Latest News
bacta launch YGAM and Betknowmore UK Safer Gambling Training on portal
Bacta, the trade association which represents the amusement and gaming machine industry in the UK, has reiterated its commitment to raising standards by enabling access to the Safer Gambling Training programme through the bactaPortal.
Safer Gambling Training, developed and delivered by leading charities YGAM and Betknowmore UK, combines specialist knowledge, insight and research to raise standards in player protection. Informed by lived experience and relevant to the latest LCCP requirements, the initiative contains six programmes including key areas such as: understanding customer vulnerability; managing welfare; how to interact with customers and signposting to support services.’ The training will now be accessible via the new bactaPortal which went live in September 2021.
The bactaPortal allows gambling venues to maintain paperless records of all their customer interactions and self-exclusions, as well as hosting training modules and other valuable information. It is available to everyone, although bacta members benefit from a subsidised price.
John White, Chief Executive at bacta welcomed the announcement by saying: “YGAM and Betknowmore UK are renowned for their safer gambling training and we are proud that they have chosen to make it available via the bactaPortal. This initiative is the first of many that will make the bactaPortal indispensable to arcade businesses looking to remove paper from their operations. Not only will we populate the bactaPortal with additional training we will be providing a suite of tools from AV testing logs to crime alerts that will put the bactaPortal at the top of the must haves for the sector.”
The Safer Gambling Team will be attending the upcoming EAG conference in London to showcase their programme and talk to delegates about how they can access the training through the portal.
Ian Shanahan, Director of Business Development and Fundraising at YGAM, said: “We’re delighted with this commitment from bacta. It is encouraging to see an influential trade association support our work and I hope more sectors within the gambling industry continue to invest in our City & Guilds Assured Safer Gambling Training. All profits generated from our training are directed back into our charities to further support our social purpose.”
Frankie Graham, Chief Executive at Betknowmore UK, said: “We are delighted to see bacta support the Safer Gambling Training programme. Sector wide commitment to raising standards through training and enhanced learning is our best guard in the prevention of gambling harms.”
Since launching in April 2021, the charities have sold over 14,500 programmes. The bactaPortal training can be completed online, with each programme taking around 60-minutes to complete. The training can be easily accessed on PC, laptop, tablet or mobile at a time that suits the learner.
Powered by WPeMatico
GR8 Tech
GR8_TECH to showcase platform suite at iGB L!VE 2026 in London
The supplier is also shortlisted for Best Affiliate Management Platform at the iGB Affiliate Awards 2026.
GR8_TECH will attend iGB L!VE 2026 at ExCeL London on 1–2 July, where it plans to meet operators, affiliates, and industry partners and showcase its product portfolio across sportsbook, casino, turnkey, aggregation, and affiliate operations.
The company said it will present technology aimed at operators looking to “scale with structure” and improve performance, positioning the event as a key point for commercial and platform decisions.
GR8_TECH’s London appearance also comes with an awards shortlist. The supplier’s affiliate management platform has been shortlisted for Best Affiliate Management Platform at the iGB Affiliate Awards 2026. The company said the platform focuses on visibility, flexible commission management, scalable tracking, and tools designed to support affiliate partnerships.
“iGB L!VE is where operators come to make serious decisions,” said Sergey Ghazaryan, CRO at GR8_TECH. “We are coming to London prepared, focused, and ready to help ambitious operators build the kind of setup that wins under pressure.”
The company invited attendees to meet its team during iGB L!VE 2026 in London.
The post GR8_TECH to showcase platform suite at iGB L!VE 2026 in London appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Conferences
From Manila to Miami: Groove Brings Its Global Momentum to SBC Summit Americas 2026
Fresh from participating at SiGMA Asia, Groove is now setting its sights on the Americas. The award-winning platform and aggregator will touch down at SBC Summit Americas 2026, bringing a global strategy forged across three continents to the fast-growing markets of North and Latin America.
The event, running June 9–11 at the Broward County Convention Centre, will see Groove’s leadership team, including Co-Founder and CEO Yahale Meltzer and Business Development Director Giusy Campo, engage with operators, regulators, and affiliates from across the hemisphere. Their arrival in Fort Lauderdale is no mere conference stop. It is the next chapter in a year of deliberate, multi-continental expansion.
Groove enters Florida on the back of a transformative 2025. The company secured a license to operate in Brazil, established regulated activity in Argentina, and deepened its footprint across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Recent shortlistings validated a strategic pivot: from content provider to comprehensive growth engine. Now, the Americas beckon.
Giusy Campo, Business Development Director at Groove, who joined the company in 2025 to lead its charge into regulated markets, has been at the centre of this global push. She will be on the ground in Fort Lauderdale, continuing conversations that began at SiGMA Asia just days earlier: “When we move into a new region, we don’t arrive empty-handed,” said Campo. “We come with a platform built on structural resilience: predictive auto-scaling, atomic transactions, and a real-time compliance mesh that adapts to jurisdictional demands, not the other way around. Operators in the Americas face many of the same pressures as their counterparts in Asia: banking scrutiny, shifting regulations, and the need for flawless execution. Our ‘Unseen Architecture’ was built for exactly this moment.”
Campo will be meeting with operators seeking more than a game list. “They need a partner whose platform won’t introduce compliance or operational risk into their business,” she added. “That’s what we deliver. From Manila to Miami, the questions are the same. And we have the answers.”
Groove’s presence at SBC Summit Americas is the mirror image of its recent success at SiGMA Asia. In Manila, the company joined a high-stakes panel on regulatory resilience in the “Jurisdiction Jungle”. In Florida, the conversation shifts to the Americas, where the opportunities are vast, but the regulatory landscape is equally fragmented.
With over 15,000 games from more than 150 providers unified through a single API, Groove offers operators a powerful shortcut to market leadership.
SBC Summit Americas 2026 is expected to draw over 10,000 industry professionals and 400 exhibitors, covering regulation, product innovation, payment technology, cryptocurrency, AI, and cybersecurity. Groove will be positioned at the intersection of all of them, ready to show operators why the platform that just conquered Asia is now setting its sights on the Americas.
Yahale Meltzer, Co-Founder and CEO of Groove, framed the company’s back-to-back summit presence as a matter of strategic discipline: “We don’t do ‘one-off’ events. We build continuous relationships across the markets that matter,” said Meltzer. “Asia was about demonstrating structural resilience in the face of fragmentation. The Americas require the same rigour: a platform that can scale from a single operator in Argentina to a national lottery in Brazil without breaking compliance or trust. Our nomination in Manila wasn’t an endpoint. It was a signal. Now we take that signal to Fort Lauderdale, where the real work begins.”
Meltzer emphasised that Groove’s global footprint with offices in Israel, Georgia, and Malta, and a 24/7 multilingual support team, is the operational backbone of this expansion.
“When an operator in São Paulo has a question, they get an answer from someone who understands their market context, not just their technical issue,” he said. “That is the difference between a platform and a partner. We are here to be the latter, for the Americas and beyond.”
The post From Manila to Miami: Groove Brings Its Global Momentum to SBC Summit Americas 2026 appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
community
Score Queens launches with free-to-play World Cup predictor game Palace Picks
Score Queens, a new female-first sports gaming community, has launched with Palace Picks, a free-to-play daily predictor game created for this summer’s World Cup.
Palace Picks runs throughout the tournament and asks players to answer five multiple-choice predictor questions plus one score prediction linked to that day’s matches. Players collect “Jewels” through participation, which the company says can be used to unlock raffle tickets for the headline prize.
The product has been developed in collaboration with Two-Up, a digital agency focused on sports, betting and gaming experiences. Score Queens said the partnership combines its brand positioning with Two-Up’s product, UX and digital delivery work.
The launch prize, sponsored by Vision4Sport, is a Monaco Grand Prix 2027 experience for one winner and a guest. The package includes Friday attendance with two grandstand passes, two superyacht party tickets in Port Hercule with food and drinks, and £1,500 towards flights and accommodation. Score Queens values the prize at over £5,000.
Kitty Miller, Founder of Score Queens, said: “Score Queens came from a very simple frustration. Women are already watching sport, talking about sport and being part of the big sporting moments, but so much of the betting and gaming world still feels like it wasn’t built with us in mind.
“Palace Picks is our first step in changing that. It is free to play, easy to join, and designed to bring more women into the sporting conversation through play, prediction, culture and community. We wanted to create something that feels fun, social and accessible, without dumbing anything down.”
The post Score Queens launches with free-to-play World Cup predictor game Palace Picks appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
-
Compliance Updates6 days agoKingMidas Games Secures Peru Certification
-
Asia7 days agoEGT Digital wins Sportsbook Player Experience Innovation at SiGMA Asia Awards 2026
-
Canada6 days agoXSOLLA STRENGTHENS COMMITMENT TO ATLANTIC CANADA’S GROWING GAME INDUSTRY WITH EXPANDED EVENT PRESENCE
-
Brazil6 days agoGaming Corps rolls out full game portfolio with KTO in Brazil
-
Canada6 days agoSkillOnNet Goes Live with Ready Play Gaming Across Ontario, Mexico and Canada
-
Latest News6 days agoCrypto Platform 1win Welcomes Ilia Topuria as the 1win VIP Community Member
-
Ben Scobie-Trumper Head of Sales at mkodo6 days agoGGPoker selects GeoLocs geolocation service for regulated Ontario market
-
Business Development6 days agoXsolla expands Atlantic Canada event push with Game Invest East and XP Game Connect



