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GambleAware invests £2.5m into gambling harms prevention education programme across England and Wales

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Following a competitive tender, GambleAware is awarding £2.5m to GamCare, YGAM and partners, and Adferiad Recovery to expand The Gambling Education Hub Service across England and Wales as part of its commitment to help reduce gambling harms among young people
The Gambling Education Hub (The Hub) is a gambling education programme which includes toolkits, training and peer-based theatre performances, is aimed at professionals and volunteers who work with young people and families and at young people, parents and carers themselves.
The expansion follows an independent evaluation[1] of the GambleAware commissioned Scottish Gambling Education Hub (The Hub) by IFF Research, which reveals success of its early intervention and prevention methods leading to dramatic improvements in gambling harms awareness and understanding
The Hub, which is primarily for practitioners, educators and youth workers, uses early intervention and prevention methods to reduce gambling harms among children and young people, working holistically within local communities, to promote a safer environment – especially for those most at risk

GambleAware has today announced the expansion of its Gambling Education Hubs across England and Wales, following a successful pilot in Scotland. The Hubs, which help prevent gambling harms among young people through early intervention and education, resulted in 92% of practitioners from the Scottish Hub saying they felt confident in identifying the signs of gambling harm, compared to just 35% pre-training. The Hubs also resulted in more than eight in ten young people from the Scottish Hub saying they were more aware of the consequences of gambling and 84% felt confident about where to turn to for support if needed.

This investment from GambleAware comes at a critical period, with the Hubs designed to reach all communities across the nations by engaging at a local level in a way that central Government sometimes cannot. Young people are increasingly exposed to easily accessible gambling through the growth of online gaming and social media. GambleAware research published in 2020 showed that 94% of 11-17-year-olds in Great Britain had been exposed to gambling adverts in the last month, seeing six adverts on average[2]. This data directly led to recent caps and restrictions imposed on industry advertisers to further curb their appeal to children and youths.

The Scottish Hub delivered gambling education to almost 3,000 professionals and volunteers working with young people, as well as young people themselves, parents, and carers. GambleAware partnered with Scotland’s national youthwork organisation Fast Forward[3] to deliver the locally focused prevention programme. An independent evaluation of this project by IFF Research found that the Hub:

  • improved knowledge and awareness of youth gambling harms and gambling education among practitioners, and
  • reached over 15,800 young people resulting in increased awareness of the consequences of gambling and confidence in asking for support.

Building on this success, GambleAware has today announced the award of a £2.5m grant to expand the Hub Service to both England and Wales. Following a competitive tender process, the grant has been won by GamCare, in partnership with YGAM, ARA, Aquarius, Beacon, Breakeven and Neca to carry out the work in England, and by Adferiad Recovery, which will carry out the work in Wales.

Anna Hemmings, Chief Executive of GamCare, said: “We are delighted to be receiving this grant to deliver gambling education hubs across England. We work in collaboration with a number of organisations who bring unparalleled experience of working with young people around these issues, including; Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM), Addiction Recovery Agency (ARA), Aquarius, Beacon, Breakeven and Neca, to deliver Education Hubs across England.

Both GamCare and our partners passionately believe that information on the risks associated with gambling and gaming should be a key part of young people’s education, gaining parity with other risky behaviours such as drugs and alcohol.

We are looking forward to building on the successes of our work with young people, their parents and professionals in a new programme aimed at increasing visibility of both local and national education and support, and to working with GambleAware and our partners towards our shared aspiration of reducing gambling-related harms for young people.”

Leon Marsh, Director of Hospital & Residential Services at Adferiad Recovery said: “We look forward to working with GambleAware on this great initiative to help reduce gambling-related harm caused to young people and to provide comprehensive training, education and resources to key stakeholders to reduce the risks associated with gambling addiction. We were delighted to hear that we had been selected to be the providers of Wales’s Gambling Education Hub and are looking forward to replicating the success of the project currently being undertaken in Scotland. Our extensive knowledge and experience in young people services puts us in a good position to be able to effectively deliver this project in Wales, and we are excited to be able to offer young people this valuable service.”

GamCare, together with YGAM and other partners, brings over nine years’ experience delivering services for thousands of young people, including relevant skills, local knowledge, and stakeholder networks. Meanwhile, Adferiad Recovery is an industry leader in the fields of addiction, mental health, and young people’s services. Each organisation is best placed to carry out the expansion of the Hub Service in their own region. The new Hubs will also reflect differences in curriculums, languages, regions, need and demand, and political and other contexts, specific to each nation.

Zoë Osmond, CEO at GambleAware, said: “At a time when young people are increasingly exposed to gambling, the delivery of local focused programs for gambling education and prevention of harms has never been more important. We hope to see the positive short-term impacts from the Scottish Education Hub’s activities replicated in our newly commissioned English and Welsh Education Hubs, and we are excited to have awarded this grant to these two highly experienced organisations.

“As the lead commissioner working to prevent gambling harms, GambleAware is committed to working with local organisations and stakeholders to fund and establish tailored, best-practice prevention programmes. With young people in the UK now growing up being widely exposed to gambling marketing and advertising, these projects represent a meaningful step towards delivering a society where all children and young people are protected from the risks of gambling related harms.”

The Hubs across all nations will incorporate input from people with lived experience of gambling harms in the development of training content, service delivery, and any supporting tools or resources. GambleAware expects that equality, diversity and inclusion policy and procedures to be at the heart of the service design, provision, and day to day operations.

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ACR POKER INJECTS DAILY DOSE OF THRILL INTO TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE WITH LAUNCH OF DAILY MYSTERY BOUNTY EVENTS

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Monster top bounty of 10% of the total prize pool up for grabs starting this weekend

ACR Poker today announced the addition of Daily Mystery Bounty events to its tournament lineup starting this Sunday, August 3rd, delivering unmatched entertainment, thrilling action, and big wins to the tables.

Daily Mystery Bounty tournaments turn traditional bounty formats on their head. Once players are in the money, instead of receiving a fixed reward for eliminating an opponent, players receive a Mystery Bounty Chest revealing a mystery reward, with the top bounty prize being 10% of the total prize pool.

“Mystery Bounties are just pure fun,” said ACR Pro Chris Moneymaker. “You never know what you’re going to get when you knock someone out, it could be some random treasure or a monster bounty that flips your whole tournament. With same-day events, fast action and bounty madness on your daily calendar, it keeps the adrenaline going and makes every hand way more exciting.”

The Daily Mystery Bounty schedule features a range of tourneys and buy-ins, with highlights including the $250K GTD Sunday Funday ($215 buy-in), the $150K GTD Major Mash Up ($66 buy-in), and the $100K GTD Moorman’s Mayhem ($630 buy-in). Starting this Sunday, players can log into the ACR Poker client, open the Tournaments tab, and find the full lineup of Daily Mystery Bounty events in the regular schedule under upcoming events.

And don’t forget, the Mystery Bounty madness continues in ACR Poker’s massive Dual Venom tournaments taking place from Sunday, August 10th to Tuesday, August 26th. Not only are the $2,650 buy-in tourneys offering huge guarantees of $8 million in the NHL event and $2 million in the PLO event, but there are massive bounties on the table for those who knock out their competitors.

In the Venom NLH, eliminating just one opponent could earn a player the top bounty prize of $500,000. While in the Venom PLO, which ties ACR Poker’s biggest Omaha tourney ever, there’s a juicy $200,000 bounty for the taking. And that’s not all, every knockout in both tourneys earns players a minimum bounty of at least $5,000.

For full details about the Daily Mystery Bounty tournaments or to find out more about the Dual Mystery Bounty Venoms, visit ACRPoker.eu.

 

The post ACR POKER INJECTS DAILY DOSE OF THRILL INTO TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE WITH LAUNCH OF DAILY MYSTERY BOUNTY EVENTS appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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Take Aim at Mega Wins: ELA Games Unleashes Chaos With New Shooter Game “Shoot Happens”

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A chaotic jungle journey with big, bad foes and insane riches.

Welcome to the jungle, where Shoot Happens! Face your opponent, take aim, and fire your way to riches.

ELA Games unveils its boldest title to date, a combination of decision-making and narrative progression where every shot counts.

In Shoot Happens, you’re not just a player. You’re the main character who has to fend off waves of increasingly dangerous (and valuable) monsters. Armed with 3 shots per round, you’ll need precision and calm nerves to take down the reward and add it to your Winpot. Hit the target for riches. Miss… and it’s back to the beginning.

The Choice Is Yours

Each round is in the hands of the player. Do you cash out now? Or keep slashing through the jungle for bigger and better rewards? Decision-making, timing, and a whole load of guts go a long way.

Expect the Unexpected

Random projectile bonuses can appear in any round, boosting your rewards massively. And just when you thought your journey through the treacherous jungle was over, the final boss appears. While the other monsters may have been a piece of cake, he doesn’t stay down. Each time you defeat him, he respawns for juicier and recurring payouts. Keep going as long as you can handle it, and you might walk out as the top dog of the jungle.

Marharyta Yerina, ELA Games’ Managing Director, commented on the game’s release, “With Shoot Happens, the team ventured outside of conventional game formats, and we wanted to give players a super engaging experience where they’re in control. This title is a bold approach to game design in this industry, as we’re empowering players with choice and enriching the gameplay experience with strong visuals, narratives, and plenty of replayability.”

Play how you want. The Winpot is yours

Shoot Happens is the perfect blend of fast-paced action, bold decision-making, and interactive gameplay. Whether you’re a cautious player or a complete daredevil, the game is an enticing experience for all.

How deep into the jungle are you willing to go?

The post Take Aim at Mega Wins: ELA Games Unleashes Chaos With New Shooter Game “Shoot Happens” appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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AGA Research Reveals Consumers Know Sweepstakes Casinos are Gambling

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As gaming regulators, state Attorneys General, and state legislatures continue to scrutinize the business practices of online “sweepstakes” casinos, new research shows that consumers overwhelmingly use these platforms to gamble – and that sweepstakes operators are heavily targeting players in key states. By exploiting loopholes in the law, these operations undermine the integrity of the legal, regulated gaming marketplace.

According to Sensor Tower data compiled by the American Gaming Association (AGA), half of all online, real-money casino advertisements seen by consumers in early 2025 promoted offshore “sweepstakes” casinos. The data shows these unregulated operators concentrate their advertising in populous states.

“These operators present themselves like legal, regulated platforms – but they operate outside the law and regulation. There are few if any responsible gaming tools, no regulatory oversight, and no consumer protections. It’s a dangerous subterfuge that puts players at real risk,” said AGA Vice President of Government Relations, Tres York.

Despite operating outside the regulated gaming market, “sweepstakes” casinos are widely perceived by players as gambling platforms, with 68% of users saying their primary reason for playing is to win real money. This confusion is no accident – many of these sites mimic the look, feel, and language of legal operators, blurring the line for consumers and reinforcing the need for clearer enforcement and public education.

Key findings include:

• 90% of sweepstakes casino users consider the activity to be gambling.

• 69% describe sweepstakes casinos as places to wager real money.

• 80% of sweepstakes players spend monthly, and nearly half spend weekly, without the safety nets offered by regulated operators.

The number of monthly sweepstakes casino players is twice as high in states lacking sweepstakes prohibitions.

“Sweepstakes” casinos aggressively market on popular digital platforms throughout the country. Legal, regulated gaming operators, by contrast, advertise responsibly in legal states where consumer protections and regulatory oversight are in place.

“The data is clear. Consumers see right through the ‘sweepstakes’ casino facade and they’re calling it what it is: gambling. We look forward to policymakers continuing to enforce their laws and create clarity through new policy measures to protect their residents,” added York.

The post AGA Research Reveals Consumers Know Sweepstakes Casinos are Gambling appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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