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How the UKGC Ban on Credit Cards Affected Payment Provider Industry and Consumer Habits
The UK Gambling Commission ban on the use of credit cards has challenged consumers and businesses, seeking to adapt to the new requirements.
On April 14th, the new UKGC ban came into effect, prohibiting the use of credit cards to top-up online gambling accounts: the measure was instituted in an effort to mitigate financial risks for consumers and prevent them from gambling with the money they do not possess. The new regulation challenged some of the prevalent consumer habits and pushed payment vendors to expand the scope of their services.
Agnė Selemonaitė, Deputy CEO at ConnectPay, shared her insights on the impact it had for both sides of the market.
Impact for payment service providers
According to Ms. Selemonaitė, current changes the industry is going through will affect not only the bettors’ spending habits, but also payment gateway providers, aiming to supply the market with flexible, as well as compliant, solutions.
“Our focus has always been on being proactive towards any new developments in the market. That’s why even amidst lockdown we pivoted towards integrating more payment methods into our Merchant API to provide gambling vendors with more options to facilitate payments,” explained A. Selemonaitė.
According to Selemonaitė, more and more gambling sites are getting into partnerships with payment service providers, seeking to streamline settlements for their regular bettors and provide a greater on-site experience. As ConnectPay aims to continue growing its payments selection, Selemonaitė encourages operators to look into how leveraging diverse solutions could help better match their clients expectations.
As the opinions on the policy are two-fold, A. Selemonaitė noted that every decision, with the goal of mitigating risks for consumers, should be a welcomed initiative. That said, it is important that alternative solutions rolled out into the market would meet both vendor and consumer needs, but with added safety, while being compliant with the new measures. “In order for business to welcome new measures, regulators need to stay focused on setting up such an environment that fosters the development of a holistic system and doesn’t hinder scaling opportunities,” she added.
What are the alternatives for consumers?
The operators’ commitment to enable clients to continue enjoying their favorite pastime while spending within reason led betters to get accustomed with various other payment options.
Visa and Mastercard debit cards
Using a debit card is almost identical to using a credit card, with the main difference that with the prior, the funds are taken directly from the checking bank account, rather than being charged to a line of credit to be paid for later. This ensures that the bettors themselves verify payments, and help protect the account from scammers’ malicious intent.
Prepaid cards
Many providers, such as ConnectPay, issue prepaid cards, which, unlike debit, are not linked to a bank account to draw money from. Instead, the customer is spending money that has been loaded onto the card beforehand. Prepaid cards are limited by default, therefore one can only access the amount of funds that have already been vouched for.
E-wallets
Although the credit card ban extends to e-wallets, they can still be used for gambling-related payments with the exception that the service does not support credit lending. Similar to prepaid cards, e-wallets require money to be loaded prior to any transaction. It is an appealing alternative as it offers faster payouts and enables switching back and forth between different gambling sites with ease.
Cryptocurrency
Another method to deposit money is using a cryptocurrency, such as bitcoin. It provides total anonymity, as no personal details are shared with the site, making it one of the most secure alternatives. Although many do not understand the inner workings of the crypto industry, it remains a viable option for all tech-savvy betters.
Even though some may still be unconvinced about the necessity of the new legislation, it is shaping up to be a sound solution, which could lead to heightened industry transparency, as well as provide consumers with more payment options to choose from. However, its true impact on the industry will show only after some time.
The Plaza Hotel & Casino will celebrate the start of every weekend this summer with a live fireworks show Friday nights at 9:15 p.m., beginning May 24 for Memorial Day weekend through Aug. 30 for Labor Day weekend.
Inspired by the fireworks shows at Disneyland, the Plaza’s Welcome to the Weekend Summer Friday Fireworks will light up the sky above downtown Las Vegas and be part of a festive summer block party atmosphere at the property’s Carousel Bar and rooftop pool deck.
“The Plaza is known for its great fireworks on New Year’s Eve and July 4th, but who says fireworks are only for those holidays?” said Jonathan Jossel, CEO of the Plaza Hotel & Casino. “This summer, we wanted to celebrate and give a gift to everyone downtown by sharing the excitement and fun of our fireworks shows with them every Friday night.”
“Las Vegas is the world’s destination because of all the spectacular attractions that are available here,” City of Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman said. “The Plaza is adding a new weekly fireworks extravaganza this summer, and everyone is invited to visit downtown Las Vegas and enjoy the show!”
Derek Stevens, CEO and Owner of Circa Resort & Casino said “The weekly fireworks show will amp up Fremont Street’s high-energy atmosphere to a new level. It’s a terrific addition for the entire neighborhood, providing another exciting reason for visitors to come downtown. Huge thanks to Jonathan and the Plaza team for bringing this idea to life. We’ll definitely be enjoying the show every week from Circa’s rooftop lounge, Legacy Club.”
The fireworks shot from the Plaza’s towers will be visible to the thousands of tourists and locals in downtown Las Vegas as well as for miles beyond. Plaza hotel guests will be able to enjoy the fireworks from an exclusive viewing party on its rooftop pool deck where the fireworks will be “ignited” by a special guest pushing a detonator button on an oversized TNT box.
To attract even more people to stay downtown, the Plaza introduced the only all-inclusive hotel room package starting at $125 per person per night. The package includes bottomless drinks, breakfast and dinner, a free bingo session, waived resort fees, and more. Rooms must be booked online by June 30 for a stay June 1 through July 1.
The Friday night rooftop pool party for hotel guests will feature the Frozen Firecracker, a special red, white, and blue cocktail made with strawberry daiquiri, pina colada, and blue lemonade spiked with Don Q Rum. At Carousel Bar the summer party vibe continues every Friday night with a DJ and the specialty cocktail Watermelon Agua Fresca made with Mi Campo tequila, Jägermeister, rose aperitivo, watermelon juice, chamoy, and aloe leaves as a garnish.
“Downtown Las Vegas is already a vibrant, unique, and exciting destination. Our Summer Friday Fireworks paired with our all-inclusive room package and great summertime block party atmosphere at Carousel Bar and the rooftop pool deck will be even more reasons to come downtown this summer,” added Jossel.
The Plaza’s fireworks will be dependent on weather conditions and are subject to change or cancellation.
Here are this weeks latest slots releases compiled by European Gaming
Habanero, is introducing the Reel Rewards feature in its new 6×3 reel slot Golden Taj Mahal. Paying homage to Indian culture, the game sees tigers, candles, precious gemstones, the prince and princess as well as the magic lamp Wild fill the grid as the slot’s symbols. At the top of the board, there are six empty spots which can be filled by the Reel Rewards mechanic on any spin, awarding a prize ranging from 2x, 3x or 5x multipliers to a Wild, which transforms all symbols below it.
After releasing the frenzy of a slot game that was Brick Snake 2000, the award-winning slot provider is now set to release Tombstone No Mercy an upgraded refresh of its 2019 hit slot, Tombstone. The 2024 refresh stays true to the original game and introduces Nolimit Bonus Buys and Nolimit Booster into the mix. With the introduction of Nolimit Bonus Buys, players can buy right into the bonus rounds; Justice Spins, Gunslinger
Games Global exclusive studio PearFiction Studios has unveiled its latest release, Cerberus Gold, incorporating three engaging LockNWin bonuses that can be combined for great win potential. This mythological title boasts an exciting triple collection mechanic that sees each collection pot protected by a head of the fearsome guardian of the underworld, Cerberus, who precariously sits above the reel set.
4ThePlayer in collaboration with Yggdrasil is unveiling its new release, 4K Ultra Gold MoneyWays, through the YGG Masters platform. This game evolves 4ThePlayer’s popular MoneyWays mechanic as seen in the top-performing 4 Fantastic series where cash on the reels is won by forming ways wins without the need for additional symbols or features. In 4K Ultra Gold, every cash symbol is boosted when it lands on the reels, creating additional excitement and anticipation.
Push Gaming has released the second in its series of DJ games, DJ Cat, which brings a range of new features to amp up engagement. Following the success of DJ Fox, this new follow-up retains the easy-to-understand, win-what-you-see gameplay, adding in larger win multipliers. Lining up CD symbols helps players to build big prizes while VIP icons grant access to spin the decks and feed the Multiplier Meter. Arrow symbols crank the volume and unlock more reels using the iconic Push-Up feature.
Inspired Entertainment is thrilled to announce its latest slot game, Spin 2 Riches™, now available the UK B3/LBO market. Offering players an unparalleled gaming experience filled with mystery symbols and Fortune Spins. Spin 2 Riches invites players to embark on a thrilling adventure where every spin brings the promise of untold riches.
PG Soft, a world-class digital mobile games company, is on target again with its latest fun-filled game release, Piñata Wins. Set against a vibrant fiesta backdrop, Piñata Wins is a five-reel and three-row title offering players a colourful gaming experience with plenty of features with an opportunity to make big returns from multipliers up to x100. The reels are brought to life with symbols that celebrate Mexican culture including tacos, maracas, skulls, sombreros and chillies.
Endorphina, has announced the release of its latest slot game, Moon Tiger, on April 17th. Featuring 5 reels, 3 rows, 25 fixed paylines, and cool bonuses, the slot will soon join Endorphina’s portfolio of over 150 games. Inspired by Chinese mythology, this slot embodies the legendary White Tiger, a creature born from a rare occurrence in the heavens.
Blueprint Gaming is inviting players to live like royalty and reign over Phrygia in its latest scatter-pay release, the Greek mythology-themed Midas King of Gold. Players attempt to turn every touch into gold in this 6×5 scatter pays title, with the King himself appearing in symbols on the game’s richly coloured board alongside royal pillars and ancient artifacts.
Playson, the fast-growing digital entertainment supplier, has combined the striking themes of its most successful games in its latest title Energy Joker: Hold and Win. With coins, electricity and a grinning joker, this fast-paced release has lightning running through its reels. The blue Collect feature strikes the cells and gathers all values, including the Mini, Minor and Major jackpots and Bonus symbols.
Spinomenal has released its new hit, Queen of the Amazon. Set amongst the lush rainforest, this 5×4 slot welcomes players on an adventure where treasure awaits intrepid explorers. A majestic Amazon headdress, tiger, gorilla, and snake, make up the Medium symbols on the reels. At the heart of the story stands the queen herself, representing the Wild symbol.
Embark on a thrilling journey across continents in 80 Day Escapade, the dramatic new slot from Boldplay that offers multiple features for endless excitement and rewards. With its 5×3 reels and 243 ways to win, players will enjoy a world of adventure and fortune but the real excitement begins with the set of exciting bonus features.
The post Week 16/2024 slot games releases appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Aviatrix, the crash game that’s changing the way online casinos engage their players, has partnered with platform provider Vibra Solutions in yet another move that expands its reach in Latin America.
Aviatrix’s push into Latin America has really picked up pace over recent months and that continues with this deal.
Vibra Gaming has established itself as a major player in the region since it was founded in 2020 and later with the launch of Vibra Solutions in 2022, its platforms and content aggregation division. Now operators using its platform will be able to offer customers Aviatrix.
“We’ve long admired the fantastic work Vibra Solutions is doing in growing our industry across Latin America via innovative product development,” the Latin America Head of Business Development for Aviatrix, Gabriela Novello, said. “By working alongside it, we’re able to bring Aviatrix to more players in the region and together write a new chapter in this ongoing growth story.”
“Our commitment to our operator partners is to provide the very best portfolio of games available,” the Chief Commercial Officer for Vibra Solutions, Federico Saini, said. “Some of those we build ourselves but others we onboard via partnerships like this. Aviatrix is one of the most talked about games in the industry at the moment and we couldn’t be happier to be able to offer it to online brands via our platform.”
Aviatrix’s has enjoyed considerable success in Latin America since it was launched a little over a year ago including being named Rising Star in Casino at the SBC Awards LatinoAmerica.
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