Leading gambling operator Flutter Entertainment has announced the launch of a series of new safer gambling measures for its brands in Ireland, including a ban on credit card payments.
The operator, which owns Paddy Power, Betfair, and Sky Bet, announced its new safer gambling measures this week, including a complete ban on credit card payments from April at both retail shops and gambling websites.
In addition, Flutter has announced that from May 1st, its brands will no longer advertise during live sports games, except horse and greyhound racing, before the 9 PM watershed period. Finally, the operator announced that by 2023 it would invest 1% of its net gaming revenue from Irish customers (Estimated to be around €3 million) into the research, education and treatment of problem gambling.
According to iGamingBusiness, the funds will be donated to “emerging initiatives” in Ireland as well as the country’s Gambling Awareness Trust of which Flutter currently contributes towards.
Flutter’s announcement comes as the Irish Government looks towards introducing tighter gambling legislation by establishing a local independent gambling regulatory body, which Flutter Entertainment supports.
Conor Grant, the Chief Executive of Flutter UK & Ireland, said in a statement: “We welcome the Irish Government’s commitment to introducing gambling regulation during its lifetime. But gambling operators must act responsibly without being required to do so.
“We recognise that gambling has undergone a technological transformation over the past two decades. The influence of the smartphone, social media, and on-demand streaming has been profound. We understand that legislating for these developments is complex and may take some time. We have decided to introduce several measures well in advance of the legislation, to enhance the effectiveness of our safer gambling policies in Ireland.”
He added: “There is an extensive range of safer gambling measures already in place on Irish business. There are clear benefits if these or similar measures were to be adopted market-wide in Ireland. We have not always got it right as an industry and we must ensure collectively that we are doing all we can to prevent problem gambling.
“The reality is that protection and promotion measures will continue to evolve over time and new measures will need to be considered to promote moderation, safety and enjoyment in this era of digital gambling.”
Flutter Entertainment’s announcement comes after Ireland’s Labour Party introduced a new bill to ban non-sponsorship gambling advertisements across the country.
As Flutter Entertainment has announced tighter safer gambling measures for Ireland, fellow operator Gamesys Group has announced a new partnership with developer Big Time Gaming for the launch of a new MegaWays-themed online casino website in the UK.
The two companies’ MegaWays Casino website launched this week and has been promoted as “the new home of MegaWays”. The website offers all MegaWays titles, including those developed by Big Time Gaming and other developers like Red Tiger Gaming and Blueprint Gaming.
Some of the MegaWays titles available at the newly launched casino include 88 Fortunes MegaWays, Beetlejuice MegaWays, Bonanza MegaWays, Buffalo Rising MegaWays, Centurion MegaWays, Cure Of The Werewolf MegaWays, Diamond Mine MegaWays, Divine Fortune MegaWays, and dozens more.
In addition, the website is home to a variety of other casino games, including traditional video slots and jackpots, table games like blackjack and roulette, slingo, and live casino titles with real-life dealers.
According to Calvin Ayre, the website also includes a selection of exclusive Gamesys games, and its catalogue will be updated regularly. The site will also feature regular promotions and special MEGA Promotions, which reportedly offer players additional chances to win prizes.
Simon Mizzi, the Marketing Director at Gamesys, said in a statement: “The launch of MegaWays Casino further underlines Gamesys’ commitment to developing a regularly-refreshed portfolio of games, destinations and exclusive branded content which appeal to our broad community of players – with all the safer gambling protections you’d expect.
“MegaWays is one of the most popular game mechanics out there, so it’s great to be able to work with BTG to exclusively develop and launch MegaWays Casino in the UK – and bring a great range of titles together under one roof.”
Nik Robinson, the CEO at Big Time Gaming, added: “We’re delighted to extend our partnership with Gamesys and work together to create MegaWays Casino. Gamesys really lived up to their tagline of ‘crafting entertainment with care’: the site looks great.
“I think the players will really enjoy exploring the games, features and mechanics at MegaWays Casino – which reflect what has made MegaWays such a great success. We look forward to continuing to work with Gamesys to bring MegaWays games and exclusive content to an even wider audience of players.”
Off the heels of Big Time Gaming and Gamesys Group’s partnership, game developer Pragmatic Play has announced a new content agreement with casino operator Ellmount Gaming.
Under the agreement, Pragmatic Play’s complete catalogue of casino games will be made available with Ellmount Gaming’s online casino brands across Europe, including Casino Room, HighRoller Casino, and more.
According to Pragmatic Play, some of the casino games to be made available at Ellmount Gaming brands include Sweet Bonanza, The Dog House MegaWays, and the award-winning slot Wolf Gold. In addition, all of Pragmatic Play’s live casino titles will launch with Ellmount’s brands, including Pragmatic’s first-ever gameshow title Mega Wheel.
Yossi Barzely, the Chief Business Development Officer at Pragmatic Play, said in a statement: “Ellmount Gaming’s impressive brand Casino Room continues to grow in popularity and we’re very pleased to take two of our verticals live with them.
“We have hit the ground running with a number of impressive commercial deals in the first few weeks of the year and are working hard to build on this strong momentum in the coming months.”
Stefania Mincu, the Head of Casino at Ellmount Gaming, added: “Pragmatic Play offers a wide variety of fantastic products and we’re thrilled to add its games to our popular brand Casino Room.
“Taking multiple products live was made simple through Pragmatic Play’s single API integration and we can’t wait to see this partnership bear fruit.”
