Steve Donoughue has resigned from his position as secretariat of the Parliamentary All Party Betting & Gaming Group (APBGG), after a move to remove the gambling industry’s voice from the debate by new chair Laurence Robertson MP. 

In yet another sign of how the gambling debate in Britain is being hijacked by ideologically driven anti-gambling pressure groups and interests, it seems Robertson has decided to terminate industry seminars and close down the APBGG website. 

Explaining his resignation to Gambling Insider, Donoughue said that after discussions with Robertson it had become clear his services were no longer needed. He further expressed concern that the APBGG was now going to lack the a plurality of voices it needed to be objective, and would go the same was a the All Party Group on Gambling Harms – ie. “just being a mouthpiece of its funders.” 

He went on to warn that the forces of “prohibition and populism have never been stronger in their emotive and evidence-light attacks” on the gambling industry, and there was a real danger of over-regulation leading to a massive growth of the black market – highlighting the “fatally flawed concept of affordability” as of particular concern.

Last week the Betting & Gaming Council (BGC) published research, commissioned from PwC, showing black market gaming activity is a growing problem in the UK. The findings, which showed the money staked with unlicensed operators had surged from £1.4B GBP to £2.8B year-on-year, appeared at odds with the UK Gambling Commission’s insistence that the problem of competition from unlicensed gaming operators is being exaggerated by the industry, and that introducing even tighter restrictions won’t push more customers to black market operators. 

Meanwhile, there are increasing concerns about the objectivity of the Gambling Commission itself, which has appointed a so-called “lived experience” advisory group – made up of recovering gambling addicts, family members, and those who have lost children to gambling related suicides. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2019-2021.

Simona catches up with Quentin Martin, CEO of Real Luck Group Ltd, operator of esports-first betting platform Luckbox, to find out whats been happening since the company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange in Toronto.

AYO.NEWS first interviewed Quentin back in August 2020, when Luckbox was seeing business boom and preparing for its TSX listing. Since then, the platform has added even more features, seen the growth of esports betting continue, and launched traditional sports betting too.

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2019-2021.

Looking for an online casino? You’ve probably noticed there are “quite a few” out there, to say the very least! So, how on earth do you find a good one to play at?

After all, every single online casino says they are the best, and many of them offer a similar range of slots and live casino games, and even very similar sounding promotion sign-up offers and bonuses. 

But, not all casinos are created equal! So, to help you decide which ones you should sign-up for and spend your hard earned money at, we’ve put together a brief overview of things to look for and consider. 

Does the casino accept players from your country or jurisdiction, and offer your preferred language?

All legitimate casinos will tell you which countries they don’t accept players from. If your country isn’t on that list, then you’re generally going to be accepted. Always keep in mind that you need to follow the specific rules and laws for your country, or region/state. Just because a casino lets you sign-up doesn’t mean you are legally allowed to gamble. While you may think this isn’t an issue as long as no one finds out, remember that if you run into trouble and need help, you’ll have nowhere to turn if you are gambling illegally anyway. 

Of course, the languages supported can also be important. Almost every casino will offer English, but many offer a range of other languages too – even if you aren’t in one of those countries, you might prefer another language. Be aware that often times, though several different languages will be offered in terms of website content, the casino may not offer customer support in all those languages – so check first. It could be important if you ever have a problem and need help. 

Casino reputation and feedback

As with any online business, it’s always a good idea to check out their reputation if you aren’t already familiar with them. Again, just as with any type of online business, for every good operator, there’s also a shady one. Favourite tricks of dodgy casino operators are not paying out winnings and hiding behind a myriad of excuses. These are usually along the lines of:

• There was a technical problem in the software, so they don’t legally have to pay out your winnings. Whilst this can sometimes be true, and you will normally find the terms and conditions state this, it is also obviously a fairly catch all excuse. 
• They implement unrealistic withdrawal limits, preventing most average gamblers from ever cashing out their winnings. 
• They insist you play through a specified amount of winnings before cashing out. 
• They simply stall you, delay withdrawals, and don’t respond to support requests.

There are also, unfortunately, some casino operators who will actually mess with slot games settings, so they deliver smaller theoretical returns than advertised by the developer. Thankfully, these are increasingly rare, but they are still out there. 

Finally, when it comes to offers, promotions and bonuses, some casino operators will come up with a way to say you’ve broken terms and conditions, so they aren’t compelled to pay out. Again, this is pretty much the same as with any business and special offers – so you should always be sure to check the terms and conditions thoroughly before making use of an offer. 

Despite all this, it is important to keep in mind that online reviews and feedback sites themselves often aren’t what they seem, or can be abused by competitors. For example, we’ve all heard of the negative reviews left on TripAdvisor from competing hotels – well, unsurprisingly, this is all too common when it comes to online gambling. Aslo, always remember that, as is the nature of gambling, some people lose, and some people are not good losers! Sore losers can be like scorned lovers, and some will make it their mission in life to trash the reputation of a casino they lost at. 

There’s no fool proof way of seeing through all the BS, but the best rule of thumb is simply to be aware, read, read, and read some more, and try out new casinos carefully first, before you become a big spender. 

Which license does the casino have, if any?

Ok, here’s a biggie. Licenses. Any country with a regulated gambling market issues licenses. If a casino has a license from a specific country, or state, it means it has to comply with their laws and regulations, and is usually checked and monitored by the relevant authorities. It also means that players in a country that gamble with an operator licensed in that country, are directly contributing to the tax system, because the casino will be paying tax based on revenue from that country. 

However, a great number of countries and territories allow online gambling but don’t issue their own licenses. In these countries, you are allowed to gamble at any online casino, but as a player you will probably want to choose one that is registered and holds a respectable license from one of the big gambling hubs – these are places like the UK, Malta, Gibraltar, or Curacao. 

Playing at a casino with one of these licenses gives the player an element of consumer rights protection, because if a casino does try to “pull a fast one” and do something like not pay out, or if they are engaging in misleading advertising practices or similar, the player can complain to the gaming authority that issues the license. Do remember though, that you will only have this protection if it is legal to gamble online where you are, and if you are in a regulated market, you need to gamble with a casino that is licensed in your market. So, for example, if you are in the UK, you should only play at a casino licensed with the UK Gambling Commission, or if you are in Sweden, you should only play at one licensed with the Swedish Gambling Authority. 

Payout rules and big wins

So, you hit it big and win a million! Awesome, right! Life changing in fact! Well, yeah, but maybe not as much as you think. You see, it all depends on the casino operator. Obviously, large operators that generate hundreds of millions per year aren’t going to have any issue in covering big multi-million wins, but smaller operators might. But, even then, sometimes the operators have insurance schemes that cover wins, or the win comes from a third-party company, not the operator you are playing at. Obviously, there’s no way the average player can find these details out before playing, but you can check out something that will give you a clue. 

Winnings payment schedules. Yep. They exist. Hidden in the small print of terms and conditions and users agreements will often be something that says big wins, say a million, are paid out over time – much like some big lottery wins are. Now, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, if it’s done fairly and includes interest payments. But, some smaller operators use it as a way to protect their cashflow, and it could mean your million big win results in just getting a few thousand a month over decades – still a good result, but perhaps not what you had in mind. So, the moral of the story there is, check first! 

Games; slots, live casino, poker and more

Ok, so you’ve done your research into the legalities and reputation of a few casinos, and you’ve narrowed your choice down to a handful. Now it’s time for the fun bit – checking out the games. If you haven’t been to an online casino for a few years, prepare for a shock. There are literally thousands and thousands of video slots and table games to choose from, plus hundreds of live casino versions of classics like roulette, blackjack, and baccarat, along with zillions of types of poker, and loads of interesting new genres like TV show style games and even slot/video game hybrids with combine chance and skill. 

It’s a lot to take in. Even just taking slots, there are hundreds of different themes, styles, and play mechanics. Of course, you’ve still got your classic fruit machine-style slots, but you’ve also got plenty of variations, ranging from officially-licensed movie, television, and music spin-offs, to immersive adventures with special bonus features galore. Some of the most popular themes for slots are ancient Egypt, space, or fantasy adventure, but there’s literally just about everything in-between too. 

Most casinos also let you play slot games for free too, however in some jurisdictions, like the UK for example, you will still have to open an account and go through age verification procedures before you can play for free. But, this is a good way to get the feel of a game, and figure out which ones you want to play before spending any money. At legitimate casinos, the slot games should behave according to the same mechanics on free play as real-money play. Obviously, this doesn’t mean you will get the same wins, or same loses, but the probabilities of either should be the same. 

If live casino is your thing, and you’ve after the true Las Vegas Strip-style experience, there are lots of different live studios now – and many casinos will offer games from several. Again, there are many different versions of classic games, but also some totally new ones you won’t have seen before. When playing these, just familiarise yourself with the rules first, so you know any specific variations and quirks. You’ll probably figure out a studio you like best pretty quickly, just from the style.

Player support, is it responsive and professional?

As we mentioned before, a big one here is the languages supported. If you run into a problem, especially if it’s quite technical in nature, it helps to be able to communicate effectively. If you aren’t able to, there’s a good chance of misunderstandings, and things can “go south” quickly! But, assuming they do offer support in your preferred language, check out how they offer it. The best casinos will offer a choice of livechat, email, and phone – and it’s always reassuring to see a real land-based postal address too. But, some casinos, especially the more sketchy ones will only offer email and livechat. This isn’t necessarily a bad sign, but it can suggest they are either too small to have dedicated support staff, or they don’t want people to be able to contact them easily. When you’re on their site, before you play, when not check out how professional and courteous their support staff are by dropping them a quick question on livechat too? 

Bonuses, sign-up offers and terms and conditions

This is another one of those subjects that can be touchy. Anyone who feels they have come off with a raw deal will tend to think all bonus offers are scams. Quite simply, most bonus offers and sign-up welcome deals are legitimate, but there are many different types, and not all of them will suit all players. The key thing here is to read the terms and conditions carefully before parting with a large amount of cash. 

If you’re only going to play casually, with a relatively small bankroll, you’ll want to look for simple offers like no-deposit Free Spins, or deposit match bonuses with low or no wagering requirements. Entering more complex offers that require a larger financial commitment in order to get the benefits, could end up seeing you lose money rather than gain it. Conversely, if you are an avid gamer, or you have a pretty big bankroll, and you know you will easily meet the requirements, then it would be a waste to not use the biggest offers to your full advantage. 

Remember, casinos are also trying to keep so-called “bonus hunters” at bay. These are people who spend their time looking for ways to exploit bonuses, so they can collect winnings without ever spending anything. No casino wants them, and all they do is damage the viability of offers for genuine customers. Casinos are always having to balance providing genuine customers with good offers, and trying to stop bonus hunters from ruining things – so they usually have some pretty robust terms built into the small print. As with everything, just be aware. 

Design and user experience

Like anything online, if the site looks crappy and dated, and if navigation is poor and everything looks like its been put together by a drunk baboon rather than designed by professionals, its probably best to avoid it. Saying that, there are many different designs, and the style of casino you prefer is very much going to depend on two main things, personal taste, as in the colours and graphics, and intuitively of the navigation, and secondly which device you normally use to play. Some sites will have been built with mobile more in mind from the start, while others may have been optimised for desktop computers, and then modified. These days most will have been built dynamically, to work well on all devices. 

In general, if you find yourself getting frustrated with a casino in terms of navigation, or you find the colours scheme giving you a headache, just leave it – there’s plenty of beautifully designed, smooth, pleasurable experiences  out there. 

Payment options, limits and fees

Again, we touched on this before, but different casinos will have different deposit and withdrawal limited, and different fee structures. Often these variables are dictated by the particular payment method, and so aren’t always down to the casino as such. 

The main types of payment methods to be found at online casinos are credit and debit cards, ewallets, prepaid cards, cryptocurrencies and bank transfers. It goes without saying that old fashioned bank transfers tend to be the slowest and most expensive, and some banks won’t process casino related transactions. However, most people now find it more convenient to use one of the host of internet wallets, like skrill or neteller, or popular online payment platforms like PayPal. Debit cards are also widely accepted, though increasingly some countries are restricting the use of credit cards for gambling, and some providers again might not allow their cards to be used. 

More and more online casinos are also accepting cryptocurrencies, especially the most popular ones like Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Litecoin (LTC). There are even some cryptos specifically designed for online gambling. If you’re already familiar with cryptos, you might well want to use them to fund your online gambling, and if you’re not, many casinos now offer easy guides or even services allowing you to buy cryptocurrencies. Just a word of caution though, remember the actual prices of cryptos can be very volatile, so make sure you have thoroughly understood the basic principles of cryptocurrencies before buying any. 

All good online casinos will have an easy to find list of payment options, all associated deposit and withdrawal limits, fees, time scales, and geographical restrictions. So, when you’ve found a good casino, check these out before you commit. 

Be aware that many casinos, especially those licensed in stricter jurisdictions, will require you to verify your identity with things like official ID and utility bills before processing any withdrawal. This isn’t as much hassle as it sounds – just keep a scan of a recent bill and your ID handy, and you’ll have it sorted in no time. Many casinos are also integrating state-of-the-art identification verification tools allowing them to biometrically check things via your webcam to make the process even quicker. Remember, it’s all to protect your money and fight money laundering and the financing of terrorism, so have patience. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2019-2021.

Simona catches up with Adam Wexler, CEO of Performance Predictions – the operator of popular Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) game PrizePicks – to get the inside take on where the company is heading, and how esports fits into the picture.

For more information about the company, check out the official Performance Predictions site here.

Staying with Performance Predictions, as previously reported, in November 2020 PrizePicks partnered with US esports organisation Ghost Gaming, with the goal of creating a fantasy sports and esports hub in the southeast.

New app-driven competitive gaming platform Skrmiish is aiming to transform the global esports and gaming scene, starting with Fortnite and PUBG.

Simona caught up with founders Chris Heaton and Roland Reed, and newly appointed CEO Luke Grob, to find out more about the exciting possibilities Skrmiish opens up, and their plans for the future.

Check out the official Skrmiish site here.

2021 seems once again promising from a Finnish casino player’s perspective. Predicting future events like Nostradamus is never easy. It is safe to say that VR headsets are pretty much useless when it comes to casinos. Skill based games are still somewhat marginalized compared to the games of luck such as slots. It is even more safe to say that casino entertainment is more spellbinding than ever.

The first year of the new decade was quite interesting to say the least. However, many casinos hit record numbers and the time was fruitful to players as well and it does not matter from which angle you look at it.

The past 12 months showed that there is a huge demand for casinos without registration. There are also a bunch of up-and-coming game providers that have huge potential in challenging the institutional giants.

Many of the major trends seen last year will become even more beefy this year. In Finland 2021 could turn out to be a bit more volatile. This is due to the possible changes in legislation regarding online gambling. Whatever shall happen to the transactions between Finnish banks and casino operators remain unknown at this point.

This article gives a well oriented review of what the new year will bring to the casino player’s plate. The first and most important statement being: 2021 is as pulsating as ever and never has the offering of the casinos been so gorgeous!

Casinos without registration – Strong growth

 2020 saw a very strong increase in the number of casinos without registration. Traditional casinos are not going anywhere but the reason for the popularity of Pay N Play casinos is obvious. Time is money and players do not want to wait to be entertained.

Ever since No Account Casino made faster online gaming possible in 2016 with the help of Trustly the whole concept of online gambling has changed dramatically. More and more players see the registration process too slow and this has forced the likes of Mr Green and Coolbet to change their sites.

Nothing indicates change to the triumph of casinos without registration in 2021. It is likely we will see new Pay N Play sites every month. Only a few years earlier it was normal for the withdrawals to take a day or two. This is becoming unacceptable among players during the era where a couple of minutes of extra waiting is simply too much to bear.

Live Casino – Social and Immersive

Live Casino is bigger than ever. Evolution Gaming has become the synonym for live casino thanks to its hugely popular Game Shows. NetEnt used to be a high-profile competitor but during last autumn these two companies merged as one super provider.

Immersive and highly social games such as Dream Catcher and Monopoly Live paved the way for Evolution Gaming’s popularity. The rugged year of 2020 made the social and immersive aspect of live casino games more appealing to customers as the land-based casinos were pretty much closed the whole year. Highly versatile Crazy Time of Evolution Gaming really hit the spot and became one of the most popular games last year.

Naturally, the battle for Live Casino is far from being over. Numerous competitors still launch table games and Pragmatic Play published its first Money Wheel game called Mega Wheel which is a nice alternative to Evolution Gaming’s Dream Catcher. But when investigating how much games are played there is really no competition for Evolution. It seems that many live casino fans have long ago decided who to love the most.

Crazy Time (Image credit: Evolution)

Social Casino – New era

Social media is everything and everywhere. People contribute, participate, and share content. Up till this day the so-called social casino has not been a big thing which can be seen easily from the Google search results. Things are now about to change, and the reason is CasinoBud.

The world’s first social casino tailored for Finns launched already last year. Playing slots together with friends is a refined and comprehensive version of social gaming that for example Chanz has been offering for a while. It is intriguing to see how this fresh concept will play out.

The rise of the social casino is a logical continuation for the ever-expanding concept of social media in our lives. Before CasinoBud we have seen great gamification and slot competitions which are all social by nature. The fierce competition between operators has expanded from game portfolios to wider territory. The social aspect is becoming more paramount.

The expanding popularity of live casinos is related to the social casino phenomenon. It is very interesting to see how many competitors CasinoBud will get. Also something to look for is how this trendsetter will reflect in Twitch.

Game Providers –  Competition brings best results

Naturally, we all have our favorite game provider and every opinion is as important. From the Finnish perspective Play’n Go is the most popular according to the stats. Reactoonz 2 performed well and 2021 will not take the gold medal away from Stockholm’s coolest company.

The best game provider by large last year was Nolimit City thanks to its creative game mechanics. One of the prime examples being the xWays that was presented in Punk Rocker. This game was ranked as the best slot of the year 2020 by finnish online casino review site Kasinoranking. Most famed for its Tumble saga, Relax Gaming also made it big with its successful Money Train 2.

Some of the biggest operators like Betsson have grown their exclusive games selection with their in-house slots. What is even more remarkable though is that last year was exceptional because smaller game studios emerged. 6 Wild Sharks from 4ThePlayer and Chaos Crew from Hacksaw Gaming are great examples of pure creativity and bold execution of smooth slots. Hopes are high this trend will continue this year as competition does good for the whole industry.

Reactoonz 2 (image credit: Play’n GO)

Game Mechanics and Features – Sky’s the limit

One does not need to be Sherlock to say that loads of Megaways™ games are to be expected. Numbers will be as massive as last year, but the sensation value does not meet the expectations that much anymore. This is the main reason why those game providers who create their unique mechanics have an increased chance of standing out from the crowd.

Tsunami of the Megaways™ games was vigorous, and it will not disappear. Bonus Buy Feature games became more popular than ever. What is fresh is that numerous new game mechanics were offered in slots.

Starclusters™ from Big Time Gaming, xWays™ from Nolimit City, Gigablox™ from Yggdrasil and the epic Infinity Reels™ from ReelPlay to name just a few. We can expect the unexpected from various game providers this year as there seems to be no limit for the evolution of slot games.

The modern math model of online slots feels to be going towards the more volatile. Big wins and high variance are on the rise and players crave for life changing opportunities during game play. Wazdan, OneTouch and JTG are the ones to look for if low volatile games are your cup of tea.

Hades Gigablox (image credit: Yggdrasil)

Article features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2019-2021.