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BGC spokesperson Wes Himes shares insights on the gambling industry under the current national lockdown in exclusive interview with Online Bingo

Published

5 years ago

January 25, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Wes Himes at the BGC praises the success of the measures ensuring gambling remains safe and responsible, throughout this lockdown and beyond.

Bingo comparison site Online Bingo releases exclusive interview with Wes Himes of the BGC
Himes speaks of the successes of the BGC regarding its safer gambling tools
He asserts that casino venues were safe for reopening during the tier system put in place late last year
The BCG will continue to work with the government to ensure that land-based venues can reopen when possible
Himes expresses confidence in the regulations venues have in place to protect players from over gambling during the pandemic

In a two part series, Hannah Timoney of Online Bingo interviewed Wes Himes, Executive Director of Standards and Innovation of the BGC, to discuss the successes of the BGC and its continued mission to raise awareness for gambling harm.

In the first of the two interviews, https://onlinebingo.co.uk/news/interview-with-wes-himes-bgc, Himes discussed the success of the BGC since its foundation, and how the aims of the standards body have changed since the effects of coronavirus and lockdown shook the industry.

He talked about the BGC’s “extraordinarily positive feedback” over the year and praised the BGC’s implementation of new safer gambling tools, such as the whistle-to-whistle ban and the ad-tech code which increased the sensitivity level for access to age-related products on social media. He also hints that “there will be a number of other measures coming out around bonuses”, though did not share what that could entail.

The second interview focused on the national lockdowns. https://onlinebingo.co.uk/news/interview-with-wes-himes-part-2 Most notably, Himes spoke on the BGC’s call for land-based casinos to reopen during the tier system late last year, which he justified by insisting that casinos had “invested a tremendous amount of time and resources” into putting precautionary measures in place which were sufficient enough to mitigate infection risks.

He assures us these measures will continue if and when land-based venues are allowed to reopen, which he is eager to happen, saying “We are committed to continuing to explore with the government, as and when the time comes, what we can do to ensure that those premises can open.“

He went on to express confidence in the regulations venues have in place to protect players from over gambling, whether that behaviour is caused by the stresses of the pandemic or not. He says “these are the types of measures that we continue to raise standards on, these do help provide a very safe environment of play to the customers.”

Editor of Online Bingo, Max Wright, says “We’re thrilled to be able to speak to important members of the industry like Wes, and offer our readers some deeper context into issues like tackling problem gambling and improving legislation, which can sometimes be portrayed in an entirely negative light by the wider media.”

Online Bingo will continue to provide our audience of bingo and slots fans with informed insights from important gambling industry figureheads in order to shine a light on the decision making that affects gameplay and protects players from harm.

AB Trav och Galopp

Richard Woodbridge Elected to ATG Board of Directors

Published

23 minutes ago

May 11, 2026

Wladimir P.

richard-woodbridge-elected-to-atg-board-of-directors

At the Annual General Meeting of AB Trav och Galopp (ATG) on Thursday, May 7, 2026, Richard Woodbridge, CEO of Scandinavian Heritage AB, was elected as a new independent member of ATG’s board. He succeeds Mårten Forste, who left the board at the end of 2025.

“We welcome Richard to ATG’s board. His solid experience from the gaming market will add significant value to the board’s work,” said Peter Norman, chairman of ATG.

“I am pleased and grateful for the trust in me to take a seat on ATG’s board. ATG is a very strong company and brand with an important role in both gaming and horse racing, and I look forward to future collaboration with the rest of the board,” said Richard Woodbridge.

The Nomination Committee’s proposal for re-election of other board members was approved by the meeting.

ATG’s board thus consists of:

• Peter Norman (Chairman, independent)

• Boris Lennerhov (Vice Chairman, trotting representative)

• Katarina G. Bonde (Board member, independent)

• Marie Osberg (Board member, independent)

• Richard Woodbridge (Board member, independent)

• Marie Thelander Dellhag (Board member, trotting representative)

• Anders Lilius (Board member, galloping representative)

Employee representatives on the board:

• Björn Haglund (Board member, employee representative)

• Camilla Hasselström (Board member, employee representative)

• Alternates: Gustav Enström and Leo Wilson, both employee representatives.

The post Richard Woodbridge Elected to ATG Board of Directors appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

affiliate marketing

ReferOn completes management buyout as Alex Bukin becomes CEO

Published

23 minutes ago

May 11, 2026

Wladimir P.

referon-completes-management-buyout-as-alex-bukin-becomes-ceo

ReferOn has completed a management buyout, with former General Manager Alex Bukin acquiring the iGaming affiliate management platform and taking over as Chief Executive Officer.

Bukin said the deal is intended to support longer-term product and market plans: “This is an important moment for ReferOn and the beginning of a new chapter for the business. The management buyout provides us with the long-term focus required to continually advance the platform. We remain committed to product development, strengthening our offerings for partners, and supporting ReferOn’s continued growth across key markets.”

ReferOn reported that in its first 12 months post-launch it recorded 35.7 million clicks, 2.4 million registrations, 18,000 affiliates, and 136,000 active trackers. The company also said it was named “Best Affiliate Platform” in 2025 and 2026 by industry stakeholders.

The company said the ownership change will not affect day-to-day operations and that existing support and partnerships will continue. It also pointed to recent product updates including Refie, described as a built-in interface layer, alongside features such as dynamic reporting, Company Grouping, Sub-Affiliation, Independent Deal Calculation (IDC), two-factor authentication (2FA), and mobile optimization.

As part of the transition, ReferOn said its leadership team remains in place, with Vlad Bondarenko moving from Head of Product to Chief Product Officer and David Harris moving from Operations Lead to Chief Operations Officer.

The post ReferOn completes management buyout as Alex Bukin becomes CEO appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

ELA Games

ELA Games’ Joker Winpot shortlisted for Game of the Year at SBC Awards Americas

Published

23 minutes ago

May 11, 2026

Wladimir P.

ela-games’-joker-winpot-shortlisted-for-game-of-the-year-at-sbc-awards-americas

ELA Games said its slot title Joker Winpot has been shortlisted for “Game of the Year” at the 2026 SBC Awards Americas, with winners set to be revealed on June 10, 2026 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The company described Joker Winpot as a consistent performer in its portfolio, combining a dark, character-driven theme with a 1×1 grid format.

ELA Games said the title’s core differentiator is its proprietary Winpot mechanic, a progression-based feature built around player choice. As rewards build inside the Winpot, players can either cash out or keep spinning in pursuit of higher payouts.

The 2026 SBC Awards Americas ceremony will take place at the Broward County Convention Center. Organizers expect around 600 industry professionals, with the awards running alongside SBC Summit Americas from June 9–11.

The post ELA Games’ Joker Winpot shortlisted for Game of the Year at SBC Awards Americas appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.