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BGC Calls on UK Government to Put Child Protection “Front and Centre” of Gambling White Paper
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has called on the UK Government to make child protection a priority in its forthcoming Gambling White Paper.
Chief executive Michael Dugher made the call as the BGC highlighted the work already done by the regulated industry to keep young people safe.
He said the measures were in “stark contrast” to the unsafe unregulated black market online, which has none of the safer gambling measures offered by BGC members, like strict age verification checks.
In all, 15 child protection measures have been introduced since 2019, when the BGC was established, with further measures planned in the months ahead.
They include the £10m Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Programme, which is delivered to children, teachers and youth workers across the UK by leading safer gambling charities YGAM and GamCare.
Earlier this year, BGC members introduced new rules aimed at ensuring that children cannot view gambling ads on football clubs’ official social media accounts.
BGC members also introduced new age gating rules on advertising on social platforms, restricting the ads to those aged 25 and over for most sites.
Early results from one operator showed a 96% drop in views of social media advertisements by those aged 18–24 in the final three months of 2020, compared to the same period the year before.
The whistle to whistle ban on TV betting commercials during live sport before the watershed has led to a 97% reduction in the number of young people viewing such ads at that time.
As a further example of our members’ commitment to child protection, figures released by independent analysts Serve Legal revealed that betting shops’ record on age verification checks are better than those of supermarkets, convenience stores and petrol forecourts.
Ninety per cent of betting shops have passed “secret shopper” checks in 2021 so far, compared to 83% of convenience stores, 77% of supermarkets and 76% of petrol forecourts.
The BGC is also working with social media platforms and search companies to look at ways of allowing individuals to unsubscribe from betting ads.
The BGC is also calling on others in the regulated betting and gaming industry, and those selling products such as scratch cards in convenience stores and fruit machines in pubs, to follow the lead of betting shops in their success with independent age verification checks
In a sign that the work the BGC has done is having an impact a recent report by the Gambling Commission showed that the rate of problem gambling for 16 to 24-year-olds had fallen from 0.8% to 0.4%.
According to separate Gambling Commission data, the proportion of young people saying they had gambled in the previous seven days fell from 23% in 2011 to 11% in 2019. The regulator also found that the main forms of gambling by 11 to 16-year-olds are playing cards, private bets with friends, scratchcards and fruit machines, not with BGC members.
BGC Chief Executive Michael Dugher said: “We strongly support the Government’s Gambling Review, which highlighted the protection of children and vulnerable people in a fair and open gambling economy as one of the Government’s main priorities. We therefore hope that child protection will be front and centre of the forthcoming white paper.
“It is clear that the steps BGC members have taken over the previous two years are now providing results.
“Nevertheless, we are not complacent, and protecting young people remains our top priority as we continue raising standards across the regulated industry.
“The BGC and our members will continue drive further changes to prevent under-18s and other vulnerable groups from being exposed to gambling advertising online.
“The regulated betting and gaming industry is determined to promote safer gambling, which is in stark contrast to the unsafe and growing online black market, which has none of the safeguards which are commonplace among BGC members.”
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Introducing Rhythm of Resistance: A Fresh Rhythm Metroidvania Where Your Playlist Is Your Weapon

Drenched in Darkwave: Innovative 2.5D Rhythm Based Metroidvania – Fueled by Forbidden Music and Gothic Soundscapes.
NetherMoon Game Studio, a small independent development studio based in Karlstad, Sweden, unveiled today Rhythm of Resistance, a shadow-draped adventure that fuses the somber tones of gothic and darkwave music with atmospheric Metroidvania exploration, creating an unforgettable game experience unlike anything you’ve seen, or heard, before.
Proudly tipped to be the world’s very first Rhythm Metroidvania, Rhythm of Resistance places explorers in the role of Aria, a hero fighting for survival in a dystopian future where music is forbidden, joy outlawed, and the skies hang heavy with cloying silence. The world is ruled by shadow and steel, until Aria discovers a relic of the old world – a cracked cassette player pulsing with forbidden power. This ancient music player unlocks a host of mysterious abilities, and allows her to navigate through labyrinthine dungeons, spectral foes, and traps as cruel as they are cursed. Each corridor hums with a forgotten melody, each enemy a sentinel of silence.
In Rhythm of Resistance, music is your key to success. As your adventure progresses, Aria discovers dusty cassettes hidden in the ruined world and expands her music library, unlocking more than 20 unique tracks, each holding the key to progression and altering the gameplay, unlocking different stats and abilities. Choose your playlist with care, in Rhythm of Resistance, your chosen beats can be your saviour or your downfall, with each track dynamically changing your surroundings, working at a different tempo to increase or devastate your chances of survival. Players will enjoy full freedom to choose the haunting songs, and will watch as the entire world around them reacts to their choices.
Expected to release in 2026 on Steam, Rhythm of Resistance offers a host of unique gameplay features, the first and only Metroidvania adventure where your playlist is your weapon! With music controlling your destiny, playlists can not only alter your surroundings, but alter enemy behaviour, reveal hidden paths, and solve the most fiendish of musical puzzles.
Music is a key factor in the title, with two early band announcements being Swedish goth sensation ABU NEIN, who took the darkwave world by storm with the release of their debut album “Secular Psalms” in 2020, and Underground Fire, a Swedish gothic rock band formed in 2015 by the aptly named Rob Coffinshaker in 2015. More musicians will be announced as the game’s development progresses, but you can be sure that they will delight any fans of the genre.
Joel Fjällsby, Founder & Creative Director at Nethermoon Game Studio commented, “I wanted the music to be real songs with lyrics and everything. Like an old track you could actually find on a forgotten cassette tape. With this in mind, I reached out to bands that felt like a great fit—and everyone so far has fallen in love with the project.”
Get your groove on and feel the beat to attack, parry, dodge, and unleash powerful abilities, all in perfect sync to your soundtrack. Be on the lookout for spare parts to upgrade your music player and unlock new powers as you traverse a vast, haunted landscape of crumbling cathedrals, rust-choked catacombs, and decaying factories echoing with the whispers of lost, solemn songs as players guide Aria to uncover clues of a long-forgotten past.
Rhythm of Resistance Feature Highlights:
- World’s first rhythm based Metroidvania where every beat defies the void, and your playlist is your weapon!
- Wield the force of music to unlock exciting features and abilities.
- Discover 20+ forbidden cassette tapes,each one distorting reality in strange and surprising ways while dynamically changing your game experience
- Choose your tracks wisely to alter enemy behaviour, reveal hidden paths, and solve musical puzzles.
- Stay on the beat to stay alive! Attack, parry, dodge, and unleash powerful abilities in sync with the dark pulse of your chosen song.
- Traverse a vast interlinked world of cathedrals, catacombs and factories to uncover clues of a long-forgotten past.
- Collect spare parts to upgrade your music player and unlock new abilities.
- Featuring a haunting gothic darkwave soundtrack from a range of underground artists.
Joel Fjällsby, Founder & Creative Director at NetherMoon Game Studio commented, “I’ve always been drawn to dark music, dystopian worlds, and of course Metroidvanias—so this project is the perfect fusion of everything I love. Honestly, I’m surprised no one’s made a game like this before. It’s a massive undertaking, especially for a new studio, but I love every hour of it. Seeing this dark, mysterious world come alive is incredibly rewarding.”
Rhythm of Resistance – Every beat, a rebellion. Every song, a revolution.
To find out more about Rhythm of Resistance and to Wishlist, please visit the Steam page here: store.steampowered.com/app/3269550/Rhythm_of_Resistance/
Find out more about the team on the Nethermoon website: nethermoon.com
Stay up to date with all the latest news by following NetherMoon Game Studio on social media: YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, LinkedIn
The post Introducing Rhythm of Resistance: A Fresh Rhythm Metroidvania Where Your Playlist Is Your Weapon appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Aristocrat Interactive Delivers New Player-Centric Experience to Cliff Castle Casino Hotel Through Mobile and Cashless Systems

Cliff Castle Casino Hotel Expands Long-Standing Relationship with Aristocrat Interactive Through New Products & Solutions
Aristocrat Interactive™ announced today the roll out of new player-centric solutions to Cliff Castle Casino Hotel, located in Camp Verde, Arizona, as part of a recent deal under its Gaming Systems division.
Already an Oasis™ customer for over 20 years, as part of the deal signed in December, Cliff Castle Casino Hotel will be adding Aristocrat Interactive’s player mobile app, PlayerMax™, as well as its Mobile nCompass™ cardless solution, ONE LINK progressive management solution and Oasis Loyalty™ suite of products, all rolling out over the course of the summer.
“Cliff Castle Casino Hotel has been a valued customer of Oasis™, our comprehensive casino management system, for over two decades now,” said Kristen Jones, VP of Sales of Aristocrat Interactive Gaming Systems. “We take great pride in being a trusted provider of products that support casino operations, while also keeping the player experience top of mind.”
These additional products will enable Cliff Castle Casino Hotel to push real-time progressive data to marquee video displays and electronic gaming machines (EGM) on the floor through ONE LINK. Separately, the Oasis Loyalty™ suite of products, will allow for advanced campaign management and enterprise-wide tier management – ultimately, leading to operation efficiencies and strengthened player retention.
Through PlayerMax™, Cliff Castle Casino Hotel patrons will benefit from access to a blend of immersive options, engaging features like live progressive jackpots, exciting rewards and personalized offers to stay informed through timely, location-based communications.
Players will also be able to “card-in” via their mobile device, enabling them to play an EGM without having to insert a physical players’ card.
“Aristocrat Interactive has been instrumental in our ability to provide our players with a personalized and entertaining casino experience,” said Paul Hamm, Director of Gaming for Cliff Castle Casino Hotel. “We’re confident that the addition of these products will continue to elevate the player experience and show the value we bring to players, reinforcing Cliff Castle Casino Hotel as a premier gaming destination.”
The post Aristocrat Interactive Delivers New Player-Centric Experience to Cliff Castle Casino Hotel Through Mobile and Cashless Systems appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Zimpler introduces ID+: A next-gen identification layer for digital payments

Zimpler, a leading Swedish company in Pay-by-bank solutions, today announced the launch of Zimpler ID+, a new identity layer designed to simplify compliance and accelerate user conversion within digital payment environments. By embedding biometric identification and regulatory checks directly into the first user interaction, Zimpler ID+ reduces friction in sectors with complex onboarding requirements.
“Zimpler ID+ gives our partners a direct path to compliance and conversion – cutting onboarding time, reducing drop-offs, and removing the need to build identity infrastructure in-house,” said Tobias Gunnesson, Chief Product Officer at Zimpler.
“While most verification flows still rely solely on deposit-based triggers or cookie tracking, we’re the first to enable verification at the point of entry – meeting compliance head-on and delivering a better user experience from the start.”
Purpose-built for highly regulated digital environments
Zimpler ID+ serves industries where compliance is critical and abandonment rates are costly, such as iGaming and financial services. It ensures users are verified from the start, without requiring deposits or post-registration identity checks.
Key features include:
- Quick onboarding: Verification and collection of KYC data takes place at the first point of contact, not only at the point of payment
- Seamless return user experience: Returning users can identify with biometric technology and are recognized with the help of cookies
- Works even without cookies: If cookies are unavailable, the user can easily identify themselves using a passkey
- Built-in compliance: Regulatory assurance at every step of the customer journey
By functioning as a unified identity layer from sign-up through repeat visits, Zimpler ID+ helps businesses minimize onboarding churn and maximize regulatory confidence.
Solving identification friction at scale
The launch of Zimpler ID+ comes as businesses across Europe face rising pressure to improve digital onboarding while maintaining regulatory standards. National ID systems remain foundational – but they weren’t built to optimize every business touchpoint.
Zimpler ID+ complements these systems by offering operators a plug-in layer of biometric identification and gathering of KYC information tailored to business needs. It removes the need for deposit triggers, repeated logins, or re-verification after a device change.
“With Zimpler ID+, we’re introducing a flexible approach that gives businesses more control over identity flows – without compromising security or relying solely on external systems” said Gunnesson.
Product availability
Zimpler ID+ is now available as a value-added service to select partners in Finland, with more markets to be added in the future.
By embedding advanced onboarding capabilities directly into its existing infrastructure, Zimpler expects ID+ to strengthen customer retention and enhance platform value across regulated sectors for years to come.
The post Zimpler introduces ID+: A next-gen identification layer for digital payments appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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