Latest News
Safer Gambling: UK Govt Shows its Cards on the Trajectory of Gambling Reform for Digital Age
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has recently presented a white paper to Parliament, outlining the ill-equipped and outdated standards for protecting vulnerable players, and how they have failed to adapt to the digitalised age of gambling.There seems to be a disconnect between the technological advancements of gambling itself, and the technological advancements intended to protect its players.
According to the paper, there are an estimated 3,000,000 people in Great Britain who struggle with “problem gambling” – defined as “a degree which compromises, disrupts or damages family, personal or recreational pursuits”.The impact of problematic gambling can destroy lives and, given the impact of the current economic crisis on the lives of so many, it is imperative that the industry is supported to take on board the new approaches to gambling protocol as put forward by the white paper.
Despite the technological advancements within the industry making gambling accessible online, there is still a demand for land-based gambling enterprises such as casinos, betting shops and racecourses as they offer an authentic experience and atmosphere.Such a vivacious atmosphere cannot be emulated online which is indicative that land-based gambling sites will always be popular among players, whether regular or first-timers.
The white paper acknowledges that these are subject to outdated regulations, and looks to bring these in line with the proposed changes to the online gambling reformations.These intend to enable better monitoring of land-based gambling, in the same way that controls can be placed online to help protect players wherever they play.
From betting shops to pubs with arcade machines, discover more about what the recent white paper recommends for implementing Player Protection protocols in the business and providing responsible restrictions for customers.
Player Protection
Gambling operators are responsible for identifying customers who are susceptible to harmful play and must act accordingly.However, the operators have not had to date the adequate tools or assistance in performing checks on every person that enters their premises.Technology can be utilised to aid operators in this challenging but necessary task in protecting their players.
Biometric technology can help the operator in three core tasks
1) Age Estimation to prevent underage gambling
2) Player Tracking to limit daily spend or excessive losses
3) Identifying Self-Excluded Players
Underage Gambling
In the UK, most forms of gambling are illegal for those under 18s, and the government has the intention of strengthening this further by enacting legislation to ensure consistency.Gambling organisations are obliged to have stringent procedures in place to prevent underage gambling.
Recent figures released by Serve Legal reveal a vast rise in the number of bookies preventing young people from entering their shops.
Instances of betting shops carrying out spot checks on underage players have increased from 67% to 91% over the last ten years.This is a promising statistic, and concrete evidence that the new infrastructure put in place to protect players is working.
“However, there are still too many instances of insufficient age verification in some venues, particularly those such as pubs, which can offer adult-only gaming machines but are not adult-only venues like many gambling premises.” – UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2023.
To further help reduce access to premises, ICU Pro can detect if an underage person is entering the premises and send an alert to the operator.
A MyCheckr can be placed at the counter to aid the till operator in estimating the age of the customer and also reduce risk of abuse in asking for ID.Analytic and appropriate advertisements is also an attractive feature of the MyCheckr and can be used both as a return on investment and a valuable tool to extract the demographics of the customer base.
Biometric technology can be also used to automate age checks at a machine.
ICU Lite, for example, is a compact age estimation device that can be seamlessly integrated into existing software and machines to help businesses comply with adherence to age restrictions.Through more stringent and consistent checks it can help prevent play from vulnerable persons who are underage from accessing the machine.
This new technology gives the operator 3 touchpoints where underage gambling can be prevented, 1) at entry to the premises 2) at the counter 3) at the gaming machine itself.
Player Tracking
Under the Gambling Act 2005, the Gambling Commission was established to regulate the industry and ensure responsible gambling among both individuals and businesses involved in gambling in Great Britain.In their review, the Department of Culture and Sport worked with the Gambling Commission to develop a two-form financial check preventative procedure.
The first will be background checks for moderate levels of spend, to check for indicators of financial vulnerability such as County Court Judgements, and should occur at £125 net loss within a month or £500 within a year.The next check is for higher levels of spending, suggestive of a harmful gambling binge or irrecoverable financial losses as a result of gambling, proposed at a threshold of £1000 net loss within 24 hours or £2000 within 90 days.
Biometric technology can again help operators in this vital task.An ICU Lite can be placed in every machine.Once a player accesses the machine, their age is initially checked.
If the person is overage, then their face can be converted into a FaceID.This FaceID can be anonymously linked to the session and shared with all connected machines.Information such as daily spend and losses can then be linked to this FaceID and any necessary interventions can be easily alerted to the operator.
Additionally, the FaceID of a person can be used to set tailored restrictions and can be uploaded to the operators’ database with the agreed restrictions.For each session, the FaceID can ensure that the player will adhere to playing with the restrictions they have set.The FaceID can be automatically deleted after 24 hours and as such no data is stored permanently on the device.
Self-Exclusion
The Betting and Gaming Council enforces that anyone concerned about their gambling habits can exclude themselves from on-premises gambling facilities.Self-exclusion has the potential to help those suffering from gambling addictions to have more control over their lives and build a healthier relationship with gambling.
If a player has self-excluded, the device with facial recognition technology will store that player’s information as FaceID.
If the player attempts to play again, the device will detect a match on the system for an attempt of play by a person who is self-excluding and alert the operator.This intervention can occur at multiple touchpoints, such as access to the premises, at the counter or at the machine itself.
Bolstering the Gambling Commission
The white paper also discusses the powers and resources given to the Gambling Commission.The paper acknowledges the difficult feat that the Commission is faced with; in an ever-evolving industry that has long been subject to outdated regulations, there is a lot of work to be done.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport envisions a future where the Commission has greater powers as regulators of the industry and supports the Commission in gaining cooperation from operators to share data to help identify non-compliance to licence conditions.
This is made even more prevalent as the Commission has recently issued its largest fine in history.A British online gambling company was recently fined £19.2m for widespread social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures, a record-breaking figure in the UK.The organisation had previously been fined £6.2m in 2018 for the same reasons, illustrating a repeatedly negligent pattern.
Protecting vulnerable players is a vital but complex task.Operators need the right support and tools to maintain and advance player protection as technology develops.
Biometric technology will play a key role in implementing these key reforms designed to improve player protection.
The future for gambling certainly looks like one of change for the better.The restrictions are there not to impede the recreational joy of gambling, but to protect those most vulnerable to addiction.As stated by MP Lucy Frazer, who penned the ministerial foreword of the white paper, “prevention of harm will always be better than a cure, so we are determined to strengthen consumer protection and prevent exploitative practices”.
Latest News
Play’n GO plot a prize-hunting heist in Highway Legends
Play’n GO create a steal of a slot with their new historical title, Highway Legends.
The story follows Swift Rick and Lady Pearl – two highway robbers roaming the land in search of riches that they can steal from unsuspecting coaches.It doesn’t matter if it’s rings, revolvers or broaches, Swift Rick and Lady Pearl will take ‘em all.
Players can land three gold-encrusted symbols to secure a standard victory.The slot’s in-game Wild fashions itself as a Rider on Horseback (Stacked Wild), a Bandit (Sticky Wilds) or a Gold Plaque (Standard Wild), mixing the period-set iconography with the dynamic power Symbols.
Equally, the Scatter is represented as dual Golden Pistols on the reels, meaning once they’re fired – players can cause a ruckus and snag loot-worthy bonuses!
Money Bag Symbols can land on reels 1 – 4 with varying cash values.
If the player lands this symbol on reel five – alongside any of the previous reels – player will win the accumulated value, filling their bag of loot further.
Landing three Golden Pistol Scatters will cause the rider to gallop onto the Free Spins.If only two Scatters land, the fifth reel will Re-Spin and aid in securing the trusty third Scatter, just like Swift Rick and Lady Pearl’s numerous backup plans.
Lady Pearl takes centre stage for the Sticky Wild feature.On any spin, Wild Symbols can land as part of the spin cycle.They’ll remain on the reels for the duration of the feature, with further Wilds accumulated as they roam across the reels.
The Stacked Wild feature involves Swift Rick stacking up to four Wild’s on any of the five reels, coupled alongside a dynamic animatic, showing players where the Wilds will appear.This feature acts as a one-of-one translation of the narrative, with our two leading protagonists stacking as much loot as they can carry.
Fans of Play’n GO’s Wild West shootout Wild Trigger (2022) as well as the glitzy Royal Masquerade (2015) and the train-set Wild Rails (2019) will find lots to love about Highway Legends’ period theme.
Head of Game Retention at Play’n GO, George Olekszy said: “Who doesn’t love a historical slot?”
“Highway Legends has some really innovative features.
From the Stacked Wilds that create lots of potential, down to the individual character abilities – this slot captures the magic of period-themed adventures.”
Blockchain
BetConstruct Introduces Revolutionary Game Built on Blockchain Technology
BetConstruct presents Alligator Validator – the first-ever game entirely based on blockchain technology.
Alligator Validator, the one-of-a-kind game where all transactions are made using blockchain technology, is promised to be among the biggest innovations in the current iGaming market.The game is an explosive combination of fresh and vivid graphics, cutting-edge game mechanics and brand-new payment systems built on blockchain technology.
The blockchain technology adds extra security and transparency to the game – not requiring any centralised third parties to control the flow of funds and being processed independently by the smart contracts.
It is also a perfect addition for all Bahamut validators, as it gives an opportunity to improve validators’ positions and earn block rewards for helping to secure the network.
Validators play an important role in securing the network by showing activity and validating blocks using the PoSA consensus mechanism.Thus, validator-partners who enable the game on their platforms not only add a unique and thrilling game to their catalogue but also maximise their ROI.
BetConstruct believes the innovation will shape the future of the iGaming market and make crypto games more accessible to a larger audience.Thanks to its fresh and distinctive premise, Alligator Validator will breathe new life into the player experience and help partners earn huge rewards for helping secure the network.
Add the game to your catalogue, and don’t miss the chance to become one of the first to encounter the new reality of iGaming!
Cryptocurrency
19% Crypto Bets Growth: SOFTSWISS Reveals Digital Coin Results for Q1 2023
In January 2023, SOFTSWISS, the leading technology provider for iGaming, was recognised as ‘
Crypto Company of the Year’ by the prestigious International Gaming Awards.
As a pioneer in crypto gaming, every quarter, the company analyses the crypto gaming market and shares valuable industry insights.This time, among key indicators, the expert team unveils what the average crypto player portrait looks like.
The Q1 crypto results are based on the data from over 700 brands powered by the SOFTSWISS
Game Aggregator and the SOFTSWISS Casino Platform.
Q1 2023: The Big Picture
In Q1 2023 the Total Bets indicator increased by 44.66% compared to the same quarter the previous year and by 2.24% compared to the preceding quarter.This data demonstrates a steady growth trend in the iGaming market.
In absolute terms, the sum of wagers in crypto also shows positive growth over the course of the last year.
In the first quarter of 2023, the share of bets in digital coins accounted for 30%.Q4 of 2022 showed 9% volume growth in Total Bets in crypto compared to the first quarter of the same year.Q1 of 2023, on the other hand, showed a more significant volume growth – 19%.
Andrey Starovoitov, Co-CEO at SOFTSWISS comments: “Despite the global events of 2022, which have undoubtedly caused most digital coins to fall in value, we are now seeing them rise in value again.For that reason, we are observing both growth in the iGaming market in general and also an increase in the sum of bets made by crypto players.We expect digital coins to remain in stable use by players in 2023 and could see more significant growth with a combination of two factors: competent retention of players and the absence of strong volatility in the crypto market.”
Most Used Digital Coins
Compared to Q4 2022, the top 3 most used digital coins remain the same: Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Litecoin (LTC).However, their shares have changed – Bitcoin is up by 1.9 p.p.
at the expense of smaller digital currencies, while Ethereum remained the same.
Looking at the development of digital coins over a longer period, the changes in the shares of digital coins are more substantial.From Q1 2022, BTC increased by 3.72 p.p., whereas ETH lost 5.01 p.p.
The fall in the share of the third leading digital coin, LTC, occurred by 1.36 p.p.
The final shares for Q1 2023 are as follows:
– BTC – 76.5%
– ETH – 8.4%
– LTC – 5.1%
Tether (USDT) took a share of 5.1% for the first time, in turn, Dogecoin (DOGE) rates fell by 1 p.p.compared to the previous quarter, taking a 2.5% share at the end of Q1 2023.
Among other currencies that showed an increase in the share of Total Bets – Ripple (XRP), Tron (TRX) and Cardano (ADA).
The Crypto Player Portrait
Diving deeper into the industry insights, SOFTSWISS has defined the average crypto player portrait.Based on the Q1 data and available data from player profiles, 65% of the crypto audience is male and 35% female.
The percentage of age groups of the crypto players who have indicated their age on their online casino profile is as follows:
Thus, the core audience of digital coins in iGaming is in the 31-50 age range.It makes up 70% of the audience that uses crypto.
Moreover, more than half of crypto GGR per Q1 was formed by bets made on mobile devices: 64% of mobile users vs.
32% of desktop ones.
This data may become crucial when choosing a strategy for growing an existing iGaming brand or launching a new one.As SOFTSWISS experts note, interest in starting crypto projects is high, even when crypto demonstrates quick changes and might be unpredictable.Nevertheless, Q1 statistics indicate that 2023 is shaping up to be a year of positive development for projects related to digital coins.
Max Trafimovich, Chief Commercial Officer at SOFTSWISS, summarises: “Over the last few years we have seen a steady increase in demand for crypto-ready solutions, be it for launching a casino or a sports betting venture.It’s undeniable that some crypto iGaming operators have drawn much attention and accolades on a global level.
Besides crypto, such operators also happen to be at the forefront of various other innovations, those going beyond the payments aspect.
SOFTSWISS will remain the ultimate partner on this frontier with new crypto-oriented technologies, top-level service, and security.”
About SOFTSWISS
SOFTSWISS is an international iGaming company supplying certified software solutions for managing gambling operations.The expert team, which counts 1,500+ employees, is based in Malta, Poland, Georgia, and Belarus.SOFTSWISS holds a number of gaming licences and provides one-stop-shop iGaming software solutions.The company has a vast product portfolio, including the
Online Casino Platform, the https://www.softswiss.com/game-aggregator/?utm_source=media&utm_medium=boilerplate&utm_campaign=ga&utm_term=22 with thousands of casino games, the Affilka affiliate platform, the Sportsbook Platform and the Jackpot Aggregator.In 2013, SOFTSWISS was the first in the world to introduce a Bitcoin-optimised online casino solution.
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