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About Shōgun
“I think the industry will adopt these technologies much more quickly than people might expect,” he says.
There will inevitably be imitators if swipe gaming establishes itself. Yashin welcomes that prospect, but believes any rivals would struggle to match the speed, creative output and trend-spotting capabilities that sit behind it.
“I think it would be good for us to have strong competitors,” he says. “Of course, you can copy the mechanic, you can copy the name and you can copy the theme of the video, but you cannot copy the creative itself.”
How to play Shōgun
Christofidou also floated the idea of issuing GMI recipients with a special card for in-person verification at gambling venues, but several MPs warned this could stigmatise welfare recipients.
Current gambling legislation restricts participation for minors and those classified as “financially vulnerable”. However, GMI recipients are not yet formally classified as such for the purpose of these regulations.
The NBA has operated a online self-exclusion scheme since 2024. It requires users to register with a mobile number, email address and ID. Since around 80% of gambling in Cyprus happens online, this route offers a far easier way to identify and exclude claimants than monitoring anonymous betting at physical outlets.
What is Shōgun?
In an op-ed for the Chicago Tribune in June, Grasso complained that “some members of the Chicago news media stigmatize Italian Americans as Outfit members or mafia operatives whenever it serves to embellish a story.”
Federal prosecutors, however, do not mention the mafia in court documents. They allege the gambling ring generated millions of dollars through illegal sports betting, video gambling, and loansharking operations, with members using intimidation and violence—or the threat of it—to collect debts.
Rovito’s past criminal record includes convictions for aggravated criminal sexual assault and possession of a controlled substance.
