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3 in 10 Brits Have Skipped a Shower or a Meal to Play Video Games in Lockdown
More Brits than ever played video games last year to beat the boredom of staying home, and our third lockdown in 2021 has seen the trend gain even more traction. With games being released on more platforms, and more genres than ever now is an excellent time to be a gamer!
Fresh Student Living took a deep dive into the gaming industry in the UK to see just what an impact Covid has had on gaming.
More than four in ten UK gamers say they’ve been gaming more during the COVID-19 outbreak (43%). Plus, UK gamers now make up over two thirds of the population (67%); six in ten of this group say they play mobile games (52%); a quarter PC games (25%); and three in ten console games (28%).
When the pandemic first put a stop to everyday life, the gaming world expanded with regular players putting in even more time, and new people joining the trend to connect with friends, kill time and indulge in much-needed escapism. As more people picked up controllers, the UK gaming population exploded by a whopping 63%! People reported feeling happier and calmer, with a higher sense of freedom, thanks to how immersive the best video games are.
The Average Gamer Spent the Equivalent of 39 Days Playing Last Year
Games like FIFA 21, Call of Duty, Animal Crossing and Last of Us were some of the most played games of 2020, with 3 in 10 people skipping showers and meals to play uninterrupted. Almost 6 in 10 Brits also admit to losing sleep due to gaming sessions.
Pre lockdown, the average gamer spent around 13 hours a week playing their favourites. This increased by 5 hours during lockdown with Brits spending 18 hours or more exploring new worlds online – that’s equivalent to 39 whole days spent gaming!
The average gamer usually sets aside a conservative 1-3 hours to play, but in the UK, at least 3% of the population confesses to playing for 15 hours or more in one sitting.
What Video Games is Everyone Playing?
Most Played Video Games of 2020 According to Units Sold
FIFA 21 dominated in 2020 as one of the most anticipated games in the UK, with around 14 games selling per second in the UK last year.
- FIFA 21 (2.18 million)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (1.4 million)
- Grand Theft Auto 5 (1.1 million)
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons (800,000)
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (660,000)
- The Last of Us Part II (530,000)
- NBA 2K20 (480,000)
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (430,000)
More Brits Are Hooked on Video Games
Lockdown has given us all more time to kill, and today the split between male and female video gamers is strictly 50-50. In the UK, 54% of men and women play a game most days, lowering stress and connecting with others being two of the primary motivators.
Multiplayer Games Keep us Connected
With time to kill and social distancing in effect for most of last year, multiplayer games’ popularity soared as more people jumped online to chat and connect. Even ex-gamers again picked up their controllers to join online communities playing games like Call of Duty, Animal Crossing or Fortnite.
Unsurprisingly, lockdown saw most Brits opt for action-packed and interactive genres, with most gamers choosing fighting, action and huge multiplayer Battle Royale games with lots of other players!
Most played genres in 2020
- Fighting – 81%
- Action – 79%
- Massively multiplayer online games – 78%
- Multiplayer online battle arena games – 75%
The Rise of Covideogamers in 2021
Lockdown has massively changed the gaming community across the world. In the UK, younger gamers spend loads of time playing while self-isolating and spend around two hours a month watching other people play online – a pastime that has increased since lockdown began.
The pandemic has also created a whole new subgenre of gamers known as Covideogamers, who exclusively started gaming during lockdown. Compared to 36% of existing gamers between the ages of 18 – 34, Covideogamers now make up 46% of the population in the same age group – 35% of these new gamers have also admitted it’s so relaxing and stress-relieving, they’re going to start playing more, long after lockdown ends!
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Betnacional
Brazil: Betting pressures household budgets and reshapes the competition for consumer spending
As the industry prepares for BiS SiGMA South America 2026, the largest and most influential iGaming event in Latin America, real market data begins to reveal a profound transformation in the behavior of the Brazilian consumer.
It is no longer just about “betting volume”, but about a reconfiguration of the Share of Wallet (participation in household spending).
The unprecedented study “Bets na Mesa, Consumo em Jogo”, carried out by NielsenIQ Brazil, sheds light on a reality that will be the center of technical debates at the Transamerica Expo Center: in 2025, 26.3% of Brazilian households participated in some form of betting.
This figure is not just a number; it is the reflection of a “new parallel shopper journey” that is capturing the attention and income of the population.
Radiography of Consumption: Who and what is being bet?
The Brazilian market in 2026 shows a clear fragmentation.
Despite the explosion of digital platforms, traditional modalities maintain notable resilience, creating a hybrid ecosystem between analog and digital.
Dominant Modalities
According to the NielsenIQ study, preferences are distributed as follows:
• Mega-Sena: 15.8% of households.
• Video Slots (such as the “Jogo do Tigrinho”): 7.7%.
• Jogo do Bicho: 3.9%.
• Sports Betting (Bets): 3.6%.
Socioeconomic and generational profiles in Brazil
The study reveals that bettors are not a homogeneous group. There is a marked division by Socioeconomic Level (SEL) and age:
• The Slots phenomenon: The “Jogo do Tigrinho” concentrates bettors from middle SEL (63.3%) and a notably young audience, with 42.4% of bettors up to 35 years old.
• The maturity of Mega-Sena: It predominates in high SEL (45.5%) and in a more mature profile, where 49.1% are over 51 years old.
As Gabriel Fagundes, Insights Leader for the Industry at NielsenIQ, points out: “We had already identified that betting became a popular and common practice in the routine of the Brazilian consumer.”
“Now, the numbers also point to the dimension that this practice is taking within household expenses and in the income of bettors.”
The Economic Motivation: Extra Income or Entertainment?
One of the most critical points for operators that will meet at BiS SiGMA is to understand the “why” behind betting.
The data from 2026 shows a diffuse frontier between gambling as leisure and gambling as economic hope.
For 49% of bettors, the main motivation is to obtain extra income, while 43.5% expect a “radical change of life”.
This second profile is more common in casual Mega-Sena players.
Classification by Intensity
The market is divided into three levels of commitment:
- Casual (73%): They play at least once a month.
- “Pro” (28%): They bet once a week. From this group, 65.8% seek extra income.
- “Elite” (9.3%): They bet weekly and spend more than R$ 100 per month.
This “gaming intensity” is, according to the study, the real driver of the economic impact on households, especially in the Northeast regions (29% penetration) and South (28.3%).
The Impact on Retail and the Consumption Basket
For the iGaming industry, understanding which expenses are being substituted is vital for sustainability and social responsibility.
The study reveals that only 10% of households admit substituting expenses directly for betting, but the affected categories are alarming.
Affected Categories
Among those who substitute expenses:
• Food: 47% of the cases.
• Fixed bills (water, electricity, internet): 45.3%.
• Beer: It is the category with the greatest retraction, registering a drop of 1.7 percentage points in the participation of spending.
• Cookies, perfumes and soft drinks: They also present negative impacts.
The main strategy of the consumer to accommodate spending on betting has been to reduce the quantity of items purchased; in fact, 60% of the consumption categories registered a decrease in the volume acquired in 2025.
Strategic Challenges for the Legal Market in 2026
The NielsenIQ data presents a direct challenge for brands and operators that seek to consolidate themselves in “Legal Brazil”.
The pressure on the domestic budget forces manufacturers of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and betting operators to compete for the same currency.
“Betting is a new competitor in the consumer’s Share of Wallet.
This pressures manufacturers to act with more precision in communication, price and activation to recover relevance in front of this new competitor: the habit of betting itself.”
Towards BiS SiGMA 2026
As we approach the largest event in the region, this study serves as a warning and an opportunity. The Brazilian market of 2026 is mature, but it is under intense social scrutiny due to the impact on low-income families.
Operators that wish to have long-term success must:
- Differentiate the profiles: It is not possible to treat the young middle SEL slot player the same as the high SEL Mega-Sena bettor.
- Promote Responsible Gaming: The substitution of food and fixed bills for betting is a regulatory “red flag” that could tighten laws in the near future.
- Regional Innovation: The Northeast and the South are the markets with the highest intensity, requiring more aggressive localization strategies.
BiS SiGMA South America will be the perfect stage to discuss how the industry can grow without compromising the economic stability of Brazilian households, ensuring that iGaming is seen as entertainment and not as an unsustainable financial burden.

Superscore consolidates in Brazil and launches weekly analysis for the press.
The platform offers statistical analysis of the Brazilian Championship and of the main national and international championships, such as the Copa Libertadores, the World Cup and the Champions League, among others, with metrics that go beyond goals and assists for fans and sports experts.
Superscore Insights is the new newsletter for the press, with a weekly publication and another analysis of the latest news.
Superscore, a sports intelligence application associated with Superbet, advances and consolidates itself in Brazil as a strategic platform to transform data into reliable information for football fans in real time and without advertising.
With its own methodology, the solution establishes itself as a reference among sports fans, bringing together advanced statistics, rankings and in-depth analysis of the main tournaments, players and coaches in the country.
Now, the platform takes a new step with the launch of Superscore Insights, expanding its collaboration with the press by offering even more solid analysis, contextualized data and specialized support for sports coverage.
On Mondays, journalists will receive an exclusive bulletin with deep and original analysis of the weekend matches, a specialized analysis of the most important events of the day, as well as predictions and statistics of upcoming events.
With global coverage, Superscore already gathers more than 1,900 competitions, 63,000 teams and more than 480,000 monitored players, offering a solid base for historical and real-time analysis.
The data from Superscore comes from leading partners worldwide in the collection and distribution of sports data, the same ones used by Superbet and the main companies in the sector.
These providers offer high precision, low latency and comprehensive coverage of competitions worldwide.
“Superscore was born as a free sports intelligence application, without advertising, that goes beyond the basics by offering a wide database and statistics for those who want to understand the game in depth.
In just one year, it has already achieved thousands of users and grows approximately 30% monthly, climbing positions in the Google Play ranking.”
“The platform offers a solid experience for both fans and professionals, in addition to facilitating more informed decisions in sports betting, thus reinforcing the commitment to responsible gaming,” states Patrícia Prates, Marketing Director of Superbet and of the alliance with Superscore.
Superscore: Exclusive data and decades of history
In a context where sports coverage increasingly requires qualified data and contextualization, Superscore distinguishes itself by going beyond traditional indicators, incorporating metrics such as accurate shots, passes in the offensive third, tackles, recoveries, participation in decisive plays and time on the field, among other indicators.
These data are translated into the Superscore Score, a proprietary index that allows building Top 5 or Top 10 rankings of the best players of each round, with graphical visualizations and quick analysis.
Another differentiating factor is the expanded historical database, which gathers information from the Brazilian Championship since 1937, the Copa Libertadores since 1960 and the Champions League since 1992, which allows comparative analysis and identifying patterns over decades.
“We are talking about a platform built on a solid technological base, which combines a large volume of unique data, history and a team prepared to transform this information into relevant content for football fans.
Superscore organizes and translates these data so that they can also be used in sports coverage,” states Guilherme Simantob, director of Superscore in Brazil.
Superscore offers free and integrable widgets for the press and content creators, facilitating the incorporation of statistics, graphics and comparisons directly into articles, enriching journalistic narrative with reliable and visually accessible data.
The app is available in the App Store and Google Play.

Reevo arrives in Brazil with Betsson
Reevo has expanded its presence in Latin America after launching its aggregation platform and its own games catalog in Brazil in collaboration with Betsson.
The integration, carried out through a single connection, allows the operator to expand its content offering with Reevo’s own titles and third-party titles.
The movement reinforces the alliance between both companies and is part of a growth strategy in regulated markets, especially Brazil, considered one of the most promising in the region after regulatory advances.
From Betsson, Andrea Rossi highlighted the impact of the agreement by stating that the incorporation of Reevo’s content “expands the entertainment offer available for our players in one of the fastest-growing markets in the region.”
Additionally, both companies anticipated new joint expansions in other markets, after a recent launch also in Mexico.
Reevo continues to bet on its aggregation model as a way to facilitate access to multiple studios through a single integration, while expanding its global distribution network.
BTG launches prediction platform and increases the dispute between banks, stock exchange and betting
The launch of BTG Trends by BTG Pactual marks a new chapter in the growth of prediction markets in Brazil, intensifying competition between banks, the stock exchange and the betting sector.
This new platform allows investors to operate binary contracts (“yes” or “no”) based on probabilities about financial events, such as the dollar, the Ibovespa or interest rate decisions, using already regulated derivative instruments.
The movement is not isolated. The Brazilian stock exchange (B3) also advances in this direction, with the development of financial event contracts and digital derivatives, although restricted to professional investors.
At the same time, the platform XP established a partnership with Kalshi, facilitating access for Brazilian investors to international predictive markets, while new startups such as VoxFi explore broader applications, including geopolitics and culture.
At a global level, these markets have gained relevance and volume, driven by platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi.
However, their regulation continues to be a subject under debate. In the United States, the CFTC considers these contracts as financial derivatives, although discussions still exist about limits and risks, especially in sensitive events.
In Brazil, authorities, including the CVM and the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting, are already analyzing how to frame these activities from a regulatory point of view, especially when they overlap with sports events.
The advance of these products has also generated reaction from the betting sector.
The Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming (IBJR) maintains that, when there is money involved in uncertain events, it is essentially betting, regardless of the format, and warns about risks such as unfair competition and lower consumer protection if they operate outside the regulated framework.
The main difference between betting and prediction markets lies in their structure: in betting, the user plays against the house, while in prediction markets prices are formed among participants and reflect collective probabilities.
Even so, the boundary between both models remains diffuse.
With banks, stock exchange and new platforms advancing simultaneously, prediction markets stop being an emerging trend and become a new field of dispute within the financial system.
The regulatory framework is still under construction, and the evolution of the sector will depend on how the limits between investment and betting are defined as these products scale.
The post Brazil: Betting pressures household budgets and reshapes the competition for consumer spending appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Casino Guru
Casino Guru Awards partner with Ethical Gambling Forum to champion transparency and player protection
Casino Guru is excited to announce a strategic collaboration with the Ethical Gambling Forum (EGF), a leading industry event focused on responsible gambling, sustainability, and ethical business practices. This partnership represents a major step forward in promoting ethics, transparency, and player protection across the iGaming sector.
As part of the initiative, the Casino Guru Awards will take a prominent role during the upcoming EGF conference, bringing the awards process directly into a space where industry stakeholders are united in their commitment to raising standards and safeguarding players.
From April 30 to May 1, Casino Guru will host an exclusive judges’ session during the conference week. This hands-on gathering will allow the Awards jury to actively review shortlisted nominees, conducting direct calls with candidates to gain deeper insight into their operations, values, and dedication to responsible gambling. This approach ensures that the Awards remain rigorous, transparent, and merit-based.
Additionally, Casino Guru will lead a panel discussion at the conference, featuring Awards judges and industry experts. The session will explore the significance of independent evaluation, ethical standards in iGaming, and how initiatives like the Casino Guru Awards contribute to a safer, more transparent gambling environment.
Daniela Sliva, PR & Creative Projects Director at Casino Guru, said:
“This partnership with the Ethical Gambling Forum is a natural fit. We share core values around ethics, transparency, responsible gambling, and player protection. By enabling judges to engage directly with shortlisted candidates, we add an extra layer of integrity and depth to the evaluation process, which truly sets the Casino Guru Awards apart.”
Jo Abergel, Co-Founder of the Ethical Gambling Forum, added:
“Partnering with Casino Guru for the Leeds event reinforces the message that accountability must be at the heart of our industry’s future. Together, we are creating a space for honest dialogue and meaningful progress, celebrating those who lead by example in player protection and industry integrity.”
This collaboration underscores the shared mission of Casino Guru and EGF: to elevate industry standards, support responsible operators, and recognize organizations that prioritize player well-being. By embedding the Awards judging process within the Ethical Gambling Forum, both organizations aim to foster transparency, encourage accountability, and celebrate ethical leadership in iGaming.
The post Casino Guru Awards partner with Ethical Gambling Forum to champion transparency and player protection appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Endorphina
NAZAR WISHES AWAIT YOUR COMMAND
Let your wishes guide you to fortune in Nazar Wishes, the latest visually stunning and immersive online slot from Endorphina.
Players are invited on a mystical journey through an Arabian fantasy world, traveling by camel along a desert path toward a radiant temple brimming with treasures. This enchanting adventure features a 5-reel, 3-row layout with 20 fixed paylines, an RTP of 96.07%, and high volatility, promising thrilling gameplay with every spin.
Along the way, players are guarded by the Nazar Wishes amulet, a symbol of good luck bestowed by friendly genies. This mystical talisman protects against Nazar, the ‘evil eye’, who seeks to claim the prizes for himself.
Why Nazar Wishes Stands Out
Endorphina’s latest release adds a touch of magic to its growing slot portfolio. Players can summon colorful enchantments through Lucky Time Features and Hold & Win Bonus Games, triggered with the help of sacred lamp spirits.
The game also includes a Pick Me Bonus Game with Min, Mid, Max, and Ultra jackpots, offering rewards of up to 1,000x the total bet.
Built for seamless play across desktop, tablet, and mobile, Nazar Wishes delivers fast-loading, flawless performance, allowing players to enjoy their mystical adventure anytime, anywhere.
Double Your Wins with 10 Risk Attempts
Endorphina’s classic Risk Game returns, giving players up to 10 chances to double their winnings, adding extra excitement to each session.
With its enchanting Arabian theme, magical bonus mechanics, and smooth gameplay, Nazar Wishes promises a captivating journey for players seeking high-quality, immersive entertainment.
The post NAZAR WISHES AWAIT YOUR COMMAND appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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