Latest News

Emotions test reveals: The online purchases making us 67% happier!

Published

4 years ago

March 24, 2021

George Miller

Reading Time: 4 minutes

On average, online purchases are found to raise our positive feelings by 56%
Participants reported the biggest increase in happiness when purchasing houseplants – positive emotions soared by 67%
Gaming console purchases saw the second highest increase in positive feelings (+66%)
Trainers and fiction books are also among the purchases raising positive emotions most
Holidays abroad came in last; participants noted high levels of excitement but also reported an increase in concern due to its uncertainty

Thanks to ‘doom shopping’, it was revealed that the UK spends three times more when online shopping compared to the global average, costing the average person a whooping £1,382 per year! Clearly these purchases keep us coming back for more, but how do we enjoy splashing our cash the most?
Interested in online shopping, money.co.uk conducted an emotions test among 2,560 participants to discover which online purchases bring us the most joy!

Participants were asked to complete a variation* of the BMIS test (Brief Mood Intensity Scale) and record the intensity of 10 different emotions after making an online purchase. The intensity of each emotion was allocated a score based on its positivity, with a maximum score of 500 points per item – the higher the score, the better. Participants were also asked to complete the same test before making any purchases to uncover the percentage increase in positive emotions when shopping.

Which online purchases make us happiest?

Money.co.uk can reveal that a houseplant purchase increases our intensity of positive emotions more than any other transaction!
Collecting 478 points out of a potential 500, moods improved by 67% after making a plant purchase. Plants are proven to invoke feelings of vitality by improving the state of mind and lifting spirits – no wonder it scores highly!
With the PS5 still proving hard to get, purchasing a gaming console is the second online transaction that makes us happiest.

European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

As many gamers are left on the edge of their seats waiting to snatch the latest console, it accumulated 475 points out of 500, and purchasing a console was found to raise positive feelings by 66% on average.
In third position are trainer purchases. With the demand for sneakers like Jordan 1s only increasing, those who purchased new trainers reported a 64% increase in happiness, and purchases racked up 472 points.
With bookworms reported to be happier than those who don’t read, the transaction that makes us fourth happiest is a fiction book, improving positive emotions by 64% and collecting 470 points.
Due to the huge surge in personal fitness and wellbeing during lockdown, home gym equipment purchases are found to make us fifth happiest! This transaction led to a 63% increase in positive emotions and scored a healthy 468 points.

To complete the top 10 purchases that increase our intensity of positive emotions:
6. Video game: 466 points, +62%
7. Eyeshadow palette: 465 points, +62%
8. Scented candle: 463 points, +61%
9. Exercise clothing: 461 points, +61%
10. Fashion jewellery: 459, +60%

Coming in last is a holiday abroad with 393 points out of 500 (+37%). Those who plan on jet-setting this year reported high levels of excitement and happiness but were pushed down the table as feelings of worry and nerves due to its current uncertainty.
Interested in the reasons behind our vast improvement in positive feelings, money.co.uk spoke exclusively to Lee Chambers, psychologist and wellbeing consultant, to uncover why shopping makes us happy.
“Online shopping has the ability to make us happy through several different mechanisms. Firstly, even in a world of plenty, we are still evolutionarily designed to consider scarcity. Because of this, acquiring new items, especially when discounted or limited, tends to make us happy, the feeling we have satisfied a need and potentially averted a future threat.

Shopping is also an exercise in control. We select from millions of items precisely what we want, and especially in the uncertain times we live in, we know we will get exactly what we have purchased, and it will be delivered straight to us. This control of selection and guarantee of receipt is powerful, as it becomes a defined event. We also build a level of expectation and anticipation from the moment we press the purchase button, as we believe we now have ownership over the item but have a delay until it is with us physically.

From a cultural perspective, we have been conditioned to see shopping as a reward, either an investment in ourselves or for the satisfaction of others. Shopping is likely to activate the nucleus accumbens in our brain, releasing dopamine and motivating us to repeat the behaviour. Buying printed media taps into our desire to better ourselves, gain knowledge, understand the world around us and provide stories and entertainment that can take us on a journey. And let’s not forget how lovely they look on your bookshelf on a video call, as books have become a decorative symbol over the past year.

And why do we keep buying? Our brain is adaptive, and shopping can relieve stress, provide entertainment when bored and give us a hit of dopamine. The rewarding feeling will keep us finding new things to purchase, especially since our excitement and anticipation fade once we’ve received the item.”

Catherine Hilley, mobiles expert at money.co.uk, said: “Our research reveals how small purchases can increase customers’ emotions in a positive way, something we all need after the past 12 months. With an average 63% increase in positive emotions noted across all top 10 purchases, it seems that shopping online for items such as houseplants, trainers and candles are sparking a lot more joy at the moment, than booking a holiday, which comes with a lot of added uncertainty.”

For more information, please see the blog post for the full rankings and a breakdown by sex, and age: https://www.money.co.uk/mobiles/online-shopping-joy

Compliance Updates

KSPO K-Cycle & K-Motorboat Racing Holds Betting Integrity Sharing Agreement MOU Signing Ceremony with IBIA

Published

42 minutes ago

August 5, 2025

George Miller

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

Director Sung-chul Lee, the KSPO K-Cycle & K-Motorboat Racing Director, held a betting integrity monitoring agreement MOU signing ceremony with the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) at the seminar room of the Korean Cultural Centre UK on Tuesday, 5th August.

The MOU with IBIA represents a landmark moment for South Korean sports integrity, marking the first cooperation of its kind between IBIA and an Asian nation sports body, underscoring the significance of this new collaboration. The agreement demonstrates a commitment to aligning with global best practices in betting integrity and serves as a significant step in South Korea’s broader international engagement with the regulated sports betting sector.

In 2024, South Korea’s betting industry market recorded total sales of 25.3 trillion won (approx. €15.7 billion) and approximately 22.86 million users, establishing itself as a major foundation for public leisure and public fund creation. Among them, K-Cycle & K-Motorboat Racing recorded annual sales of 1.8859 trillion won (approx. €1.17 billion) and 12.5 million users (online/offline total), accounting for about 7.5% of the total betting industry sales in South Korea. Since the introduction of the system, K-Cycle & K-Motorboat Racing has contributed greatly to the promotion of national sports and the expansion of public finance by raising approximately 1.9464 trillion won (approx. €1.21 billion) for the National Sports Promotion Fund.

At the event, General Director Sung-chul Lee stated, “Through this agreement, KSPO K-Cycle & K-Motorboat Racing has elevated the status of K-Sports and has taken a leap forward to global standards.” He added, “I would like to express my deep gratitude to CEO Khalid Ali and the IBIA officials for their cooperation in making this agreement successful. Following this agreement, we intend to supply the KSPO K-Cycle & K-Motorboat Racing products to the international betting market, protected by this important integrity collaboration.”

IBIA is the leading global voice on integrity for the regulated betting industry, representing many of the world’s largest licensed operators. A not-for-profit organisation established in 2005, IBIA manages a global monitoring and alert network that tracks transactional activity to detect suspicious betting patterns across its members’ markets, which generate over $300bn in sports betting revenue per annum. The association works closely with major sports bodies like FIFA, UEFA, the ITIA and the IOC, as well as regulators worldwide, to support the fight against betting-related corruption. Committed to transparency, IBIA publishes regular integrity reports and requires all members to meet strict due diligence and betting integrity standards.

Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, commented: “This agreement marks an important step forward, not only for KSPO and the integrity of K-Cycle and K-Motorboat Racing, but for the advancement of betting integrity standards across Asia. IBIA is delighted to support KSPO in setting a benchmark for clean, transparent and accountable sports betting operations in the region. We look forward to building on this partnership and helping to portect the integrity of K-Sports’ products.”

Professor Jae-kwang Shin of Seokyeong University commented, “The agreement with IBIA is an essential gateway for entering the global betting market, and the process of meeting its standards is quite challenging. The fact that this agreement with KSPO was one of the first in Asia is a remarkable achievement for South Korea’s sports and can be seen as a great accomplishment.” He also evaluated, “In the future, the KSPO will be able to play a significant role as a leader in the betting industry in Asian countries, and this also provides KSPO with a good opportunity to engage with IBIA’s vast global network.”

Through this agreement, KSPO K-Cycle & K-Motorboat Racing has committed to working in alignment with IBIA’s monitoring and reporting framework, strengthening its ability to identify and act on suspicious activity in the betting market. The partnership serves to reinforce South Korea’s sports integrity infrastructure and ensure compliance with internationally recognised standards. With the support of IBIA’s monitoring platform and global network, KSPO aims to build confidence among stakeholders and support the integrity of the betting environment both domestically and abroad.

The completion of this MOU also involved FnS Co. Ltd. (CEO Ho-young Choi), a sports consulting firm that has maintained a strong cooperative relationship with KSPO and has been actively pursuing international opportunities over the past three years. The firm’s extensive network across the UK and Europe played a particularly effective role in facilitating this agreement.

The signing ceremony was attended by Sung-chul Lee, General Director of the KSPO K-Cycle & K-Motorboat Racing Headquarters, Myung-ho Jeon, Senior Manager of the KSPO, Ho-young Choi, CEO of FnS Co., Ltd., and Professor Jae-kwang Shin of Seokyeong University. From IBIA, CEO Khalid Ali and Jason Foley-Train, Head of International Development, were present.

The post KSPO K-Cycle & K-Motorboat Racing Holds Betting Integrity Sharing Agreement MOU Signing Ceremony with IBIA appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Latest News

Nolimit City gets its hands dirty in its latest release, Seamen

Published

3 hours ago

August 5, 2025

George Miller

nolimit-city-gets-its-hands-dirty-in-its-latest-release,-seamen

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Get your mops out, this ship is one big floating mess! Only the dirtiest of sailors can sail the seven seas aboard Nolimit City’s latest release, Seamen. This rowdy slot falls in Nolimit City’s classic slot category with the likes of Brute Force: Alien Onslaught, Stockholm Syndrome and Flight Mode.

If you’re 6ft tall, love the open sea and have a taste for working with seamen, then join the White Pearl today! This ship is used to carrying some big loads.

The only thing that stays clean on deck are the reels! Featuring a 3-5-5-3 setup where winning symbols are paid out before triggering a respin. The multiplier on those winning symbols increases by 1 each respin. On each respin, one extra Fire Frame is added to another position. Each position that gets a Fire Frame has its multiplier increased by +1. Winning symbols with a Fire Frame increase by +2.

xWays®

When people say the more the merrier, no one tells you it’s messier. xWays® Symbols reveal 2-4 symbols of the same kind and increase the number of win ways. If more than one xWays® symbol lands on the reels then all xWays® symbols will reveal the same Symbol.

Molotov Fire

To heat up the reels, Molotov Fire transforms itself into a Wild Symbol and adds Fire Frames to all symbols on its column.

Bombs Away

What’s better than fire? That’s right, boys… I mean bombs! Bombs appear on the reels and explode to remove symbols based on their type. Any symbol removed by a Bomb has its position multiplier increased by +1 or +2 if there is a Fire Frame on that position. Be careful, out at sea there is more than 1 type of bomb:

Coconut: Removes itself and increases the position multiplier by 5x, 10x, 15x, 20x or 100x, in addition to the standard multiplier increaser.
Cross Bomb: Removes itself and all regular symbols on its reel and row
Naval Mine: Removes itself and all low paying symbols on the reel area.

Rigged Spins

Thats weird… the deck is slippery but sticky at the same time. Landing 3 Bonus Symbols will trigger 5 Rigged Spins where position multipliers are kept during all the Free Spins.

Super Rigged Spins

Landing 4 Bonus Symbols will trigger 7 Super Rigged Spins where positions are kept during Free Spins. Additionally, to spice up the deck, more Fire Frames are awarded per spin on average.

Extra Spin

Extra Spin returns! Players might get the opportunity to purchase an additional spin when a round ends. The additional spins will keep the position multiplier, Fire Frames and Bonus Symbols of the previous spin. The cost of the spins is calculated based on position multipliers.

Nolimit Boosters

Don’t get caught with your pants down on the slipway. Prepare yourself with the following Nolimit Boosters:

Bonus Booster – guarantees a Bonus Symbol on the top position of the second leftmost reel.
Big Load Spins – guarantees a spin that starts off with 3x multipliers on all positions.
Bigger Load Spins – guarantees a spin that starts off with 6x multipliers on all positions.
Coconut Spins – guarantees a spin that starts off with Coconuts on all positions.

Do you have what it takes to join this filthy crew? Seamen has a maximum payout of 20,000x the base bet. Seamen is rated as “Highly Volatile” delivering the thrilling high-stakes gameplay that Nolimit City fans know and love.

Per Lindheimer, Head of Product at Nolimit City, said: “No comment on this one. What more is there to add besides, it’s always a good time when the boys get together. Fire Frames, Bombs and xWays® combine to make one hell of a splash.”

‘Seamen’ will be available to all Nolimit City partners on August 5th, 2025.

The post Nolimit City gets its hands dirty in its latest release, Seamen appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

C8 Secure

Continent 8 provides pen testing to Cherokee Tribal Gaming Commission to strengthen the regulatory authority’s cybersecurity posture

Published

3 hours ago

August 5, 2025

GamingAmericas.com

continent-8-provides-pen-testing-to-cherokee-tribal-gaming-commission-to-strengthen-the-regulatory-authority’s-cybersecurity-posture

Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) service enables the independent gaming commission to test IT infrastructure for vulnerabilities

Continent 8 Technologies, the leading provider of managed hosting, connectivity, cloud and cybersecurity solutions for the tribal gaming industry, supports Cherokee Tribal Gaming Commission (TGC) with its proven Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) services.

The Cherokee Tribal Gaming Commission is the independent tribal gaming regulatory authority established in 1993 under Chapter 16 of the Cherokee Code of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). Charged with the duty to ensure fairness and integrity of the gaming activities within its facilities, the commission enlisted Continent 8, and its cybersecurity division, C8 Secure, to conduct pen testing.

The VAPT service provides a comprehensive security assessment of an organization’s infrastructure and applications. Often mandated by regulation, it helps organizations measure the real-world effectiveness of their security controls and incident response capabilities. Additionally, the service provides actionable insights, including prioritized recommendations and industry best practices to address identified vulnerabilities and strengthen overall cybersecurity posture.

Emra Arkansas, Executive Director at Cherokee Tribal Gaming Commission said: “We are sincerely grateful to Continent 8, especially Patrick Gardner, Anthony Engel and Jerad Swimmer, for their partnership and recognition of our ongoing cybersecurity initiatives. The Cherokee Tribal Gaming Commission remains firmly committed to protecting not only our critical infrastructure but also the sovereignty that underpins our regulatory authority. In an era of growing cyber threats, safeguarding Tribal IT systems is more than a technical priority, it is a sovereign responsibility. With Continent 8’s trusted expertise, we are proud to set a higher standard for cybersecurity in Indian Country, ensuring our operations remain secure, resilient and self-determined.”

Patrick Gardner, Chief Security Officer at Continent 8 said: “In response to today’s evolving cyber threat landscape, the Cherokee Tribal Gaming Commission is working to establish a new standard in cybersecurity – and we are proud to support this important initiative. Their proactive efforts to safeguard critical infrastructure reflect a deep and ongoing investment in cybersecurity resilience.”

Jerad Swimmer, Regional Sales Director at Continent 8 added: “It was a pleasure collaborating with the Cherokee Tribal Gaming Commission in conducting a comprehensive evaluation of their IT infrastructure. Their team has shown a tremendous awareness of the escalating cybersecurity challenges within the tribal gaming sector. It is encouraging to see both enterprises and regulatory authorities actively enhancing their cybersecurity measures.”

The post Continent 8 provides pen testing to Cherokee Tribal Gaming Commission to strengthen the regulatory authority’s cybersecurity posture appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.