Latest News
Monzo and TrueLayer team up to protect vulnerable customers
We’re running a joint pilot to create an open banking powered gambling block
Monzo was the first bank to introduce a Gambling Block in 2018, following demand from customers who wanted help controlling their gambling addictions. Over 275,000 Monzo customers have chosen to activate the Monzo Gambling Block and less than 10% have ever switched it off permanently.
The Gambling Block is a completely optional tool that blocks card payments to gambling firms. Customers can apply to their Monzo account themselves in the app or by speaking to a member of Monzo’s customer services team.
However, with more and more gambling providers switching to convenient, open banking powered payments, Monzo and TrueLayer have teamed up to offer the same protections for customers using these new payment methods to gamble. This pilot means that Monzo customers will be able to benefit from an extended gambling block that prevents card transactions and open banking powered payments to operators supported by TrueLayer.
We believe that banks like Monzo and open banking providers like TrueLayer have an important role to play in offering customers greater control over how they spend their money.
How it works
Right now, Monzo customers can request to block transactions made to gambling providers, from their account. To remove the block, a customer who has opted out will need to speak to Monzo’s customer support team and wait 48 hours to switch off the feature.
Most of the gambling blocks currently on the market today work by blocking card payments to specific ‘merchant category codes’, assigned by card schemes (like Mastercard or Visa). These codes let the bank know what type of business their customer is trying to pay, before they send their money. However, these merchant category codes are only available for card payments – not open banking powered payments. As more and more consumers switch to these new, convenient methods, we need to act to make sure they could access the same protections.
Now, TrueLayer will automatically let Monzo know, via an enhanced API call, any time their customer attempts an open banking payment to a gambling firm specifically. This additional data access enables Monzo to prevent the payment on the customers’ behalf if they have their gambling block activated.
This is a relatively straightforward change that Monzo and TrueLayer engineers were able to build in a few days. However it could make a huge difference for those struggling with gambling addiction.
What it means for the future of the industry
Every consumer should have access to a gambling block, regardless of who they bank with – or how they pay.
This is relatively simple for banks and open banking providers to put in place, but can have a big impact on someone’s well being. Other banks and open banking providers should follow our lead, to allow gambling blocks to cover non-card payments.
Providing customers with self exclusion tools for gambling is only the beginning, and there’s so much more that can be done.
Open banking providers offer a unique opportunity to help gambling operators seamlessly support those experiencing gambling harms – and empower consumers to stay in control of their finances. Initiatives like affordability checks to flag at-risk players earlier, spending limits to help ensure players do not overextend themselves, and friction free identity checks can all be improved using open banking.
By enabling the right types of protections for all players, gambling can remain a purely social activity, rather than one with life-altering negative effects.
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Bet builder
GG.BET launches Bet Builder for a new way to bet
Reading Time: < 1 minute
Customers can now use Bet Builder, a format that lets them build their own set of markets on one match into a single bet with higher odds. Bet Builder is available for both esports and sports events. You can try out the new feature with a deposit bonus of up to 150% and a free bet worth up to $50.
Customers can now place a combined bet on a single match by picking various options for how events in the match will play out. For example, in CS2, customers can choose which team will win on a specific map, how many kills a specific player will rack up, how many rounds will be played on a single map, and so on.
To place a Bet Builder bet, pick an event that hasn’t started yet, press the ‘Bet Builder’ button, put together your selection of markets from those available, get higher combo odds, and finish placing the bet in one click. At this initial stage, GG.BET is offering Bet Builder on football, basketball, hockey, CS2, Dota 2, LoL, and VALORANT, with more sports and disciplines to be added down the line.
“GG.BET has always been known for embracing unconventional markets and elaborate betting options. Bet Builder is there to meet customer demand for more interesting formats in a single match. The ability to make predictions right down to a specific round and any other tiny detail of a match is what gives users variety and improves their skills,” the GG.BET press office explained.
GG.BET is offering customers the opportunity to test out the Bet Builder format with a deposit bonus of up to 150% and a free bet of up to $50.
The post GG.BET launches Bet Builder for a new way to bet appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Battle of the Tribes
POLYTOPIA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2025 BREAKS RECORD PARTICIPATION AS FINALS DRAW CLOSER
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Celebrated strategy game The Battle of Polytopia confirms its first ever World Championships has exceeded expectations with over 10,000 sign-ups in its qualifying rounds. While no stranger to tournaments, previously hosting smaller scale, local tournaments called ‘Polysseums’, developer Midjiwan’s first step into global esports has been met with extreme success. The inclusive esports event has a $10,000 prize pool and will conclude on 6 December 2025, 14:00-21:00.
The finals will take place in front of a live-studio audience, with expert commentary and a chance to peek behind the scenes at Midjiwan itself. First place will receive $4,000, the runner-up will take away $2,000, the third and fourth place finishers will get $1,500, and the fifth and sixth place $500.
The Polytopia World Championship 2025 is being hosted by eSports platform, Challengermode, who Midjiwan has relied on for its monthly local tournaments since 2022. Midjiwan also partnered with Black Molly Entertainment to help organise and manage the event. Black Molly Entertainment have years of experience managing eSports tournaments, with notable events including the Geoguesser World Cup and CS:GO Pinnacle Cup Championship.
Midjiwan has worked closely with its community to ensure engagement is high with each round, building a bespoke ‘Spectator Mode’ into the game so fans can watch each game live through the game itself. In the spectator mode the viewer has visibility of all players simultaneously, with stats on how many cities, technologies, kills and more available for quick access.
Christian Lovstedt, CEO of Midjiwan commented:
“Polytopia has always been about welcoming all kinds of players into the world of 4X strategy. That’s why our championship is open to everyone – not just pros with sponsors. We’ve been thrilled at the amount of interest this tournament received from our community, reaching participation numbers way beyond our expectations. We’re excited to bring the finalists to Stockholm and can’t wait to see the strategies that emerge.”
The Polytopia World Championship 2025 kicked off in September, with its ‘Battle of the Tribes’ qualifying round – weekly battles where players competed to be the best in each of the game’s 12 tribes. After an exciting six weeks, the top player from each tribe faced-off, reducing the qualifiers to six finalists. These six winners are listed down below.
|
Tribe |
Qualifying Player |
|
IMPERIUS |
ArthurL248 |
|
BARDUR |
slimmingboy |
|
OUMAJI |
Dreamlander3000 |
|
HOODRICK |
Theetat |
|
XIN-Xi |
LeLiberateur |
|
LUXIDOOR |
Meisterlampe |
Recaps of each round of the tournament prior to the finals can be watched on the official Battle of Polytopia YouTube channel.
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Part 1: Polytopia World Championship 1st Qualifiers Wrap-Up – BARDUR, IMPERIUS, KICKOO, ZEBASI
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Part 2: Qualifiers Wrap-Up – Oumaji Hoodrick Yadakk & Quetzali – World Champoinship 2025
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Part 3: Final Qualifiers Wrap-Up – Xin-Xi, Luxidoor, Ai-Mo & Vengir – World Championship 2025
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Face-off stream: https://youtube.com/live/GnU6mWPoJiY?feature=share
To watch the finals live on December 6,visit here: https://polytopia.io/stream/
To stay up to date on the Polytopia World Championship 2025, or purchase one of the limited tickets for the live event, visit the official website or join the Official Polytopia Discord.
The post POLYTOPIA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2025 BREAKS RECORD PARTICIPATION AS FINALS DRAW CLOSER appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Latest News
Second Prize Drop of N1 Puzzle Promo: Top Affiliates Score Porsche, Cartier, Leica & Apple for Driving High-Quality Traffic
N1 Partners is wrapping up the second lottery of the N1 Puzzle Promo! From September 1 to November 30, partners were actively collecting puzzle pieces for FTDs and climbing the rankings to secure their place among the winners.
A notable trend this season: the Top-5 leaders by traffic and collected puzzles differ from the main leaderboard. This means some partners slowed down, while others pushed harder — and now have every chance to boost their position in the overall standings by the end of the promo.
Five luxury prizes will be awarded to partners with consistently strong performance who entered the Top-5 by puzzle count during the second mini-lottery period.
Which prizes did the leaders receive?
1st place — MacBook Pro
C*** *****h
2nd place — Porsche eBike Sport
A***********t
3rd place — Cartier Santos Medium watch
T****** ****d
4th place — Leica Q2 camera
P******k
5th place — Apple Vision Pro
S** ****s
“The promo is entering its final stretch — a crucial checkpoint for the entire N1 Puzzle Promo, where the fate of the leaderboard may be decided,” notes Alexa Bond, Head of Affiliates at N1 Partners. “With one month left until the end, even those who joined later still have a chance to make a breakthrough, while the leaders can strengthen their positions and widen the gap. N1 Puzzle Promo isn’t about luck — it’s about consistent work and mutual trust between partners and the affiliate program.”
The Grand Finale in Barcelona Is Getting Closer
The race continues: the more puzzle pieces collected throughout the promo, the higher the ranking — and the greater the chance to fly out of Barcelona in your very own helicopter!
On January 20, 2026, in Barcelona, during iGB Affiliate and ICE, N1 Partners will host the final N1 Puzzle Promo party, where winners will receive exclusive gifts — and the grand prize: a Robinson R22 Beta II helicopter.
Guests of the event can also expect:
- Exclusive prize ceremony;
- Live performance by top artists and the evening’s headliner (announcement coming soon)!
- Activities and surprises from the N1 Partners team;
Still Not Too Late to Join
N1 Puzzle Promo runs until December 31, 2025, and partners still have time to collect puzzle pieces, climb the leaderboard, and compete for the grand prize and additional rewards. Traffic from Tier-1 GEOs counts toward the ranking, and only registered N1 Partners partners can participate.
All details and registration are available at: https://n1.partners/puzzle_promo
There’s still time! Collect your puzzle pieces, level up in the leaderboard — and your team might be the one taking home the Robinson R22 Beta II right off the stage in Barcelona!
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