Month: April 2023

While the game features a Joker, he’s very much of the Irish variety in his Leprechaun suit. He has a big role to play too. The Feature Trail integrated around the grid sees him moving with each spin of the reels. And if his luck rubs off on you, you may land one of the cash prizes displayed on the trail. Then there’s the feature games that includes both Bonus Wheels, with each one offering a selection of prizes, and a slot game. Come on…it’s time to grab your pot of gold.

Download the affiliate pack for Slingo Lucky Joker at First Look Games.

Game Type:SlingoGo Live Date (expected):Already live!Number of paylines:–Number of reels:–RTP% (recorded/theoretical):94%Variance/volatility:Medium-HighNumber of symbols to trigger feature/bonus?:–Can feature be retriggered?:–Number of free spins awarded?:–Stacked or expanding wilds in normal play?:–Stacked or expanding wilds in feature play?:–Number of jackpot tiers?:0Auto-play function?:Yes

With thunderous gameplay, thrilling graphics and wins of up to 10,000x, players will feel as if they are battling alongside the mighty God of Thunder himself.

Download the affiliate pack for Thor Goes Wild at First Look Games.

Game Type:Video SlotGo Live Date (expected):Already live!Number of paylines:–Number of reels:2 – 12 slicesRTP% (recorded/theoretical):90.01% – 95.51%Variance/volatility:Medium-HighNumber of symbols to trigger feature/bonus?:–Can feature be retriggered?:–Number of free spins awarded?:–Stacked or expanding wilds in normal play?:–Stacked or expanding wilds in feature play?:–Number of jackpot tiers?:0Auto-play function?:Yes

Be prepared for a fun, colorful, joyful, exciting and thrilling gameplay experience!

Download the affiliate pack for Cash Falls Pirate’s Trove at First Look Games.

Game Type:Video SlotGo Live Date (expected):Already live!Number of paylines:4,608Number of reels:5RTP% (recorded/theoretical):94% – 96%Variance/volatility:Medium-HighNumber of symbols to trigger feature/bonus?:–Can feature be retriggered?:–Number of free spins awarded?:–Stacked or expanding wilds in normal play?:–Stacked or expanding wilds in feature play?:–Number of jackpot tiers?:0Auto-play function?:Yes

Consumer spending on betting for the month amounted to $18.1m, which was 19.1% higher than $15.2m in March 2022 and also 43.7% up from $12.6m in February of this year.

In terms of gross gaming revenue from sports wagering, this reached $2.3m, an increase of 64.3% from $1.4m in March last year and 91.7% ahead of $1.2m in February.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

While he denied all charges, Basildon Crown Court convicted Howard at the conclusion of a four-week trial, at which point the Stapleford Tawney resident was remanded in custody until sentencing. The court also convicted Howard of conspiracy to commit fraud against the bank Santander but found him not guilty of money laundering.

The charges related to a syndicate that created online accounts to bet on without the limitations that would normally be imposed on single account. Therefore, those involved were able to collect bonuses that would not be available to users under bet365’s terms and conditions.

Those who gave over their details did so willingly to Howard, who then impersonated them to access bet365 services, thereby accessing bonuses and getting around the company’s checks and balances.

The enterprise, which dated back to 2008, involved over 1,000 online gambling accounts. Howard is estimated to have received £236,000 over the course of the fraud.

 “Betting online in someone else’s name is against the terms of use,” said Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate detective sergeant Mike Monkton. “The whole enterprise was dishonest and designed to deceive the gambling company.”

“When we were notified in 2018, we embarked upon a lengthy and complex investigation that took some time to unravel. When we executed a warrant at Jon Howard’s address in Stapleford Tawney in February 2019, it was obvious that this was set up to look like any other legal business.

“Hours were spent trawling through paperwork in different names, receipts for luxury items, bank books and 177 sim cards that were seized from the address. Substantial sums of money were involved.”

Of all revenue collected in Q1, 3.0% came from harmful gambling, down from 3.3% in the same period in 2022 and also lower than the 3.3% reported in Q4 of last year.

Kindred said this positive trend could be attributed to improvements focused on enhancing the customer’s responsible gambling journey, with the group also noting 83.0% of detected customers experienced improved gambling behaviour after an intervention was made by its responsible gambling and customer facing teams.

This intervention rate was lower than 84.7% in the first quarter of 2022 but up from 82.1% in Q4.

“We have continuously emphasised the importance of detecting and engaging with our customers who are showing markers of harm,” Kindred chief exectuive Henrik Tjärnström said. “To prevent a harmful behaviour, early intervention is critical, and I am glad that we can see result of the roll out of automated interventions that we have done in some of our markets.

“Going forward I look forward to following the holistic approach and collaboration across different teams within Kindred. Responsible gambling is not a factor only for one team, but it is something that every single employee contributes to through their knowledge and commitment to reducing harmful revenue. 

“By our tech teams working hand in hand with the responsible gambling and customer facing teams, we can swiftly release improved interventions across different markets. All in line with our Journey towards Zero road map.”

GB fine

The reduction will come as a boost to Kindred, which last month was fined £7.1m by Great Britain’s Gambling Commission for social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures.

Kindred’s 32Red, which runs 32Red.com, will pay £4.2m, while Platinum Gaming, operator of Unibet in Britain, was ordered to pay £2.9m. Both brands also received an official warning following a Commission investigation.

The Commission said it had identified a number of social responsibility failures, including that 32Red customer gambling session times should have prompted earlier identification of those who may have been experiencing gambling related harm.

In his new role, Mitev will assume responsibility for the provider’s operations and lead a team of more than 100 igaming, tech and commercial professionals.

Mitev joins 7777 after working in the online gambling market for over 14 years, including spells with NetEnt in Malta and Evolution Gaming.

“I am looking forward to joining 7777 Gaming and have a strong belief in the product and the path the company is heading”, Mitev said. “With the team of highly skilled professionals, we will be taking the business to new levels and markets with the strong product foundations that have been established.

“Combining math and game mechanics, with an understanding of the players through extensive B2C and B2B background, 7777 differentiates itself in the industry.”

7777 co-founder Milen Ganev added: “We are delighted to bring Mitko on board as our new CEO. It’s an advantageous move for our entire team as well as our partners, thanks to his extraordinary leadership and business skills that deliver win-win results. 

“With his extensive experience in the global gaming markets, Mitev will lead the company into opening new perspectives in Asia, Latin America, and the US.” 

7777 holds a gambling licence in Bulgaria and Romania, while the provider is also authorised by the Malta Gaming Authority. In addition, 7777 recently expanded into the Latin American market with launches in Peru, Brazil and Mexico.

Detroit Lions receivers Jameson Williams, Quintez Cephus, Stanley Berryhill and safety CJ Moore were all suspended, as was Washington Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney.

Cephus, Moore and Toney were all suspended indefinitely for betting on games during the 2022 season and will not be able to apply for reinstatement until after the 2023 season.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

The campaign was conducted in cooperation with the Salzburg police and a Cobra task force between 6 and 14 April, with the ministry saying that the police can claim “a great deal of success” for its actions. The operators of the illegal machines could be fined up to €30,000 per unit, though actual fines run towards €5,000 on average.  

“This is a blow to organised crime,” said Austrian finance minister Magnus Brunner. “The illegal gambling operators make huge profits at the expense of gambling addicts. Resolute action by the financial police is of great importance here and we will not show any tolerance towards criminals in the future either.”

During the four days of operation, 15 financial police officers worked together with 20 local police officers to carry out the enforcement action.

The police visited seven bars – all of which were camouflaged from the outside as different categories of businesses, including as a nail salon, tanning salon and internet café.

The individuals that operated the locations had secured all the premises with magnetic locks and had set video-monitoring equipment both inside and outside. The police said that “coercive force” was required to attain access to five of the bars, while two more needed the services of a locksmith to be employed.

The Finance Ministry highlighted one operator of an illegal gambling establishment who had acted “particularly boldly.” Following nine machines being confiscated on the first day of operation from the venue, nine more devices were discovered five days later when the police again visited the bar.

“Another bar was found in a basement where 15 illegal slot machines were found,” said the Ministry. “Here, too, the operator knew no shame: The company was located right next to an official building and access was via the official car park.”

The monthly record figure was 24% higher than in March of last year, with Gamstop saying that the most likely reason for the increase was the Cheltenham Festival horse racing event, which ran from 12-15 March. 

The organisation said the biggest days for registrations were in the immediate aftermath of the festival.

Since Gamstop launched in April 2018, more than 365,000 people have registered with the self-exclusion scheme for a period of either six months, a year or five years. Almost 330,000 remain excluded from gambling with all licensed operators.

In March 2020, the Gambling Commission made it a licensing condition for all operators to integrate with the scheme, in addition to operating their own self-exclusion schemes.

“Our most recent data shows that, five years after our inception, Gamstop is providing an increasingly important service to potentially vulnerable consumers who want to take a break from gambling,” Gamstop chief executive Fiona Palmer said.

“The record monthly registrations shows that we cannot underestimate the demand for  a scheme such as Gamstop. It is extremely important that we continue to raise awareness to make sure that anyone who needs us knows about us. 

“We also need to continue to listen to our users and develop and improve the scheme to meet their needs.

The record month came after Gamstop earlier this year revealed that 84,000 consumers registered with the service in 2022, another all-time high.