Latest News
UNISON announce partnership with YGAM
UNISON, the UKs largest trade union, has partnered with the national charity Young Gamers & Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM) to provide their members with expert training on gambling and gaming-related harms.
As part of a £10 million National Gambling Education Programme supported by members of the Betting & Gaming Council, the charity is providing free accredited workshops and resources to anyone who works with or cares for young people. Research from the Children’s Commissioner shows 93% of children play video games and Gambling Commission research shows there 55,000 11-16 years olds classified as problem gamblers in England, Scotland and Wales.
Designed to build digital resilience, the workshops cover key information on gaming and gambling in the UK. The resources will provide UNISON members with the tools needed to safeguard young people from the potential risks of gambling and gaming-related harm, including lesson plans, activities, signs to look out for and information on where to go for advice and support. All training sessions have been externally evaluated and are assured by the principle awarding bodies, City & Guilds and ASDAN.
Due to the COVID19 pandemic, YGAM has accelerated the digital transformation of their training so it can be delivered online. UNISON members can book onto the free session by visiting the YGAM website – https://www.ygam.org/book-a-workshop/.
Commenting on the partnership Teresa Donegan, Head of Learning and Organising at UNISON said: “We are really pleased to have developed this relationship with YGAM, their training and resources are really excellent and will be an invaluable resource to our members to support them in their work with young people across public services whether it be in youth, community or social services or in the further or higher education sector.”
UNISON has over 1.3 million members and have initially organised for YGAM to run several national sessions and hope to follow this up with a host of regional training through the UNISON regional education teams across the country.
Stevie Milward one of UNISON’s national Learning and Workforce Development Officers recently attended the training and was shocked at how gambling-related behaviour is encouraged by many computer and mobile games and the ease with which young children can become accustomed to it. “Many parents won’t realise what their children are being subjected to on a regular basis and it is great to be able to have the ability to work with those practitioners that deal with children and young people (and their parents in some instances) on a daily basis, in their work, so that they can pass on the education they receive from the training to help keep those young people safer.” said Stevie.
Kev Clelland, Operations Director at YGAM, said: “We are delighted to be working with UNISON. We are constantly listening to the needs of practitioners and young people and it is very clear from these conversations that the workers that UNISON represents need and appreciate our resources more than ever. YGAM’s vision is for all young and vulnerable people to be safe from gaming and gambling related harms and this collaboration will help us reach thousands of young people to raise awareness of the potential risks of gambling and gaming related harm.”
YGAM recently launched a new leading-edge ‘Parent Hub’ website to provide resources and expert advice around gaming and gambling to support families to build up their children’s resilience and establish a healthy online/offline balance. The new website has received endorsements from parents, teachers, safeguarding officers and the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) who labelled the resources ‘vitally important’ for parents. www.parents.ygam.org
Latest News
Huge Jackpot at King Billy Casino: C$3,658,306!
King Billy Casino, launched in 2017, has had some impressive players wins during the “reign of King Billy”. A few of them include Live Game winnings of €135,223, daily winnings from 2 or more slots of $164,000, and €250,000 won on a single spin. However, the latest win by a King Billy Casino player dwarfs every big win that has come before this. Actually, it’s bigger than all previous big wins combined for the operator!
Because, we are talking about C$3,658,306.
This amazing six-digit number was the result of a player going on a safari in her (and millions of other players) beloved Mega Moolah progressive slot from Games Global. In an autumn, the player stepped into eternal summer by wagering a small C$6,25 bet and winning 562.816 times her bet! This is the power of Mega Moolah, as evidenced at King Billy.
King Billy people had only warm words for the occasion. A representative of the casino has stated: “We are elated, for this huge big win. We can never forget that our first big win, many years back, was more than 200,000 Canadian dollars, so we have special ties with the region. And it’s now amazing to see our VIP-player making such a cashback and echoing that big win! Congratulations to our player”.
A few words about Mega Moolah. It was an Internet sensation when it was launched with its beautiful graphics and sounds, and immersive gameplay and it is a sensation today, still going strong after almost 20 years. The slot, which has spawned more than 20 variations, and has given millions in cash to players all over the world (including 5 millionaires in 2024 alone) features 4 types of jackpots that make it stand out from the competition.
About Games Global
Games Global is a supplier of the online gaming industry delivering force and direction to gaming with more than 1,300 top class games. The company has made a commitment to deliver the industry’s more disruptive ideas and compelling data-driven gaming experiences. Games Global features a total of 40+ partnered and in-house studios, services 600+ branded websites and boasts record-breaking jackpots with its worldwide network.
About King Billy Casino
Established on St Patrick’s Day in 2017, King Billy is a renowned new generation casino with more than 26 awards and accolades. The casino is available in English, German, French and Finnish, and created a unique user experience, building on the theme of King Billy and his Kingdom. King Billy ensures that all its players, “Citizens” in the casino language, receive the care and attention they deserve.
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Boyd Interactive
Play’n GO announces landmark partnership with Resorts Digital Gaming
Play’n GO, the world’s leading casino entertainment provider, has today announced its latest US operator partnership, with Resorts Digital Gaming, in the state of New Jersey.
Resorts Digital Gaming was acquired by Boyd Interactive in September 2024, and this announcement sees the group’s players on the www.resortscasino.com and www.mohegansuncasino.com brands in New Jersey gain access to a multitude of classic Play’n GO game titles, such as the legendary Book of Dead, Rise of Merlin, and Rise of Olympus.
Play’n GO entered New Jersey in September 2022, shortly after first launching in the US via the state of West Virginia in July of that year. It has since seen its games live in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and most recently, Connecticut.
Magnus Olsson, Chief Commercial Officer at Play’n GO, commented “New Jersey has been of crucial importance to our US operations for over two years now, so it is with great pleasure that we make this announcement in conjunction with Resorts Digital Gaming.
“The company joins together two instantly recognizable operator brands, and the addition of Play’n GO’s games will be of enormous mutual benefit. We confidently describe ourselves as the world’s leading casino entertainment provider, and partnerships like this one are of great importance to us in establishing that idea. We’re excited to see this partnership flourish.”
Jim Ryan, Chief Executive Officer at Boyd Interactive, added “The whole Resorts Digital Gaming team is excited to bring Play’n GO games to our players. Play’n GO is one of the world’s leading iGaming brands, and we’re confident that our players are as excited as we are to see those Play’n GO titles on both www.resortscasino.com and www.mohegansuncasino.com.”
Interviews
Exclusive Q&A w/ Radek Pšurný, CEO at Match Hype
Match Hype has just won two industry competitions. Talk us through your product.
Match Hype brings engagement from social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram into the sportsbook. Our technology automatically turns raw sports data into short videos full of sports and betting insights. We have the capacity to create up to a million videos daily in more than 30 languages. We also provide hosting and streaming of the videos, and we track everything in the video thanks to our own player. The high level of video experience and the scale make us unique in the market, and we believe that this innovation is extremely needed in the industry—and the judges in the competitions probably agree with us.
What technologies are you leveraging to deliver such a cutting-edge tool/product?
We have more than six years’ experience in developing dynamic video solutions for clients like Microsoft, HBO, and SAP, and a decade in high-end video production for similarly well-known clients. Match Hype is the essence of this. We have developed our own robust cloud infrastructure that enables us to work on a huge scale. We can also leverage the integration of third-party solutions that help us make the video content rich and engaging. The AI boom came at the right time to help us make the experience for the viewer even better.
Who is Match Hype aimed at?
We focus mostly on sportsbook operators, where we think we can bring the biggest value. But we also have clients on the affiliate and media side. Our “competition” at the moment are creative professionals who are able to create one video at a time. To cover hundreds or thousands of events daily, you need huge manpower. With Match Hype, you don’t need that—it’s all automated. Anybody who appreciates this level of efficiency will benefit.
The end users are any sports fans who enjoy engaging videos. So basically everybody.
Has this industry been slow to embrace video content and unlock the potential it offers? If so, why?
It’s hard for us to talk about the whole industry, as we haven’t been part of it for that long. But iGaming feels like a conservative industry where only truly meaningful innovations make it. Fingers crossed for Match Hype being one of them. We are confident because of our track record in other industries, and mostly thanks to the results of our dynamic videos that are already used by significant igaming industry players.
What makes video content so effective at customer acquisition? How can Match Hype be used in this regard?
People just love video content. In the last review, TikTok said that the average user spends around 90 minutes a day on their platform. Platforms like Spotify used to be music and podcasts only; now they are full of videos. You just can’t ignore that. Video killed the radio star, and a static sportsbook is next to die.
And what about retention? How can it be used to keep players engaged and coming back for more?
Imagine that a 30-second video gives you the exact insights to help you make a betting decision without spending dozens of minutes on different resources to gather all the information. People don’t want to read anymore. This is probably an even bigger strength of Match Hype than user acquisition.
What can we expect from Match Hype in the coming months?
We will establish Match Hype as an industry standard for dynamic video content. We’ll bring many more sports like tennis, basketball horse racing and. We are preparing real-time video use cases—for example, half-time updates in football—and new distribution channels like integration directly into streams. The potential is huge. Stay tuned.
Any final thoughts?
For the last year, we have talked with literally hundreds of iGaming experts, investors, and executives. Almost every one of them sees fan engagement as a huge topic in the upcoming months and years. And video will definitely play a key part in it.
Video says more than a thousand words. Give it a go—watch one of our 30-second videos and see for yourself.
The post Exclusive Q&A w/ Radek Pšurný, CEO at Match Hype appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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