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Yaspa, a leading fintech specialising in payments and identity solutions, has been named winner of the Real-Time Payments Innovation category at this year’s Payments Awards.

The award recognises Yaspa’s Intelligent Payments solution which combines open banking and AI to provide real-time bank payments (Pay by Bank) with verified customer insights, as well as a full suite of payment and account verification services.

The accolade is the latest in a landmark year for the company, during which, Yaspa was named one of the CB Insights Top 100 Fintechs, a global ranking that spotlights the most promising and innovative companies shaping the future of financial services.

The recognition comes during a period of sustained growth for Yaspa, which has expanded from 15 to 70 employees in the past 18 months and closed a $12m investment round in July, led by Discerning Capital. The company is now accelerating international expansion with a new US entity based in Atlanta, Georgia. Yaspa also announced the opening of a tech hub in Leeds, UK, in August.

Yaspa’s success has been driven by growing adoption of its real-time payments platform, which enables instant account-to-account deposits and withdrawals, automated KYC checks, and rapid verification flows that reduce friction for end users, particularly among gambling operators. Across the UK and Europe, merchants and operators are increasingly choosing Yaspa to improve customer experience, reduce operational overheads and strengthen financial compliance. This award is particularly timely with Safer Gambling Week starting today and Yaspa’s solutions adding extra player protection at the payment stage of the customer journey.

Yaspa CEO James Neville said: “We’re incredibly proud to receive the Payments Award for Real-Time Payments Innovation. It reflects the hard work of our team and the value our partners see in reliable, real-time money movement.

“This has been a milestone year for Yaspa, from being named a CB Insights Top 100 Fintech to gaining recognition at the EGR B2B Awards. Each achievement reinforces the momentum behind real-time payments and the impact it can have on both merchants and their customers.”

The post Yaspa wins Real-Time Payments Innovation award at the 2025 Payments Awards appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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EPIC Global Solutions has published its first Activity Report 2024/25, a comprehensive review demonstrating how the organisation has advanced safer gambling outcomes across the gambling, sport, education, and high-risk sectors over the past year.

The report captures a pivotal period of growth and global impact for EPIC, with partnerships spanning operators, regulators, professional sports leagues, colleges and universities, and emerging international markets. It charts measurable progress achieved between 2024–2025, alongside insights from more than a decade of EPIC’s leadership in gambling harm prevention.

Speaking on the launch, Paul Buck, CEO and founder of EPIC Global Solutions, said: “Our purpose is clear: to make gambling safer and more sustainable for everyone. This report reflects the tangible progress made alongside our partners over the past year – expanding prevention initiatives, strengthening regulatory alignment, and equipping organisations to protect their players, customers, and communities more effectively.”

Key highlights from the 2024/25 Activity Report include:

• Expansion of EPIC’s education and prevention programmes across Europe, North America, and newly regulated markets including Brazil and the UAE.
• Demonstrable increases in awareness and intervention confidence among athletes, students, and industry employees, with multiple programmes achieving above 90% satisfaction and confidence ratings.
• Continued collaboration with leading global operators, with 18 operators engaging EPIC’s consultancy and training services during 2024–2025.
• Pioneering research into gambling-related vulnerability in elite women’s sport and the continued development of digital learning tools, including the Know Your Play portal for US college students, developed for ROGA.
• Growth of lived-experience-led training delivery across sports and entertainment organisations, supporting cultural change and enhancing organisational compliance frameworks.

Driving safer gambling through partnership

The report also showcases testimonials from global partners across gambling, sport, and entertainment, reflecting EPIC’s role in strengthening organisational culture, supporting compliance, and helping teams navigate sensitive customer and player welfare issues.

Looking ahead

As regulators worldwide continue to reshape gambling policy and as technology accelerates player engagement, EPIC’s 2024/25 Activity Report outlines the organisation’s next phase of innovation – including digital learning expansion, new research collaborations, and enhanced global delivery models.

“We are entering a defining moment for safer gambling worldwide,” Buck added.

“This report not only celebrates what has been achieved, but sets out how EPIC will continue supporting organisations to lead responsibly and sustainably in a fast-changing environment.”

The post Discover how EPIC is shaping the future of safer gambling – our 2024/25 Activity Report appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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An error in the super draw on April 19th led to 52 incorrect winners of million-dollar prizes. In September, the Norwegian Lottery Authority announced a fine of up to 25 million, and the fine has now been approved.  

– Players should be able to trust that Norsk Tipping’s draws are correct. This is absolutely fundamental, and therefore this is a serious matter, says Tore Bell, department director at the Norwegian Lottery Authority.  

A technical error caused players who submitted bets at cooperative banks around Christmas and New Year to be deleted, and thus not included in the draw on April 19. This meant that the draw was not carried out with the correct drawing basis, and 52 incorrect winners of million-dollar prizes were drawn.  

In September, the Norwegian Lottery Authority announced a criminal fine of 25 million for the error , and now the fine has been approved.

Norsk Tipping has refunded the bets of the players who were not included in the draw.

The Norwegian Lottery Authority received insurance

The error in the Superdraw on April 19th occurred after several other errors had been discovered.

– It is grossly negligent that Norsk Tipping did not check that all the players who had submitted bets were included in the draw, when they knew that there had been serious errors in the draw basis over a long period of time, says Bell. 

The Norwegian Lottery Authority considered stopping the draw on April 19th, due to suspicions that there might be several errors affecting the draw. However, Norsk Tipping assured that the draw would proceed smoothly.  

– We can stop the game if it is not carried out correctly. We considered that in this case, but we received several guarantees that the draw would go smoothly. Then it is unacceptable that there was still an error in the draw.  

A few days after the draw, Norsk Tipping reported that the super draw had been carried out with the correct drawing basis and correct winning odds.  

Over 100 million in total fees

The fee the Norwegian Lottery Authority has imposed on Norsk Tipping is the fifth in just over a year, and Norsk Tipping has received over 100 million in fees.  

• Last year, a player was mistakenly paid NOK 25 million from the casino game KongKasino. The Norwegian Lottery Authority imposed a fine of NOK 4.5 million. The Lottery Board reduced the fine to NOK 2.5 million after a complaint from Norsk Tipping. 
• Players on iPhone/iPad were not allowed to log out of Norsk Tipping’s games for four months last year. This was not discovered until a player reported it. The Norwegian Lottery Authority imposed a fine of NOK 36 million for the violation.
• Serious drawing errors in the Norwegian million-dollar prize in Eurojackpot and the super draw in Lotto have led to players in cooperatives, cooperative banks and gambling clubs having a greater chance of winning over several years. The error has led to there being the wrong winner in every single draw for several years. The Norwegian Lottery Authority has imposed a fine of NOK 46 million for the violation. 
• In June, several thousand players were notified of excessive prizes. The Norwegian Lottery Authority imposed a fine of NOK 10 million for the violation .  

The Norwegian Lottery Authority is currently conducting a major inspection of Lotto, Eurojackpot and Vikinglotto.

Source: lottstift.no

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