Burnt eyeballs, blackened lips but an unbroken spirit – the brutal reality of Tim Batstone’s Everest climb
After four decades of it being on his bucket list, 67-year-old Tim Batstone made the not insignificant decision to tackle Everest, a decision which led him to battle debilitating illness, snow blindness, and injuries. Though forced to make the agonising decision to turn back before the Summit, his gruelling expedition raised in excess of £92,000 for good causes including the Bacta Charitable Trust. Here, he shares a raw insight – step by agonising step – including what challenge might be next for the industry’s most intrepid adventurer.
Bringing the industry together: Inside Boomerang Digital’s charity cricket tournament that continues to score for good causes
Boomerang Digital Director of Sales and Marketing Freddie Shreeve reflects on the remarkable growth of the company’s annual charity cricket tournament, explaining how the industry-wide celebration of sport, camaraderie and family fun succeeded in raising £5,100 for three deserving organisations while bringing together the community of industry suppliers, customers and colleagues.
Rain fails to dampen spirit at Open Day as Electrocoin welcomes optimistic crowd
Park Avenue Open Day 2026 once again saw scores of attendees make their way to Electrocoin HQ to discover the latest products, compare expectations for the season, raise money for charity, and, of course, enjoy the Greek BBQ. With another successful Open Day accomplished, MD John Stergides is “keeping optimistic” for a strong summer.
The smiling face of high street bingo: LOL Bingo outlines ambitious plans for the future
Having recently opened its fourth site in as many years, LOL Bingo is well and truly making its mark on the UK bingo sector, bringing its friendly, relaxed offering complete with trademark “LOL Bling” to high streets across the country. Speaking to Coinslot, owner Mike Smith revealed the philosophy behind the brand’s growth, its demands for policymakers, and the expansive plans for the future.
Bacta Charitable Trust partner with constituency MPs to support local causes
Bacta Charitable Trust Chairman John Bollom has been clocking up the miles in recent months making presentations to six charities and not for profit organisations ranging from Gosport to Grimsby and Southport to Swansea. All of the charities were nominated by their constituency MPs who attended the presentations which also involved local Bacta members.
Charlotte Meller: “It’s going to be extremely challenging to deliver a robust evidence base to introduce a GIA”
The fourth GBG High Street Hub was one of the highlights of this year’s ARE Expo in Manchester. Charlotte Meller, the Gambling Business Group’s General Manager, talks to Coinslot about the Hub and the massive elephant in the current conversation room: Gambling Impact Assessments.
Nick Rudd: “We had some genuinely interesting conversations with operators in market sectors we don’t currently work with, which is exciting…we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but the right doors have opened”
“The North West is a core operating area for The Rudd Group, so being in Manchester always feels like home territory,” MD Nick Rudd told Coinslot. No surprise then that they were a major draw for the ARE visitors. But it probably wasn’t just the Northern Connection, the company’s Target Darts Zone was also drawing people like a bullseye. It is one of the fastest growing darts offerings on the market and The Rudd Group are more than enthusiastic about the product. Nick Rudd explains how important the ARE Expo is becoming to the industry.
“Our biggest business opportunities presented themselves in the form of new customers”: Quentin Stott explains why Reflex are backing ARE
The Manchester show proved a well timed platform for Reflex to turn in-development products at EAG into market ready sales at ARE. And they did that with aplomb. Following a chat with Quentin Stott, it sounds more like a battle of the Reflex titans with expected star of the show, Arena: Big Game Fishing Community Catch, facing competition for the spotlight from the new portrait screen version of the B3 Flaming 500 – Cyclone Curve. It was a star studded turnout for Reflex and the same could be said of many of the visitors with operators from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales all making way to the stand. It was a good show for Reflex and a perfect arena for Arena.
Freddie Shreeve: “From a sales point of view, ARE was really positive for Boomerang – in terms of engaging with customers and potential customers it was priceless”
Boomerang Digital enjoyed a successful time in Manchester last week as its one stop shop proposition drew in the punters at ARE. From sales to customer engagement, the Jigsaw pieces certainly fell into place for Boomerang during the show. And talking of Jigsaw, the Boomerang system continued to be a major crowd puller. Director of Sales Freddie Shreeve talks Coinslot through an impressive run out at ARE and offers an insight as to why smaller shows play an important role in the industry’s development and innovation.
Cabinets, content and a lot more conversation: NGUK take centre stage at ARE
Novomatic Gaming UK have been one of the major cheerleaders of the ARE Expo and for them 2026 met all expectations. Kevin Temple, Director of Sales, talks to Coinslot about stand success, strong leads and a show that delivered.