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BGC Members Donate Record £172.5M to Tackle Problem Gambling and Gambling-related Harm
The Betting and Gaming Council’s largest members have donated £122.5m over four years to tackle problem gambling and gambling-related harm, new figures reveal.
This record funding increase is £22.5m more than the £100m the BGC’s four largest members pledged to contribute between 2020 and March 2024.
Around a further £10m has also been donated annually from other BGC members and UK-regulated licensees, taking the contribution over the last four years to approximately £172.5m.
This year alone, BGC members expect to provide RPT funding of around £50m to a host of vital charities.
For over 20 years, the regulated betting and gaming industry has contributed millions to fund Research, Prevention and Treatment services to tackle problem gambling and gambling-related harm, via a unique voluntary levy on all operators.
This record contribution helps sustain a network of entirely independent third-sector RPT providers, which currently treat around 85% of all problem gamblers receiving treatment in Britain.
All RPT donations only go to charities accredited by the independent regulator the Gambling Commission to deliver these services, and BGC members have no say on how the money is spent.
The BGC called for the current voluntary model to be replaced with a statutory levy, as long as it is independent, protects longstanding, expert providers of RPT in the third sector and is tiered to protect land-based operators.
Those expert providers include GamCare, with over 200 staff members, who have delivered over 38,000 structured treatment sessions between 2022/23. And Gordon Moody which operates the country’s only residential care centre for women problem gamblers.
In September last year, Stephanie Peacock MP, the newly appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at DCMS got to see Gordon Moody’s world-class support and treatment services firsthand when she visited their Residential Centre in Dudley.
She praised the safe environment they provide and thanked service users and staff for sharing their experiences and providing a tour of the centre.
In addition to RPT donations, BGC members have raised millions more for a host of other charity initiatives. The BGC alone has raised more than £6m for veterans, sports and health charities through the Grand National Charity Bet Campaign and Britania Stakes Charity Bet campaign.
Wes Himes, BGC Executive Director of Standards and Innovation, said: “Around 22.5 million people in this country enjoy a regular flutter, and the overwhelming majority do so perfectly safely and responsibly.
“Our mission to raise standards carries on strong and these figures demonstrate our actions are backed by significant financial contributions which are making a real difference.
“Our members have no say on how these funds are spent and RPT donations only go to independent organisations accredited by the Gambling Commission to deliver these critical services.
“For the BGC and our members, the priority is ensuring the money reaches these charities doing exceptional work in Prevention and Treatment and funds truly independent, evidence led research.
“While this voluntary levy has delivered record funding, the BGC supports the replacement of the current levy scheme with a mandatory one, but the delivery of this new scheme must ensure future funding security for the third sector which is delivering such excellent work.
“As we go forward, this huge investment will continue, underlining this sector’s unrivalled commitment to responsible betting and gaming.”
The previous Government had launched a consultation into the creation of a new Levy, but the consultation response has been delayed by the General Election.
Despite this, BGC members have pledged to maintain voluntary contributions to ensure charities have funding security.
However, the BGC remains concerned about current proposals outlined by the previous Government, which would negatively impact independent bookmakers, who face being charged disproportionately high Levy costs of 0.4% on Gross Gambling Yield.
If enforced, this could threaten shop closures and job losses, because of the smaller margins for independent bookmakers and other financial overheads, like energy costs.
There were nearly 696 independent betting shops at the start of 2019, 160 have since closed, a reduction of around 23%.
The BGC estimates that 492 bookies, across 38 businesses, will be negatively impacted by a 0.4% Levy.
The post BGC Members Donate Record £172.5M to Tackle Problem Gambling and Gambling-related Harm appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Week 46/2024 slot games releases
Here are this weeks latest slots releases compiled by European Gaming
Spinomenal has welcomed another title into its Wildlife Series, Majestic Bison. Set in the Wild West, Majestic Bison surrounds players in a landscape populated with wild wolves, elegant eagles, fearsome snakes and formidable goats. A stripped back soundtrack captures the essence of the Wild West, with banjos and harmonicas immersing players in the action as they hunt for gold.
PG Soft, a world-class digital mobile games company, is celebrating the magic of the Rio de Janeiro Carnival with the release of its new slot, Rio Fantasia. A young dancer named Isabella is the star of the show as players join in the rhythm and passion of one of the world’s most spectacular parties. Rio Fantasia is a 3-reel, 3-row video slot featuring Stacked Wild symbols, multipliers, and respin until win.
Hölle Games has released Jumpin’ Jacks, a new Classic title featuring a special Duplicating Wilds mechanic. This 5×3, 15 payline slot has a theme of Halloween harvest, with scarecrows, pumpkins, corn, crows and a creepy midnight sky completing the picture. The atmosphere is there to match, with a cosy yet somewhat spooky soundtrack.
Belatra Games, the specialist online slots developer, has served up Cafe Pin-Up, a slot that whisks players away to a vibrant 1950s diner, where retro glamour meets thrilling gameplay. Players take a seat inside a charming cafe, where pin-up girls are on hand to deliver delicious dishes in a raucous atmosphere created by a jukebox playing toe-tapping tunes. The game is presented in a 5×4 grid with 20 paylines with the Pin-Up Girl Wild symbol playing the key role.
New from Peter & Sons comes Muddy Waters, a game that will send your Geiger counter up to 11. This high-volatility and highly radioactive slot comes packed with symbol multipliers, power-ups and a unique fishing mechanic. Muddy Waters riffs on the popular fishing-slot genre, but since this is the weird and wonderful world of Peter & Sons, it gets flipped on its head, because this game is about reeling in radioactive fish.
Relax Gaming, the iGaming aggregator and provider of unique content, is getting players into the festive spirit with its latest release, Money Sleigh, a Christmas-themed slot guaranteed to deliver stocking-filled fun and the chance to unwrap big wins. Santa and his team of loyal helpers are ready to guide players through this exciting holiday adventure, with the potential to win up to 10,000x their stake.
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AGREEMENT BETWEEN ZITRO AND GRUPO OSGA TO PROMOTE THE LABOT INTEGRATION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
Zitro, a leading company in the gaming industry, has signed a collaboration agreement with Grupo OSGA, a business group committed to promoting the employment of people with disabilities. Grupo OSGA offers job opportunities to people with disabilities and supports their professional development in inclusive and accessible environments.
Through this alliance, Grupo OSGA will provide Zitro with a parcel and documentation service between its offices, optimizing Zitro’s operational efficiency and strengthening its social commitment to creating a more inclusive work environment.
At Zitro, we firmly believe in the power of diversity as a driver of growth and development. This collaboration with Grupo OSGA not only enriches our company but also reinforces our commitment to contributing to a fairer and more inclusive society,” said Albert Zorrilla, Managing Director of Zitro for Spain.
“The collaboration with a prestigious international company like Zitro not only constitutes recognition of the work that Grupo OSGA has been carrying out but also contributes to the generation of real opportunities for people with disabilities to achieve effective and stable integration in the labor market,” said Oscar Galilea, President of Grupo Osga.
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Balkan's
EGT Digital’s iGaming platform X-Nave and successful titles to deliver high-quality experience to BetHub’s customers
BetHub and EGT Digital have started their successful partnership, as a result of which the leading Bulgarian operator is now using the iGaming platform X-Nave. Its 4 main modules: CRM Engine, Sport product, Gaming Aggregator and Payment Gateway, enable the betting site to effectively manage all online gaming business verticals and further improve its performance.
CRM Engine provides a wide range of player management tools and bonus features, allowing the operator to create more personalized offerings for its customers, based on their preferences and behavior.
Through X-Nave’s Sport product BetHub will enrich even more the sport content it offers.
The Payment Gateway gives access to numerous payment methods and thanks to the Gaming Aggregator EGT Digital’s slot games are already at the disposal of the website’s visitors. The top-performing titles from Bell Link, Clover Chance, High Cash, Single Progressive Jackpot, as well as the multiplayer game xRide quickly gained popularity among BetHub’s customers.
“We are very glad with our collaboration with EGT Digital so far,” commented Kiril Naldzhiev, CEO at BetHub. “The platform has made the management of our business much easier, and the company’s gaming content has shown impressive results that have not only met but exceeded our expectations.”
Tsvetomira Drumeva, Head of Sales at EGT Digital, also gave a positive evaluation to the cooperation. She said: “Partnering with a prominent operator like BetHub is very valuable for us, as it gives us the opportunity to demonstrate the enormous potential of our developments and consolidate our status as a leader in the local market. I am confident that this is the beginning of a very successful collaboration that will bring a lot of positives to both companies and the players themselves.”
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