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UK Gambling Commission highlights failures to stop children playing on 18+ pub gaming machines

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Tests on a sample of pubs in England indicate that almost 90% failed to prevent children accessing 18+ gaming machines.

The Gambling Commission has worked with licensing authorities and local police to test compliance with laws in place to protect children from the risks gambling can pose.

Children are not permitted to play Category C gaming machines in pubs. Staff are expected to stop children playing on the machines and there should be clear signage indicating the age restriction.

Announcing the results at the Institute of Licensing National Conference, Helen Rhodes, Programme Director at the Gambling Commission, said: “We are extremely concerned that pubs across England are failing to stop children playing gaming machines designed for adults. We urgently call on the pub sector to take action immediately to enforce the laws in place to protect children and young people.”

“We expect to see significant improvement in further tests and will continue to work with licensing authorities to support any action required against those failing to adhere to the requirements.”

The current failure rate (89%) compares to an average failure rate of 15% to 30% for other age restricted products such as alcohol or tobacco.

The Commission has written to the pub industry today outlining the findings of our work and calling for urgent improvements. The letter can be found below.

 

 

Letter 

Dear Trade Association

Age Verification on Category C (adult only) gaming machines in pubs

In June 2018 the Gambling Commission (the Commission) set out further commitments to protecting children and young people from the dangers of gambling, building on work already underway in this area.

The Commission asked its expert advisers the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board (RGSB) for specific advice on the critical theme of children, young people and gambling. Bringing together existing work and acting on the advice provided by the RGSB, the Commission’s strengthened focus seeks to ensure the right protections are in place to reduce the risk of harm to children and young people.

The Commission called for all those responsible for safeguarding children, to work together with the Commission to address the wide range of issues identified in RGSB’s advice. Amongst the actions identified was the need to address access and exposure to gambling by children and young people.

The Commission has therefore been working in conjunction with licensing authorities across England for the last six months to test the compliance of pubs with the requirement to prevent under 18s playing on Category C machines. These exercises were led by licensing authorities (and trading standards staff) or police officers who had volunteered their resources to work with the Commission.

The interim results are sufficiently concerning that we consider it to be in the public interest to release them immediately. The current failure rate is 89% based on 61 tests. This compares to a pass rate of 70 – 85% for most age restricted products such as alcohol or tobacco. (Source: Serve Legal.)

The pubs tested were a matter for the licensing authority to determine based on their local priorities. The failure rate did not vary significantly between licensing authorities nor between [large] pub companies and independents. The results were uniformly poor.

To summarise the legal position, at s46 of the Gambling Act 2005 (the Act)

(1)   A person commits an offence if he invites, causes or permits a child or young person to gamble.

At s284, a licensing authority may remove the exemption (to make gaming machines available on a licensed premises) if:

            ‘an offence under this Act has been committed on the premises’.

The Commission has published a Code of Practice[1] for gaming machines in clubs and premises with an alcohol licence under s24 of the Act. The Code makes it a condition of the permit that:

‘All gaming machines situated on the premises must be located in a place within the premises so that their use can be supervised, either by staff whose duties include such supervision (including bar or floor staff) or by other means.’

Section 3.1 of the Code sets out good practice in relation to access to gambling by children and young people:

Permit holders should put into effect procedures intended to prevent underage gambling. This should include procedures for:

• checking the age of those who appear underage

• refusing entry to anyone unable to produce an acceptable form of identification.

Permit holders should take all reasonable steps to ensure that all relevant employees understand their responsibilities for preventing underage gambling.’

The Commission, the Local Government Association and the Welsh Local Government Association are very concerned about the findings and the clear risks that they indicate to children and young people’s access to gambling. Further tests will be undertaken over the coming months.

We urgently call the industry and their Trade Associations to take the results as a serious indication of the need to improve matters. We expect that the action taken will be reflected in significant improvements in future test results.

As a part of the Commission’s wider focus on children and young people, we will support licensing authorities in their further actions against operators who fail to meet the conditions of their permits and will also not hesitate to amend the Code of Practice for gaming machines in clubs and pubs if that is proved necessary.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Watson, Executive Director Enforcement


Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network

George Miller (Gyorgy Molnar) started his career in content marketing and has started working as an Editor/Content Manager for our company in 2016. George has acquired many experiences when it comes to interviews and newsworthy content becoming Head of Content in 2017. He is responsible for the news being shared on multiple websites that are part of the European Gaming Media Network.

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GiG Accelerates Growth Strategy with Key Appointments to Drive Global Partnerships and Sportsbook Expansion

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Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) has reinforced its commercial development strategy with two new appointments focused on accelerating revenue growth of its vast partnership ecosystem and delivering on the next phase of its SportX sportsbook growth, with the arrival of Andy Kelly as Head of Partnerships and Mitchell Harrison as Business Development Director for Sportsbook.

As GiG continues to deliver sustainable momentum across its full suite of platform and sportsbook solutions, the addition of two highly experienced industry professionals supports its ambition to provide deeper, more dynamic engagement with existing and prospective partners.

With over 15 years of commercial and operational leadership experience, Andy Kelly joins GiG with a proven track record in forging strategic partnerships and delivering measurable revenue growth. In his new role as Head of Partnerships, Andy will be responsible for optimising the breadth and strength of GiG’s extensive third-party platform integrations marketplace, spanning content, payments, and sportsbook supply chain.

Further to Andy’s appointment Mitchell Harrison has been appointed as Business Development Director for GiG’s SportX, the company’s sportsbook solution. With more than 7 years of iGaming business development experience at leading companies such as SBTech, DraftKings and Genius Sports, Mitch brings deep domain knowledge to the sports betting ecosystem from both a B2B and B2C perspective.

As GiG continues to build on the momentum of a strong 2024, these appointments mark a significant step forward in supporting the company’s expanding portfolio of global partners, enhancing its ability to scale operations and capitalise on increasing demand for its market-leading technology and services. The appointments signal a clear intent to capitalise on the strong trajectory of the company, ensuring it remains well positioned to serve a diverse and growing client base with world-class solutions.

Andrew Cochrane, Chief Business Officer at GiG, said: “The addition of two highly regarded people with very specialised areas of expertise will be invaluable as we continue to accelerate our global partnership strategy and drive expansion for our platform and sportsbook solutions. With our technology firmly delivering real results for operators in both established and emerging markets, their arrival further strengthens our ability to scale growth for the business.”

Andy Kelly, Head of Partnerships at GiG, said: “I’m really excited to be joining GiG at such a pivotal time in the growth of the company. The technology we have available to existing and prospective customers is fantastic and puts us at the forefront of the industry, which was one of the many factors for joining GiG. We also want to offer our customers the best partners and suppliers to ensure they see maximum returns on investment.”.

Mitchell Harrison, Business Development Director for Sportsbook at GiG, said: “Having worked with the executive management team in highly successful circumstances before, at both SBTech and at DraftKings, I am delighted to be joining them once again on another journey that has the potential for high impact growth opportunities. What excites me about GiG is how the product is being engineered specifically to reward operators with industry-leading margin optimisation tools, robust trading capabilities, and unparalleled flexibility to adapt to local market demands. I’m looking forward to accelerating the business growth and helping SportX establish itself as the sportsbook of choice for operators worldwide.”

The post GiG Accelerates Growth Strategy with Key Appointments to Drive Global Partnerships and Sportsbook Expansion appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Unlock Romance and Riches with Book of Love!

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Million Games is excited to introduce Book of Love, a captivating new slot that blends passion, mystery, and thrilling gameplay into one enchanting experience. Step into a world where love and fortune intertwine, as Cupid himself guides players through a heartwarming journey filled with exciting features and big win potential.

A Love Story Told on the Reels

Book of Love is a 5-reel, 3-row, 10-payline slot game with a 96.32% RTP and a max win of 5,000x your bet. The game’s romantic theme comes to life with love letters, roses, heart pendants, and, of course, the magical Book of Love itself.

But this isn’t just a story of romance – it’s a chance for players to uncover riches hidden within the book’s pages.

Exciting Bonus Features Await

The Book of Love is both a Scatter and a Wild, meaning it can substitute for other symbols and trigger Love Spins when three or more land on the reels.

Love Spins:

  • Landing 3 or more Book of Love symbols awards 10 Love Spins.
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Expanding Symbol:

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With the Book of Love guiding the way, every spin brings excitement, anticipation, and the potential for big wins!

Will You Find Fortune in the Book of Love?

Whether you’re drawn in by the romantic theme or the thrill of the bonus features, Book of Love offers a memorable slot experience that keeps players engaged.

Ready to turn the pages of love and luck? Play Book of Love now!

The post Unlock Romance and Riches with Book of Love! appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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MetaBet hires Leah Mayo as VP of Operations

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MetaBet, the leading provider of real-time sports betting tools and interactive engagement technology, has appointed Leah Mayo as Vice President of Operations.

Mayo has more than a decade of operational leadership spanning startups, government, and non-profit sectors and will be integral in accelerating MetaBet’s growth as the business enters its next chapter.

Leah Mayo, Vice President of Operations for MetaBet, commented: “Joining MetaBet provides the perfect opportunity to work alongside and learn from Mark. Moving into the sports analytics space offers huge potential, and I cannot imagine a better team to work with. I cannot wait to build the operational backbone to support MetaBet’s continued innovation and success.”

A core focus of the role will be working closely with MetaBet CEO Mark Phillip to deliver on the company’s vision, streamline internal operations, and ensure day-to-day execution across finance, HR, compliance, and sales support. Mayo will be creating operational frameworks that allow MetaBet to build on its strong foundation and expand with discipline and clarity.

Before MetaBet, Mayo was an independent consultant and Fractional COO for several global companies in the travel and hospitality sectors, guiding U.S. market expansion efforts, operational efficiency improvements, and go-to-market strategies. She also founded FOUND Experience, a travel tech company recognized by BuiltIn as “One to Watch 2020.” Earlier in her career, Leah worked with  the British government on internationalization growth strategy for tech clients ranging from Fortune 5 companies to high-growth startups.

Mayo earned an Executive MBA from the University of Cambridge, and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Texas at Austin.

“MetaBet built this category and continues to lead it with the best technology in the space. With Leah driving operations, we now have the bandwidth and speed to innovate faster and deliver new market-shaping products to the industry” said Mark Phillip, Founder and CEO of MetaBet.

The post MetaBet hires Leah Mayo as VP of Operations appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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