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Ygam and NUS Charity Launch New Student Campaign
Ygam has partnered with the NUS Charity to launch a new student campaign to help students recognise the signs of gambling harms and start crucial conversations.
As part of National Student Money Week, the Silence the Stigma campaign launched at Queen Mary University of London on March 6. The event will bring together leading academics to present the latest research on gambling harms, explore ways universities can better support students, and provide an opportunity for a panel discussion and live Q&A.
The charities aim to collaborate with universities and student unions across the UK to provide advice and guidance to students through a variety of resources. Additionally, Ygam offers free educational workshops for students and CPD training for university staff on the issue.
The latest Annual Student Gambling Survey which was published this week found that 49% of students are gambling and 32% of them state friends as the biggest influence on their gambling behaviour. Students who gamble are four times more likely to experience gambling harms compared to the general population. Student gamblers are spending on average £27.24 a week on gambling with almost 1 in 10 students spending between £51-£100 a week. For 36% their motivation to gamble was to have fun with friends, second only to making money (45%).
The survey demonstrates the strength of influence that friends and peers have within the context of student gambling behaviour. 29% of students who do not gamble said that they knew someone whose university experience had been adversely affected by gambling, with 24% struggling to pay for bills, 20% struggling to pay for accommodation, and 17% seeing their grades suffer. Yet less than half (48%) of non-gambling students were aware of the support available on campus for those experiencing gambling harms.
GambleAware data shows that 75% of people experiencing gambling harms feel unable to talk to loved ones, with stigma being the biggest barrier to opening up. Additionally, while 1 in 4 people believe they know someone affected by gambling harms, 61% hesitate to start a conversation due to concerns about stigma.
Claire Patel, Programme Lead for University and Student Engagement, said: “The survey findings once again emphasise that students remain a group that engages in gambling in significant numbers and are particularly vulnerable to gambling-related harms. Unique social factors, the transition to financial independence, and the disproportionate impact of rising living costs on UK university students all contribute to this vulnerability.
Conversations among students on campus play a vital role in both identifying and safeguarding against gambling harms. Our campaign recognises that friends and peers are key to shaping a positive university experience and have a strong influence on one another’s decision-making. Students are uniquely positioned to spot the signs of gambling harm in their peers, and we believe they, like university staff, should be equipped with the tools and information needed to offer support.”
Charlotte Britton-Stevens, Acting Head of Union Development, NUS Charity, said: “We are delighted to be working with Ygam on the Silence the Stigma campaign – designed to get young people talking about gambling harms. This year’s Annual Student Gambling Survey shows that 21% of surveyed student gamblers were in the ‘problem gambling’ category, versus just 4.2% in the general population. These concerning numbers highlight how this digital generation of students, impacted heavily by the cost-of-living crisis, are particularly susceptible to the empty promises of online gambling.
“The campaign offers much needed resources to ensure students notice gambling harms and understand how to get help for themselves and their peers. We believe these valuable conversations will lead to more students seeking support and are working closely with our member students’ unions to ensure advice services are aware of the campaign and ready to offer much needed guidance. We know how vital SU advice services are in improving the student experience during these challenging times.”
The post Ygam and NUS Charity Launch New Student Campaign appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Soft2Bet’s Quickcasino Wins at EGR Europe Awards 2025
Soft2Bet’s Quickcasino has been awarded “The Nordics and Baltics – Rising Star” at the prestigious EGR Europe Awards, reinforcing its status as one of the region’s most innovative and fast-growing online gaming brands.
This recognition is a testament to Soft2Bet’s commitment to market-leading technology, data-driven gamification, and player-first experiences. By combining cutting-edge mechanics with a highly localised approach, Quickcasino has established itself as a force in Sweden’s competitive iGaming landscape.
A Market Leader in Innovation and Gamification
Quickcasino.se has redefined the Nordic and Baltic iGaming experience, blending seamless UX, high-speed transactions, and a unique gamification ecosystem to keep players engaged. Powered by Soft2Bet’s proprietary MEGA (Motivational Engineering Gamification Application) solution, the platform delivers dynamic challenges, real-time progression, and personalised incentives, creating an experience that is both immersive and rewarding.
Beyond gamification, Quickcasino’s commitment to top-tier security, lightning-fast payments, and market-driven customisation has resonated strongly with Swedish players. Its ability to merge high-performance technology with a player-centric approach, via MEGA, has driven remarkable growth, reinforcing its status as a market leader.
Uri Poliavich, Founder and CEO of Soft2Bet, commented: “Receiving European recognition from one of the leading industry awards is a proud moment for Quickcasino and Soft2Bet. This achievement not only recognises Quickcasino’s rapid success but also highlights how our B2C experience acts as a proof of concept for B2B partners. As we investigate new ways to enhance our offerings, the results we achieve with our brands showcase the power of our technology and help operators elevate player engagement, retention, and performance in highly competitive markets. This award reinforces our ability to drive success for our brands and partners.”
A Future Focused on Growth and Innovation
Quickcasino’s latest accolade adds to Soft2Bet’s growing list of industry recognitions. Looking ahead to 2025, the company is preparing for major market expansions, new strategic partnerships, and continuous advancements in gamification technology. With innovation at its core, Soft2Bet remains committed to pushing boundaries and delivering industry-leading solutions that shape the future of iGaming.
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The Lithuanian Gaming Control Authority (LPT) has completed its inspection: Olympic Casino has been fined almost 8.4 million euros
The company Olympic Casino Group Baltija (OCGB) did not take sufficient steps to identify the origin of Šarūnas Stepukonis’ losing funds, and the monitoring of his financial transactions was only formal and ineffective. Such violations were identified by the Gaming Supervisory Authority, which conducted an inspection of OCGB’s activities in Lithuania. The company was fined almost 8.4 million euros.
The Gaming Supervisory Authority (LPT) investigated the actions taken by OCGB in response to Š. Stepukonis’ transactions on the company’s gaming website from December 2016 to the end of June 2021. The law obliges gaming operators to ensure that customer funds are not obtained from criminal activities or through participation in such activities. It is also mandatory to verify the origin of the funds. LPT found that the measures applied by OCGB were poor and insufficient, and the monitoring of Š. Stepukonis’ transactions was formal.
Gambling organizers must report suspicious transactions to the FNTT. Š. Stepukonis’ transactions had obvious signs that should have raised suspicions for the gambling organizer. However, the FNTT was not informed about this.
During the inspection, evidence was also collected that Š. Stepukonis’ gambling was irresponsible. The gambling company should have noticed this, especially since the client was assigned a personal manager who saw all of his transactions.
“Instead of finding out whether Š. Stepukonis had a gambling problem or informing the supervisory authority, Olympic Casino encouraged him to gamble even more. An individual incentive package was prepared for him. A total of 1.3 million euros was allocated for this. This “bonus” could only be spent on gambling. Other incentives were also allocated,” – comments on the results of the inspection by LPT Director Virginijus Daukšys.
Since mid-2021, gambling companies in Lithuania have no longer been allowed to offer incentives to their customers that they would later lose. Just before this tightening came into effect, Š. Stepukonis’ virtual gambling was moved from Lithuania to Estonia, where it was still allowed to encourage gamblers.
In this way, it was possible not only to maintain incentives for gambling, but also to avoid supervision by the LPT. If an ordinary gambler from Lithuania tried to go and register on the Estonian Olympic Casino website, he would be redirected to the Lithuanian website. However, in the case of Š. Stepukonis, the redirection was not carried out. These circumstances are part of the pre-trial investigation.
During the inspection, a total of five violations of the provisions of the Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism and the Law on Gambling were identified.
The law allows for a fine of up to twice the amount of damage caused. The damage was determined to be 6.4 million euros – the amount Š. Stepukonis lost at the Olympic Casino in Lithuania. When calculating the fine, an aggravating circumstance was taken into account – the company did not cooperate during the inspection.
According to V. Daukšys, after this story came to light, steps were taken to prevent similar cases from recurring. The most important change is the law, proposed by the LPT, which obliges gambling companies to take action upon noticing irresponsible gambling and to provide information about it to the LPT.
“Until now, there was no such obligation. Therefore, the LPT did not have information that would allow it to take preventive actions in advance,” says V. Daukšys.
The new Gambling Law will come into force in November this year. Its aim is to reduce the accessibility, attractiveness and potential harm to personal health of gambling.
LPT also reviewed its procedures, adjusted internal procedures, allowing for more frequent scheduled inspections of the activities of gambling companies. In addition, the Ministry of Finance conducted an audit of LPT’s activities. No significant operational deficiencies were identified during the audit. LPT took into account the audit recommendations and allocated more human resources to money laundering prevention functions.
Source: Gambling Supervisory Authority under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania
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iQOO partners with India’s leading gamers Mortal, Payal and Scout; will co-create products for nation’s mobile gaming community
The post iQOO partners with India’s leading gamers Mortal, Payal and Scout; will co-create products for nation’s mobile gaming community appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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