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Conclusion of the 4th Safer Gambling Week in Cyprus

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4 years ago

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The events and actions held during the 4th Safer Gambling Week were completed in absolute success and remarkable public response. The organisation of the Safer Gambling Week (SGW) is part of National Betting Authority’s efforts to foster a culture of Safer Gambling and create the conditions for a safer environment for the players and the public. The Week was under the auspices of the Minister of Finance and was supported by more than 50 entities and both public and private organisations.

Through various activities held during the Week, various stakeholders, such as bookmakers, casino employees, players, vulnerable groups, and the public, had the opportunity to learn more about safer participation in gambling, as well as explore effective ways to deal with the risks associated with problem gambling.

As highlighted by the President of the NBA, Mrs. Ioanna Fiakkou, “the Safer Gambling Week, running for the 4th consecutive year, has now been established as an open dialogue platform, through which, the National Betting Authority encourages discussions about safer gambling practices, with input from academics, experienced trainers, industry professionals and everyday people. Our goal, as the regulatory and supervisory authority of the betting industry in Cyprus, is to engage the whole society in this dialogue, in order to ensure that gambling will remain a fun activity, thus avoiding problematic and pathological behaviours among society”.

As assured by Mrs. Fiakkou, “NBA’s mission was, and remains, the effective regulation and sustainable development of the industry. A precondition for achieving this goal is the creation of appropriate and effective mechanisms to minimize the risks posed by the illegal market and problem gambling. To this end, we pay great importance to prevention and the creation of further safeguards for the players and society. The strategic cooperation with stakeholders for the development and implementation of policies, and initiatives that protect both players and the wider society, is an important factor to the achievement of the NBA’s goals”.

The 4th Safer Gambling Week launched with the Safer Gambling Conference, in which over 25 international speakers from 10 different countries, mainly industry professionals, distinct academics and representatives from European regulatory authorities, shared their experiences and expertise. The Conference covered a wide spectrum of subjects related to Safer Gambling, while it was attended by over 300 people.

During the Safer Gambling Week, there were more than 25 events being held. The main activities, such as interactive events at universities all over Cyprus, awareness events at military camps and the interactive game “Keep the game safe quiz”, were focused on young people. As part of the quiz, participants were urged to test their knowledge about Safer Gambling in an entertaining way. Τhe Week’s schedule also included the opening of the Prevention and Treatment Centre “PHAROS” for the problem and pathological engagement in gambling, which is established in Limassol by the Cyprus Gaming and Casino Supervision Commission and the Cyprus National Addictions Authority.

Furthermore, seminars by trainers from Cyprus and from abroad were held for specific groups such as parents, teachers/educators, human resources managers and CEOs, the Authority’s regulated entities and their staff, and the licensed casino’s personnel as well. Indicatively, licensed bookmakers and their personnel, attended the “Safer Gambling and AML” seminar.

It is worth noting that, the information and awareness campaign of NBA also included all the football matches of the First Division championship, in collaboration with the Cyprus Football Association.

The Week concluded with the 3×3 basketball tournament “Keep the Ball safe”, in collaboration with the Cyprus Basketball Federation. Beyond the competing part, children and their parents had the opportunity to participate in entertaining activities, such as face painting and basketball game for children. The monetary prize won by the first two teams, will be given to the Europa Uomo association, which aims to raise awareness about prostate cancer.

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BMM TESTLABS PROMOTES SACHA MCLAUGHLIN TO VICE PRESIDENT OF GLOBAL QUALITY ASSURANCE

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14 hours ago

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July 7, 2025

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BMM Testlabs, the world’s original gaming test lab renowned for exceptional product compliance and certification services, today announced the promotion of Sacha McLaughlin to Vice President of Global Quality Assurance.

BMM’s President of Land-Based Gaming & Inspections, Kirk White, said, “Sacha has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, operational excellence, and a customer-first attitude. Her experience and passion will be critical as we continue to grow our QA services to meet the always-evolving needs of the global gaming industry.”

With over 18 years of experience in software implementation and seven years in the gaming industry, McLaughlin brings extensive knowledge of both agile and waterfall development methodologies, test planning, project management, and cross-regional team leadership. She is recognized for her ability to build and scale QA organizations that deliver quality, speed, and value to customers.

McLaughlin joined BMM in 2018 and has held roles of increasing responsibility within the Company, most recently serving as Senior Director of Quality Assurance. Throughout her tenure, she has been instrumental in expanding BMM’s QA capabilities and helping customers launch products into the global gaming market more quickly, with a focus on regulatory compliance, functionality, fairness, and security.

The post BMM TESTLABS PROMOTES SACHA MCLAUGHLIN TO VICE PRESIDENT OF GLOBAL QUALITY ASSURANCE appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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Eastern Europe

Totogaming Joins Cernica Pantelimon RunFest: Not Just Present, But Fully Participating

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14 hours ago

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July 7, 2025

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“We weren’t just present — we were participants of Runfest. And that’s one of the most important aspects,” said Artak Ashkhatoyan, Deputy CEO of Totogaming.

On July 6, Totogaming joined the Cernica Pantelimon Runfest in Romania, once again emphasizing the importance of promoting amateur sports and a healthy lifestyle.

“Supporting such initiatives is a priority for TotoGaming. First, 50% of the proceeds from RunFest will be donated to the CLOVES Romania Foundation, supporting children affected by CLOVES Syndrome. And second, we’ve always believed in showing our passion for sports through actions, not just words. Have you noticed how we’re constantly rushing through life, yet when we look back, it often feels like we haven’t moved at all? It’s important for us to lead by example and show the importance of participation. This is exactly the message we’re promoting through our team’s active involvement in the marathon. After all, there can never be too much sport in our lives,” said TotoGaming’s Deputy CEO, Artak Ashkhatoyan.

A Simple Concept, a Powerful Impact

The concept of this sports event is straightforward: choose a distance between 1 to 21 kilometers and run. The goal? Make sport an integral part of everyday life. The crowd certainly embraced that, gathering as early as 8:30 a.m. — on a Sunday morning.

Totogaming contributed in two distinct capacities: as an official sponsor and as an active participant. A dedicated team of 13 employees represented the company at the Cernica Pantelimon RunFest, with 7 of them proudly taking part as runners.

More Than Just a Run

It wasn’t an easy challenge — especially because among Totogaming’s runners were people for whom running isn’t a daily habit, or even part of their life at all. Yet they couldn’t miss the opportunity, not least from the perspective of corporate responsibility.

“We just finished the 7.5-kilometer race!” shared Petrut-Adrian Toea from the Totogaming team.

“It was amazing, honestly. Around the 2-kilometer mark, I had this little battle with myself — I told myself I had to finish the race, no matter what. And I did it! I came in around 60th place out of over 100 runners, which for me is a really good result.”

“I see my participation as a small contribution toward promoting a healthy lifestyle. In my close circle, everyone knows I’m not exactly the sporty type. I’m not athletic, and I usually prefer having fun in other ways. But showing up here, early in the morning, in this intense heat, and completing almost 8 kilometers with just one short break — I think it set a good example.”

“I hope seeing someone like me finish this challenge motivates my friends to try something similar for their own health. I believe that’s a meaningful contribution”, – added Petrut-Andrea.

Totogaming also made it possible for every attendee to bring sport into their lives — quite literally. At the Totogaming tent, participants could ride stationary bikes and receive prizes based on the number of points they earned through their efforts.

Whether they were running, cycling, or simply cheering for friends, the goal for everyone was the same: to reach the destination of champions — by bringing sport into everyday life.

The post Totogaming Joins Cernica Pantelimon RunFest: Not Just Present, But Fully Participating appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Liftoff’s 2025 Mobile Ad Creative Index Reveals UGC Is a Key Differentiator for Top Apps

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15 hours ago

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July 7, 2025

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Major findings from the newly launched report include playable ads having the potential to deliver impression-to-install rates 16 times that of non-playable formats for emerging gaming apps and a 20% increase in spending on interactive ads year over year.

Liftoff, a leading AI-enabled growth platform for the mobile app economy, has published its seventh annual Mobile Ad Creative Index. The report explores top creative trends that are attracting and scaling in ad spend across consumer apps and games. It also highlights the expanding role of AI in creative production, testing, and optimization.

This year’s Mobile Ad Creative Index specifically analyzes creative concepts that have excelled in scale for Liftoff’s highest-spending advertisers over the past 12 to 48 months. It is based on findings from over 4.7 trillion impressions, 263 billion clicks, and 1.1 billion installs between 1 January 2023 and 31 May 2025.

 

Highlights from the report include:

Top consumer apps are investing in interactive ads to compete for engagement

In 2024, the share of spend on interactive ads for top apps increased by 20% year over year. The share of spend increased by 2% for spenders outside the top tier. Top-spending apps differentiate their campaigns by adding innovations to evergreen concepts such as social scrollers, carousels, and scratch-offs.

Playable ads deliver returns across ad budgets for mobile game advertisers

In 2024, the share of spend on playable ads for top games averaged 35% higher than other games. Across all ad budgets, however, playable ads delivered higher conversion rates. Impression-to-install rates were 8 times that of non-playable formats for top spenders and 16 times that of non-playable formats for other game advertisers.

Tailoring “metaplay” elements to motivations can improve performance

“Metaplay” elements—gameplay that diverges from an app’s core design to appeal to a broader audience—are widespread, but top games gain an edge by tailoring their metaplay ads to the publisher audience. The report found that aligning “metaplay” creative with publisher audiences resulted in a 93% increase in installs-per-mille.

UGC is becoming a key differentiator in driving scale for consumer apps

The share of spend on user-generated content (UGC) increased 11% for top-spending apps, with social and utility apps seeing the most significant jump of nearly 30% between 2023 and 2024.

Widespread adoption of Gen AI leads to more customized ad experiences

Creative teams increasingly leverage AI to enhance top-performing assets with 3D and motion and to create and test variations. Top advertisers also use AI to recombine their assets in customized ad experiences that break away from standard video to playable formats.

Yann Zeller, Chief of Staff, Creative at Liftoff, said: “Today’s creative landscape is shaped by a single, powerful truth: attention is the commodity, and brands, games, and influencers are all vying for it. Great mobile ad experiences can earn attention by aligning context with behavior. As ad formats become richer and AI expands our ability to personalize and adapt creatives at scale, we’re able to unlock new insights into user behavior and motivation. We see users spend meaningful stretches with the right content, sometimes 60 to 90 seconds when the ad feels personal or prompts meaningful participation. This isn’t just a better way to advertise—it’s a better way to tell stories and the most exciting brief we’ve had in years.”

Soren Steelquist, Director of Creative Production, said: “The proof is in the data—more and more consumer apps are incorporating UGC into every stage of their marketing, and programmatic is no different. UGC works because it’s authentic and relatable, and users are more likely to be influenced by ad when it’s coming from a trustworthy source. To see higher impact from UGC creatives, work with a partner that can match the right creator with your brand and develop winning concepts that resonate with audiences.”

The post Liftoff’s 2025 Mobile Ad Creative Index Reveals UGC Is a Key Differentiator for Top Apps appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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