Thursday, 26 August 2021

GambleAware To Establish Problem Gambling Academic Research Hub

GambleAware Research Hub

Gambling charity GambleAware has announced it’s awarding a £4 million grant to an academic institution to establish the first-ever problem gambling academic research hub.

In a post on the official GambleAware website, the charity revealed that it’s begun an eight-month grant award process to establish the research hub in Great Britain. The charity states that establishing the hub would have a “transformative impact” on bringing new disciplines into the gambling harms research field.

The hub will contribute to GambleAware’s main goal of creating a society safe from gambling harms and will build on the evidence base in Great Britain while raising the nation’s international profile. The charity stresses that the hub, to maintain longevity, will need to secure alternative funding beyond GambleAware’s initial £4 million grant award.

GambleAware highlights how most of the gambling research conducted now in Great Britain is from a social science perspective and is delivered by a small number of academics. With the new hub, the charity hopes to broaden the range of academic disciplines engaged with gambling harm in the nation, with the successful institutions selecting its own research focus and support and inform the wider system of treatment providers, organisations, and agencies working to prevent and reduce gambling harm.

According to GambleAware, a select number of universities have been invited to apply for the grant and were chosen based on rankings. The charity has encouraged applications from universities with a strong academic track record in adjacent disciplines such as public health, mental health, health economics, epidemiology, clinical health, and more.

Alison Clare, the Research Director at GambleAware, said in a statement: “This is a fantastic opportunity for a British university to develop and innovate in a relatively under-researched field, bringing to bear a much wider range of academic disciplines than are currently engaged in gambling harms research. With this significant investment, a British university and its partners will have the chance to create a step-change in building knowledge in an area which links and overlaps with many other subjects and fields.

“It’s a different type of grant award to the smaller projects and programmes in our current research portfolio, with GambleAware taking a much more arm’s length approach in guiding the area of research focus. Our main criteria is that universities apply a multi-disciplinary, public health lens in setting out the rationale for their chosen research area. From our early discussions with selected universities, we’re expecting some very creative and innovative proposals at the initial Expression of Interest stage.”

Earlier this month, GambleAware released a new report that analysed the effectiveness of deposit limits on gambling websites. The charity’s study included over 23,000 Bet365 customers without deposit limits and discovered that only 3.6% of customers set a deposit limit after being prompt to do so. The study also found that those who did set deposit limits were more likely to be male, older, and have deposited more money in the 30 days before the research began.

Boom Entertainment Announces Partnership With Golden Nugget Online Gaming

Meanwhile, game developer and tech provider Boom Entertainment has announced a partnership with Golden Nugget Online Gaming (GNOG).

Under the new agreement, Boom Entertainment’s entire catalogue of casino games and services, including its remote hame service, have been made available to Golden Nugget Online Gaming along with the studio’s free-to-play and real money sports betting games. In addition, Boom Entertainment will develop exclusive games for GNOG.

Thomas Winter, the President of GNOG, said in a statement to SBC Americas: “We are thrilled to enter this long-term relationship with Boom. Boom’s team has an impressive track record in the gaming industry, and we believe this partnership will help GNOG continue to differentiate itself in the market with a premier, unrivalled gaming product.”

Stephen A Murphy, the CEO of Boom Entertainment, added: “We are excited to work with an incredible operator in Golden Nugget. Boom’s mission is to fuel the biggest winners in sports betting and casino gaming, whether they are operators, leagues, retail establishments, or media companies. We are excited to add our mark to Golden Nugget’s award-winning product.”

Habanero Expands In Lithuania With 7bet Agreement

Game developer Habanero has expanded its presence in Lithuania after striking a content agreement with gambling operator 7bet.

Under the agreement, Habanero’s entire catalogue of casino games have launched with 7bet, including titles like Lucky Lucky, Santa’s Village, Wild Trucks, Blackjack 3 Hand, Sparta, Egyptian Dreams Deluxe, Hot Hot Fruit, Totem Towers, and more.

Justinas Šliažas, the CEO at 7bet, said in a statement to CasinoBeats: “Habanero is a brand that has experienced rapid growth in recent years, striking a partnership deal with one of the industry’s leading suppliers is something that will hopefully allow us to grow at a similar rate. We look forward to a long, fruitful partnership.”

Arcangelo Lonoce, the Head of Business Development in Europe at Habanero, added: “We are delighted to have reached an agreement with one of Lithuania’s favourite operator brands. Deals like this allow us to continue our ambitious expansion plans and offer our high-performing titles to a new audience.

“We’re now live in 18 markets across Europe and our partners know that we’re dedicated to delivering the very best in gaming. Now backed up by our MGA license too, I’m sure 2021 and beyond is going to be a very exciting time for Habanero.”

The news comes as Habanero continues to expand its player reach worldwide after being certified for the City of Buenos Aires and Romania. It’s also made a string of content agreements with developers like 888 Casino, Emara Play, Slots Del Sol, Blox Limited, LeoVegas, BBet, Aresway, Lowen Play, and numerous others.