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Entain Doubles Funding to SportsAid Through to Paris 2024 Olympics
Leading Corporate SportsAid Sponsor Backs 2021 Paralympians
Entain, the leading global sports betting and gaming entertainment operator, is today pleased to announce that its Foundation has extended its long-term partnership with sports charity, SportsAid, to provide critical funding to the most talented young British athletes all the way through to the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Entain Foundation will double its financial backing thus far to SportsAid, taking its total financial commitment to around £500,000 by Paris 2024– making Entain one of SportsAid’s largest corporate partners.
The extension comes as the Paralympic Games get underway in Tokyo. Around a quarter of the Entain-SportsAid recipients are para-athletes, aiming to compete in future Paralympic Games. Recipients include para table tennis player Craig Allen; the wheelchair fencer Abigail Marshall; track and field stars Charles Dobson and Joel Clarke-Khan; and wheelchair basketball talent Dylan Wade.
Overall, 165 of the 227 members of the Paralympics GB squad in Tokyo (73%) have received financial support and recognition from SportsAid during their careers. Forty-eight of the SportsAid alumni announced to represent Paralympics GB in Tokyo have received support from the charity since Rio 2016.
Entain (owner of Ladbrokes and Coral in the UK) first partnered with SportsAid, a charity dedicated to support the next generation of elite British athletes, in 2018. Entain supports over 50 aspiring athletes a year across England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland with each athlete receiving an annual financial support to contribute towards training, competition, travel and equipment costs.
The Entain-SportsAid partnership has so far distributed over 150 athlete awards with sponsorship and event fundraising key to this. Previous beneficiaries of the Entain-SportsAid partnership include Bethany Shriever, who this weekend added the World title to the gold medal for she won for BMX Supercross and at the Tokyo Olympics.
In the recent Tokyo Olympics, SportsAid alumni starred for Team GB, winning 14 gold, 19 silver and 14 bronze medals – 72% of Team GB’s total medal haul – across 20 different sports, surpassing the total of 46 medals won at Rio 2016.
In addition to direct financial assistance, Entain also works with SportsAid to supply athletes with recognition and personal development opportunities. An integral aspect of the partnership is the delivery of workshops for the athletes and their parents and guardians, where they receive expert advice on a range of topics including nutrition, mental wellbeing and dealing with the media.
Grainne Hurst, Group Director of Corporate Affairs at Entain: “Following the incredible performance from British athletes at this year’s Olympic Games and the Paralympics getting under way in Tokyo, we are delighted to extend our SportsAid partnership for a further three years. Our collaboration with SportsAid is a huge source of pride for everyone at Entain and plays a pivotal role in supporting the next generation of British sporting heroes.”
Danny Crates, former 800m Paralympic gold medallist, world Champion and former world recorder holder: “Talented young athletes need the right support, at the right time, to help them fulfil their potential and ultimately achieve their ambitions,” said Danny Crates – a Paralympic gold and bronze medallist who is a leading SportsAid ambassador. “SportsAid has maintained a crucial presence across British sport over the last 45 years – playing an important role in the country’s international success throughout that time.
“It’s the overall package offered by SportsAid which helps make such a difference to athletes – financial backing, recognition of talent, workshop support, personal development opportunities – and this has really been enhanced in recent years. The outstanding commitment of the charity’s partners, such as Entain, is vital to making that a reality and I’m delighted to see this relationship going from strength-to-strength.
Tim Lawler, CEO of SportsAid said: “Entain’s extended commitment will take us all the way up to the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024 and comes at a very important time for talented young athletes – particularly following a challenging period over the last 18 months.”
“Our partnership with Entain has continued to evolve year-on-year and the well-rounded support provided to these aspiring young sports stars gives them added confidence and motivation to pursue their ambitions. We have also seen an increased awareness of SportsAid and a much wider audience is hearing the stories behind the next generation of sporting heroes.”
The support for young athletes via SportsAid is part of The Entain Foundation’s multi-million-pound grassroots sports investment programme. This also includes support for local football clubs in the Trident Leagues, as part of the “Pitching In” initiative, backing for aspiring Greek athletes through bwin’s Team Future programme and further international initiatives in the countries in which Entain operates to support grass roots and community sport.
About 59% of people aged 6 to 69 in Germany play video games. Overall, the number of players in the country has risen significantly in the last several years. Across all age groups, some 37.5 million Germans – more than ever before – play video games on consoles, PCs and smartphones. This represents an increase of around 9% in the number of players since 2020. These are the new figures released by game – the German Games Industry Association, based on data collected by YouGov.
The development among players over 60 is especially dynamic, with this group having grown from 6.4 to 7.7 million in just 12 months. The growth in the proportion of older gamers is partly due to the fact that many gamers have been playing games for decades. On the other hand, more and more older people are discovering the joy of video games. Thus the trend of recent years continues, with the average age of German players also surpassing 39 for the first time – rising from 38.2 in 2023 to 39.5 in 2024. In total, 8 in 10 players in Germany (79%) are over 18 years old. With regard to the gender of players in Germany, the distribution has remained balanced in the last several years, at around 48% women and 52% men.
“Games fascinate millions of people in Germany – young and old, women and men. The majority of Germans have been playing games for a long time and the number is increasing. The steadily rising average age of gamers is also exciting: we are fast approaching the age of 40. This makes clear what still surprises many people: whether they are 17 or 70, games inspire people of all ages and the proportion of older players is growing particularly strongly,” said Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – The German Games Industry Association.
After attaining unprecedented heights in recent years, the German games market saw a dip in its growth trajectory in 2024. Last year, sales revenue from games, gaming hardware and online gaming services in Germany totalled 9.4 billion euros – a 6% drop from the year before. This downturn was especially pronounced in purchases of games for PCs, consoles and smartphones (−17%, to 921 million euros), as well as in hardware purchases (−10%, to 2.9 billion euros). Running counter to the overall market trend, revenue from online gaming services saw a double-digit increase, rising 12% from the level of 2023, to 965 million euros.
The post About 59% of Germans Aged 6-69 Play Video Games appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
TaDa Gaming celebrates GiftCode’s successful first year since launch. Applicable to both slots and TaDa’s unique fishing-shooting games, GiftCode offers immediate rewards which can be effortlessly tailored and adapted to any operator requirement or marketing campaign.
Hitting its first anniversary, a minimum of 1,000,000 GiftCodes are now issued monthly through 300+ streamers with 100% take up. This strong creator eco-system enables codes to be delivered across media and platforms with tournaments, introductory rewards and churned player campaigns leading the way for operator success through powerful marketing alongside player rewards.
An uplift of Daily Active Users by a minimum of 18% and a 15% increase in engagement and player acquisition levels has confirmed that GiftCode is the simple and highly effective gamification tool the industry was lacking.
The 2024 initial test run in Brazil saw 100 streamers receive 500,000 GiftCode links. An instant redemption rate of 95+% and new player sign up increasing by more than 30,000 per month confirmed TaDa’s research and development and gave operators confidence to incorporate GiftCode to their offering.
Now, with the addition of personalised codes for player segmentation, regionally specific influencer packs and multi-brand and aggregator deployment, few other gamification tools can offer such consistently high impact and measurable results, meaning this is a very happy anniversary for TaDa.
Sean Liu, Director of Product Management at TaDa Gaming, said: “GiftCode’s inherent simplicity is the key to its success. It does what it is supposed to do and does it fantastically well for both operators and players. Our new enhancements make GiftCode even more engaging, securing its future as our go-to gamification tool.”
The post TaDa Gaming Celebrates GiftCode’s Successful First Year Since Launch appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
South Africa is once again positioning itself as a leader in ethical gambling practices, with the upcoming Responsible Gambling Summit 2025 set to take place on 13–14 November 2025 at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Gauteng. This landmark event will gather international experts, regulators, and industry professionals to address the most pressing challenges in responsible gambling across Africa.
Hosted by the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation (SARGF) in collaboration with major regulatory bodies such as the National Gambling Board, Eastern Cape Gambling Board, and Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board, the summit aims to drive forward an evidence-based, solutions-focused agenda that ensures gambling growth does not come at the cost of public well-being.
As South Africa continues to see rising participation in both land-based and gambling online, the summit is timely. It will tackle issues ranging from technological safeguards and public health integration, to policy harmonisation and vulnerable population protection.
Advocating for Safer Online Gambling
As South Africa strengthens its role in setting responsible gambling standards, SouthAfricanCasinos.co.za remains at the forefront of this effort in the online casino space. Our portal is more than a online casino listing site — it is a trusted source of expert advice, consumer guidance, and responsible gambling advocacy.
Since our inception, we have maintained a clear policy: we only recommend licensed, regulated casinos in south africa that adhere to strict player protection measures. These include transparent terms, fair bonus practices, and built-in tools such as deposit limits, time-outs, and self-exclusion options.
“The online gambling landscape in South Africa is growing rapidly,” says a spokesperson for SouthAfricanCasinos.co.za. “But with growth comes responsibility. Our mission is to ensure players have access to safe, ethical gambling environments. We support the goals of the Responsible Gambling Summit and encourage every operator to prioritise the welfare of their players.”
Practical Frameworks for Change
The Responsible Gambling Summit 2025 will focus on seven key thematic areas:
- Understanding gambling behaviour and disorders through science-led approaches.
- Overcoming barriers to effective policy implementation, including gaps in education and enforcement.
- Leveraging technology, such as AI-driven risk detection and real-time player monitoring.
- Adopting global regulatory best practices tailored to South African realities.
- Protecting at-risk individuals and communities, especially youth and those in lower-income brackets.
- Educating the public on the risks of gambling and how to stay safe.
- Building international networks to ensure future readiness and consistency across borders.
Each session is designed to lead to real-world outcomes, with progress monitored and reported biennially. This commitment to transparency aligns with broader calls for industry-wide accountability.
How Players Can Gamble Responsibly
Whether you’re new to online casinos or an experienced player, here are some essential responsible gambling tips:
- Treat gambling as entertainment, not a way to make money.
- Set a time limit before you start and stick to it.
- Only gamble with money you can afford to lose.
- Avoid playing when you are upset, stressed, or intoxicated.
- Use built-in responsible gaming tools provided by licensed operators.
- Keep track of your play history and regularly review your habits.
- Seek help if gambling is no longer fun, or if it begins to impact your personal life.
At SouthAfricanCasinos.co.za, we make these practices easier by highlighting casinos that offer responsible gambling features as part of our review process. Each recommended site undergoes a thorough evaluation based on licensing, fairness, transparency, and player protection standards.
Our Commitment to the South African Gambling Community
With a growing base of South African users, SouthAfricanCasinos.co.za plays an important educational role in the online gambling space. Our platform offers in-depth guides, news updates, free bonus casinos, free spins casinos and strategy articles designed to help players make informed decisions.
We actively follow developments in gambling regulation and work to ensure our listings are in line with the latest responsible gambling initiatives. As the conversation around ethical gambling evolves, so does our content — reflecting the high standards that South African players deserve.
South Africa’s leadership in responsible gambling sets a high standard not just for the continent, but for the global industry. By playing at casinos that are transparent, regulated, and committed to safety — such as those featured on SouthAfricanCasinos.co.za — players can enjoy the entertainment of gambling while staying in control.
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