Uncategorized
Safer Gambling: UK Govt Shows its Cards on the Trajectory of Gambling Reform for Digital Age
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has recently presented a white paper to Parliament, outlining the ill-equipped and outdated standards for protecting vulnerable players, and how they have failed to adapt to the digitalised age of gambling. There seems to be a disconnect between the technological advancements of gambling itself, and the technological advancements intended to protect its players.
According to the paper, there are an estimated 3,000,000 people in Great Britain who struggle with “problem gambling” – defined as “a degree which compromises, disrupts or damages family, personal or recreational pursuits”. The impact of problematic gambling can destroy lives and, given the impact of the current economic crisis on the lives of so many, it is imperative that the industry is supported to take on board the new approaches to gambling protocol as put forward by the white paper.
Despite the technological advancements within the industry making gambling accessible online, there is still a demand for land-based gambling enterprises such as casinos, betting shops and racecourses as they offer an authentic experience and atmosphere. Such a vivacious atmosphere cannot be emulated online which is indicative that land-based gambling sites will always be popular among players, whether regular or first-timers.
The white paper acknowledges that these are subject to outdated regulations, and looks to bring these in line with the proposed changes to the online gambling reformations. These intend to enable better monitoring of land-based gambling, in the same way that controls can be placed online to help protect players wherever they play.
From betting shops to pubs with arcade machines, discover more about what the recent white paper recommends for implementing Player Protection protocols in the business and providing responsible restrictions for customers.
Player Protection
Gambling operators are responsible for identifying customers who are susceptible to harmful play and must act accordingly. However, the operators have not had to date the adequate tools or assistance in performing checks on every person that enters their premises. Technology can be utilised to aid operators in this challenging but necessary task in protecting their players.
Biometric technology can help the operator in three core tasks
1) Age Estimation to prevent underage gambling
2) Player Tracking to limit daily spend or excessive losses
3) Identifying Self-Excluded Players
Underage Gambling
In the UK, most forms of gambling are illegal for those under 18s, and the government has the intention of strengthening this further by enacting legislation to ensure consistency. Gambling organisations are obliged to have stringent procedures in place to prevent underage gambling.
Recent figures released by Serve Legal reveal a vast rise in the number of bookies preventing young people from entering their shops. Instances of betting shops carrying out spot checks on underage players have increased from 67% to 91% over the last ten years. This is a promising statistic, and concrete evidence that the new infrastructure put in place to protect players is working.
“However, there are still too many instances of insufficient age verification in some venues, particularly those such as pubs, which can offer adult-only gaming machines but are not adult-only venues like many gambling premises.” – UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2023.
To further help reduce access to premises, ICU Pro can detect if an underage person is entering the premises and send an alert to the operator. A MyCheckr can be placed at the counter to aid the till operator in estimating the age of the customer and also reduce risk of abuse in asking for ID. Analytic and appropriate advertisements is also an attractive feature of the MyCheckr and can be used both as a return on investment and a valuable tool to extract the demographics of the customer base.
Biometric technology can be also used to automate age checks at a machine. ICU Lite, for example, is a compact age estimation device that can be seamlessly integrated into existing software and machines to help businesses comply with adherence to age restrictions. Through more stringent and consistent checks it can help prevent play from vulnerable persons who are underage from accessing the machine.
This new technology gives the operator 3 touchpoints where underage gambling can be prevented, 1) at entry to the premises 2) at the counter 3) at the gaming machine itself.
Player Tracking
Under the Gambling Act 2005, the Gambling Commission was established to regulate the industry and ensure responsible gambling among both individuals and businesses involved in gambling in Great Britain. In their review, the Department of Culture and Sport worked with the Gambling Commission to develop a two-form financial check preventative procedure.
The first will be background checks for moderate levels of spend, to check for indicators of financial vulnerability such as County Court Judgements, and should occur at £125 net loss within a month or £500 within a year. The next check is for higher levels of spending, suggestive of a harmful gambling binge or irrecoverable financial losses as a result of gambling, proposed at a threshold of £1000 net loss within 24 hours or £2000 within 90 days.
Biometric technology can again help operators in this vital task. An ICU Lite can be placed in every machine. Once a player accesses the machine, their age is initially checked. If the person is overage, then their face can be converted into a FaceID. This FaceID can be anonymously linked to the session and shared with all connected machines. Information such as daily spend and losses can then be linked to this FaceID and any necessary interventions can be easily alerted to the operator.
Additionally, the FaceID of a person can be used to set tailored restrictions and can be uploaded to the operators’ database with the agreed restrictions. For each session, the FaceID can ensure that the player will adhere to playing with the restrictions they have set. The FaceID can be automatically deleted after 24 hours and as such no data is stored permanently on the device.
Self-Exclusion
The Betting and Gaming Council enforces that anyone concerned about their gambling habits can exclude themselves from on-premises gambling facilities. Self-exclusion has the potential to help those suffering from gambling addictions to have more control over their lives and build a healthier relationship with gambling.
If a player has self-excluded, the device with facial recognition technology will store that player’s information as FaceID. If the player attempts to play again, the device will detect a match on the system for an attempt of play by a person who is self-excluding and alert the operator. This intervention can occur at multiple touchpoints, such as access to the premises, at the counter or at the machine itself.
Bolstering the Gambling Commission
The white paper also discusses the powers and resources given to the Gambling Commission. The paper acknowledges the difficult feat that the Commission is faced with; in an ever-evolving industry that has long been subject to outdated regulations, there is a lot of work to be done.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport envisions a future where the Commission has greater powers as regulators of the industry and supports the Commission in gaining cooperation from operators to share data to help identify non-compliance to licence conditions.
This is made even more prevalent as the Commission has recently issued its largest fine in history. A British online gambling company was recently fined £19.2m for widespread social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures, a record-breaking figure in the UK. The organisation had previously been fined £6.2m in 2018 for the same reasons, illustrating a repeatedly negligent pattern.
Protecting vulnerable players is a vital but complex task. Operators need the right support and tools to maintain and advance player protection as technology develops. Biometric technology will play a key role in implementing these key reforms designed to improve player protection.
The future for gambling certainly looks like one of change for the better. The restrictions are there not to impede the recreational joy of gambling, but to protect those most vulnerable to addiction. As stated by MP Lucy Frazer, who penned the ministerial foreword of the white paper, “prevention of harm will always be better than a cure, so we are determined to strengthen consumer protection and prevent exploitative practices”.
Powered by WPeMatico
Uncategorized
Hold and Win brings intrigue to 1spin4win’s Japanese saga

Gentle Fox Hold and Win continues 1spin4win’s four-part Japanese-themed slot series, following Tiger’s Steps Hold and Win, April’s most-played slot by bet count.
While its official release date is May 29, Gentle Fox Hold and Win was selected for exclusive pre-release by leading casino platforms, including Irwin, Gizbo, Jet, Izzi, Fresh, and others — a clear sign that operators are actively seeking content that combines originality with commercial impact.
Being the second title in the series, the game invites players to uncover the story of Tomoko-hama — the dangerously charming geisha known as the Gentle Fox — whose wit, beauty, and cunning hide a deeper motive.
Set in the shadow of Mount Fuji, Gentle Fox Hold and Win picks up the narrative thread that began in the first game of the series, drawing players further into a carefully crafted storyline. Years after being taken from her village and brought to the shogun’s castle, Tomoko-hama now tests the will and bravery of those who enter her tea house.
The core challenge of the game is the Hold and Win feature, triggered by landing three or more golden Coins. Players must then fill the Bonus reels with more Coins for the chance to win big, including the x100 Minipot Coin and the elusive x1,000 Megapot.
Olga Bogdanova, the Art Director at 1spin4win, commented, “The second slot in our Japanese-themed series keeps the rich atmosphere of the first but adds a deeper, more intriguing layer. Designed in warm tones, the game gently draws you into a world where calm hides a silent secret.”
Despite the narrative depth, the gameplay remains easy to understand with medium volatility and 97.1% RTP, which is in line with 1spin4win’s signature approach to slot design: simple mechanics, high engagement, and intuitive play for all levels of players.
As this new chapter opens, players move one step closer to the final clash that awaits in the series’ concluding release. Until then, all eyes are on Tomoko-hama — the Gentle Fox — and the secrets she’s yet to reveal.
About 1spin4win
1spin4win is a fast-growing game provider founded in May 2021 by ambitious developers with over 15 years of experience in the gambling industry. Since its inception, the company has expanded its portfolio to include over 150 classic online slots, all characterized by quality mathematics, transparent mechanics, and well-balanced gameplay — key factors that drive strong player retention. The studio consistently releases an average of four new games each month and offers effective promotional tools for casino operators to help them enhance player loyalty.
The post Hold and Win brings intrigue to 1spin4win’s Japanese saga appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Uncategorized
AI has transformed the art of buying a race horse, with records smashed at 2025 breeze up sale events

2025’s breeze up sales are completed, with last Friday’s Tattersalls Ireland sale at Fairyhouse concluding the events for the year.
Breeze up sales are a vital part of the horse racing industry. Data is essential for punters to make informed sports bets and is equally important when assessing the potential of a race horse.
At a breeze up event, race horse trainers, buyers and journalists get to watch two-year-old horses literally “breeze up and down” the track, showing off their pedigree, canter, gait, and hundreds of other data points that go into predicting a horse’s future performance on the racetrack.
Not only have the sales broken all the 2024 records in many metrics, they’ve also surpassed some all-time records since breeze up sales began in Great Britain in the 1970s – from top-selling lots to the total sales figures.
One notable facet of this year’s events was the contribution of Pythia Sports’ new proprietary technology, which combines artificial intelligence, machine learning, and historical breeze up sales data to improve the accuracy of performance predictions.
The Highlights
Stephen Davison, head of commercial operations at Pythia, said: “The video content captures some brilliant highlights of everything that goes into creating a complete data set at the 2025 sales. The breeze up continues to be an ever-popular sale for buyers seeking top two-year-old talent, and it’s a testament to the hard work of all the consignors and buyers who helped drive this year’s record-breaking results. We hope the insights provided through our data have played a small part in supporting their success.
“From our point of view, we’re really pleased to have been involved in 18 purchases, with the combined purchase prices exceeding £1.4 million. We’re very much looking forward to seeing them on the track and hope they prove very lucky for their owners.”
Davison continues: “It’s also fantastic for those who want an inside look into some of the hard work that happens behind-the-scenes in horse racing. We’re really pleased at how successful the sales have been, and we love how the sector has responded to our breeze up technology.
“Incorporating more than 100 essential factors, the innovative tech is a proprietary model which evaluates time, stride and biomechanics for every horse at the breeze ups. These individual factors then generate a comprehensive rating for each horse,” said Davison.
Breeze up sales – by the numbers
2025 was a banner year for breeze ups across Europe, with YOY changes increasing greatly and some historic records smashed.
-
Total turnover from all sales: c£70.2m
-
Craven YOY increase: +25.7%
-
Goffs UK YOY increase: +12.4%
-
Arqana YOY increase: +24.8%
-
Tatersalls Ireland YOY increase: +21.5%
In addition, at the Craven sale, the record purchase price for a breeze up horse was broken on consecutive days:
-
£1.4m Acclamation colt – purchased by Godolphin
-
£1.75m – Havana Grey colt purchased by Amo Racing,
Further records broken:
-
The horse that won the 2,000 Guineas, Ruling Court, was a breeze up horse that sold for €2.4m at 2024’s Arqana Sale
-
The first-ever Goffs sale of a £1m breeze up horse occurred this year, with a Mehmas colt selling to Godolphin.
-
2025’s Tattersalls Ireland sale was the first time trade has exceeded the €10m euros mark – the first time in Tattersalls Ireland history the 8-figure mark was reached.
-
Top lot was a Night of Thunder colt sold to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock for 580,000 EUROS.
“Tattersalls Ireland provided a fantastic finale to the breeze up season, with average prices rising and yet more records falling. It’s clear that breeze ups have become an essential part of the sales calendar, offering buyers both quality and confidence. It’s an exciting time for the sector — and now, with the sales behind us, the spotlight shifts to the track. I’m sure, like me, everyone is eagerly anticipating how these horses perform, especially with some already making a strong impression,” Davison explained.
The post AI has transformed the art of buying a race horse, with records smashed at 2025 breeze up sale events appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Uncategorized
PAGCOR CHAIRMAN, ENTIRE BOARD TENDER COURTESY RESIGNATION

The resignation of the top PAGCOR leadership came even before the Palace called on all officials of government-owned or controlled corporations (GOCCs) to submit their courtesy resignations on Wednesday.
“We serve at the pleasure of the President,” Mr. Tengco said. “And we will accept whatever the Chief Executive’s decision will be.”
Along with Mr. Tengco, those who voluntarily stepped down were PAGCOR President and COO Wilma Eisma and Directors Jose Maria Ortega, Francis Democrito Concordia and Gilbert Cesar Remulla.
The post PAGCOR CHAIRMAN, ENTIRE BOARD TENDER COURTESY RESIGNATION appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
Balkans7 days ago
EGT’s high-potential novelties to fascinate operators and players at Belgrade Future Gaming 2025
-
Uncategorized7 days ago
Golden Boomerang Awards 2025: AC Milan Legend Andrea Pirlo Presented the Awards at the Ceremony at Iconic San Siro Stadium
-
Baltics7 days ago
CT Interactive Expands Presence in Lithuania with New Game Certifications
-
Balkans7 days ago
SYNOT Enters the Bulgarian Market
-
Balkans7 days ago
EGT Digital at Belgrade Future Gaming 2025: Get ready to be fascinated
-
Compliance Updates7 days ago
UKGC Publishes Update on Financial Risk Assessments Pilot
-
Compliance Updates7 days ago
Irish Politician Philip McGuigan Calls for Urgent Action on Gambling Harm Treatment
-
Latest News7 days ago
Bragg to Attend the Gaming in Holland Conference