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GambleAware invests £2.5m into gambling harms prevention education programme across England and Wales

Published

4 years ago

April 21, 2022

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Following a competitive tender, GambleAware is awarding £2.5m to GamCare, YGAM and partners, and Adferiad Recovery to expand The Gambling Education Hub Service across England and Wales as part of its commitment to help reduce gambling harms among young people
The Gambling Education Hub (The Hub) is a gambling education programme which includes toolkits, training and peer-based theatre performances, is aimed at professionals and volunteers who work with young people and families and at young people, parents and carers themselves.
The expansion follows an independent evaluation[1] of the GambleAware commissioned Scottish Gambling Education Hub (The Hub) by IFF Research, which reveals success of its early intervention and prevention methods leading to dramatic improvements in gambling harms awareness and understanding
The Hub, which is primarily for practitioners, educators and youth workers, uses early intervention and prevention methods to reduce gambling harms among children and young people, working holistically within local communities, to promote a safer environment – especially for those most at risk

GambleAware has today announced the expansion of its Gambling Education Hubs across England and Wales, following a successful pilot in Scotland. The Hubs, which help prevent gambling harms among young people through early intervention and education, resulted in 92% of practitioners from the Scottish Hub saying they felt confident in identifying the signs of gambling harm, compared to just 35% pre-training. The Hubs also resulted in more than eight in ten young people from the Scottish Hub saying they were more aware of the consequences of gambling and 84% felt confident about where to turn to for support if needed.

This investment from GambleAware comes at a critical period, with the Hubs designed to reach all communities across the nations by engaging at a local level in a way that central Government sometimes cannot. Young people are increasingly exposed to easily accessible gambling through the growth of online gaming and social media. GambleAware research published in 2020 showed that 94% of 11-17-year-olds in Great Britain had been exposed to gambling adverts in the last month, seeing six adverts on average[2]. This data directly led to recent caps and restrictions imposed on industry advertisers to further curb their appeal to children and youths.

The Scottish Hub delivered gambling education to almost 3,000 professionals and volunteers working with young people, as well as young people themselves, parents, and carers. GambleAware partnered with Scotland’s national youthwork organisation Fast Forward[3] to deliver the locally focused prevention programme. An independent evaluation of this project by IFF Research found that the Hub:

improved knowledge and awareness of youth gambling harms and gambling education among practitioners, and
reached over 15,800 young people resulting in increased awareness of the consequences of gambling and confidence in asking for support.

Building on this success, GambleAware has today announced the award of a £2.5m grant to expand the Hub Service to both England and Wales. Following a competitive tender process, the grant has been won by GamCare, in partnership with YGAM, ARA, Aquarius, Beacon, Breakeven and Neca to carry out the work in England, and by Adferiad Recovery, which will carry out the work in Wales.

Anna Hemmings, Chief Executive of GamCare, said: “We are delighted to be receiving this grant to deliver gambling education hubs across England. We work in collaboration with a number of organisations who bring unparalleled experience of working with young people around these issues, including; Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM), Addiction Recovery Agency (ARA), Aquarius, Beacon, Breakeven and Neca, to deliver Education Hubs across England.

Both GamCare and our partners passionately believe that information on the risks associated with gambling and gaming should be a key part of young people’s education, gaining parity with other risky behaviours such as drugs and alcohol.

We are looking forward to building on the successes of our work with young people, their parents and professionals in a new programme aimed at increasing visibility of both local and national education and support, and to working with GambleAware and our partners towards our shared aspiration of reducing gambling-related harms for young people.”

Leon Marsh, Director of Hospital & Residential Services at Adferiad Recovery said: “We look forward to working with GambleAware on this great initiative to help reduce gambling-related harm caused to young people and to provide comprehensive training, education and resources to key stakeholders to reduce the risks associated with gambling addiction. We were delighted to hear that we had been selected to be the providers of Wales’s Gambling Education Hub and are looking forward to replicating the success of the project currently being undertaken in Scotland. Our extensive knowledge and experience in young people services puts us in a good position to be able to effectively deliver this project in Wales, and we are excited to be able to offer young people this valuable service.”

GamCare, together with YGAM and other partners, brings over nine years’ experience delivering services for thousands of young people, including relevant skills, local knowledge, and stakeholder networks. Meanwhile, Adferiad Recovery is an industry leader in the fields of addiction, mental health, and young people’s services. Each organisation is best placed to carry out the expansion of the Hub Service in their own region. The new Hubs will also reflect differences in curriculums, languages, regions, need and demand, and political and other contexts, specific to each nation.

Zoë Osmond, CEO at GambleAware, said: “At a time when young people are increasingly exposed to gambling, the delivery of local focused programs for gambling education and prevention of harms has never been more important. We hope to see the positive short-term impacts from the Scottish Education Hub’s activities replicated in our newly commissioned English and Welsh Education Hubs, and we are excited to have awarded this grant to these two highly experienced organisations.

“As the lead commissioner working to prevent gambling harms, GambleAware is committed to working with local organisations and stakeholders to fund and establish tailored, best-practice prevention programmes. With young people in the UK now growing up being widely exposed to gambling marketing and advertising, these projects represent a meaningful step towards delivering a society where all children and young people are protected from the risks of gambling related harms.”

The Hubs across all nations will incorporate input from people with lived experience of gambling harms in the development of training content, service delivery, and any supporting tools or resources. GambleAware expects that equality, diversity and inclusion policy and procedures to be at the heart of the service design, provision, and day to day operations.

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Texas Hold’em vs Omaha for Players Comparing Poker Formats

Published

3 hours ago

June 23, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

texas-hold’em-vs-omaha-for-players-comparing-poker-formats

Poker formats share a surface: private cards, community cards, betting rounds, and a final five-card hand. The difference between variants, however, is not cosmetic. Texas Hold’em gives players 2 private cards, so the first decision is narrow and readable. Omaha gives 4, then forces exactly 2 of them into the final hand. That single rule changes the way every board is read.

Adding variety to your poker playing routine can be great fun, but it’s crucial to understand the formats before you do – or you may find yourself struggling at the table!

The Format Is the First Practical Filter

Poker format decision comparison

Once the basic rules are familiar, format choice becomes easier to understand when the games are seen side by side. A player comparing Hold’em with Omaha is not only comparing two sets of rules. They are comparing the amount of private information available before the flop, how many possible hand combinations need to be tracked, and how quickly each decision starts to feel comfortable.

That is where an Australian online poker setting gives the comparison more practical shape. A page focused on online poker Australia places Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Zone Poker in the same playing context, which makes the differences clearer without treating poker as one generic format.

Hold’em starts with 2 hole cards and 5 community cards, giving players a cleaner starting point. Omaha starts with 4 hole cards but still requires exactly 2 private cards and 3 community cards for the final hand. Omaha Hi-Lo keeps that same construction while asking players to think about high and qualifying low hands. Zone Poker changes the rhythm by moving a folded player to a new table and a fresh deal. Seen together, these formats show that poker choice is not only about hand rankings. It is about the kind of attention each version asks from the player.

A recent Ignition Australia post makes the same point in cultural terms, noting that poker in Australia has changed over the years while the heart of the game has stayed intact. The format conversation is not only technical. The same game can move from a physical room to a phone screen, from Hold’em to Omaha, or from a standard table to a faster online format, while still centering on timing, reading, and the next card.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DVM_bPlErLf/

Hold’em Gives Cleaner Reading

Texas Hold’em is often easier to explain because the relationship between private cards and the board is direct. A pair in the hand, a suited ace, or two connected cards creates a clear starting point. After the flop, the player can ask a simple question: did the community cards improve the hand, threaten it, or create a draw worth following?

That clarity does not make Hold’em shallow. It makes the decision tree easier to see. Position, bet size, board texture, and opponent behavior still matter, but the player is not juggling as many private-card combinations. This is why Hold’em has become the main reference point for casual poker viewers and newer online players. The game gives them enough structure to follow the action, while leaving room for deeper judgment as experience grows.

Omaha Creates More Temptation

Omaha can look generous at first because 4 private cards seem to create more routes to a strong hand. That impression is where many Hold’em habits become unreliable. More starting combinations also mean opponents can connect with the board in stronger ways. A hand that feels powerful in Hold’em may be ordinary in Omaha if the board is coordinated.

The exact 2-card rule is the point beginners must absorb early. If the board shows 4 hearts and a player holds only 1 heart, that player does not have a flush. If the board shows pairs, a full house still depends on the required combination of private and community cards. Omaha asks players to slow down the first instinct and rebuild the hand under the format’s rule.

Omaha Hi-Lo adds another reading layer. A player may be looking for a strong high hand while also watching whether a qualifying low hand is available. The board can divide attention, and the clearest decision may depend on whether the hand has a path to one side of the pot or both.

Pace Changes the Same Cards

Zone Poker shows that format choice can also be about rhythm. In a standard table format, folded hands create waiting time. That delay lets players watch other hands finish, notice tendencies, and settle into the table’s pace, but it can feel slow and under-engaging. In a fast-fold format, folding moves the player quickly into a new hand, which makes the session feel sharper and less observational. The cards stay familiar, but the table observation window changes.

Poker formats are easiest to understand when the reader stops treating them as labels and starts treating them as different ways of processing incomplete information. Two private cards, four private cards, a split-pot rule, or a faster table rhythm can all change how a hand feels before the river arrives. The social layer also remains part of online play, as described in 2025 open-access work on multiplayer online games and social connection.

The post Texas Hold’em vs Omaha for Players Comparing Poker Formats appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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Lottomart launches S Gaming slot Dragon’s Rage as permanent UK exclusive

Published

4 hours ago

June 23, 2026

Wladimir P.

lottomart-launches-s-gaming-slot-dragon’s-rage-as-permanent-uk-exclusive

Lottomart has launched Dragon’s Rage, a new S Gaming slot available as a permanent exclusive to Lottomart players in the UK.

The release follows the partnership’s previous exclusive title, Fisherman’s Fortune, and adds another game to Lottomart’s exclusive-content portfolio.

Set in a dragon’s treasure lair, Dragon’s Rage uses a 1,024-ways-to-win format. Features include the Coil Collect mechanic, choice-led Free Spins, and Rage Spins. The game also includes three fixed-level jackpots: Inferno, Flame and Ember.

Chris Ruddock, Commercial Director at Lottomart, commented: “We’re delighted to launch Dragon’s Rage as a permanent UK exclusive. Developed in close collaboration with S Gaming, the game combines a strong fantasy theme with engaging features designed with our players in mind. We’re looking forward to seeing how our customers respond to the launch.”

Charles Mott, CEO of S Gaming, added: “Dragon’s Rage is the latest title developed through our close collaboration with Lottomart. It has been a pleasure working together on the concept and development of the game, and we’re proud to bring this new fantasy adventure exclusively to Lottomart players in the UK.”

The post Lottomart launches S Gaming slot Dragon’s Rage as permanent UK exclusive appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

DATA.BET

DATA.BET reports 39.7% GGR growth in year one of sports betting vertical

Published

4 hours ago

June 23, 2026

Wladimir P.

databet-reports-39.7%-ggr-growth-in-year-one-of-sports-betting-vertical

Supplier cites 147.6% active user growth and increased bet activity across football and basketball in the first 12 months.

DATA.BET has published first-year performance results for its sports betting vertical, marking 12 months since the product’s official launch. The supplier said results from newly acquired clients show 39.7% GGR growth and 147.6% growth in active users over the period.

The company also reported turnover up 30.7% quarter-on-quarter. It said betting activity increased, with the number of bets and stake volume up 83.5%, while combo bets rose 160.5%.

By sport, DATA.BET said football led engagement, with bet counts up 107.5% and active users up 173.1%. Table Tennis saw a 172.5% increase in its player base, while tennis posted bet counts up 33.6% and active players up 35%. The supplier pointed to basketball as the strongest commercial contributor, with turnover up 83.7% and its user base up 96.8%.

DATA.BET attributed performance to product features including Bet Builder (football, basketball, baseball, and American football), streaming within the betting interface, and widgets for match and player data. The company also highlighted official data partnerships with Infront (tennis), Odds Composer (basketball), Genius Sports, and BETER.

At tournament level, DATA.BET said the England Premier League was the most profitable tournament over the full year, with event count up 45.7% and “close to half of total betting volume” generated through the 1X2 market. The supplier added that top-tier tournaments outperformed low-tier disciplines across turnover (102.7%), profit (187.2%), and bet count (196.6%).

“Taken together, the first year demonstrated that scale and stability are not opposing forces — broad coverage, official data, and engagement-focused features directly contributed to growth across turnover, player numbers, and betting activity”, said Yevhenii Ilchenko, Head of Sports at DATA.BET. “We built the vertical on the right foundations from the first, and the numbers reflect that. “

The post DATA.BET reports 39.7% GGR growth in year one of sports betting vertical appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.