Press Releases
Commission on Crime and Problem Gambling publishes literature review
An academic literature review has revealed a dearth of knowledge worldwide about the links between crime and problem gambling – so the Commission on Crime and Problem Gambling is to embark on a new research programme.
The Commission, set up by the Howard League for Penal Reform, began looking into the issue last year and carried out a literature review, which was published on Monday, 1st of June. The review found that, while millions of people are affected by gambling either directly or indirectly, there appear to be fewer than 50 peer-reviewed papers in the last 25 years that address the links between problem gambling and crime specifically.
In response, the Commission intends to conduct its own research, in three strands: the first project will look at the prevalence of gambling-related crime; the second will consider the lived experience of people caught up in the system; and the third will explore sentencers’ awareness of the issue.
Chaired by Lord Goldsmith QC, the Commission seeks to establish what the links between problem gambling and crime are; what impact they have on communities and wider society; and what steps could be taken to reduce crime and make people safer.
Lord Goldsmith QC, Chair of the Commission on Crime and Problem Gambling, said: “Concern about harmful gambling activity has been growing for some time, but this is the first commission to focus specifically on the relationship between problem gambling and crime.
“From people getting into debt and defrauding family members or employers, to domestic violence and other crimes relating to gambling-related stress, we know anecdotally that police stations, courts and prisons see significant numbers of cases – but only a handful of academic studies have looked at this across the globe.
“The criminal justice system itself does very little work to capture the scale of the challenge and even less in terms of offering interventions like those we see for alcohol or drug problems. This has to change and our Commission can play a key role in improving the response to disordered gambling and crime.”
The literature review covers jurisdictions including Australasia, the US, Canada, Germany, Scandinavia and the UK. It reveals that, while the overall quantity of research is not huge, there is a consistency in findings across all jurisdictions.
Researchers have found high prevalence rates of people committing crimes to fund their gambling. A wide variety of crimes are committed as a result of gambling addiction; not just ‘white collar’ crimes such as theft and fraud, but also offences that occur in public spaces such as street robbery. There is significant evidence of domestic abuse and child neglect linked to problem and pathological gambling.
Studies have indicated that the more complex, prolonged and persistent a gambling problem is, the more likely it is that a crime will be committed and, indeed, that many crimes may result.
Although there has been a growing understanding that gambling addiction is a behavioural disorder, little of this has been translated to sentencing; problem gambling is not considered to be a mitigating factor in sentencing in the way mental health problems or drug and alcohol addiction are.
Research suggests that, in spite of extremely high rates of gambling addiction among prisoners, prisons offer only limited treatment. There is evidence of resistance to undertaking treatment among prisoners.
Several of the studies reviewed agreed that a custodial sentence, especially when no treatment is available for gambling addiction, was not a cost-effective way of avoiding further harm to the individual or society once the sentence is completed.
A small number of specialised gambling courts have been established in the US, with the aim of ensuring that people with gambling addictions who are in trouble with the law receive appropriate treatment. There is limited data on the success or otherwise of these initiatives.
Research is needed into the potential effect of gambling addiction treatment on the rate of recidivism, as well as more general research on how best to help vulnerable populations avoid the criminal justice system.
The literature review was written by Sarah Ramanauskas, Senior Partner at Gambling Integrity, who sits on the Commission.
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Providerâs Playbook Football⢠title available to operatorâs players for the very first time, providing a persistent, gamified experience based around interaction, skill development and ownership
Bingoal has become the first operator in the Netherlands to launch Playbook Footballâ˘, the next-gen real-money virtual football management betting game from Playbook Fusion.
Bingoal is a dynamic Belgian gaming brand with over 30 years of expertise, bringing its trusted sportsbook and casino experience to players in the Netherlands
Playbook Football is a unique, real-money virtual football management betting game where players build teams, place bets, receive in-game rewards, climb divisions and compete on leaderboards.
Bingoal.nl players are the first in the Netherlands to enjoy this new concept across Casino and Sportsbook zones, with the operator benefitting from the tremendous engagement and retention stats already being generated by the game.
Steve Rogers, CEO/Founder at Playbook Fusion, said: âBingoal is a forward-looking operator that understands bettors are seeking next-gen experiences built around interaction, skill development and ownership.
âWe are thrilled to have launched Playbook Football⢠in the Netherlands with them and to be able to provide their players with this immersive experience.
Dany Salmon, Casino Product Manager at Bingoal, added: âWe are committed to bringing the new and exciting experiences to Bingoal players, and thatâs why we wanted to be the first to launch Playbook Football⢠in the Netherlands.
âThis is a unique concept that offers gamification and persistence that our bettors are seeking, and we are confident that it will resonate well with our player base across Sports and Casino verticalsâ.
The post Playbook Fusion debuts in the Netherlands with Bingoal appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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New Follow Player feature lets fans track their favourite footballers with real-time notifications
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Cristiano Ronaldo is most-followed globally of 590,000 players
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Expansion planned for basketball and hockey
Flashscore, the worldâs most popular live scores app, has released its Follow Player functionality, allowing users to get real-time updates on their favourite football stars.
After phenomenal demand among its 100 million-plus monthly users, Flashscore has added what it calls its âflagship app enhancement of 2025â.
Fans can add up to 100 favourite players to receive updates and notifications in the same way they do with teams. Notifications include information whether the player appears in the starting lineup, goals, substitutions, red cards and post-match player rating. Notifications including assists, yellow cards, missed penalties and transfers will be released in a forthcoming update, along with players from other sports including basketball and hockey.
Flashscore has also expanded the array of statistics available to fans to include player-focused data points, including expected goals (xG), passing accuracy and duels won.
Cristiano Ronaldo is fansâ favourite
Flashscoreâs database includes almost 590,000 players and 350,000 users have already selected at least one player to follow in the past month. Users follow an average of six players â meaning about 2 million favourites in the first month.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the most popular player globally is Cristiano Ronaldo, with the Portugal forward ahead of Argentinaâs Lionel Messi. Spain and Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal is third on the list, ahead of France and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe. Jude Bellingham is the most-followed England player in 10th place on the list, behind the likes of Neymar, Vinicius Jr and Robert Lewandowski.
Among UK users, the top four most popular players are the same, with Liverpoolâs Mo Salah in fifth and Chelseaâs Cole Palmer in sixth. New Liverpool signing Alexander Isak is seventh, ahead of Chelseaâs Joao Pedro in eighth and Liverpoolâs Florian Wirtz in ninth.
Flashscore is announcing the Follow Player feature ahead of tonightâs Legends Charity Game between Portugal Legends and World Legends in Lisbon. Flashscore is the official strategic partner of the match, which will feature former players, including Luis Figo, Kaka and Carles Puyol. Flashscore will provide users with real-time updates from the match, provided by Opta data from Stats Perform.
The match at Sportingâs EstĂĄdio JosĂŠ Alvalade has been organised by Sport Global with the aim of raising âŹ1m for charities and serves as a spectacular curtain-raiser for the SBC Summit iGaming conference.
TomĂĄĹĄ PondÄlĂk, Chief Product Officer at Flashscore, said: âThis is our flagship app enhancement of the year. Fandom is evolving and weâre seeing a significant shift from fans following only their favourite teams to a deeper interest in individual players. Our community has been asking for this feature for some time but we wanted to launch it at the right moment, when we had the strongest player data on the market and a clear understanding of what fans expect. Thatâs why we focused on delivering fast, non-intrusive notifications during live matches, without cluttering their feed.
âWe also know fans crave real insights, so weâre already working on adding more meaningful player data â from pre-match previews and live statistics to post-match ratings â giving them a richer understanding of performance. With Follow Player, fans can finally track their football heroes in real time, and this is just the beginning. Weâll be expanding to basketball and hockey later this year, alongside more notification types and new ways to explore upcoming fixtures.â
The post Flashscore unveils âflagship enhancement of 2025â with Follow Player feature appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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The iGaming landscape is undergoing a seismic shift, and ProgressPlay is about to raise the stakes with its industry-defining Sweepstakes Platform which is currently signing up partners. This isnât just another gaming solution, itâs a complete commercial ecosystem engineered to propel operators straight to the forefront of the booming sweepstakes market.
What truly sets ProgressPlay apart is its end-to-end turnkey solution. Localised hosting, seamless backend integration, and white-glove launch support combine to deliver what operators crave most: a market-ready, brand-ready sweepstakes operation that goes from contract to live in weeks rather than years.
Itâs this combination of speed, security, and commercial firepower that positions ProgressPlayâs solution as the new gold standard in sweepstakes gaming.
At the heart of this innovation lies ProgressPlayâs dual-currency engine, a masterstroke of player engagement that seamlessly blends entertainment with opportunity. Players revel in the thrill of Gold Coins for pure gameplay excitement, while Sweeps Coins (completely detached from purchases) unlock real, redeemable rewards.
This dynamic system operates within a technology powerhouse, featuring military-grade geolocation tracking and instant age verification that transforms regulatory hurdles into strategic advantages for global expansion.
The platformâs formidable content arsenal brings together the elite of iGaming providers such as BetSoft, Pragmatic Play, Spinomenal and many other top-tier providers, with fresh titles injected weekly to maintain relentless player excitement.
Behind the scenes, an intelligent wallet system works tirelessly, automatically navigating the complex waters of multi-currency compliance, geo-fenced prize redemption, and real-time fraud prevention with the precision of a Swiss timepiece.
For operators ready to stake their claim in this lucrative market, ProgressPlay will be showcasing its revolutionary platform at upcoming industry events, including SBC Summit 2025 in Lisbon this September on Stand B410.
Since 2012, ProgressPlay has been at the vanguard of iGaming innovation, powering over 250 operators worldwide with cutting-edge casino, sportsbook, bingo, and now sweepstakes solutions that redefine whatâs possible in the digital gaming space.
âThis launch represents far more than technological innovation,â declares ProgressPlay CEO Itai Lowenstein. âWeâre rewriting the rulebook on operator success in sweepstakes gaming. From content frameworks to our player retention architecture, weâre not just providing tools, weâre building long-term winning partnerships in this high-growth sector.â
The post ProgressPlayâs Breakthrough Sweepstakes Platform Ready to Launch appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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