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YGAM launch ‘Parent Hub’ as university research highlights loot box danger amongst children

Published

6 years ago

July 21, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes

National charity, YGAM has joined with research teams from Newcastle and Loughborough Universities to help parents and carers understand the danger of loot boxes, with one young respondent in the Economic and Social Research Council funded project confirming how he spent nearly £500 buying packs of random cards.

The expert insight and advice is being posted on YGAM’s new ‘Parent Hub’ website www.parents.ygam.org. The hub which has been developed thanks to funding received from Lottoland, GVC and Playtech, provides families with the resources, information and activities to help build digital resilience and safeguard children. ‘Parent Hub’ helps explain why children are drawn to purchase loot boxes, ranging from the surprise and suspense of opening a box and the desire to win something rare, to receiving specific items that deliver an in-game advantage or boost their social status.

The research covers the potential harm loot boxes can cause, such as young people’s exposure to and normalisation of gambling style systems, as well as the emotional and financial harm from repeat spending – with one young person telling researchers how he spent nearly £500 in a mobile card game by buying packs of random cards, playing for up to seven hours a day. The advice covers how parents can take important steps to safeguard children, including the use of parental controls and identifying potential signs of harm.

“For some children, the act of opening a loot box is as important as what it contains” explains Dr James Ash, Reader in Technology, Space and Society at Newcastle University, who is leading the research. “Feelings of surprise and suspense lead to the repeat purchase of loot boxes. But this is often short-lived.

“Children and young people have told us how they feel disappointment, frustration, anger, and regret at loot box purchases, yet they are still driven to purchase again. This is concerning, given the deliberate design of these mechanisms – the visual stimulus, the randomised contents, and the very unfavourable odds for unboxing rare items – which can lead to repeat loot box purchases.”

Amanda Atkinson, Head of Parental Engagement at YGAM said the research will help inform and develop the charity’s educational programmes so that all young and vulnerable people are safe from gaming and gambling related harms. She stated: “Certainly the enormous variety of games and in-app purchases that are available can make it confusing for parents to keep on top of safety controls. Through our educational resources, we are focused on providing crucial information to parents so they can identify changes in behaviours and understand the effects this may have on mental and financial wellbeing.”

In collaboration with GamCare, YGAM is delivering the UK’s ground-breaking National Gambling Education and Prevention Programme. Supported by members of the Betting and Gaming Council, the £10 million programme will reach over 3 million young people to raise awareness of the risks of potential gaming and gambling related harms.

aggregation

Peter & Sons signs Relum deal to widen distribution via aggregator

Published

22 minutes ago

May 5, 2026

Wladimir P.

peter-&-sons-signs-relum-deal-to-widen-distribution-via-aggregator

Peter & Sons has partnered with Relum to expand distribution for its slots portfolio through Relum’s aggregation platform.

Under the agreement, Peter & Sons’ games will be integrated into Relum’s ecosystem. Relum said its platform offers access to more than 20,000 games from over 360 providers and supports operator tools including jackpots, free spins and tournaments via a single API and unified back office.

Yann Bautista, Founder and Commercial Director at Peter & Sons, said: “Relum offers a highly flexible and well-structured platform that brings together content and engagement in a meaningful way. For us, it’s about placing our games in environments where they can perform and connect with players. This partnership gives us another strong route to market as we continue to expand our global footprint.”

Anna Kiselova, Head of International Relations at Relum, said: “We are excited to welcome Peter & Sons to our platform. Their games bring a distinctive artistic approach and engaging mechanics that complement the diversity of our aggregation offering. Together, we aim to provide operators with high-quality content that enhances player experience and drives performance across our network.”

The post Peter & Sons signs Relum deal to widen distribution via aggregator appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

bet365

Evoplay adds bet365 to its Brazil operator lineup

Published

22 minutes ago

May 5, 2026

Wladimir P.

evoplay-adds-bet365-to-its-brazil-operator-lineup

Evoplay has signed a distribution deal with bet365 to launch a selection of its casino titles on the operator’s Brazilian platform.

The rollout begins with titles including Hot Triple Sevens and Temple of Thunder II Bonus Buy, with more games planned to follow.

Alex Malchenko, Head of Sales at Evoplay, said: “Partnering with bet365 represents an important milestone for Evoplay as we continue to expand our Latin American presence and build our network of global operator brands. Brazil is a market with huge potential, and we’re excited to bring a selection of our best-performing titles to its players.

“Our focus remains on supporting operators with content that not only meets regulatory standards but also delivers strong player engagement, and this collaboration is a testament to that approach.”

A spokesperson at bet365 added: “We are pleased to partner with Evoplay as we continue to enhance our offering in Brazil. Their portfolio of localised games aligns well with our commitment to provide high-quality gaming experiences to our customers.

“We look forward to rolling out additional titles in the near future as we strengthen our collaboration with the supplier in this key market.”

The post Evoplay adds bet365 to its Brazil operator lineup appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

casino aggregation

Hub88 adds ‘My Products’ dashboard to HubConnect Operator Zone

Published

22 minutes ago

May 5, 2026

Wladimir P.

hub88-adds-‘my-products’-dashboard-to-hubconnect-operator-zone

Hub88 has launched My Products, a new feature inside its HubConnect Operator Zone aimed at simplifying how casino operators configure and activate their content portfolios.

The company said My Products provides a single dashboard where operators can view their product catalogue, track enablement status, configure preferences and bulk-enable games without leaving HubConnect.

For new title launches, Hub88 said partners can select one or more products, choose their preferred RTP and exposure settings, assign titles to brands or environments, and submit a single request. Requests are then routed automatically to technical teams with the required details, according to the company.

The feature also includes advanced filtering to view availability across brands and markets, and highlights contracted but inactive content to help operators identify portfolio gaps.

Ollie Castleman, Managing Director at Hub88, said: “As operators scale and build out richer lobbies, managing games can quickly become a complex and inefficient task.

“My Products gives our partners a faster and more intuitive way to take control of their content, from discovery through to activation, all within a single, streamlined experience. We are committed to delivering the most convenient and seamless platform for our partners, and this is just one of a number of upgrades we have planned for the year ahead.”

The post Hub88 adds ‘My Products’ dashboard to HubConnect Operator Zone appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.