Uncategorized

Baillie and Seddon Re-appointed as UKGC Commissioners

Published

3 years ago

September 7, 2022

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has announced that John Baillie and Catharine Seddon have been reappointed by the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as Commissioners of the Gambling Commission commencing 31 December 2022 until 10 April 2024.

John is a Chartered Accountant and a former partner of KPMG in Scotland and London. He is a former Chair of the Accounts Commission for Scotland, the Scottish local authority watchdog, and served two, three-year terms. He was Chair of Audit Scotland, the Scottish equivalent of the National Audit Office for several years, and a member of the Reporting Panel of the UK Competition and Markets Authority for nine years. John was also a visiting professor of accountancy at the University of Edinburgh and has previously held similar appointments at other Scottish universities.

Catharine Seddon has 14 years of public service as a non-executive director, principally for national regulators. Catharine has been the Senior Independent Director for The Gambling Commission since 2017. She is Deputy Chair and Chair of the Audit and Governance committee of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and the Senior Independent Director of the Legal Services Board. She has recently joined the board of the Children and Family Courts Advisory and Support Service.

Previously, she has held non-executive and committee roles with the Human Tissue Authority and The Pensions Regulator. She sits on tribunals in mental health and employment, as a lay assessor on civil cases in the county courts and she is a presiding magistrate in Central London. Catharine tutors for the Civil Service College and is a member of the Health Service Products Appeal Tribunal and a trustee for CPotential, a special needs charity.

Catharine spent twenty years as a high-end film documentary maker, at first at the BBC and latterly for C4, eventually setting up her own independent production company.

Uncategorized

BetBlocker Surpasses a Quarter of a Million Active Users in 2025

Published

33 minutes ago

November 17, 2025

Adrienn Sarkany

betblocker-surpasses-a-quarter-of-a-million-active-users-in-2025

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Gambling harm prevention charity BetBlocker has today announced that it has supported a quarter of a million unique active users this year.

BetBlocker, which provides blocking software to help people manage or restrict their access to online gambling services, is unique in adopting a charitable model for this type of support, and facilitating users accessing protection both free of charge and anonymously.

This year has seen an explosion in uptake of the service, with strong uptake globally, with Brazil, the UK, the US, Romania, Canada, Kenya and South Africa showing the highest levels of engagement.

BetBlocker’s Founder and Managing Trustee, Duncan Garvie had this to say:

“We invested a lot in 2024 improving our data, to allow us to communicate accurately the performance of our project to our supporters, and to build confidence via transparency. That’s meant ensuring that our data is exactly what we say it is and a focus on making our data easy to understand. We don’t talk about downloads. The number would be higher, but far less meaningful. When we talk about “active users” it means “users with an active BetBlocker restriction in 2025.”

I’ve been blown away by the rate of growth that BetBlocker has seen this year. We would never have imagined that this type of growth was possible at the start of the year, but the rapid and sustained upward trend strongly evidences that there is a huge need for free and anonymous support for gambling harm.

That uptake is distributed so broadly across the globe also demonstrates how universal the need for support managing access to online gambling services is in the digital age.”

The post BetBlocker Surpasses a Quarter of a Million Active Users in 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Uncategorized

Spinomenal unveils Mega Zeus Hold & Hit 3×3

Published

33 minutes ago

November 17, 2025

Adrienn Sarkany

spinomenal-unveils-mega-zeus-hold-&-hit-3×3

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Leading iGaming content provider Spinomenal has expanded its successful Mythology series with the launch of Mega Zeus Hold & Hit 3×3.

Set among the golden columns of Mount Olympus, Mega Zeus transports players to the realm of the mighty god of thunder. With Zeus himself sitting high above the reels, every spin ripples with energy and anticipation, carrying the potential for electrifying wins.

The temple of the gods acts as the Wild symbol and substitutes for all symbols except the Bonus and Bonus Collect. Mega Zeus Hold & Hit 3×3 has two Special Bonus symbols, the Bonus only lands on reels one and three, while the Bonus Collect lands just on reel two.

Players landing the Bonus Collect along with one or more Bonus symbols, will trigger the Bonus game. The triggering symbols remain locked during the move to the Bonus Game, which starts with three spins. During the feature, only Bonus symbols and Bonus Collect symbols can appear. Each spin has the chance to award multipliers ranging from x1, x2, x5, x7, x10, and x15, as well as any of the in-game jackpots.

Each time a Bonus symbol lands, it is collected by all Bonus Collect symbols, disappearing from the reels while its value tops up the Bonus Collect symbol’s total. Each Bonus Symbol or Bonus Collect symbol refills the spin counter to three. The round ends after three winless spins occur or when the total collected winnings reach the maximum x5000 multiplier.

Grand, Major, Minor and Mini in game Jackpot symbols can appear during the game and will trigger the corresponding Jackpot.

The Bonus Blast Feature may also activate randomly, adding extra Bonus and Bonus Collect symbols to the reels to help trigger the Bonus Game.

A Bonus Collect symbol with one or more Bonus symbols, including Jackpot symbols, but not launching the Bonus Game will collect the values and add to the total win.

Spinomenal CO-CEO, Omer Henya commented: “Mega Zeus is an almighty experience that unites electrifying features, a mythological atmosphere, and stunning visuals. It perfectly showcases our studio’s creative power and ability to deliver truly godlike entertainment.”

The post Spinomenal unveils Mega Zeus Hold & Hit 3×3 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Uncategorized

PAGCOR ALLOTS PHP32.85M RELIEF GOODS FOR TYPHOON VICTIMS

Published

33 minutes ago

November 17, 2025

Adrienn Sarkany

pagcor-allots-php32.85m-relief-goods-for-typhoon-victims

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has allocated Php32.85 million in assistance to families affected by Typhoon Tino and Super Typhoon Uwan which left widespread devastation in various parts of the country.

PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco said the agency utilized the amount to procure 31,500 relief packs containing food and non-food essentials for distribution to hard-hit provinces.

“Following the onslaught of Typhoon Tino in early November, we already turned over 15,000 relief packs worth Php14.78 million to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Regions 6 and 7 to help affected communities in those regions,” he said.

Another batch of 16,500 relief packs worth Php18.07 million meanwhile are currently being dispatched to communities impacted by Super Typhoon Uwan in Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Aurora, Batangas, Bulacan, and Negros Occidental.

The Senate of the Philippines also received relief packs from the latter batch for its outreach initiative.

Each relief pack contains rice, bottled water, canned goods, and coffee, along with non-food necessities such as blankets, mosquito nets, and toiletries.

“In times of calamities, PAGCOR will always be ready to step in and extend support to our fellow Filipinos,” Mr. Tengco said. “Part of our nation-building mission is to help our kababayans rebuild their lives.”

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier placed the entire country under a state of national calamity after the subsequent typhoons claimed hundreds of lives and affected over 2.5 million families nationwide in less than two weeks.

In addition to the relief drive, PAGCOR also donated 2,000 computer tablets worth Php17.54 million to cities in the Visayas that host its Casino Filipino branches to support learners in the wake of recent disasters.

Of the total, 1,000 tablets will go to the Cebu City government, while Iloilo and Bacolod will each receive 500 units for distribution to public schools.

“Through this donation, we hope to help learners continue their studies despite the challenges brought by the recent calamities,” Mr. Tengco added. “Education is key to building a better future, and PAGCOR will always be a partner in making that possible.”

The post PAGCOR ALLOTS PHP32.85M RELIEF GOODS FOR TYPHOON VICTIMS appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.