Press Releases
National Gambling Support Network Offers Treatment in 3.5 Days
Thousands supported and short waiting times highlighted on one-year anniversary of the National Gambling Support Network
- National Gambling Support Network is urging anyone who may be struggling with gambling to contact their local service for free, confidential and personalised help and support.
- New figures from the GambleAware-commissioned National Gambling Support Network show that people were offered a treatment session in just three and a half days on average.
- It comes as new data released for the one-year anniversary of the launch of the National Gambling Support Network also reveals the number of calls to the National Gambling Support Network helpline in January of 2024 reached the highest monthly level on record.
The National Gambling Support Network is encouraging people to join the over 28,000 people who have been supported via brief interventions through the National Gambling Support Network helpline since April of 2023 and the thousands who have been supported through their local service provider.
People seeking support for issues with gambling were offered a treatment session with a trained professional in three and a half days on average between October and December of 2023, according to new figures from the GambleAware-commissioned National Gambling Support Network. The data also shows that organisations within the National Gambling Support Network, who are highlighting the free support that is available ahead of this weekend’s Grand National, contacted those seeking treatment in just 1.3 days on average in the last three months of 2023.
New data from the National Gambling Support Network helpline also shows that there were more calls and online chats made in January of 2024 than any previous month on record – the sixth time the record has broken since the beginning of 2023 – with 4,816 calls and online chats made across the month.
Additional data from the National Gambling Support Network helpline reveals that over 28,000 (28,175) people have been supported via brief interventions – conversations of 20 minutes or more – since April of 2023.
The GambleAware-commissioned National Gambling Support Network comprises 11 different organisations across Great Britain. Services within the National Gambling Support Network offer a seamless experience for people using them locally, regionally and nationally. It offers a range of support for people experiencing harm from gambling – whether their own or someone else’s – including residential treatment, one-to-one support and cognitive behavioural therapy amongst others.
The service was recommissioned in April of 2023 and was expanded to include additional services for people across Great Britain including peer-to-peer support and support with recognising gambling harms among GPs as well as other concerns linked to gambling such as debt advice and financial support.
Additionally, a recent YouGov survey of over 5,000 United Kingdom participants revealed that people were most likely to choose weekly support sessions with a trained professional as an effective way to reduce gambling harms. Out of the alternative options, two-thirds (66%) of people believed that sessions with trained professionals such as these would be an effective way to reduce harm caused by gambling. Six in ten (59%) also said that tools to block access to gambling websites would be an effective way to control their gambling and 58% chose speaking to a family member.
“Having accessed support through Beacon Counselling Trust years ago myself, I know the positive impact these services can have in rebuilding people’s lives after experiencing gambling harm,” said David Quinti, who was supported by organisations within the National Gambling Support Network. “Talking to a professional each week about what I was experiencing was an enormous step to help understand my relationship with gambling and, ultimately, help me recover from it. I would urge anyone who may be struggling with gambling to reach out.”
“The GambleAware-commissioned National Gambling Support Network is designed to prevent the escalation of harms associated with gambling,” the Chief Commissioning Officer for GambleAware, Anna Hargrave, said. “The National Gambling Support Network provides people with easy access to treatment and support wherever they are across Great Britain. It is heartening to hear the positive impact the services have on people’s lives and the difference they make. These essential third sector providers play a vital role for people across the country and we look forward to continuing to share this expertise and experience alongside the NHS under the new system once a levy is introduced.”
“Being able to speak to someone if you’re struggling with gambling is a vital tool in curbing gambling harms,” Gambling Minister Stuart Andrew said. “The increase in calls to the National Gambling Support Network helpline shows the importance of getting the right help in place for those who may be suffering.
“That’s why in our ‘white paper’ published last year we introduced a range of measures to prevent harms before they occur including stake limits for online slot games and financial risk checks as well as a levy on gambling companies to increase funding for research, prevention and treatment of gambling harms.”
The post National Gambling Support Network Offers Treatment in 3.5 Days appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Amidst an evolving economic landscape, gaming executives report a positive outlook on future industry business conditions while remaining satisfied with the current business environment, according to the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) Gaming Industry Outlook.
Nearly all gaming executives surveyed characterized the current business environment as good (44%) or satisfactory (50%), mirroring similar sentiment from Q3 2023. Meanwhile, executives are more optimistic about future conditions, with 32 percent of CEOs expecting business conditions to improve over the next six months, up from 20 percent in Q3 2023.
“Gaming’s record-setting growth over the last three years has set a new standard for industry success,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “However, as we enter a period of market normalization, continued investment and innovation in offering world-class, responsible entertainment experiences will be required to maintain industry momentum.”
Gaming Executive Panel
Gaming executives have become more positive in their views that overall balance sheet health will improve over the next 6 months (42% net positive), but they expect the pace of revenue growth (13% net negative) and new hiring (22% net negative) to slow. These expectations for decelerating growth have influenced expectations for increases in capital investment and gaming units in operation, with smaller net positive sentiments than before.
- In contrast to past Outlooks, gaming equipment suppliers are slightly pessimistic about the sale of gaming units for replacement use and new or expansion use (both 13% net negative). However, they remain optimistic about the pace of capital investment (38% net positive).
- Half of operator CEOs expect capital investments in hotels over the next year to be higher than normal, and compared to last fall, more also expect higher than normal levels of capital investment in meetings and conventions and table games (28%). Meanwhile, 44 percent of CEOs expect increases in food and beverage investment, down from 67 percent in Q3 2023.
These expectations are also informed by evolving macroeconomic challenges. Executives report that inflationary or interest rate concerns continue to be a major factor limiting operations (28%), but these have been overtaken by geo-political risk (34%) and uncertainty of the economic environment (34%) as the biggest limiting factors in the most recent Gaming Executive Panel.
Current Conditions Index
The Current Conditions Index of 102.8 for Q1 indicates solid annualized real economic growth in the industry of 2.8%. This includes gaming revenue, employment and employee wages and salaries. Notably, the Current Conditions Index shows gaming expanding faster than the overall U.S. economy which last week reported 1.6 percent GDP growth in Q1 2024.
Future Conditions Index
The Future Conditions Index stands at 102.2, indicating annualized industry economic activity, after controlling for underlying inflation, is expected to moderately increase over the next six months. This outlook reflects Oxford Economics’ forecast that the U.S. economy will slow during 2024 but avoid recession. Despite a projected economic slowdown, consumer survey results continue to indicate that more than one-third of adults expect to visit a casino during the next 12 months, consistent with prior quarter results.
About the Outlook
The AGA Gaming Industry Outlook is prepared biannually by Oxford Economics. It provides a timely measure of recent industry growth and future expectations. The Q1 2024 survey was conducted between March 28 – April 10, 2024. A total of 32 executives responded, including executives at the major international and domestic gaming companies, tribal gaming operators, single-unit casino operators, major gaming equipment suppliers, and major iGaming and/or sports betting operators.
Slots players are taken on a swashbuckling adventure as they seek to unlock the Golden Chest in latest release from Fantasma Games
Pirate Multi Coins, a 6 reel, 5 position slot, is the latest title to hit the market from the Stockholm-based developer, Fantasma Games.
Golden Multi Coins are the key to unlocking big wins and features, with a random number of Coins appearing on each spin. Coins can hold either a monetary or multiplier value, and landing five on a spin awards all values shown.
In a break from standard slots, Pirate Multi Coins features no set paylines, with wins achieved when eight or more matching pay-symbols appear anywhere on the thirty-position matrix. Each win combines those symbols into another Coin, helping trigger the Multi Coin feature. The remaining spaces are filled by an Avalanche, which is Fantasma’s proprietary take on cascading reels.
Another air of suspense comes in the form of the Golden Chest at the top of the playing area. Any Coins landed during a spin which does not trigger the Multi Coin feature are added to the Golden Chest. The Golden Chest can trigger during any base-game spin where a coin is added to the chest, which rains more coins down upon the reels, guaranteeing a Multi Coin feature.
Finally, there is also a Free Spins feature, where landing four or more Scatter symbols awards fifteen free spins. Retriggers are also available during the feature, with three Scatters awarding five more free spins, and four Scatters awarding an additional fifteen spins!
Pirate Multi Coins comes with RTP options of 86%, 94.35% and 96.08%, sits at the medium range of the volatility scale and has a max win potential of 4999.x. It features a Scatter Boost option as well as a Bonus Buy for jurisdictions where this is applicable.
Fredrik Johansson, Founder and CEO of Fantasma Games, said: “In our first venture into the quintessential Pirate slot theme, Pirate Multi Coins brings a host of great features to all types of players.
“With multiple ways to trigger our various features as well as a medium level of volatility, we hope that it really appeals to every type of slots’ fan looking to find some buried treasure.
“Pirate Multi Coins takes to the high seas in thirty-four languages across our network of amazing operator partners on April 30th.”
The post Pirate Multi Coins – Feature-rich New Title from Fantasma Games appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
PHOENIX – Bettors in Arizona wagered approximately $637.5 million on sports in February of 2024, according to a new report by the Arizona Department of Gaming. This represents an approximate 4.6% increase when compared to February of 2023.
The state collected approximately $2.8 million in privilege fees in the month. You can view the full February report on the ADG website: LINK.
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