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Gambling Minister leads tributes to Ygam on 10th anniversary milestone
Ygam has celebrated the start of its milestone 10th anniversary year with an outpour of support from Parliamentarians, charity leaders and academics.
In the last decade, Ygam has solidified its position as a prominent leader in the gaming and gambling harm prevention sector. Since 2014, Ygam’s portfolio of evidence-based programmes, has reached over 3 million children and young people. Over 17,000 delegates have been trained by Ygam, including over 11,000 teachers. Throughout this period, the charity has maximised its impact and influence by collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders.
Gambling Minister, Rt Hon. Stuart Andrew MP, led the messages of support for Ygam, saying “Our gambling white paper proposes a number of significant steps to protect young people from gambling harm, including consulting on lower thresholds for financial risk checks and a lower online slot stake limit for 18-24-year-olds.
“These measures are on top of robust age verification controls for online gambling, and a ban on sportspeople and celebrities with strong appeal for children from appearing in gambling adverts.
“I congratulate Ygam on their 10th anniversary and we will continue to work closely together with them to prevent young people from gambling harm.”
Stephanie Peacock MP, Shadow Minister for Media, Gambling and Sport, also congratulated Ygam on its decade of impact, saying “Over the last decade, the landscape for gaming and gambling has changed dramatically. Gone are the days when you had to walk to the bookies to place a bet, casinos are now available in our pockets.
“Amidst this change, organisations like Ygam have been doing crucial, proactive work – raising awareness, conducting research, and educating young people – so that future generations can be better protected from gambling harm.
“I thank Ygam for their preventative work and look forward to working with them going forward in our shared commitment to address youth gambling harm.”
Rt Hon Dame Rosie Winterton DBE, MP for Doncaster Central, played pivotal role is supporting Ygam’s founders to establish the charity in 2014. The Deputy Speaker said, “It is remarkable to think that it was ten years ago when my constituents, Anne and Keith Evans, turned the tragedy of their son Alan Lockhart’s suicide following years of gambling addiction into a beacon of hope and avenue for change with the founding of Ygam. Over the past decade, I have seen Ygam grow and witnessed first-hand the fantastic work they do in order to reduce gambling harms through their various tailored programmes. The teaching materials Ygam provides for teachers and schools, for community and faith leaders, and for gambling operators, sees to it that more people are aware of the dangers of problem gambling, can more easily identify those who are at risk, and can therefore seek help in a timely fashion.
“Ygam have doubtlessly aided the lives of countless people, particularly young people, by allowing them to see the warning signs of gambling addiction and give them the tools to intervene. Ygam has grown and changed much over the intervening years, however those core values established in its founding in 2014 still shines through to this day.”
Beyond the walls of Parliament, a multitude of stakeholders and partners have demonstrated their support for this anniversary achievement.
“I am delighted to support Ygam celebrate its first decade as a charity. Like PAPYRUS, founded by parents who lost a young person to suicide, Ygam is justly proud of its achievements, turning tragedy to hope. I have attended some of the excellent training provided and hope that we can do more together in the years ahead to raise awareness of gaming and gambling harms and, more broadly, to prevent suicide. Congratulations to Ygam. Together we can help to save young lives.” Ged Flynn, Chief Executive Officer at PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide
“Congratulations to Ygam on reaching such an important milestone. Protecting young people from gambling related harms remains a critical priority for society that continues to require work.” Vicky Shotbolt, Chief Executive Officer, Parent Zone
“Gambling harms is a serious public health issue and Ygam plays a valuable role in working to protect young people and children from gambling harm. I congratulate them on their decade of hard work to address this important issue.” Zoë Osmond, Chief Executive Officer, GambleAware
“Over the past decade, Ygam has grown into a leader in the gaming and gambling harms sector. The team’s dedication to safeguarding children and young adults leaves a lasting impact on the lives they touch every single day. Your ambitious plans for 2024 and beyond will help Ygam reach even more young people in the ever-growing digital world.
“Gordon Moody is incredibly proud to work alongside Ygam and we send your team congratulations and best wishes for your tenth anniversary. 2024 will be a pivotal year for the gambling harms third sector and we look forward to working closely with the Ygam team on our shared commitment to preventing gambling harms as we navigate the changing landscape.” Monica Shafaq, Chief Executive Officer, Gordon Moody
“GamCare is proud to have been a partner with Ygam in their decade of growth and achievement – making a huge difference to gambling harms education and prevention. Their clear focus on safeguarding the next generation has ensured thousands of professionals and parents receive information to safeguard children and young people from gambling harm. We look forward to collaborating over the coming years in our shared mission to support anyone affected by gambling.” Margot Daly, Chair, GamCare
“Congratulations to Ygam in reaching their 10 year anniversary! As a long time collaborator – from start up to present day – we recognise the impact that the charity has brought to the gambling education and training space, always looking to provide high value and innovative services in the pursuit of prevention and reduction of gambling harms.” Frankie Graham, Chief Executive Officer, Betknowmore UK
“Congratulations to the team at Ygam for reaching this important milestone. We believe that Ygam’s work to educate young people about gaming and gambling is paramount to the reduction of gambling-related harm and the stigma attached to it. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Ygam over the years, with the university tour collaboration being a particular highlight. Congratulations on 10 years of much needed and truly impactful work.” Fiona Palmer, Chief Executive Officer, GAMSTOP
“Congratulations on 10 years of work helping to address gambling harms amongst children and young people. It has been a pleasure working with the team over the past few years. Wishing you well for the next 10 years.” Professor Agnes Nairn, Co-Director of Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms Research
The milestone year will be marked through a series of special events, campaigns, and announcements.
Latest News
Huge Jackpot at King Billy Casino: C$3,658,306!
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The post Huge Jackpot at King Billy Casino: C$3,658,306! appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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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