News
SCOTT THOMAS TEAMS UP WITH CASINO GURU TO RAISE AWARENESS OF PROBLEM GAMBLING
Scott Thomas TV personality, podcaster, the managing director of The Social PR, and co-founder of Food4Thoughts, has recently joined forces with Casino Guru to promote responsible gambling and raise awareness around safer gambling initiatives.
The successful British entrepreneur, social media influencer, and TV personality, Thomas opened up on his podcast, Mancs on the Mic, with brothers Adam and Ryan Thomas, about his personal struggles with gambling addiction at the age of 21, a period which he described as a really dark time. “I was gambling away student loans. I was borrowing money off friends, I would even wait outside the casino in the morning for it to reopen … I was constantly trying to chase whatever I lost,” confessed Thomas during a series of videos created for the campaign.
Overwhelmed with the amount of feedback he’s received after discussing the issue for the first time, Thomas and Casino Guru, the world’s largest online casino database and an established gambling authority, have collaborated on a problem gambling awareness campaign.
Casino Guru has been working towards better and safer gambling for years. Pushing online operators to become fairer and more responsible, solving thousands of complaints of players who feel deceived by an online casino, and providing honest reviews of over 4,400 online casinos are just some of the examples of that.
This mission is also reflected in many responsible gambling projects and initiatives they launched to date, including the Global Self-Exclusion Initiative and the Casino Guru Academy. However, Casino Guru has recognized that it’s getting increasingly harder to spread awareness of problem and responsible gambling and reach the desired target group: despite providing a plethora of high-quality content related to responsible gambling, the younger population simply doesn’t read it.
According to Statista, 39% of Britons aged 25 to 34 gambled in 2020. What’s more, around 25% of Britons in the same age category have reported to engage in some form of online gambling within the four weeks prior to being surveyed. In other words, one in four Britons in this age bracket are playing in online casinos. And since this is the generation that can most effectively be targeted through social media, Casino Guru‘s collaboration with Scott Thomas was a natural next step.
The campaign ran on Instagram, which gave it a big potential to reach large audiences, since Thomas’s Instagram account currently has close to 1 million followers. Both parties ultimately hope to help not only current and future people at risk of problem gambling, but also friends and family members of someone exhibiting problem gambling behaviour.
“I was in a mess at the time, and it massively affected me and my family,” Thomas confessed in one of the videos. “I’ve teamed up with Casino Guru to try and raise some awareness around this subject because clearly there’s a lot of people out there who are still struggling,” he added. “Even if it helped just one person, this Casino Guru awareness campaign has done its job. Because I wish I had a video like this when I was going through my struggles.”
Apart from Thomas’s personal story of gambling addiction, the series of videos tackles topics such as how to know if someone has a gambling problem, how to gamble responsibly, or how to approach someone who has a gambling problem.
As Daniela Kianicová, Public & External Relations Lead at Casino Guru, explains, “This awareness campaign is the first of its kind – it marks the first time that a company operating in the gambling industry uses the power of a mainstream influencer to communicate the risks of problem gambling to young adults – and we’re very proud to have the honours.”
With gambling becoming more and more accessible and widespread, it is vital that the risks of problem gambling as well as responsible gambling principles are communicated to as many players as possible. And because different generations consume content in different ways, finding new and creative alternatives to reach audiences of all ages is paramount to success of such campaigns.
News
ReferOn Insights Seminar: A Comprehensive Guide for Operators
ReferOn, a state-of-the-art affiliate management system developed exclusively for casino and sports betting operators in the iGaming industry, announces the opening of a limited registration (closing 10th of May) for a free seminar. The seminar will cover valuable affiliate management tips directed at operators.
ReferOn brings several useful innovations to managing affiliate marketing in the form of a comprehensive set of tools and services – dynamic reporting, company grouping, a strong media module, easy flows for rewards, sub-affiliation, an IDC calculator, and many more. In its first year of operation, ReferOn has been recognized with industry nominations and awards including 5Star iGaming Media Awards, iGB Affiliate, SBC Casino Beats, and AffPapa Awards. Most recently, it has been shortlisted as an “Affiliate Software Provider” and “Rising Star Software” at the EGR B2B Awards.
The Referon Insights Seminar will be led by David Harris, B2B Affiliate Team Manager of ReferOn with 7+ years of experience in the iGaming market together with Alexia Gauci, B2B Sales Manager at ReferOn as a moderator. This event will help operators, both existing partners and those who are interested in the product, learn valuable information on what ReferOn can deliver to the user with the following agenda;
- Data Discovery: Dashboard, Statistics, Reporting and APIs
- Tracking Methodology: Creating a campaign, Creating a media item, Setting deals individually or in bulk, and Bulk actions
- Management Tips: Company adjustments, Master affiliate adjustments, Manager reassignments, Password setting and 2FA, Payment method checks, and Support reminders.
The duration of the first seminar will be approximately 45 minutes, followed by a Q&A session. Following the seminar, a set of useful instructions will be published and sent to the participants of the event.
David Harris shared details about the upcoming seminar, “Our goal is to give operators useful hints and tools they need to optimize their processes and scale their affiliate marketing efforts into new markets and regions. We look forward to sharing our knowledge and experience with the community.”
ReferOn’s team invites all interested operators to join us for this seminar. The number of seminar participants is limited and there is no fee to participate in the session.
Mark in your calendar: 15 May 2024, 2 PM (GMT+2).
News
L&G esports team founded by Alona Shevtsova won the national Dragon EC Cup tournament
Ukrainian esports team L&G won the Dragon EC Cup tournament, held on the 20th of April by Dragon Esports Club. Four teams competed in the tournament’s final: Lazer Cats, L&G, which received a direct invitation to the final stage, EsportsBattle, and ThunderFlash, which had open qualifiers. During the Grand Final, the L&G team competed with Lazer Cats on Mirage, Anubis, and Vertigo maps.
“This victory is a testament to the exceptional talent and commitment of our players, as well as the collective effort of our coaching staff and support personnel,” said Alona Shevtsova, founder of L&G Esports. “We are immensely proud of their accomplishments and grateful for the unwavering support of our fans.”
L&G is among the top 5 Ukrainian teams in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. It was founded in 2021. The previous name was Leogaming, and it was created on the initiative of the famous Alona Shevtsova from the fintech sector.
The team began competing in top tournaments and almost immediately made it to the Advanced division of the ESEA League Europe competition. The team also participated in and took prizes in European tournaments such as the SCL League, WhiteBit Crypto Open, Phoenix League, and local competitions. The team players are marat2k, r0ublE, kr1vda, kL1o, OneUn1que, rji (coach).
The winners received a 50,000 UAH prize. Dragon Esports Club also prepared a 15-skin giveaway for the broadcast’s viewers.
It is worth mentioning that the L&G team created its merch items, which are available for order worldwide. To get more information about the team, visit the L&G Instagram page, Twitch, or Telegram Channel.
Affiliate Announcements
WA.Technology Launches WA.Affiliates
WA.Technology, an award-winning B2B iGaming solutions provider, announces the launch of WA.Affiliates, a next-gen iGaming affiliate management platform. WA.Affiliates empowers operators to manage and optimise their affiliate programs for enhanced profitability, broader market reach, and streamlined, successful operations.
WA.Affiliates combines an intuitive user interface with a clean, functional design, facilitating simple affiliate performance management. The platform solution is built on real-time optimisation and informed analytics so operators can expand their reach, increase traffic, and boost revenue with maximum efficiency.
Key features include personalised and customisable agreements for each affiliate, integrated user tracking for intelligent insights, and an optimised iGaming-oriented back-office. WA.Affiliates’ support includes zero setup fees alongside free panel transitions and integrated wallets for transaction security and straightforward migration.
Operators can reap the benefits of effortless management thanks to WA.Affiliates’ user-friendly dashboard configuration. Around-the-clock support offers real-time assistance and uncomplicated navigation, giving operators the upper hand in the global marketplace. Hourly insights, detailed reports, and in-depth analysis perfect data-driven decisions for improved acquisition and retention strategies. WA.Affiliates also motivates affiliates via its engaging gamification system, and intelligent user-tracking provides accurate information on campaign performance.
Tim Scoffham, CEO of WA.Technology, shared his enthusiasm for the launch, saying, “With WA.Affiliates, we’re forging a new path in the iGaming industry, creating a platform that not only meets but anticipates the needs of our partners. Our focus on innovation and customised solutions makes WA.Affiliates a key player in driving growth and profitability. We’re simplifying affiliate management to deliver tangible results, demonstrating our commitment to leading the way in digital excellence. At WA.Technology, we’re not just following the path to excellence – we’re creating it.”