Charity GambleAware Releases New Report Analysing Deposit Limits
Charity GambleAware has released a new report analysing the effectiveness of deposit limits on gambling websites.
The charity’s new report is part of the second phase of its Remote Interventions Programme, which aims to encourage gambling firms to make gambling safer. In the first phase, GambleAware analysed design flaws in how safer gambling tools are offered to customers, and in this phase, the charity has looked into deposit limits, their effectiveness, and how they’re used.
GambleAware’s study included 23,592 Bet365 customers that at the time did not have deposit limits. All of the Bet365 customers received a prompt that asked them to set a deposit limit when logging into their accounts, but GambleAware reports that only 861 – around 3.6% – of users set a deposit limit.
The charity also found that those who did set deposit limits were more likely to be male, older, and deposited more money in the 30 days before research began. GambleAware also theorises that asking customers to set a limit caused an “aversive emotional response”.
In a statement to GamblingInsider, GambleAware said: “The interventions we trialled led to lower uptake of deposit limits, suggesting the intervention had a backfire effect within the context of the trial. There may be a number of causes including that the commitment functionality added friction, or there were other discouraging factors to the process of setting a deposit limit.”
At the time of writing, a majority of betting websites in the United Kingdom offer deposit limits, allowing customers to restrict how much they deposit over a significant period of time, including daily, weekly or monthly. However, GambleAware’s report questions whether these deposit limits are effective in helping customers control their gambling.
Evolution Launches Third US Live Casino Studio
Meanwhile, game developer Evolution, formally Evolution Gaming, has announced the launch of its third US live casino studio.
According to Evolution, the brand new purpose-built studio is Evolution’s eleventh worldwide and launched in Michigan on July 22nd after regulatory approval from the Michigan Gaming Control Board.
Like Evolution’s New Jersey and Pennsylvania studios, the brand new Michigan live casino studio offers a “state-of-the-art B2B live casino solution for multiple operators wishing to offer world-class live casino gaming to online players on desktop, tablet and smartphone.”
Following its official launch, nine gambling operators in the US offer live casino content, including TwinSpires, William Hill, Barstool Sports, BetRivers, DraftKings, FanDuel, Golden Nugget, PokerStars, and BetMGM too. More are set to follow in the coming months.
Jeff Millar, the Commercial Director of North American at Evolution, said in a statement: “This is another major landmark in Evolution’s US growth. We are fully committed to the new Michigan market – we launched games from our NetEnt brand with all operators in Michigan at the market opening in January, and we have now become the first provider to launch live casino in Michigan.
“We are delighted to have created such close partnerships with operators in Michigan and will continue to extend our content offering for this state with further exciting launches over the coming months. Our aim is simple: to excite and entertain players with the best possible choice of world-class gaming and to help operators to maximise their opportunities.”
He continued: “Our new Michigan studio is one of the biggest and best equipped in the US iGaming market, with room to expand in line with our licensees’ needs. Operators have been greatly impressed with what’s on offer, so much so that we also have several requests to launch dedicated, exclusively branded tables for a number of them, scheduled for later this year.”
The news comes after Evolution completed its acquisition of developer Big Time Gaming for a total consideration of €450 million, and the acquisition follows Evolution’s previous buyout of developer NetEnt and its Red Tiger Gaming subsidiary back in December 2020. More recently, however, Evolution launched its live casino content with Entain’s UK brands, including Ladbrokes, Coral, Gala Casino, and Gala Bingo, helping the firm extend its player reach.
Developer Habanero Earns Approval To Launch Games In The City Of Buenos Aires
Game developer Habanero has been given approval by the Lottery of the City of Buenos Aires (LOTBA), allowing the firm to supply its games to brick-and-mortar operators across the country, including titles like Marvelous Furlongs, Candy Tower, and Return To The Feature. Several of Habaneros games are already licensed and available at online operators in the jurisdiction.
Vera Motto, the Business Development Executive at Habanero, said in a statement to iGamingBusiness: “Receiving our LOTBA registration is vital for next phase of growth in Argentina, and we’re delighted to now be able to offer our products to operators in the City of Buenos Aires. As one of the most exciting emerging regions in iGaming, we look forward to securing more partners there and making our mark on the capital. We’re looking forward to a very exciting summer ahead.”
The news comes as Habanero continues its expansion around the world by striking content agreements with various gambling operators and game aggregators, including 888 Casino in Spain, Emara Play in Spain and Latin America, Slots del Sol in Paraguay, Blox Limited in Italy, EGT Digital, and numerous others too.
Meanwhile, Habanero has been releasing new casino games regularly too, including Candy Tower, Return To The Feature, Before Time Runs Out, Orbs Of Atlantis, Totem Towers, Christmas Gift Rush, Taberna De Los Muertos, Happy Ape, Jellyfish Flow, Wealth Inn, Hey Sushi, and numerous others too.