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.
Affiliate Success
ReferOn Shortlisted for “European Corporate Services Supplier” Category at EGR EUROPE Awards 2026
ReferOn, the next-gen affiliate management platform, has been named on the EGR Europe Awards 2026 shortlist in the “European Corporate Services Supplier” category, recognising the platform’s solutions that help real operators with their operations and growth.
Continuing 2025’s Momentum
The nomination reflects a busy 2025 for ReferOn, one that was highlighted by significant product updates, rapid growth, and an ascent to becoming one of the most recognised affiliate management platforms in the industry.
Going into the new year, the ReferOn team has ambitious plans to accelerate this positive momentum by scaling alongside its growing partner base with advancements to its product vision around clarity, transparency, and ease of use. The EGR Europe Awards 2026 marks a pivotal start to 2026, and an award win demonstrates that the platform’s direction truly resonates with operators and affiliate managers worldwide.
Refie’s Human Impact
Refie, the platform’s human layer, transcends a mere surface-level companion. It hops around dashboards and workflows, providing relevant assistance, such as fixing reward logic, identifying anomalies, and making suggestions to the user.
In 2026, ReferOn plans to enhance Refie’s functionality with advanced platform gamification, engaging users and transforming how affiliate managers interact with their day-to-day operations. These developments will pave the way for personalised, smart intelligence on the platform and set an industry standard for affiliate tech.
Alex Bukin, General Manager, commented on the nomination and plans for 2026, “ReferOn made great strides in the past year, with major product developments, key recruitments, and a rapidly growing partner base. With this growth, our expectations have risen, and we want to establish ourselves as a platform that accelerates affiliate tech across the board. Being nominated for the ‘European Corporate Services Supplier’ category solidifies our ambition and is a meaningful start to our new year. With Refie driving more innovation, we look forward to driving our goal of transparency, clarity, and customer-facing features even further.”
Conferences
Aff.Tech Wraps Strong ICE & iGB Affiliate, Earns AIBC Eurasia Shortlist
Aff.Tech, the affiliate management platform by GR8 Tech, closed out ICE and iGB Affiliate Barcelona 2026 with over 30 meetings—connecting with new prospects, aligning on growth plans with existing partners, and visiting client booths to celebrate their recent wins firsthand.
Market Signals That Match the Roadmap
Across both events, several themes dominated conversations: AI-driven automation across affiliate operations, heightened focus on compliant and transparent tracking, demand for flexible commission structures, and a clear shift from short-term acquisition toward long-term, value-driven partnerships.
For Aff.Tech, the signals validate recent product direction. Updates showcased at ICE—including new fixed-fee commission plans for tighter budget control, a third-party CRM integration API, and redesigned reporting for real-time performance visibility—speak directly to what operators said they need: infrastructure that supports diversified affiliate ecosystems without the operational drag.
“The conversations at ICE confirmed what we’ve been building toward,” said Mariia Shmelova, CEO of Aff.Tech. “The industry is moving away from short-term acquisition thinking. Operators want partnerships they can measure, manage, and grow over time—and they need platforms that make that sustainable at scale. That’s the direction we’re committed to.”
Industry Recognition Follows
Shortly after the event, Aff.Tech was shortlisted for Best Affiliate Software at the AIBC Eurasia Awards 2026—recognition that aligns with the momentum the team is carrying into the rest of the year.
News
N1 Puzzle Promo by N1 Partners Named Best Advertising and Marketing Campaign at the European iGaming Awards
N1 Partners is proud to announce that N1 Puzzle Promo has been awarded Best Advertising and Marketing Campaign at the European iGaming Awards, recognizing the campaign as one of the most impactful and innovative marketing initiatives in the iGaming industry.
The European iGaming Awards celebrate excellence across the European iGaming industry, honoring companies and projects that demonstrate outstanding performance, creativity, and contribution to the sector.
N1 Puzzle Promo stood out as a large-scale global affiliate marketing campaign that became one of the most visible and performance-driven initiatives in iGaming in 2025. Built around a competitive, leaderboard-based mechanic, the campaign featured a total prize pool of €500,000, with a Robinson R22 helicopter as the ultimate reward. This ambitious concept motivated affiliates worldwide to actively scale traffic and compete for top positions across multiple Tier-1 markets.
The campaign was supported by a strong and continuous online presence throughout the year. N1 Puzzle Promo was actively promoted via leading iGaming media, digital advertising, and social media channels. This ensured consistent 360-degree exposure across all key touchpoints, keeping both existing partners and new affiliates highly engaged. The campaign drove sustained activity across Tier-1 and growth markets, with affiliates increasing their monthly FTD volumes by 150% in 2025 compared to the previous year.
The campaign culminated in a grand final party and winner announcement event in Barcelona, where top-performing partners gathered to celebrate the results together. This transparent and public conclusion reinforced trust, credibility, and community within the affiliate network, transforming months of competition into a shared industry milestone.
“Winning Best Advertising and Marketing Campaign at the European iGaming Awards is a powerful validation of our vision for N1 Puzzle Promo,” said Alexa Bond, Head of Affiliates at N1 Partners. “This wasn’t just a promo, it was a global journey that united partners and drove strong, measurable growth. We’re grateful to our partners and proud to set a new benchmark for affiliate marketing in iGaming.”
This award further strengthens the position of N1 Partners as a team that consistently delivers bold, high-impact marketing solutions and continues to set new benchmarks for affiliate campaigns in the iGaming industry.
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News1 week agoN1 Puzzle Promo by N1 Partners Named Best Advertising and Marketing Campaign at the European iGaming Awards
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Awards1 week ago2RBO Affiliates Secures Affiliate Marketing Campaign of the Year at International Gaming Awards 2026
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Press Releases1 week ago
N1 Partners Hosts the N1 Puzzle Promo Grand Final and Reveals the Helicopter Winner at iGB Affiliate 2026 in Barcelona
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Conferences1 day agoAff.Tech Wraps Strong ICE & iGB Affiliate, Earns AIBC Eurasia Shortlist
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Affiliate Success1 day agoReferOn Shortlisted for “European Corporate Services Supplier” Category at EGR EUROPE Awards 2026

