Leading online betting and gaming company 888 has announced the rollout of its safe gambling initiative, the Control Centre, in Ontario. This initiative aims to assist players in gaining a better understanding of their gambling behavior while promoting responsible gaming practices. The product has a proven track record, and its launch should bolster 888’s brand recognition in the region.

The Control Centre Brings Substantial Player Benefits

888 first introduced the Control Centre to its customers in the United Kingdom. Ever since its launch in 2020, the solution has been gaining popularity. Subsequent rollouts in countries like Italy proved the product’s broad applicability, regardless of cultural differences. Players who use the Control Centre tend to be much more responsible and moderate, utilizing deposit limits and temporary self-exclusion.

The customer interface of the Control Centre is integrated into 888’s home pages, offering players access to intuitively presented playing statistics, responsible gambling tools, and educational information. Speaking for CDC Gaming Reports, head of Canada at 888 Roi Nadler emphasized the simplicity, speed, and intuitiveness of the Control Centre, describing it as a one-stop shop for safer gaming.

We are committed to preventing gambling-related harm and are confident that our Control Centre offers customers new levels of transparency that will help them stay informed and in control.

Roi Nadler, 888 head of Canada

888 reiterated its commitment to ensuring players have a safe, fair, and entertaining experience. According to Nadler, responsible gaming provides a palpable competitive advantage and sets the foundation for building long-lasting relationships with players who trust 888 as their entertainment destination. This approach bolsters customer retention and encourages a sustainable business model.

Player Protection Remains a Core Objective for 888

The Control Centre’s Ontario launch marks some much-needed good news for the operator. January saw the company lay off dozens of its Israel employees amidst its global restructuring efforts. 888 is implementing an ambitious cost-saving program, strengthening its core intelligent automation and artificial intelligence capabilities. Fortunately, these cuts should not affect the operator’s customer protection initiatives.

While 888 recorded an 8% annual revenue decrease in FY23, the company’s management retains a positive outlook for the coming year. Safer gaming practices should lead to improved average revenue per user, while strategic investments can deliver sustainable long-term profits. Shrewd management will be instrumental in fulfilling these objectives in the face of industry-wide regulatory and compliance headwinds.

With almost 30 years of experience in the industry, 888 continues to prioritize responsible gaming practices, contributing to a safer and more secure online gambling environment. The Control Centre’s Ontario launch marks a significant milestone in the operator’s revised strategy and should substantially bolster its position in this highly competitive market.

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White Hat Studios has released a brand-new promotional tool called Win Spins. For a while, the solution will be exclusively available with BetMGM, allowing its customers to be the first ones to try it out.

Win Spins has been designed to provide a huge boost to the customer experience as it guarantees the amount of Win Spins up front. This feature eliminates the disappointment of low winning free sins and zero wins that some slots players experience from time to time.

The solution is available within a pre-selected range of White Hat Studios’ slot games, allowing players to continually spin until they have achieved the number of winning spins they have been assigned as part of the promotional offer.

The new solution is expected to provide White Hat Studios’ operator partners with improved customer acquisition and retention rates. This would further cement the studio as a leading and reliable developer of cutting-edge iGaming content and solutions.

As mentioned, Win Spins will be exclusively available to BetMGM customers at first, solidifying the gambling giant as a leading industry innovator. Following the conclusion of this limited period, the solution will be made available to all of White Hat Studios’ partnering operators.

White Hat Wants to Drive Innovation in iGaming

White Hat Studios’ vice president of gaming, Armen Tatarevic, commented on the newly launched solution, saying that it will change how players perceive promotions and rewards. He believes that the US iGaming market has been lagging behind the online sports betting sector, which has been driven by innovation and fierce bonusing competition.

Because of that, White Hat Studios continues its efforts to change iGaming and make it more entertaining to customers.

By introducing Win Spins, we are modernizing the way in which players receive promotional rewards and making them far more enjoyable. We’re excited to have launched Win Spins initially with BetMGM and we have seen fantastic player engagement from the initial campaigns.

Armen Tatarevic, VP of gaming, White Hat Studios

In other news, White Hat Gaming recently launched its PAM system in New York with Bally’s Entertainment, expanding its existing alliance with the American gambling giant. This was the sixth rollout with the cooperation in several months and followed the success of similar rollouts in Colorado, Virginia, Arizona, Indiana, and Ohio.

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According to the Justice Department, a coalition of law enforcement agencies in Europe and the United States has been able to foil the plans of the hacker organization which launched a series of attacks on the hospitality and gaming sector in the USA, and notably targeted gaming and hospitality company MGM.

Hackers Mount Debilitating Attacks Against Gaming and Hospitality Sector

Back in September, a piece of software called Alphv caused a temporary shutdown of operations at the company, suspending anything from hotel keycards to email systems, to blocking virtually every function that was controlled through a digital system, which, in a highly centralized multi-million business, is pretty much most of it.

MGM has reported losses of up to $100 million because of this attack, although the Q3 results of the company stood strong, and although they acknowledged the tally, no profound impact was felt on the operator’s financial outlook.

The attacks sustained by MGM and other parties involve a special encryption virus to lock away victims’ data and demand ransom to release the files. Many victims have caved in and paid the money, but some stood tall and let the competent authorities sort the mess.

This is understandable as hackers threaten to publish sensitive information and continue to deny access to the information unless their demands are met. Now, though, the FBI has worked out a decryption tool that can crack through the code and release data, essentially allowing any victim to use the key to access their information and clear up Alphv from their system.

Yet, this does not completely eliminate the issue of sharing private data online, although most companies notify their clients about the breach and advise them to be extra cautious and check their credit histories in case a bad actor is misusing their private data.

Alphv Is No More, But Threat Remains Unchanged

However, authorities have been working on the matter with Alphv’s official website, once used to publicly threaten victims, now having been overtaken by law enforcement.

The FBI has confirmed that it uses sources within the cyber community to help guide its investigation and ensure that it is adequately prepared to counter the dangers that arise from such attacks. Yet, the risks for the gaming and hospitality industry are growing as international groups are coming together to secure common goals such as accessing sensitive information.

The group behind Alph is believed to be Russian, or at least Russian-speaking and residing in the country, where Western law enforcement agencies have no jurisdiction. In this case, though, the group is said to have partnered with English-speaking hackers, which is rare for operations of this kind, as cross-border cooperation exposes hackers to vulnerabilities and leaks.

MGM has mostly absorbed the attack, and despite the newly posed threat that are hackers who specifically target the gaming and hospitality sector, analysts are fairly confident that markets are unlikely to falter in the face of such incidents.

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On November 27, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, PSI, and WynnBet presented their sports wagering Q3 results to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) chaired by Catherine Judd-Stein. 

The four operators took the opportunity to update the regulator on their recorded revenue and various approaches to a variety of initiatives including responsible gambling (RG), lottery engagement, and diversity in sports betting.

Chair Judd-Stein raised a series of concerns as a result of the presented data on responsible gambling tools, with emphasis on the low rate of utilization among consumers in the Bay State. 

DraftKings, Asked to Improve its RG Figures 

During the meeting, DraftKings, represented by senior director of regulatory operations, Jake List, explained that less than 0.1% of their customers had actively used time limits. 

Moreover, only 2.3% of them used deposit limits while 0.13% were reported using spending limits. Wager limits were only imposed by 0.4% of all users. 

Judd-Stein expressed her dissatisfaction with the numbers, asking Draftings to take action toward improving the figures. She further added that the regulator’s director of research of RG had also shown concern over the fact that “the patrons just are not utilizing” the tools. 

The chairwoman emphasized the need to make RG tools appear to be “cool” in order to stimulate customers in the state to use them while welcoming any idea that DraftKings might wish to use to “get the folks to use these.”

List responded to the chairwoman’s observations by explaining that while they will continue to push for the destigmatization of RG tools, the small percentages presented in their report actually equated to thousands of people. 

Few Minor Betting Examples

The open meeting also saw the four licensees reporting single-digit or zero examples of minors betting. 

Commissioners wanted to know the measures taken by operators to identify these examples while tackling bad parenting practices that enable children to bet using the accounts of adults in the household.

Caesars Digital’s compliance manager, Curtis Lane Jr, emphasized that while this is a difficult task, some indicators including sudden location or IP address changes might be used as hints of these offenses occurring.

DraftKings spoke about the advanced Know Your Customer tools they rely on to establish when these offenses take place, including their geo-compliant tool that matches players’ phones to see if they are recognized from other types of things they had signed up to. This way, the operator can recognize the devices used to sign up to its platform.

MGC’s commissioner, Jordan Maynard, said he did not trust that the underage betting numbers presented by the operators were “zero or single digits” when more than 70% of the 3,527 people surveyed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association survey were too young or unable to gamble for the survey. Maynard expressed disbelief at the fact that operators are currently doing everything in their power to prevent minors from gambling. 

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BetMakers Technology Group, a leading wagering technology and data partner, has unveiled OneWatch, its new terminal monitoring solution. The innovative tool will allow companies to easily manage thousands of terminals.

BetMakers described OneWatch as a wagering terminal monitoring and analytics tool that has been designed to revolutionize wagering terminal operations from manual and reactive to smart and proactive.

According to the announcement, OneWatch will reinforce BetMakers and its Global Tote division with a robust tool for terminal maintenance and support services. OneWatch notably includes centralized monitoring of the entire wagering terminal estate with a single, consolidated dashboard. In addition to that, the tool provides real-time status indicators, alerts and general health reports.

Another thing OneWatch excels in is the analysis of historical data and its data-driven decision-making. Finally, BetMakers’ new solution offers dashboard integration with third-party automation tools.

Global Tote’s operation teams, for example, will leverage the solution to manage the company’s thousands of BetLine Series wagering terminals across the US. Global Tote clients will also be provided with insights into their BetLine terminals, a centralized dashboard and historical data.

In addition, clients who acquire BetLine terminals can also leverage OneWatch to gain visibility into their machines’ performance and secure access to tools they can use to improve customer satisfaction.

BetMakers Wants to Drive Innovation

BetMakers Technology Group’s chief technology officer, Karl Begg, commented on the launch, highlighting BetMakers’ goal to simplify betting. According to Begg, the company’s BetLine Series of wagering terminals seeks to ensure that all key elements of betting terminal service can be analyzed and monitored.

Whether deployed for our North American clients or by a client that owns their own BetLine terminals, OneWatch will give support teams comprehensive oversight of critical wagering terminal systems, ensuring that nothing escapes attention.

Karl Begg, CTO, BetMakers Technology Group

Begg added that BetMakers continues its mission to transform the global racing industry by enhancing the overall wagering experience. The BetLine Series and the OneWatch solution are just two of the ways in which BetMakers has supported the sector.

OneWatch will officially launch for clients in Q1 2024. In the meantime, the solution is being rolled out to BetMakers’ Global Tote operations.

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Games Global, the powerful international distributor of games for online casinos, has announced the launch of Cash Splash, an exciting new tournament tool that is expected to bring fresh thrills to players from all over the world.

This new promotional mechanic will see Games Global offer big prizes across a wide range of tournaments and also feature prize drop promotions on its most popular casino games.

The new promotional tool is designed to increase player retention and reward loyalty as players will have the chance to win big prizes if they choose to enter tournaments on participating titles. Participants will be able to monitor their progress with the help of a live leaderboard, while the best players will grab the biggest prizes at the end of it all. Promotional prize drops on the other hand will surprise players as they will randomly trigger on any spin in certain games.

Moreover, in order to celebrate the launch of Cash Splash, Games Global has announced it will hold a grand tournament in December with prizes worth 500,000 euros. There are several casino operators participating in this tournament, including big names such as Betfred and ComeOn Group.

A Leader in Jackpot Products

Speaking about the new tournament tool, Andrew Booth, Chief Product Officer at Games Global, underlined that his company has a reputation for being “a leader in jackpot products” and added that the Cash Splash “goes hand-in-hand” with that reputation. “We firmly believe we have another winning innovation on our hands and are truly excited to splash the cash in the coming months,” Andrew Booth concluded.

Irina Mendeza, Director of Customer Experience at Games Global, added that the company’s main focus is on “enabling operators to shine” by “creating unforgettable experiences” for players. “There’s nothing more exciting” than offering people the chance to “get their hands on impressive cash prizes,” the Games Global executive added.

Games Global started out quite recently, in 2021, but already managed to become an international powerhouse in the iGaming industry. The company currently offers over 3,000 different games to casino operators, with content coming from over 50 partner studios from over 25 different countries. Games Global currently has agreements with over 900 different online casino brands from all around the world.

Source: “Games Global launches promotional tournament tool Cash Splash“. European Gaming. October 19, 2023.

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Sightline Payments, a provider of award-winning cashless, mobile, and loyalty solutions, has introduced a revolutionary new solution called Deposit+. The latest addition to Sightline’s arsenal was described as a “groundbreaking new tool that empowers casinos to access all idle cash across the entire slot floor.”

The new solution provides casino operators with daily access to cash that is sitting idle in slot machines and TITO kiosks, allowing clients to optimize their working capital. In addition, Deposit+ helps casinos optimize their drop schedules since cash is credited to the bank account.

Sightline also noted that Deposit+ is not a lending product – according to the company, it simply provides gambling companies with access to cash that would otherwise be sitting idly in machines. By using the solution, operators can earn daily provisional credit across slot devices, reduce outstanding debt and make further investments.

Deposit+ is notably a tool without any hardware or software requirements. The solution works with casino operators’ existing casino management systems. And provides daily reports through the Sightline system.

The New Solution Answers the Industry’s Demands

Some of Sightline’s leaders commented on the release of Deposit+. Omer Sattar, the company’s chief executive officer, noted that there is an estimated $3 billion in slot cash and another $2 billion in TITO operators can tap into thanks to the new solution.

Deposit+ gives operators access to that cash, freeing up stuck capital, maximizing cash flow, and putting the entire industry in a powerful reinvestment position.

Omer Sattar, CEO, Sightline Payments

Tom Pierro, the company’s senior vice president of product management, also commented on the release, saying that Deposit+ answers a need operators have had for decades. He said that until today, cash stuck in slot machines was an untapped potential.

Now, we are thrilled to introduce Deposit+ and add another powerful tool to operators’ revenue capabilities.

Tom Pierro, SVP product management, Sightline Payments

Lastly, Kirk Olson, the company’s senior vice president of sales, expressed the company’s desire to innovate and introduce new solutions for its casino partners.

Now with Deposit+, operators finally have the solution they have been waiting for, giving them access to their cash, freeing them to pay down debt more rapidly and to make investments without accruing additional debt.

 Kirk Olson, SVP sales, Sightline Payments

Operators can learn more about the solution by visiting Sightline during its upcoming appearance at G2E.

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Groove Technologies announced that its new product manager, Shay Kababia, has created a new Recommender tool that has the potential to revolutionize the online casino experience. Kababia has been working on this project for over a year, leveraging the company’s experienced developer team.

The new tool was described as a user-centric data-driven recommendation system that can provide casino players with content tailored to their needs. The system allows companies to level up their personalization capabilities and engage their audiences with content that is specifically selected for them.

The new system provides gambling operators with a four-tiered display that recommends content based on players’ gaming behavior. The tool allows players to discover many new games that might interest them, greatly improving operators’ profitability.

As mentioned, Kababia’s new Recommender system recommends games based on players’ preferences. In addition to suggestions, the system also recommends titles that players are likely to enjoy because of similar mechanics or themes. Furthermore, the new system also keeps gamblers updated on the latest games on the market and keeps them informed about upcoming releases.

The new system allows players to explore a rich selection of content from a variety of suppliers, including GrooveStudio.

Groove Seeks to Remain Ahead of the Curve

According to Groove, the new Recommender tool embodies the company’s “forward-thinking ethos” and follows the company’s recent transformative rebrand. Groove’s core solutions are currently backed by an experienced team of industry professionals such as Kababia.

Speaking of Kababia, the product manager commented on the new tool, saying that it is the result of his team’s hard work.

This cutting-edge tool ensures operators managing multiple brands have a distinct lobby tailored to pivotal metrics. Our team’s unyielding efforts have positioned Groove at the forefront with this launch. Its influence is palpable among our operator circle.

Shay Kababia, product manager, Groove Technologies

Groove’s chief operating officer, Yahale Meltzer, also shared his thoughts on the release, praising Kababia and his unit for their contributions to the company and its operator partners. The Recommender tool is another product that will help Groove redefine the industry, Meltzer added.

Our state-of-the-art “Recommender” tool is setting new benchmarks, redefining how operators and casino brands engage with their audiences.

Yahale Meltzer, COO, Groove Technologies

In the meantime, Groove continues to create new links with gaming companies, developers and tech and AI specialists. In May, the company teamed up with Spribe, the name behind the biggest crash game in the world, Aviator.

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The tool is seen as a major opportunity to significantly boost collaboration with operators and brands, and it has already debuted successfully with LatSoft. Operators will be able to create their own in-game tournaments and feature them across a number of sites all at once, increasing player engagement as they do.

Vivo Gaming also has the hard numbers to back its claims, arguing that the tool leads to a 65% increase in daily active players and an 82% overall increase in the daily number of rounds that have been played. The Promotional Tool comes with boosters and it offers a detailed breakdown of everything that players would need to know, including where they rank in the overall leaderboard and more.

The solution is built to first help with Vivo Gaming’s premium roulette title, but it will be extended to the company’s baccarat and blackjack products. Vivo Gaming CCO Neil Howells was very optimistic about the arrival of this new product and said:

We are thrilled with how our Promotional Tournament Tool has performed so far and the feedback from our operator partners has been phenomenal. What’s more, we are absolutely delighted to have diversified our award-winning offering with such an innovative and engaging product as this.

Vivo Gaming CCO Neil Howells

The opportunity was similarly welcomed by LatSoft director of marketing Damian Ramirez who hailed the arrival of Vivo Gaming’s Promotional Tournament Tool as a great way to increase retention for the company’s brands. Ramirez argued that any operator that is looking to increase their performance may want to take a closer look at Vivo Gaming’s solution.

Vivo Gaming is looking to spearhead strong expansion in 2023, following a very strong 2022 for the company. The Promotional Tournament Tool is a step in the right direction.

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The leading provider of information, support and advice for people affected by gambling harm, GamCare, announced the launch of a new online tool. On Tuesday, the independent charity unveiled MyGamCare, an innovative online self-help tool that provides support for gamblers.

The innovative tool is free and enables customers to receive online self-help by allowing them to set different goals, track their moods and access personalized content. Additionally, MyGamCare enables gamblers to access help and support if that’s needed.

Ultimately, GamCare’s new tool seeks to help gamblers that are struggling with managing their gambling. The tool helps them better understand gambling and provides insight into how the activity can impact their well-being, money, time and relationships. Using the tool provides a great way for gamblers to receive self-help when seeking to control their gambling.

Besides the new tool, GamCare confirmed the launch of a helpline available via new digital channels. The independent charity announced that its helpline can now be accessed via Facebook Messenger, as well as WhatsApp. This improvement delivers an easy way for gamblers to access much-needed support. Citing collected data, GamCare said that people under the age of 35 are most likely to use the aforementioned platforms to reach out for support.

The Launch Provides a Convenient Way for People to Access Support

Ellis Platten, a YouTuber and Podcaster, voiced his support for the recent tool by GamCare. He outlined that collaborating with the charity for the launch of MyGamCare was exciting. According to Platten, who has felt the impact of gambling harm, it is incredibly important for people to have the option to access support 24 hours a day. “My generation are never far away from their smartphones, so having support at your fingertips is a fantastic way to reach people, making it as easy as possible for people to make that first step and ask for help,” he said in conclusion.

“With the introduction of MyGamCare – along with our WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger capabilities – we hope to open the door for people to get help sooner and to reach out for support in a way that works for them.“

Anna Hemmings, CEO at GamCare

Anna Hemmings, GamCare’s CEO, acknowledged that the interest in the charity’s services is growing. Additionally, she explained that the online gambling market has grown exponentially over the last decade, which reaffirms the need for effective tools and solutions to help people in need of support.

Hemmings pointed out that GamCare hopes to reach and help more people via MyGamCare and the expanded reach of its helpline. In conclusion, she said that the first step is always the most difficult one which is why it is important to offer convenient methods of support that people can pick to start this journey.

The announcement comes at a time when GamCare has seen a record of calls for January 2023. The charity said that it has seen more than 3,700 calls and online chats last month, marking an increase of 17% when compared to the corresponding period in 2022.

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