Reading Time: 4 minutes

This summer the DCMS brought forward into legislation a much needed modernisation and deregulation package. The reforms comprising more proportionate gaming machine allocations and the ability to offer sports betting promised to support the UK land-based casino sector, enabling (£) tens of millions of investment, and contributing to the Government’s growth agenda.

When introducing the measures in the House of Commons in June, DCMS Minister, Stephanie Peacock MP, set the scene:

“The Government is focussed on economic growth…this package of measures will unlock additional investment up and down the country” and “will put the casino sector back on a stable footing” “We expect a number of venues to be modernised and refreshed…we also
anticipate this capital investment will be spent across the country not just in London…allowing this historic sector to thrive.”

And when introducing the same measures in the Lords, the Gambling Minister, Baroness Twycross said:

“Since being appointed, I have visited casinos and witnessed the contributions that they bring with jobs, tax revenues and support for the night-time economy. The sector generates £866 million in gross gambling yield each year, with up to 50% of this paid in gaming duty.”

The Minister went on to add that the modernisation measures are estimated to increase GGY by £53million to £58million.

The BGC casino group couldn’t agree more with Ministers.

This is why we are deeply concerned that all of this progress could be wiped out, at a stroke, if there is an increase in MGD, from the current rate of 20%, in the forthcoming Budget. An increase in MGD would fundamentally undermine the sustainable footing which the new policy reforms placed the sector firmly upon.

For example, Rank Group plc (Grosvenor Casinos), the UK’s largest licensed operator of casinos, has reported that 12 of its 50 venues were loss-making in the 12 months to June 2025. These casinos have been kept in operation in the expectation that their financial performance will be improved by this summer’s legislative modernisation.

By illustration, an increase in MGD from 20% to 25% would make a third of the Grosvenor casino estate unprofitable. As well as offsetting all of the benefit Grosvenor expected to gain from the land-based policy reforms, it would not be possible to sustain loss making venues, with up to 20 casinos being forced to close. For the remaining casinos, the planned investment case, announced at £60million per annum for the next two years, would become unaffordable.

Investment committed in light of the new policy reforms

With the new policy reforms industry embarked on a programme of substantial capital
investment to upgrade existing casinos and develop new venues. Great news for the sector,
our customers, and the Government’s growth agenda.
The promised stability enabled confidence for operators to make commitments for UK-wide
investments. Operators have collectively announced or confirmed investment of £300
million, including:

• Rank Group plc investment of £60million per annum for next two years, to capitalise
  on casino reforms
• Genting Casino £40million new casino at the Trocadero in London’s West End
• Genting Casino Westcliff £10million refurbishment in Southend-on-Sea
• Rank’s Grosvenor Victoria Casino £15million refurbishment and expansion in London
• Bally’s £3.7million, securing 170 jobs, first UK land-based investment in Newcastle
• Hippodrome £1.5million new Sports Book venue in London’s West End
• Other multi-million pound redevelopments of casinos in Brighton, Bolton, Coventry,
  Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, and Reading.

An increase in MGD will inevitably lead to a reversal of these steps forward, plus casino closures and job losses. Operators will be forced to cancel investment plans and look to cut jobs as growth plans falter. The investment plans above would not see sufficient returns (and
may even lead to losses) with a direct and material negative impact on company financial performance across the sector. Current investment plans will cease, and future investment won’t happen. Overseas investors will be deterred, seeing the UK market as high risk for investment. And tax yield from the sector would reduce.

At 25% MGD, casino industry analysis shows that up to 40 casinos would close, with the loss of up to 3,500 jobs – equating to a third of the whole industry.

BGC casino group Budget submission

In our Budget submission (full copy attached) we set out for the Treasury the economic contribution of Britain’s land-based casinos and the significant challenges already facing them, which would only be exacerbated by further tax pressures.

More broadly, the sector is still recovering from the damage caused by the lockdown measures of 2020 to 2021. In the year to March 2024 (the most recent period for which data is available), customer spending (gross gaming yield) in Britain’s casinos was 22% lower than in the year to March 2019 – a 43% reduction in real terms.

At the same time, casino operators are experiencing significant cost pressures. The sector employs around 11,000 skilled (and often personally licensed) people and so is particularly sensitive to wage inflation and this year’s rise in employer National Insurance Contributions (which together will impact the sector by between £25m and £30m a year). Additionally, with the Treasury’s convention of duty revalorisation in abeyance since 2022, operators continue to suffer real-terms increases in gaming duties.

In conclusion, I am at pains to stress, that any proposed increase in MGD in the Chancellor’s budget, would lead to the closure of a large number of casinos and the loss of thousands of skilled jobs, as well as risking planned UK-wide investment in the sector.

The post Impact of an increase in Machine Games Duty (MGD), on the land-based casino sector, investment, and economic growth appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Have you ever seen a banana and an ostrich fused together to form the ultimate creature? In Nolimit City’s latest release, Bizarre, peek into the window of Dr. Bizarre’s wild experiments. This slot falls under the eccentric category of Nolimit City slots such as Munchies, Outsourced and Ugliest Catch.

Reel Area

The farm has been… busy. Bizarre plays out on a 4-4-4-4-4 layout across 5 reels, with a number of variations of xSplit® that can land as either a single symbol or as a 4-row-high symbol, which may appear partially or fully visible. When it lands it splits all symbols on the same row, doubles its size and acts as a Wild symbol after doing so.

Chimera Spins

Dr. Bizarre’s breakthrough experiments begin here. Landing 3 Scatter Symbols will trigger 3 Chimera Spins where a scatter on the middle of the reel will transform into a Wild that remains sticky throughout the feature.

Before the bonus round begins, the middle reels spin individually. During this spin Wild symbols, extra spin symbols or empty symbols can land. When Wild or extra spin symbols land then it stays on its position and a respin is awarded. This continues until new extra spin or Wild symbols land.

If Wild symbols land then it will remain sticky throughout the feature. If a Wild is split by an xSplit® symbol then it gets a multiplier that also remains sticky for the entire feature.

Super Chimera Spins

Funding groundbreaking monstrosities isn’t cheap. Landing 2 Scatter Symbols and a Super Scatter in the base game will trigger 3 Super Chimera. In addition to Chimera Spins features, all Scatter Symbols will transform into Wild symbols and will remain sticky throughout the Super Chimera Spins.

Coinage

To take his experiments to the next level Dr. Bizarre needs to collect some coins. In Coinage, only coins with the multiplier values and special symbols can land. If any positions are empty after a spin then a respin is awarded. When the feature ends, the sum of all the multiplier values are added before multiplying the base bet. The coin values are: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000.

Special symbols can land during Coinage:

• Collector – Collects the total value of all visible coins and removes them. The used Collector remains on the reel and if another Collector lands it will also collect the value of the previous Collector.
• xSplit® – Splits all coins and Collectors on its row and doubles their values.
• Scatters – When 3 Scatters are collected, it triggers Chimera Spins after the Coinage feature ends. If one of the 3 Scatters is a Super Scatter, it will trigger Super Chimera Spins.

Extra Spin

Extra Spin is back! When Chimera Spins or Super Chimera Spins are triggered, players might get the opportunity to purchase an additional spin at the end of the round. The additional spin will keep the Wild symbol along with its multiplier value of the previous spin. The cost of the spin will be calculated based on the Wild symbol multipliers. If the cost of the Extra Spin is less than or equal to the total win, then the Extra Spin opportunity will be presented.

Nolimit Boosters

The final phase of Dr. Bizarre’s experiments are quite the sight to behold, especially with these Nolimit Boosters:

• xBoost – guaranteed a Scatter symbol on the second reel. The guaranteed Scatter might be a Super Scatter. (3 times more likely to hit Chimera/ Super Chimera Spins).
• Bonus Hunt – 49 times more likely to activate Chimera Spins/Super Chimera Spins. During this mode, only Scatters or empty symbols can land with a maximum of 1 Super Scatter.

The monsters are now Dr. Bizarre’s rise to fame. Bizarre has a maximum payout of 20,000x the base bet. Bizarre is rated as “Extremely Volatile” delivering the thrilling high-stakes gameplay that Nolimit City fans know and love.

Per Lindheimer, Head of Product at Nolimit City, said: “Mixing animals with fruits is something we like to talk about on a daily basis at Nolimit City. Dr. Bizarre is a crazy mofo with ambitions of fame and power. Chimera Spins and Coinage are features we’ve developed specifically for this game and hope that players will enjoy these freaky experiments”

‘Bizarre’ will be available to all Nolimit City partners on November 18th, 2025.

The post Nolimit City breaks into the lab of a mad scientist in its latest release, Bizarre appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

EGT is proud to announce that it is an official partner of the “Gaming Industry Gala Dinner”, organized by the Association of Organizers of Gambling Games and Activities in Bulgaria (AOGGAB) with the support of EUROMAT. The event will be held on November 25 and for the third consecutive year will bring together leading companies and figures from Bulgaria and abroad.

The motto of the gala dinner will be “Together in Europe” and will focus on European integration, professional collaboration, and a shared vision for a sustainable future of the industry.

Traditionally, the “Golden Spade’s” Awards will also be presented during the event. The prizes honor the greatest innovations and the most significant achievements in the sector over the past 12 months. EGT is among the finalists in the competition and will compete for the accolade in the “Most Successful Bulgarian Company Abroad of the Year” and “Slot Machine of the Year” categories.

EGT received the nomination for “Most Successful Bulgarian Company Abroad of the Year” as it is the biggest gaming equipment manufacturer in Bulgaria with 28 international offices on 5 continents. In 2025, it made a large number of installations and substantially increased its footprint in a number of markets. Currently, EGT’s products are present in over 100 jurisdictions around the world.

The company is also a contender for the “Slot Machine of the Year” award. It was shortlisted because of its latest series of slot cabinets Supreme, including 4 models – S 32-32 UP, S 32-32 ST, S 55 S ST, and S 55 V ST. They immediately received high praise from both operators and players for the perfect combination of attractive design, exceptional convenience provided by their numerous ergonomic features, and compatibility with some of the most popular and beloved games from EGT’s portfolio. Supreme slot cabinets have already been installed in a number of gaming venues globally, where they continue to demonstrate excellent results and remain among customers’ favorites.

The post EGT is an official partner of the prestigious “Gaming Industry Gala Dinner”, organized by AOGGAB appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.