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GamCare Highlights the Potential Harm Loot Boxes and Skins Betting can have on Young People
GamCare has said that the financial harm caused by loot boxes and skins betting is “a growing concern for many families and professionals working with young people”.
The comments come as the charity’s financial harm manager Raminta Diliso examines the relationship between the financial harms of online gambling and gaming with young people, and how it can be addressed.
Gaming-related products are growing in popularity but currently fall outside the jurisdiction of the Gambling Commission. The financial harm caused by these platforms is a growing concern for many families and professionals working with young people. While GamCare does not currently receive calls to their helpline regarding gaming, this may change in the future as the UK government is examining whether loot boxes could be classed as gambling, has launched a call for evidence earlier in the year.
The two most prominent products in games are loot boxes and skin betting. Loot boxes are “mystery items” embedded within games that can be purchased for randomised rewards, including “skins”. “Mystery items” are mostly made up of content that can give the player a significant in-game advantage over their peers, whereas “skins” are entirely cosmetic items that can be used by the player to customise their avatars and stand out. Young people can end up spending significant sums of their parent’s money in the hope of uncovering something of value. Valuable skins can then be traded in for real money on third-party websites.
GamCare recently facilitated a workshop to take a closer look at the issue of gambling amongst children and young people. The event brought together over 60 representatives from different sectors including financial services (banks, building societies, electronic money institutions), debt advice, gambling businesses and gambling support services as well as those who have been harmed by gambling from a young age.
The Gambling Related Financial Harm Project Steering Group, which includes organisations such as Santander, NatWest, Betting and Gaming Council and PayPlan, has called for a cross-sector response to drive these changes forward. The Group believes that all sectors could take an active role in preventing gambling-related financial harms for children and young people.
Recommendations from Gambling Related Financial Harm Steering Group:
- Gambling blocks on all under-18 bank cards
Financial services providers could ensure that every financial product aimed at under-18s has a mandatory gambling block. They could also continue raising awareness of gambling blocks amongst young people and students as they are at heightened risk of developing gambling problems.
- Gambling and financial education
Financial services firms and financial education charities could help raise awareness of gambling harms as part of their education programmes. They could work in partnership with gambling education charities, who can provide concise information to inform content development.
- Limits on gambling spend for young people
More gambling businesses could apply more stringent monitoring and checks on under-25s accounts to ensure that young people are spending within their means. They could also consider a blanket spending limit for all under-25s to further protect young people from gambling-related financial harm (as Flutter has already done).
- Preventing the use of credit use for gambling
Banks could consider what measures can be put in place to prevent students and young people from using their overdraft to gamble. The Department of Education could also work with financial services firms and student finance providers to prevent young people from using student loans and grants for gambling.
- Separate gambling within games
Gaming companies could separate gambling-like activities (such as loot boxes) within games and review the appropriate merchant category coding (MCC) for these transactions, which may allow banks to block these transactions as part of voluntary gambling blocks.

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1spin4win celebrates its 4th anniversary
This May, the fast-growing game provider 1spin4win, founded by ambitious developers with over 15 years of experience in the gambling industry in 2021, celebrates its fourth anniversary. Since its inception, it has boosted its team fivefold and extended its client list to 700+.
The brand’s reputation for quality and reliability is backed by top-tier operators such as Pin-Up, 1xBet, Blaze, Rox, BitStarz, LuckyDreams, RocketPlay, GG.bet, and others.
The studio has recently successfully increased its slot production to 4–5 monthly releases. Its portfolio has already surpassed 150 classic online titles with quality mathematics, transparent mechanics, and well-balanced gameplay — key factors driving strong player retention. Each 1spin4win game accommodates 10 languages, including those key to the LatAm market, expanding into which has lately become the company’s primary focus.
Beyond quality products with broad language support, 1spin4win consistently offers effective promotional tools to its business partners. Among them are special in-game features, various Cash & Drops campaigns, and additional marketing options such as pre-releases and free spins, which positively affect player loyalty. The provider launches over 1,300 successful promotions yearly.
Such a comprehensive approach results in well-deserved industry appreciation. As a result, the slot provider continues to receive nominations and recognitions and, at the time of this publication, is vying for the Slot Supplier — Under 5 Years category at the EGR B2B Awards 2025.
Olga Hlukhovskaya, Business Development Director at 1spin4win, commented, I am deeply grateful to the 1spin4win team and our partners for these remarkable four years of triumphs. Of course, we won’t stop there. Our sponsorship of the DAR Bjorn Charity Gala, right around the company’s birthday, is our first step in enhancing social accountability going forward.
Visit the studio’s website to learn more about 1spin4win and its unique offer.
The post 1spin4win celebrates its 4th anniversary appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Esports Returns to Singapore with BLAST’s Dota 2 Arena Event After Sellout Counter-Strike World Final 2024
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BLAST Dota Slam Singapore to take place this November at Singapore Indoor Stadium in partnership with Singapore Tourism Board and AEG Presents Asia
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The world’s best Dota teams will meet in Singapore from 4th – 9th November 2025 to compete for a prize pool of $1,000,000 at the first ever BLAST Slam arena event
Esports entertainment company BLAST has announced the return of its world-class events to Singapore with the BLAST Dota Slam Singapore, set to take place in November 2025 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, supported by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
This announcement follows the sellout success of the BLAST Premier World Final 2024, which marked BLAST’s Southeast Asia debut and saw more than ten-thousand fans pack out the Resorts World Convention Centre to witness the world’s top Counter-Strike teams compete for the $1 million prize pool.
Building on that momentum, Singapore will now host the BLAST Dota Slam arena event, teaming up with AEG Presents Asia again to bring together the world’s best Dota teams to battle it out for $1,000,000 in front of a live audience and millions of fans tuning in globally across 50+ territories and in 12 languages.
The BLAST Dota Slam Singapore is the latest milestone in BLAST’s global expansion into Dota 2, and reinforces Singapore’s growing reputation as a premier destination for sports and live entertainment. It marks the second consecutive year the city-state has hosted a BLAST arena tournament, following the successful Counter-Strike event in 2024.
James Woollard, Director of Market Development at BLAST, said: “Singapore delivered one of the most passionate esports crowds we’ve ever seen during last year’s BLAST Premier World Final. We’re thrilled to be returning with our next major arena show – this time for Dota 2 – and to once again partner with the Singapore Tourism Board and AEG Presents Asia to help to further grow Southeast Asia’s esports ecosystem. The response to our events in Singapore has been incredible, and this November’s Dota Slam promises to be another landmark moment for fans and for the region. Singapore has an impressive history and pedigree for the biggest international sporting events, supported by STB, and BLAST is proud to be building on this with the biggest esports events.”
Ms Lilian Chee, Director, Sports, Singapore Tourism Board, said: “We are delighted to welcome BLAST back to Singapore, this time with the Dota Slam. Building on the success of the BLAST Premier World Final, this event further reinforces Singapore’s reputation as a world-class destination for sports and live entertainment. We look forward to welcoming the passionate fans, players and partners once again to our vibrant city.”
BLAST’s return to Singapore is set to shine a global spotlight on the city while delivering significant economic benefits and meaningful destination marketing. With an estimated economic impact in the tens of millions, the tournament further demonstrates how esports events are evolving into major cultural and economic drivers for host cities – on par with large-scale traditional international sporting events.
With Singapore, Rio, London, Austin, and Lyon among the major destinations on BLAST’s global calendar this year, it is evident that governments, cities and tourism bodies are recognising the power of esports to attract young and engaged visitors, create jobs, and drive international visibility.
The post Esports Returns to Singapore with BLAST’s Dota 2 Arena Event After Sellout Counter-Strike World Final 2024 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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LuckyStreak launches new SmartStudio greenscreen technology with WinSpirit
Casino operator’s greenscreen-powered Live Blackjack experience to deliver immersive, custom gameplay and deeper brand engagement
LuckyStreak, the Riga-based live games provider, has launched its fully customisable SmartStudio greenscreen technology with online casino operator WinSpirit, delivering a high-spec branded Live Blackjack experience.
The integration gives WinSpirit the ability to completely customise every visual element of the blackjack environment, from the set, walls and floor, to the dealer’s backdrop, with the brand’s logo and colours. This creates a high-impact, bespoke experience that drives stronger engagement between brand and player.
LuckyStreak’s green screen solution lets operators like WinSpirit create fully customised, branded live casino environments without needing physical set builds. It’s flexible, fast, and cost-effective. Operators can choose different backgrounds, themes, branding elements – even switch between them dynamically if needed.
Designed with flexibility and fast deployment in mind, LuckyStreak’s highly advanced SmartStudio system offers chroma system keys in full HD with low latency, to promise razor sharp streams. The technology offers studio-grade production, multi-camera greenscreen and a semi-dedicated table layout that enables precise drop logos, video and stills layering and vibrant colour matching. The result is a deeply immersive and visually distinct blackjack game that perfectly aligns with WinSpirit’s brand identity.
This launch reinforces LuckyStreak’s commitment to delivering versatile and custom solutions for operators looking for more tailored and brand-led experiences across their live casino offering.
Ido Kamiel, COO at LuckyStreak, said: “We’re delighted that WinSpirit has chosen to enhance their players’ blackjack experiences with our greenscreen technology. It is designed to be highly flexible to meet our customers’ diverse and individual branding needs, and simple to deploy, to really enable us to forge closer relationships between player and brand, and to ensure that those meaningful moments are unforgettable.
“We are pleased to say that this is being reflected in longer and more involved player sessions compared to their generic table KPIs.”
Oleksandr Kotsenko, Business Development Lead at WinSpirit, said: “At WinSpirit, we’re always focused on offering players more choices and enhancing their gaming experience.
“Our partnership with LuckyStreak has been a perfect step in bringing this vision to life. We’re excited about this partnership and confident that LuckyStreak will delight our players while making a fantastic addition to our library.”
The post LuckyStreak launches new SmartStudio greenscreen technology with WinSpirit appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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