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HSBC UK increases gambling block feature to 3 days

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With lockdown causing an increase in gambling, HSBC UK and first direct have today announced an increased cooling off period to their gambling block feature, from 24 hours to 72 hours.
The self-restriction tool, which prevents customers from being able to make gambling payments on their accounts after it’s switched on, will automatically decline any gambling transactions for three days, to help people control their urge to gamble.
Recently published data from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) highlights that lockdown measures have had an impact on gambling behavior in the UK, with a month-on-month increase of 29% in gross gambling yield (GGY), and a 7% increase in active accounts.
Maxine Pritchard, Head of Financial Inclusion and Vulnerability at HSBC UK said: “This is a challenging time for many of our customers, with some not working and perhaps facing financial difficulty. By increasing the restriction to 72 hours, this will help give our customers time to pause when they are tempted to return to gambling.
“We are always looking for new ways to support our customers and make it easier for them to manage their finances. Customer feedback on our gambling control showed us there was more we could do to help and we’ve worked closely with them and with GamCare to design the solution.”
Available to HSBC UK and first direct customers with an active debit card, the option can be switched on via the ‘Manage Cards’ section on the HSBC UK mobile app (within the ‘Cards’ section of the fd mobile app), as well as via telephone banking or by going into a branch – giving customers added control over their spending.
Anna Hemmings, CEO of GamCare, says: “The ability to block gambling transactions through your bank card or app is an important tool for those struggling with their gambling, and is ideally used together with other practical tools such as self-exclusion, blocking software, and specialist support around the issue – as we have recently emphasised through our ‘TalkBanStop’ partnership and campaign.
“The University of Bristol Personal Finance Research Centre has also highlighted that ‘positive friction’ such as a cooling off period is important for the success of blocks, as this prevents them being turned off in the event of urges to gamble. GamCare is pleased to see HSBC UK and first direct take this positive step to support their customers.”
HSBC UK and first direct both have their own specialist support teams on hand to help vulnerable customers including those at risk of financial harm from gambling and can refer customers to a trusted external organisations where needed.
Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
This is a Syndicated News piece. Photo credits or photo sources can be found on the source article: HSBC UK increases gambling block feature to 3 days
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THE STAGE IS SET AS FINAL TEAMS ARE CONFIRMED FOR THE PUBG MOBILE GLOBAL CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND FINALS
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- The 2025 PUBG MOBILE Global Championship (PMGC) ignites as final two teams qualify for the Grand Finals
- Alter Ego Ares and Team Flash clawed their way through the pressure-packed Last Chance stage, claiming their well-deserved spots in the Grand Finals, as more than 1.2M fans around the world witnessed this nailbiting weekend
- 16 elite teams are now advancing to the main stage in Bangkok to battle for the lion’s share of the $3,000,000 prize pool
- In celebration of PUBG MOBILE and Balenciaga’s continued the Balenciaga I PUBG collaboration, the 2025 PMGC Grand Champions will take home the custom designed BALENCIAGA l PMGC l PGC 2025 Champion Jacket
- Building on a successful collaboration campaign with PUBG MOBILE, Porsche will invigorate the 2025 PMGC stage with the prize of a Porsche Cayenne to the MVP player of the 2025 PMGC Grand Final
After weeks of intense battles and a decisive Last Chance qualifier, the stage is set and the final teams are locked in for the 2025 PUBG MOBILE Global Championship (PMGC) Grand Finals. This past weekend marked the conclusion of the 2025 PMGC Last Chance stage, where 16 teams fought tooth-and-nail to be a finalist in this year’s culminating PUBG MOBILE Esports tournament. Highlighting the significance of this stage ahead of the main event, the Last Chance weekend saw more than 1.2M fans witness the action across the globe. With the dust now settled, the final two teams have secured their slots in the Grand Finals, where they’ll compete for their share of the massive $3,000,000 prize pool.
The Last Chance took center stage from December 6th -7th, as teams battled fiercely for their final opportunities to reach the Grand Finals. Day one saw Alter Ego Ares making an early statement, while Influence Rage and Loops Esports climbed the leaderboard with strong performances. On day two, the intensity ramped up as Weibo Gaming pulled off crucial late-game plays to surge up the leaderboard, while Team Flash stayed consistent, surviving each round to stay in the running. In the end it was Alter Ego Ares and Team Flash who had secured their spots in the Grand Finals, closing out the Last Chance stage and setting the stage for the ultimate showdown of the year.
Final teams qualified for the Grand Finals:
- Alter Ego Ares
- Team Flash
- DRX
- Regnum Carya
- EArena
- R8 Esports
- ThunderTalk Gaming
- Kara Esports
- MadBulls
- Alpha7 Esports
- ULF Esports
- D’Xavier
- Alpha Gaming
- DPlus KIA
- Team GOAT
- Vampire Esports
The 2025 PMGC Grand Finals roster brings together seven powerhouses from the Gauntlet Stage, six elite qualifiers from the Group Stage, the two Last Chance survivors, and Vampire Esports as the Host Country Invitee. With all finalists confirmed, the spotlight shifts fully to Bangkok, where the Grand Finals will erupt inside Siam Paragon from December 12th – 14th. As the defining event of the competitive calendar, the 2025 PMGC not only brings together the world’s strongest PUBG MOBILE Esports teams, but also marks a new era for the scene as it joins forces with the 2025 PUBG Global Championship (PGC), as PUBG UNITED 2025. Across three action-packed days, the world’s best squads will battle through six matches per day, as they chase fame and glory.
All signs point to an electrifying Grand Finals, with a roster stacked full of top-tier contenders. Alpha Gaming are poised as a team to watch after ripping through Group Green in the Group Stage with unwavering consistency, while R8 Esports made their intentions known early by dominating the opening Gauntlet Stage. Last year’s reigning champions Dplus KIA bring the heat to this year’s Grand Finals line-up, and with the remaining teams hungry to disrupt the established order, this year’s 2025 PMGC Grand Finals are set to make history.
Set to make this PMGC the grandest Grand Finals yet, and in continuing the city-wide celebrations, PUBG MOBILE partners Balenciaga and Porsche will each be represented through prizes awarded to the Champion team. Balenciaga has designed an exclusive jacket for each player of the 2025 PMGC Champion team, as a symbol of the talent and effort they have displayed. For the MVP player of the 2025 PMGC Grand Finals, they will be awarded with a brand new luxury Porsche Cayenne, the perfect prize for the player who shines the brightest in their performance.
Fans can tune in to watch the 2025 PMGC Grand Finals on PUBG MOBILE Esports’ YouTube, Facebook and Twitch channels, between December 12th – December 14th. For more PUBG MOBILE Esports news, stay tuned on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, and TikTok.
The post THE STAGE IS SET AS FINAL TEAMS ARE CONFIRMED FOR THE PUBG MOBILE GLOBAL CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND FINALS appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Million Games Launches Goblin Brew – A Wild Night of Free Spins and Fortune
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Million Games has announced the release of Goblin Brew, a mischievous 5×5 fantasy slot developed by Yugo Workshop through the Million Stars partner programme.
Set in a dimly lit goblin tavern, Goblin Brew combines light-hearted fantasy with rewarding gameplay, offering Free Spins, Expanding Wilds, and a unique progression system that keeps every round unpredictable.
Landing 3 or more Beer Scatters triggers the Goblin Gold Spins, where silver coins grant extra spins and gold coins increase the global multiplier. As players collect more coins, low-paying symbols are removed, paving the way for higher wins and an electric build-up toward the maximum payout of 5,000x the bet.
“Goblin Brew has all the ingredients for a fun, rewarding slot,” said Thomas Nimstad, CEO of Million Games. “It’s visually rich, mechanically engaging, and delivers a player experience that balances excitement with accessibility. Yugo Workshop has done a fantastic job of capturing that perfect mix.”
With a 96.11% RTP and medium volatility, Goblin Brew offers approachable yet high-value gameplay that fits perfectly into modern casino portfolios.
Goblin Brew is now available to all Million Games partners and integrated operators worldwide.
The post Million Games Launches Goblin Brew – A Wild Night of Free Spins and Fortune appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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A large-scale $1 billion online casino shady scheme involving Ukrainian fraudsters Vadim Gordievsky and Alyona Suvorova has been discovered in Kazakhstan.
The Kazakhstan Financial Monitoring Agency has revealed a large-scale shady scheme with a whole layer of cross-border transfers. While referring to the press service of the Agency, Elordainfo.kz informs that numerous bank employees and 120 people from several countries were involved in the operation of the shady scheme.
The money was sent to various payment organizations, disguised as legal transactions, and was later withdrawn to numerous online casinos.
At the same time, local authorities managed to eliminate the call center, which employed foreigners, which provided technical support for four online casinos as well as advice on money transactions. In addition, the organizers of the call center created a gambling partnership program that was used to accept payments and withdraw them in cryptocurrencies. The overall turnover exceeded 200 million USDT.
During the implementation of all these measures, over 70 searches were conducted. As a result of these activities, local authorities managed to gather physical evidence as well as to detain nine suspects.
According to law enforcement authorities in Kazakhstan, the key organizer of the shady miscoding scheme is Ukrainian Vadim Ivanovich Gordievsky, born in 1974. He led this organized crime group and used the local Marginplus company for these purposes (marginplus.kz). In addition to companies from Kazakhstan, Gordievsky also worked with illegal Russian online casinos while helping them to facilitate payments.
Already in 2008, Vadim Gordievsky served as deputy head of the Boryspil Regional State Administration and was in charge of land issues. Under Gordievsky, various lands of Boryspil were sold while the money was stolen. In the same 2008, he was dismissed from his position with a huge scandal, but his case never resulted in criminal proceedings. A lot of money and connections in government offices helped him avoid accountability.
In 2012, when Viktor Yanukovych came to power, Vadim Gordievsky took the chair of the head of the highway service in the Odessa region, where he managed to get access to millions of dollars, which he later invested in FC Alta Capital.
After the initiation of criminal cases for financial crimes, fraud, and the announcement of his wanted list by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Vadim Gordievsky left Ukraine on forged documents.
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According to investigators, Gordievsky’s partner, Mikhail Kovalev (Mykhaylo Kovalov), who has a number of companies in the EU, in particular, in Poland and a residence permit in Spain, was closely working with Gordievsky. By using numerous fictitious companies in Poland, in particular, STABLEX SOLUTION Sp. z o. o (solvexs.pl) he engaged in illegal payments and cash withdrawal in cryptocurrencies.
His partner, who is also his former Kyivstar employee, Alyona (Olena) Suvorova (born in 1983), who left Ukraine for Moscow after February 2022, and Ukrainian IT specialist Denis Andreevich Rykov (born in 1990), who currently lives in St. Petersburg, also participated in the shady scheme of illegal bookmakers and dubious payments.
Judging by her social media accounts, Alyona Suvorova is currently positioning herself “as an entrepreneur, investor, and crypto trader with 5+ years of experience.” According to Suvorova herself, she has been developing payment technologies in the field of FinTech for 10 years. In 2021, she opened her own business for international crypto transfers. In addition, she is the founder of the Lemoncoin Crypto Academy.
The law enforcement agencies of Kazakhstan are asking for information about the location and data of all these people. In the near future, Vadim Gordievsky, Alyona Suvorova, and other defendants will be put on the international wanted list. According to local laws, they face up to nine years in prison.
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