The Mystic Gambler

BetHog, a fresh cryptocurrency casino and sportsbook from the founders of FanDuel has successfully conducted its Alpha launch. The company announced it has raised $6 million in seed funding. The round was led by investing firm 6MV, with participation from Will Ventures, Bullpen Capital, Karatage, Advancit Capital, and other prominent investors, boding well for its chances of success.

The Platform Is Already Available Worldwide

Founded by tech entrepreneurs and FanDuel co-founders Nigel Eccles and Rob Jones, this new platform tries to make crypto gaming fresh and immersive. Designed as a trusted brand for crypto users, BetHog offers a suite of casino and sports betting features. The company has a selection of original games bolstered by popular titles from leading studios such as Pragmatic and Evolution.

Built on the Solana blockchain, BetHog uses SOL as the primary token in its PvP games but also supports Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT in other titles. Nigel Eccles, co-founder and CEO of BetHog, noted that this new project took advantage of the rapidly evolving crypto casino market, featuring new trends like provably fair games, VIP programs, and streaming.

I want to offer users unique play-along and skill-based titles, combined with a robust VIP offering, but most of all, this is about maximizing fun for our users!

Nigel Eccles, BetHog CEO 

BetHog is now available to most of the world, with some regional restrictions. The operator aims to make waves in the crypto casino space, a market that has seen tremendous growth lately, powered by blockchain innovation and the rise of provably fair gaming models. Eccles hoped BetHog’s unique and highly visual games would help the company achieve lasting success.

BetHog Relies on Innovative and Appealing Offerings

The new influx of capital will aid BetHog in its goal to prioritize investment in product development and scale its business through strategic partnerships. The platform aims to build on the experience and trust of its founders to provide a secure, entertaining, and fair environment for its users.

Serge Kassardjian, general partner at 6MV, was optimistic regarding BetHog’s chances to make an impact on the crypto gambling scene. He touted the company as the most innovative online casino and betting platform of this era of crypto and noted that the strategic investment could unlock significant opportunities.

We believe this will bring in a diverse audience of crypto and non-crypto gamers to enjoy this differentiated and fun gambling experience.

Serge Kassardjian, 6MV general partner

The announcement coincides with surging interest in crypto gambling. In May, MyPrize, a competitor in the space, launched its international platform and reported a user base of over 150,000 across international and US markets, highlighting the growing appetite for crypto-integrated gambling experiences. As BetHog enters this sector, its innovative approach and forward-facing vision will be put to the test.

Game Lounge, a leading global iGaming affiliate company, has struck a strategic deal to strengthen its European presence by acquiring Two Kings Consultants B.V., the parent company of the acclaimed Dutch iGaming affiliate site Meneer Casino. This strategic acquisition aligns with Game Lounge’s ambitions to expand into regulated markets.

The Two Companies Have a Shared Vision

Meneer Casino maintains an excellent reputation among Dutch players for offering in-depth reviews, guides, and side-by-side comparisons of licensed online casinos. The website promotes transparency and responsibility, catering to users who seek reliable insights for a safer gambling experience. This acquisition enhances Game Lounge’s portfolio of trusted affiliate brands, aiding its mission to connect players worldwide with responsible, licensed operators.

Martin van Geest, founder of Meneer Casino, commented on this acquisition in a recent press release. He was enthusiastic regarding the deal, heralding it as a new chapter in his company’s history. Van Geest highlighted the two companies’ shared values, noting that Meneer Casino would stay true to its mission of providing players with honest, reliable information.

We’re confident that Game Lounge’s expertise and resources will help us reach an even wider audience of Dutch players.

Martin van Geest, Meneer Casino founder

Ben Robinson of Corfai Capital, the investment house that brokered the sale, shared this sentiment, noting that the deal united two complementary companies with similar aspirations for growth and innovation in the iGaming affiliate vertical. He added that Meneer Casino’s expertise in the Dutch market and Game Lounge’s global reach and resources would deliver substantial value.

The Dutch Market Presents Unique Challenges

Game Lounge faces a complex regulatory landscape in the Netherlands, which boasts very tight controls on advertising and sponsorship. Furthermore, the Dutch government introduced a planned gambling tax hike to 37.8% in 2026, imposing additional financial burdens on licensed operators and potentially reducing their competitiveness against black market entities, potentially hurting the broader gambling ecosystem.

Despite these challenges, Game Lounge remains optimistic regarding its expanded Dutch market presence. Game Lounge’s chief executive, Richard Dennys, was excited to welcome the new addition to the company’s portfolio. He lauded Meneer Casino’s robust reputation and deep understanding of the Dutch market, expressing confidence that their combined efforts would lead to lasting success.

This acquisition aligns perfectly with our growth strategy and commitment to providing high-quality iGaming experiences to players worldwide.

Richard Dennys, Game Lounge CEO

The acquisition supports Game Lounge’s “Level Up Leap Forward,” cementing the company’s commitment to responsible and sustainable expansion. The integration of Meneer Casino underscores its goal to deliver trusted, user-centric experiences to players while keeping ahead of dynamic regulatory demands.

Disputes within the gambling vertical are not uncommon, especially in the digital age. While in some cases operators may be the ones to blame, in others, insufficient compliance or missing documents by gamblers may result in temporarily halting the collection of payouts.

In one similar case, the recognizable online casino information source offering services that help with complaint resolution, Casino Guru, helped a player resolve a dispute and collect a win of more than $1 million.

A Successfully Resolved $1.35M Complaint

To resolve the complaint, Casino Guru leveraged its comprehensive and innovative Complaint Resolution Center. The case in question saw an unnamed operator temporarily halt the withdrawal for one customer who had a $1.35 million balance. While the consumer reportedly complied with the operator’s requirements related to identity and verification, they were still affected by an unexpected delay affecting their possibility to withdraw the funds.

However, thanks to the Casino Guru’s Complaint Resolution Center and extensive mediation efforts, the player was able to access the entire account balance. The successfully resolved complaint allowed the customer to receive the entire balance of their account, and the resolution took some 2.5 months.

Petronela Kontos, Casino Guru’s complaints team lead, spoke about the importance of the organization’s Complaint Resolution Center. She said that cases such as the most recent ones are a prime reason why the Center was developed in the first place. “We’re committed to protecting players and maintaining accountability within the industry, and these cases underscore our commitment to those values,” Kontos added in a statement released Thursday.

“Resolving cases of this magnitude is exactly why we established the Complaint Resolution Center.“

Petronela Kontos, complaints team lead at Casino Guru

Since 2019, the Complaint Resolution Center Helped Settle More than 12,000 Complaints

The recently resolved $1.35 million complaint marks the second largest such case for Casino Guru’s Complaint Resolution Center. Last year, the Center completed the resolution of its largest-ever complaint, involving a sum of $1.99 million. While such processes are undoubtedly complex, the dedicated team of experts at the Complaint Resolution Center helps hundreds of players annually.

The platform holds a leadership position, considering that it has so far handled 42,000 complaints since its foundation in 2019. Out of that total, a whopping 12,000 complaints have been resolved, helping customers across the globe recover more than $33 million.

This summer,  Casino Guru and Seventh Wave joined forces for a new ESG initiative. The collaboration saw the duo launch a new course called ESG Principles in iGaming.

Last month, Tokyo Reporter revealed that a former employee of Toyota Coniq Pro was accused of conspiring with an IT specialist working for Yonageya to conduct a fraud of roughly 160 million yen ($1.07 million). At least one of the two men had allegedly spent the defrauded money on entertainment activities, gambling included.

Now, the same online newspaper from Tokyo reports on a similar story of a 27-year-old female swindler who targeted close to 100 men and robbed them of around 100 million yen ($656,000) through a “romance scam” that she conducted on social media.

The suspect, identified as Shizuku Ida, used a 28-year-old female accomplice to defraud a man in Yamagata Prefecture of 346,000 yen ($2,270) in cash after connecting with him on a dating app in October last year.

The Suspect “Used the Money at Internet Casinos”

Following her arrest on suspicion of fraud and theft, Ida stated she spent the swindled money on entertainment, according to reports from Nippon News Network.

“I lied to make the other person trust me,” the suspect admitted to police, further explaining that she used the money “at internet casinos and to play with hosts.”

In total, police believe Ida targeted around 90 men and defrauded them of around 103 million yen ($675,000), using at least four apps to find victims. 

She then used other chat apps, like KakaoTalk and Line, to communicate and deceive them.

Posing as a Hostess Online

The unemployed swindler pretended to be a hostess at a kyabakura (a Japanese hostess club originating in the 1970s where male customers are served by female hostesses), going under the name  “Yuu” on social media. 

To one victim, she claimed she wanted “to die,” telling him a fake story about her working as a hostess and keeping her earned money in her locker, from where it was stolen. 

To create a truly sob story, she told her victim that she had put her child in a “childcare center affiliated with the club” and that she had to “pay the manager for it.”

This, like her narrative about paying off her parents’ debts, was untrue. “I really can’t do this anymore…There’s no hope. I’m screwed, I want to die,” the con artist continued in her attempt to persuade her victim. She eventually did, as the 33-year-old man believed it all to be true, and transferred her money on two different occasions. 

“The Woman Was in a Very Difficult Situation”

The man believed he’d be repaid: “The woman was in a very difficult situation, and I thought the money I lent her would definitely come back.”

A relative revealed that Ida had in fact left her child with her parents and cut off all contact with them. “It’s a shame… she did something bad…I’m sorry,” they said.

The man based in the Yamagata Prefecture only spoke to Ida on the phone and via social media. Not meeting a scammer in person can lead victims to idealize them, increasing vulnerability, explains social media fraud expert Akiko Takahashi. 

Takahashi, who is a visiting Professor at Seikei University, noted, “If you meet in person, for example, you can see from their words and actions that they don’t really like you, and you’ll be more likely to see the truth.”

Money Scams Via Dating Apps and Sites Have Skyrocketed

Consultations with police about financial scams via dating apps and sites have surged in the last five years. 

According to official data from the National Consumer Affairs Center which provides information and conducts “research and study concerning consumer affairs from a comprehensive perspective” to create stable and improved lifestyles, the number of cases rose from only 45 in 2018 to a whopping 10,107 in 2023.

Moreover, in October, the National Police Agency said incidents tied to investment fraud and romance scams via social media have more than tripled in the first eight months of 2024 this year.

A total of 6,868 cases involving losses of nearly 88 billion yen ($600 million) were reported to police during this period, a sharp increase from 2,008 cases and 21.1 billion yen in losses during the same period in 2023.

Next month, Google Ads will update its Personalized Ads policy to allow personalization for social casino game app campaigns. 

This change will take effect on December 4, 2024, and by the end of March 2025, all advertisers will be able to personalize ads for online social casino game apps.

Social Casino Mobile Apps, Removed From Sensitive Interests Category 

This means that Google, the world’s largest internet search provider, will be eliminating social casino mobile apps from the “sensitive interest category,” which encompasses various traditional forms of wagering. Ads in this category cannot be personalized.

According to Google’s announcement, the respective category will be updated to prevent personalization for: “Gambling, including online and offline gambling; online gambling-related information; online non-casino games played for money or prizes; and online casino-based games, regardless of whether money is exchanged,” except when using Google App campaigns to promote a social casino gaming app to app users.

Gaming operators who are interested in running ads with Google must comply with 10 specific requirements. 

The list includes a variety of state and geographic criteria, as well as restrictions on targeting ads to minors, exclusion of related apps from Google’s Designed for Families program, as well as the need to display responsible gambling information.

While social casinos set themselves apart from traditional iGaming options by mostly providing free-to-play games with no real money rewards, confusion and controversy on the topic still exist. 

Some operators have dealt with regulatory issues because they enticed customers with in-app purchases for digital tokens that appeared to be convertible into real money, even though this is generally not true. 

As expected, the confusion caused customers to feel misled, triggering lawsuits like the Kentucky suit that claimed Aristocrat’s social casinos were illegal gambling.

In April 2021, a lawsuit filed in the Northern District of California claimed Facebook was participating in an “illegal internet gambling enterprise” by enabling social casinos through its website and app.  

While social casinos often position themselves as a more “gentle” alternative to traditional gambling, this is a matter of debate. 

What is clear, however, is that Google does not tolerate violations of its personalized ads policy. 

“Violations of the Personalized Ads policy will not lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning,” the company stated, adding operators will receive a warning at least seven days prior to account suspension.

For gaming companies, especially those involved in social casinos, that warning is significant, as Google and Meta Platforms’ Facebook are the two of the most important online advertising platforms.

Striking the Perfect Balance

Undeniably, gaming operators, social casinos included, have become a consistently expanding advertising segment. 

This means companies like Google are interested in grabbing as much of the advertising revenue from them as possible. 

However, it is still difficult to joggle with the desire to attract ad dollars while making sure that apps and ads don’t reach unintended audiences. 

Google has, nonetheless, started to show flexibility in its approach, in search of the perfect balance. 

Earlier this year, the company announced that it would allow daily licensed fantasy sports operators and lottery courier services to advertise across more than 30 states and Washington, D.C.

Advertisers seeking to benefit from this new policy must apply for certification with Google to confirm compliance with the updated guidelines.