McArthur
Behind The Gloves has formed an official Advisory Board as it moves from event-led activations to what it describes as a scalable, long-term business and community.
The board includes Michael Brady, Founder and Chairman of Bede Gaming and Chairman of Connexus Group; Rob Fell, CEO of RiskCherry; and Katie Byers, former SVP of People and Capability at Light & Wonder.
According to the organisation, the appointments are intended to support expansion into new verticals including corporate wellness programmes, brand partnerships and future digital products.
Behind The Gloves said it plans to continue operating as a “business for good” by reinvesting a portion of profits into community initiatives and charitable causes.
Lee McFarland, Founder of Behind The Gloves, said: “The foundation of our Advisory Board reflects Behind The Gloves’ commitment to building a strong business that can expand globally and reach more people than ever.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Katie, Rob and Michael to the Board and look forward to leveraging our industry’s unmistakable energy to support good causes and deliver accessible activities for all fitness levels on a larger scale.”
The post Behind The Gloves forms Advisory Board to scale beyond event activations appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
LuckyCasino has gone live in Spain, LCKY Group confirmed, marking the brand’s entry into the regulated market.
The operator said LuckyCasino is the second brand in the LCKY Group portfolio to operate in Spain, following OneCasino. The company positioned the launch as part of its long-term growth plans and noted the brand has previously operated in Sweden.
LCKY Group said the Spanish-facing offering includes more than 2,000 games, alongside localised offers and payment methods. It also claimed the catalogue includes “many LuckyCasino exclusives.”
Mark Schram, MD B2C Central & South Europe at LCKY Group, said: “Everyone at LuckyCasino is looking forward to showing off the mix of variety and innovation that’s made our platform such a huge hit elsewhere.
“With Spain being a key market for us going forward, we’re excited to build on the success LCKY Group has already enjoyed in the country with OneCasino, and we expect our vast selection of content will prove hugely appealing for Spanish customers.”
The post LuckyCasino launches in Spain as LCKY Group expands B2C footprint appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Evoplay has launched Season of Legends, a year-long network campaign built around four seasonal phases, starting with a spring edition carrying a €512,000 prize pool. The spring phase launched in March and runs across March, April and May.
The studio said the new format follows its previous Big Adventures network campaign and is designed to drive sustained engagement through a more structured seasonal approach. Each season runs for three months with new mechanics and prize pools.
A new mechanic, Infinity Prize Drops, will run daily throughout each month and is not tied to tournament windows. The spring edition also includes a Tournament and Wheel of Fortune, each operating in four monthly phases: 1st- 5th, 9th- 13th, 17th- 21st, and 25th- 29th.
Evoplay said the €512,000 spring prize pool will be distributed across the three-month period via a consolidated leaderboard spanning participating operators. Players earn points through qualifying spins on selected Evoplay titles including Hot Triple Sevens, Piggy Bank: 3 Pots Bonanza, and the Penalty Shoot-out series.
Diana Larina, Head of Marketing at Evoplay, said: “Season of Legends marks the next evolution of our network campaigns. With Big Adventures, we saw just how effective long-term engagement can be, and this new format takes that even further.
“By introducing seasonal structure and mechanics like Infinity Drops, we’re giving operators the tools to maintain consistent player activity, rather than relying on short-term spikes. This is just the beginning, and we’re excited to build momentum throughout the year.”
The post Evoplay rolls out Season of Legends campaign with €512,000 spring prize pool appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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