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Special Interview: A Conversation with Tom Farrell, CMO of ClearStake

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Affordability is currently the word on everyone’s lips. Operators continue to face a ‘sustainability conundrum’ – they must fulfil their regulatory obligations and commitments to player protection, while ensuring their business remains profitable. For many, affordability can spell disaster, with up to 90% of customers lost when asked to prove they have the money they are wanting to spend. However, using Open Banking to carry out these financial checks as quickly as possible may be the answer to boosting retention and retaining otherwise lost revenues.

The DCMS recently published a public consultation on the UK gambling White Paper, while the Gambling Commission launched its own on financial risk checks, bringing their importance of affordability to the top of the agenda – but operators must now strike the balance between minimising harm and maximising revenue. Affordability checks that take too long risk sending customers to competitors, or worse, the black market.

One of the key remedies to the high level of churn experienced in the past is making sure financial risk checks can be carried out quickly and with as little friction as possible, so that customers can complete them with as much ease as approving a payment while online shopping. Operators have to reach a decision quickly because the longer players wait, the more likely it is they will go elsewhere while they’re waiting.

Of course, there are some people who under no circumstances will share financial data with someone like a gambling operator. There’s also a group of people who won’t share data because they know they are gambling beyond their means. This is of course the system working as it should and that’s a good thing. But there’s a third group of people for whom it’s too much effort. They’re asked to provide bank statements, at which point they go to a competitor, as the hoops they have to jump through are not worth it.

For a customer using Open Bank technology, such as ClearStake, what used to involve downloading and printing bank statements and a wait while the operator reviews the data, now takes just 30 seconds and a few clicks. A decision is recommended to the operator immediately and theoretically, the whole process can take less than a minute. Players click a link, and they are taken to a super slick and simple process where they press a couple of buttons and the relevant financial data is shared securely. They are always in control of their data and they can revoke permission at any time.

Our software categorises every transaction and we can calculate whatever the operator wants to see. It could be disposable income, net gambling spend, total income, or current balance on the account. Our software can also evaluate the rate of change so operators can see accelerating gambling spend or consistently declining savings and work out if the player’s gambling activity is still within the safe bounds of their current financial position.

Without responsible gaming and Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) checks, gambling risks being over-regulated out of existence as the product will become unprofitable. To answer the sustainability conundrum many operators face, we need to find a middle ground. Sustainability means not letting people spend beyond their means. It means letting people have a bet if they can afford to, while not taking more money than they can spend.

Over the last two or three years, the Gambling Commission got strict on affordability checks. They asked operators how they know someone could afford to lose ‘x’ amount. The White Paper effectively agreed with the Gambling Commission and has clarified that if someone is losing £2,000 in the space of three months or £1,000 in one month, operators should be confident about the player’s financial situation. The headline was that affordability and EDD checks should be taking place.

This discussion around affordability is not only limited to the UK, and we are seeing lawmakers and regulators in several other countries considering measures in this area.

The industry therefore needs to be proactive as the problem will never go away if it keeps allowing people to bet money they don’t have. In the public mind, gambling will have the same fate as cigarettes which are currently being regulated out of existence.

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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ScatterKings adds sugar-coated spin to Austria with bespoke win2day partnership

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ScatterKings has made its debut in Austria, partnering with operator win2day to bring its vibrant, hand-crafted portfolio to one of Europe’s most tightly regulated markets.

Headlining the partnership is Sweet win2day, a mouth-watering title designed exclusively for the operator. Other standout ScatterKings games, including Coins of Cleo, Vikings and Hogs Christmas and Big Bob, have also hit the screens of win2day’s customers, with further releases scheduled to follow.

Win2day is operated by Austrian Lotteries, which was founded more than 50 years ago and holds the only licence to offer online casino gaming in the country. The brand has gained a rich heritage as a trusted name in the market, priding itself on being one of the industry’s most responsible operators.

Through this deal, the new and fiercely passionate provider is redefining what modern slot content looks like for local players.

For ScatterKings, every game stands as a testament to its philosophy – proven mechanics fused with genuine artistic vision. A true labour of love from battle-tested developers, the brand-new studio, years in the making, is channelling its expertise into games crafted with soul.

With a leadership team of seasoned industry veterans spanning years of experience, ScatterKings is primed to accelerate its global growth and continue building games that deliver non-stop thrills.

Steven Cross, CCO at ScatterKings, said: “Our launch with win2day is such a proud moment for us and it’s a partnership built on trust in both our vision and craft.

“Entering such an exclusive market is a powerful endorsement of the quality and personality our content brings. We’re here to deliver premium entertainment to players under the most respected regulatory standards.”

Georg Wawer, Managing Director at win2day, said: “As Austria’s only licensed online gambling operator, it is our responsibility to offer players exclusively high-quality, secure and fully compliant gaming content. With ScatterKings, we welcome a highly innovative partner whose technological excellence and creative strength perfectly match our uncompromising standards.

“The studio’s games are optimised to meet the strictest player protection requirements, ensuring that every title on our platform delivers not only great entertainment but also the highest level of safety and responsibility. Their growing portfolio will be a valuable and exciting addition to win2day.”

The post ScatterKings adds sugar-coated spin to Austria with bespoke win2day partnership appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.

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Slotegrator’s 2025: the year in numbers

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For Slotegrator, a leading software and business solution provider for online casino and sportsbook operators, 2025 marked a year of restructuring and modernization. The company outlines the key transformations of the past year and the strategy shaping its path through 2026.

Throughout 2025, Slotegrator focused on developing its technological and business solutions for gambling operators worldwide. And those efforts — as well as the team’s substantial growth — have paid off, driving the company to new heights of success.

One indicator of positive performance is an increase in demand. Slotegrator recorded strong growth in demand for its products in multiple regions:

  • The Balkans (+168%)
  • Africa (+132%)
  • Australia and Oceania (+111%)
  • Central and Eastern Europe (+76%)

In addition to expanding geographically, Slotegrator grew and developed in several key areas: the size of its client and partner network, the scale of its revenues and market share, and the nature of its leadership.

The company now has nearly 300 clients and over 650 projects worldwide, with 217 new projects launched in 2025 alone. That expansion has translated directly to a rise in revenues; the company’s estimated share of global online gambling GGR reached around 0.8%, driven by an 81% YoY increase in GGR and a 71% rise in Total Bets.

One of this year’s key changes was the appointment of Olga Ivanchik as chief operating officer. With an extensive industry and management background to draw on, she is leading the company’s focus on sustainable scaling, ESG integration, and further strengthening of the internal team.

The company also continued to expand the capabilities of its products. APIgrator, the game aggregator solution, surpassed the threshold of 40,000 online casino games, supported by new strategic partnerships with Octopus Global, Urgent Games, Peter&Sons, Winfinity, Enjoy Gaming, PHOENIX 7, Bellot, InOut Games, and BEON. Another major milestone of 2025 was obtaining a gambling license in Anjouan, enabling Slotegrator to extend its services to a wider range of operators worldwide.

The turnkey online casino platform from Slotegrator also underwent one of the most significant transformations in Slotegrator’s history. More than 1,000 product improvements were implemented in 2025 alone, laying a solid foundation for scalability and advanced analytics.
The platform upgrades covered business intelligence and reporting, limitless scalability, security and authentication, bonus module performance, affiliate integrations, resilient infrastructure, an improved Casino Builder solution, and a significantly reduced time-to-market.

“2025 was a year of major milestones for us. While the global iGaming market continues to evolve at high speed, we not only maintained our strong position but expanded it on multiple levels. This year clearly showed that our strategic direction is right and our foundation is strong,” says Olga Ivanchik, COO at Slotegrator.

Slotegrator enters 2026 with a well-calculated strategy and ambitious plans. The company will continue the large-scale expansion of its team, demonstrate its ESG strategy with a focus on responsible gaming practices and ethical marketing, participate actively in industry events around the globe, conduct new research and media projects, and pursue multiple high-impact product updates. And on top of that, there will be some major announcements at the beginning of the year.

Among the most anticipated developments are a new localization service, a revolutionary tool within the Moneygrator solution, extended AI-powered features, and further transformation of the turnkey platform into a fully integrated ecosystem of high-efficiency services.

For Slotegrator, 2025 was a year of modernization, scale, and trust — and 2026 is set to be the next leap forward.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Since 2012, Slotegrator has been one of the iGaming industry’s leading software and business solution providers for online casino and sportsbook operators.

The company’s main focus is software development and support for online casino platforms, as well as the integration of game content and payment systems.

The company works with licensed game developers and offers a vast portfolio of casino content: slots, live casino games, poker, virtual sports, table games, lotteries, casual games, and data feeds for betting.

Slotegrator also provides consulting services in gambling license acquisition and business incorporation.

The post Slotegrator’s 2025: the year in numbers appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.

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Whale.io Launches $WHALE NFT Collection on Solana: New Pre-Market Phase Ahead of TGE

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Whale.io has officially launched the $WHALE NFT collection on Solana, introducing the next phase of the platform’s native token rollout and bringing the community one step closer to the upcoming Token Generation Event (TGE).

The $WHALE NFTs – presented as fully tradable digital cards – represent a new value layer within the Whale ecosystem. Each card holds a fixed amount of $WHALE tokens locked on-chain and backed 1:1, making them redeemable at any time for the underlying tokens. Minting is now live exclusively at mintwhale.io, where users can acquire these asset-backed cards and begin trading immediately on secondary marketplaces such as Magic Eden.

This format transforms $WHALE into a hybrid asset: a collectible card that behaves like a traditional NFT while carrying real, instantly verifiable token value. Cards can be freely transferred, sold, or held, with the assurance that the locked $WHALE can always be unlocked and returned to the Whale.io platform when needed.

Key Benefits of the $WHALE NFT Model

  • Liquidation and stronger community – $WHALE NFTs enable holders to convert tokens into tradable crypto assets, supporting liquidity and ongoing ecosystem activity.
  • Easier entry for new participants – Anyone can now join the Whale ecosystem by purchasing cards on Magic Eden, bypassing the traditional play-to-earn grind.
  • Seamless top-ups – Players with low $WHALE balance can buy additional cards on secondary markets and redeem them instantly for playable tokens to continue enjoying games, battle passes, and rewards.

Because every card is transparently backed by real $WHALE, value remains anchored and fully verifiable on-chain at all times.

Utility Already Live

$WHALE continues to serve as the native currency across Whale Originals titles, including Crock Dentist and Blackjack. Holders use it for gameplay, Battlepass purchases, staking rewards, and exclusive in-platform features – a utility that is available today and will expand significantly after TGE.

Next Steps on the Roadmap

Upcoming features include a Staking mechanism (locking liquid $WHALE into cards) and a dedicated Token Swapping interface for one-click redemption. Whale.io has also reaffirmed its commitment to regular market buybacks followed by permanent token burns to support long-term token health.

Participation Now Open

The $WHALE NFT collection is available for minting exclusively at mintwhale.io. Detailed card tiers, pricing, and redemption instructions are displayed on the site. All on-chain activity remains fully transparent through Whale.io’s established Treasury wallets.

Community members are invited to follow @Whalegames_en on X for real-time mint updates, secondary market insights, and announcements on future roadmap milestones.

About Whale.io

Whale.io is an online casino and sportsbook platform, recognized for its proprietary Whale Originals games and innovative reward systems. With $WHALE at its core, the platform combines provably fair gaming with community-owned economics and transparent tokenomics.

For complete details on the $WHALE NFT collection, users can visit mintwhale.io or whale.io.

Information on the future direction of Whale.io Casino and the Whale Token is available here:

Website: https://mintwhale.io/

Socials: https://linktr.ee/whalesocials_tg

Contact

Whale Spokesperson

Whale.io

[email protected]

The post Whale.io Launches $WHALE NFT Collection on Solana: New Pre-Market Phase Ahead of TGE appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.

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