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Leicester Riders announce Ygam as Charity of the Year in groundbreaking British Basketball partnership
- Leicester Riders announce partnership with Ygam, a charity with a mission to prevent children and young people from experiencing gaming and gambling harms.
- Ygam has been appointed Leicester Riders ‘Charity of the Year’ for the forthcoming 24/25 season, alongside the Riders Foundation.
- This is the first partnership of its kind for any team in the history of professional British basketball.
- The partnership will involve key home games dedicated to Ygam and the charity’s work, with awareness raising and fundraising events throughout the season, alongside delivering Ygam’s City & Guilds Assured CPD training to all coaches and staff associated with the club.
Leicester Riders, the UK’s oldest professional basketball club, have announced a new partnership with Ygam, a charity with a mission to prevent children and young people from experiencing gaming and gambling harms.
This collaboration, a first for any team in British basketball, signifies a major stride in the Riders’ commitment to the digital safeguarding of all children and young people associated with the Club.
Through its Foundation’s Academy and partnerships with Charnwood College and Loughborough University, the Riders organisation’s commitment to young people extends beyond the basketball court. Collaborating with Ygam further enhances the organisation’s capacity to safeguard and equip young people with essential skills and knowledge to thrive in later life.
Ygam has been appointed Leicester Riders ‘Charity of the Year’ for the forthcoming 24/25 season, alongside the Riders Foundation.
The latest report from the Gambling Commission revealed that 40% of 11- to 17-year-olds have had some experience of gambling over the last 12 months. 1 in 4 have spent their own money on gambling in the past 12 months and 35% of young people have encountered gambling advertisements at sports events. Research from the Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms revealed that basketball has one of the highest gambling participation rates for young people aged 18-24 in the UK, compared to other popular betting sports like football, horse racing, and MMA.
A recent Mumsnet survey, commissioned by Ygam, revealed that children spend an average of 16.9 hours a week playing video games: more than half the amount of time they spend in school each week. Boys aged 11 to 17 are gaming the most with an average of almost a day a week (23.4 hours) spent playing video games.
Basketball is a growing sport at grass roots level in the UK, with nearly 1.25 million children and young people playing the sport at least once a week, and over 1200 licensed coaches nationwide. Popularity of professional basketball in the UK has also seen immense growth over recent years, where viewership of live and on-demand games across YouTube and Sky Sports has jumped from 1.4 million to over 20 million since the 2022/23 season.
This partnership aims to build greater awareness and educate more children and young people about the potential risks associated with gaming and gambling, both within a sporting context and beyond.
Simon Winfield, Interim CEO of Leicester Riders, said: “We’re excited to be working with Ygam. We have a deep admiration for their efforts in promoting gaming and gambling awareness among the youth of today.
“The Riders organisation takes seriously its responsibility to the young people who have entrusted us with their futures, both at Charnwood College and Loughborough University. A large part of that responsibility is ensuring that they are well set up for life beyond the Riders. Through Ygam’s education on the potential risks and dangers associated with gaming and gambling, we are fulfilling our commitment to ensuring their well-being and long-term success.
“We’re also excited at the prospect of helping to educate thousands of young people across Leicestershire, who we work closely with through the Leicester Riders Foundation. Through this partnership, we uphold the Club’s dedication to its local community, ensuring that we leave a lasting, positive influence on the lives of generations to come.”
Sacha Kent, Programme Lead for Education, Sports, and Youth at Ygam, said: “We are honoured to partner with Leicester Riders for the upcoming season and extend our reach within the sport of basketball. With gaming and gambling so heavily intertwined with professional sports, it is vital that we are doing all we can to safeguard all young people who participate in the sport they love.
“Leicester Riders do fantastic work in surrounding communities, including one of the country’s largest Basketball Apprentice schemes at Charnwood College, and a partnership with Loughborough University. The club’s community programmes also reach nearly 20,000 young people from across the city and wider county, and we are excited to use sport as a vehicle to make a real difference in the lives of young people, helping them navigate the digital world safely and responsibly.”
The partnership will involve key home games dedicated to Ygam and the charity’s work, with awareness raising and fundraising events throughout the season, alongside delivering Ygam’s City & Guilds Assured CPD training to all coaches and staff associated with the club.
More details about the partnership and the initiatives planned for the upcoming season will be announced soon.
The post Leicester Riders announce Ygam as Charity of the Year in groundbreaking British Basketball partnership appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Amusnet
Weekend Reels | Week 20: Slot Drops & Trends
Here are this weeks latest slots releases compiled by Eastern European Gaming
Caleta Gaming has launched Cluster Cup, a new high-volatility slot inspired by football and pitched around major June sporting events. The title is now available to operators worldwide, the supplier said. Cluster Cup uses a 7×7 cluster grid and a Tumbler Feature, where winning symbols disappear and cascade with new ones until no further wins are formed.

PG Soft has launched Reel Royale Showdown, a wrestling-inspired video slot built for mobile play. The company says the title is set in a wrestling arena and uses a 6-reel layout. Reel Royale Showdown includes a Wild Addition mechanic and an escalating multiplier that increases with each win.

Amusnet has released Vizier of the North x1000, a captivating 6-reel video slot that immerses players in a world of ancient secrets, mystical kingdoms and extraordinary rewards. Designed to deliver both depth and excitement, Vizier of the North x1000 combines rich storytelling with advanced gameplay features.

Spinomenal has released the Desperado Drifter Hold & Hit 3×3, the latest addition to its Hold & Hit portfolio. The Western-themed slot uses a 3×3 bonus grid and features a Wild symbol (a bag of gems) that substitutes for all symbols except Bonus and Bonus Collect. Bonus coins land on reels one and three, while the Bonus Collect coin lands on reel two.

Habanero has launched Steampunk Plinko, a new 5×4 slot that blends traditional slot play with a Plinko-style ball-drop feature. The supplier positions the release as a hybrid format, built around a steampunk theme. The Plinko Feature triggers when players land three scatter symbols.

Reflex Gaming is making waves once again with the launch of Big Game Fishing Rapid Riches, the latest release in its hugely popular Big Game Fishing franchise. Powered by Yggdrasil, Big Game Fishing Rapid Riches is not just another fishing game. It takes a proven player-favourite brand and supercharges it with faster action, stronger feature depth and a heightened sense of chase from the very first spin.

Swintt has launched Fresh Fruits Deluxe Diamonds, a new fruit-themed slot in its SwinttPremium lineup, featuring a five-reel setup with 50 paylines and a coin-driven bonus mechanic. The title combines classic slot symbols including BARs, crowns and red sevens with a coin feature that triggers when six or more coin symbols land during the base game.

Playson has released a new slot title, 3 Supercharged Diamonds: Hold and Win, expanding its Hold and Win catalogue with three Diamond-driven bonus features and four jackpot prizes up to 1,000x. The game’s Hold and Win Bonus Game uses a “3 Pots” mechanic, triggered when green, yellow or violet Diamond symbols land alongside their respective Diamonds positioned above the reels.

Tom Horn Gaming will launch Giza’s Portals, a new online slot, on 19 May. The game will roll out across the supplier’s global partner network. Giza’s Portals runs on a 4×5 grid with 25 paylines and is positioned as a medium-volatility title. Tom Horn Gaming lists an RTP of 95.01% and a maximum win of up to x3,898.

The post Weekend Reels | Week 20: Slot Drops & Trends appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
1spin4win
1spin4win presents Lucky 1spin4win Hold and Win to mark its 5th anniversary
1spin4win reached a significant milestone — five years on the iGaming market. The anniversary motto, The Gold Standard of Classic Slots, reflects the studio’s evolution into a recognized name in the classic slot niche, built on years of industry expertise and commitment to delivering authentic gambling experiences.
Today, its portfolio features more than 200 games combining timeless appeal, advanced mathematics, and strong performance. In 2025, 1spin4win achieved a 52.06% increase in bet count and a 56.62% rise in GGR compared to 2024. This growth has helped the provider earn the trust of over 1,000 global operators, including leading brands such as SOFTSWISS, EveryMatrix, Alea, SoftGaming, Digitain, and BetConstruct.
As part of the milestone celebration, 1spin4win introduces Lucky 1spin4win Hold and Win, a special slot highlighting the studio’s landmark titles and renowned characters. Alongside traditional fruit, bells, and sevens, the colorful 3×3 grid features Wild symbols shaped as red bezel-set diamonds. When activated, they illuminate the “5 Years” sign, reinforcing the game’s anniversary theme.
The celebratory atmosphere continues through the slot’s rewarding features. Landing nine identical symbols doubles the win, while three or more Coins trigger the exciting Hold and Win Bonus round. With three starting respins, players get the chance to claim two festive Jackpots — the x100 Minipot Coin and the x1000 Megapot.
To mark the 5-year anniversary, 1spin4win is also launching special promotional campaigns in collaboration with Olymp and Selector. To give players additional opportunities to join the celebration, the partners will distribute exclusive promo codes, which will also be available to the registered users of the provider’s Players Room platform.
Olga Hlukhovskaya, Business Development Director at 1spin4win, commented, “Five years in the industry is an important testament to how far 1spin4win has come. Since 2021, we’ve grown into an acknowledged iGaming brand trusted by top global companies. Looking ahead, we plan to keep expanding across African and Latin American markets, deepen our relationships with regional operators, and further strengthen our presence in Europe. For us, this anniversary is not only about celebrating past achievements, but also about building the next stage of 1spin4win’s journey.”
Olga Bogdanova, Art Director at 1spin4win, shared, “Lucky 1spin4win Hold and Win is dedicated to the 1spin4win 5th anniversary in the casino industry. The game’s design brings together iconic characters and signature symbols from our previous releases, well-known to both our players and partners. The result is a vibrant product featuring engaging Hold and Win mechanics and the recognizable 1spin4win classic style. We invite everyone to join the celebration of our anniversary, test their luck in the slot, compete for festive jackpots, and revisit their favorite 1spin4win games!”
The post 1spin4win presents Lucky 1spin4win Hold and Win to mark its 5th anniversary appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
BC Engine
BC.Game’s new CEO Kar Kheng Giam on strategy, structure and growth
Following his appointment as CEO of BC.Game in March, Kar Kheng Giam (KK) speaks about the strategic priorities shaping the company’s next phase, from strengthening operational foundations to navigating the evolving role of crypto within regulated gaming markets.
You’ve stepped into the CEO role at a pivotal time for the industry. How do you assess the current position of BC.Game?
BC.Game enters this stage from a position of strength in terms of product, user engagement and global reach.
At the same time, the broader industry is evolving. Expectations around governance, regulatory alignment and operational maturity are increasing, particularly for businesses operating across multiple jurisdictions.
So while the foundation is strong, there is a clear opportunity to further strengthen the structure of the business to support long-term, sustainable growth.
That foundation is reflected in the scale of the business today, with more than 9 million registered users and over 500,000 monthly active players, and in the progress we’ve made across licensed markets such as Anjouan, Kenya, Nigeria and Mexico.
How would you define the strategic focus for BC.Game over the next 12 to 24 months?
It comes down to three interconnected areas. First, reinforcing the operational and governance framework of the business, ensuring we are well aligned with the expectations of more established regulatory environments.
Second, continuing to invest in the product – not just in terms of content, but in the overall user experience and platform reliability.
And third, taking a disciplined approach to market expansion, focusing on jurisdictions where we can build a sustainable and compliant presence.
It’s about evolving the business in a structured and deliberate way.
You’ve highlighted governance and structure. What does that mean in practical terms?
It means putting in place the systems, processes and organisational clarity needed to operate at scale.
As companies grow internationally, complexity increases – across regulation, payments, technology and operations. Strengthening governance is about ensuring those elements are well coordinated and consistently managed.
This is not about changing what BC.Game is, but about building the framework that allows it to grow more effectively.
Why has trust become so important at this stage?
At BC.GAME’s scale, trust is no longer just about brand but increasingly becomes a business issue – it affects retention, partnerships, market entry and long-term growth.
And trust is built in very practical ways. People judge a platform by whether the rules are clear, whether communication is smooth, and whether issues actually get resolved. That’s why growth on its own is no longer enough.
Where is the most immediate trust pressure on BC.GAME showing up today?
The pressure shows up most clearly in user experience and issue handling because that’s where people feel it first.
Some of the feedback does point to response times and cases where issues stay in the same entry point for too long. When that happens often enough, it becomes bigger than a service issue, it starts to shape trust.
What changes is BC.GAME putting in place in response to these issues?
We’ve already started making changes. That includes upgrading how user issues are handled, bringing cross-functional teams in earlier, and improving how issues are identified and coordinated internally.
As the business has grown, relying too heavily on a single customer support entry point is no longer enough. The focus now is to make issue handling clearer, more stable, and better suited to the scale of the platform.
What role does organisational development play in this next phase?
As the business grows, it’s important to ensure that the organisation evolves alongside it. That includes strengthening leadership structures, clarifying roles and responsibilities, and building capabilities in key areas such as compliance and market operations.
Ultimately, strategy is only as effective as the organisation delivering it.
From a leadership perspective, how do you approach guiding a globally distributed business?
In a global organisation, alignment is critical – everyone needs to understand the strategic direction and how their role contributes to it. At the same time, there needs to be flexibility to adapt to local market dynamics.
My role is to create that balance – providing clear direction while enabling teams to execute effectively within their markets.
Finally, what does success look like for BC.Game over the next few years?
Success is about building a more structured, resilient and trusted business.
That means strengthening our position in regulated markets, continuing to evolve the product, and ensuring the organisation is equipped to operate at scale. This current period is a crucial one for us as we introduce multiple product rollouts at BC.GAME, with several key updates scheduled to go live. These include BC Engine, along with a broader upgrade to the bonus system and, of course, the World Cup.
If we can achieve that through consistent, incremental progress, then we will be well positioned for the long term.
The post BC.Game’s new CEO Kar Kheng Giam on strategy, structure and growth appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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