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Special Interview: A Conversation with Tom Farrell, CMO of ClearStake
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.
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The Pokémon Company and Skyesports Unveil the 2026 Pokémon UNITE Asia Champions League – India
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The Pokémon Company has announced the return of the Pokémon UNITE Asia Champions League (PUACL) with the launch of the PUACL 2026 India League, a $20,000 multi-stage online tournament that will determine the team advancing to the prestigious PUACL 2026 Offline Finals, an international championship featuring a significant prize pool and global participation. The PUACL 2026 Offline Finals will be held at the Yokohama Buntai Arena in Yokohama, Japan.
The India League will be fully executed by Skyesports, one of the country’s leading esports tournament operators.
The PUACL 2026 India League brings together 10 of the country’s top esports organisations. The participating teams are:
- Autobotz
- GodLike Esports
- Marcos Gaming
- Meta Ninza
- Reckoning Esports
- Revenant XSpark
- S8UL
- Team Tamilas
- True Rippers
- WELT Esports
With the growth of Pokémon UNITE in the region and a rising competitive base in India, the 2026 season aims to strengthen the pathway from local champions to international contenders. The league will feature a Group Stage across five match days, followed by the King of the Hill Playoffs, where the top eight teams compete for the title and qualification to the global finals.
The schedule for the PUACL 2026 India League is as follows:
- Group Stage Day 1: November 29, 2025
- Group Stage Day 2: November 30, 2025
- Group Stage Day 3: December 14, 2025
- Group Stage Day 4: January 11, 2026
- Group Stage Day 5: January 18, 2026
- King of the Hill Playoffs: January 31, 2026
The total prize pool for the India League is $20,000, while the PUACL Offline Finals will feature a significantly larger prize pool. The India League champion will secure India’s slot at the global event, competing against the best teams from across Asia.
Speaking on the announcement, Shiva Nandy, Founder and CEO of Skyesports, said: “Pokémon UNITE has built a strong and passionate competitive community in India, and the return of the Asia Champions League gives our teams another platform to show what they are capable of. We are proud to execute the India League once again and to provide a clear path for Indian players to compete at the highest level in Asia. This league showcases the quality of talent we have in the ecosystem and the growing opportunities for teams and professionals who are committing themselves to the title. With ten leading organisations competing, the stage is set for an exciting season and we look forward to sending a representative from India to the global finals.”
The PUACL 2026 India League will be broadcast live on official Pokémon UNITE and Skyesports channels, giving fans across the country the opportunity to follow their favourite teams throughout the season.
With established organisations such as S8UL, GodLike Esports, Team Tamilas, and Revenant XSpark in the mix, the level of competition is expected to reach new heights, building momentum for India’s presence on the international Pokémon UNITE stage.
Last year, GodLike Esports emerged as the champions of the India League, and made it to the PUACL Finals in Japan. Here, the team was eliminated in the group stage. The team will be looking to reclaim its title in 2026 and put up a better international showing.
The post The Pokémon Company and Skyesports Unveil the 2026 Pokémon UNITE Asia Champions League – India appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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This December, Tom Horn Gaming invites players to the snowy mountain peaks in its new release, Santa Yetti, a playful holiday adventure where the jolly king of the mountains swaps his sleigh for snow boots to deliver frosty fortunes and festive fun.
Santa Yetti brings a flurry of excitement to the reels with Expanding Wilds, Multipliers, Respins, and the Respin Booster feature.
The Snowman is a Wild symbol. When it lands on any of the three reels, it expands and triggers a single respin. During the respin, seven win lines transform into twenty-seven ways to win, piling up prizes like Christmas presents. When all three reels are fully stacked with the same symbol, the total win is multiplied by ten, creating a snowstorm of rewards.
Players can also activate the Respin Booster, which increases their total bet by 1.5x and boosts the chance of triggering a respin by 300%. The feature remains active until manually switched off, giving players full control over their gameplay. For those feeling extra lucky, the Star Gamble Ladder appears after every base game win, allowing them to gamble their winnings by guessing the next star’s colour – pink or blue. Each correct guess doubles the prize and pushes the player up one level. The Golden Star can randomly appear at levels two to five to double the win instantly, no guess required.
“Santa Yeti brings together everything players love about Tom Horn games – fun, engaging mechanics, and a great story to match. It’s festive, it’s fresh, and it’s packed with features that keep the excitement rolling. We wanted to end the year on a high note, and Santa Yetti does exactly that with humour, charm, and plenty of win potential,” said Ondrej Lapides, CEO at Tom Horn Gaming.
Blending simple yet fast-paced gameplay with dynamic mechanics, Santa Yetti offers short, mobile-optimised sessions that are sure to delight both casual spinners and seasoned players. Its engaging format and rewarding features make it a perfect choice for operators looking to boost engagement during the high-traffic festive season. With its playful theme, quirky light-hearted style, and generous win potential, Santa Yetti is set to make this Christmas truly santastic.
The post Tom Horn Gaming Unwraps a Frosty Treat with Santa Yetti appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Emily Tofield has been the appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of Ygam, the UK’s leading charity dedicated to preventing gaming and gambling harms among children and young people. She will officially join the charity on the 6 January 2026.
Emily joins the charity following a 20-year career in leadership roles across UK government, local government, higher education and research, the media, and the not-for-profit sector. Her previous roles include posts in the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Justice, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, the University of Sussex, and at the City of London Corporation. With a distinguished breadth of expertise in strategic communications, she is recognised as a leading adviser across strategy, corporate affairs, reputation, marketing, policy, and fundraising.
Emily is an experienced non-executive, currently serving on the board of the Kent homelessness charity, Porchlight. She is Chair Designate of the Girls’ Learning Trust (GLT), the largest all-girls state multi-academy trust in the UK and was recently appointed to the Board of the British Dietetic Association (BDA).
Mike Wojcik, Chair of Ygam, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Emily to Ygam following a highly competitive recruitment process. Her depth of experience and proven leadership across stakeholder and political engagement, and social impact, will be instrumental as we enter our next strategic cycle. Emily joins an exceptionally strong leadership team, and this appointment marks an important new chapter for Ygam as we continue to strengthen our position as a trusted expert voice and sector leader dedicated to preventing gaming, gambling, and digital harms among young people.”
Emily Tofield, Incoming Chief Executive of Ygam, said: “Ygam has reached record numbers of young people as part of its critical mission to protect children and young people from gaming and gambling harms and to help safeguard their digital futures. As a passionate advocate for the benefits of prevention, it is a huge privilege to take on the role of Chief Executive of such a respected national education and prevention charity whose work already makes a difference to so many. High-quality, inclusive, evidence-based, preventative education around gaming and gambling harms remains as important today as when Ygam was founded, and I’m looking forward to working with the impressive Ygam team to further grow its reach, partnerships and impact in the years ahead.”
The post Ygam appoints Emily Tofield as new Chief Executive appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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