SlotCatalog: the biggest casino games database, payment methods included

SlotCatalog is a casino and slot database that collects and structures information about games, providers, casinos, payment methods, and individual markets. The platform covers more than 50,000 slots and games, over 1,000 game providers, and thousands of casino reviews, with data connected across the site rather than siloed by category.

SlotRank, SlotCatalog’s proprietary game-popularity ranking, shows how this connected structure plays out in practice. SlotCatalog scans casino sites across more than 50 markets and uses lobby placement to score how visible a given title actually is. ProviderRank applies a similar approach at the studio level, while individual game records carry their own RTP, mechanics, features, and provider details.

Payment methods form a separate layer on top of that. SlotCatalog covers more than 150 options, ranging from Visa and Mastercard to Skrill, Interac, Pix, crypto. Dedicated payment pages document each method on its own, while casino profiles pull that payment information together alongside everything else known about the operator.

SlotRank answers a question about game exposure, RTP describes a technical trait of a game, and a payment record documents a different part of a casino’s profile entirely. None of these get collapsed into a single overall score, since each one is measuring something the others aren’t.

What casino payment methods does SlotCatalog cover?

(Image: SlotCatalog)

SlotCatalog’s payment database includes systems that serve a similar purpose while working in very different ways. Coverage spans several major categories: credit and debit cards such as Visa and Mastercard, e-wallets and digital payment services such as Skrill and Neteller, prepaid options such as CASHlib, regional systems including Interac, UPI, MODO, Pix, and UnionPay, and cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, USDT, Monero, and Binance Pay.

Those categories are a starting point, not a claim that the methods inside them are interchangeable. Interac and UPI both connect to banking infrastructure, for example, yet they serve entirely different markets and run on different systems underneath. Bitcoin and USDT are both cryptocurrencies, but their price behavior has almost nothing in common.

Transaction type adds a further wrinkle. A method available for deposits isn’t automatically available for withdrawals, and prepaid vouchers are the clearest case of that, since their whole model runs one direction only, unlike an account-based e-wallet or bank transfer that can send money back the same way it came in.

Processing times, transaction limits, fees, and verification requirements also depend on the casino and the payment provider together, not on the payment category alone. That’s why the specific method and the specific operator running it usually say more than the broad category they both sit under.

How SlotCatalog makes 150+ payment methods easier to navigate

A database this size runs into a practical problem: someone researching Interac starts from the payment method, while someone checking out a specific casino starts from the operator. SlotCatalog handles both entry points by linking payment pages and casino profiles together.

A dedicated payment page starts with one specific method and connects outward to relevant casino records, so regional options and less universal services stay identifiable instead of getting buried inside one global list of 150-plus entries. A casino profile works the other way around: the operator is the starting point, and its full set of accepted payment options shows up in that context instead.

Payment method, casino profile, and market form three connected layers of the same underlying data, and the market layer matters most for domestic systems specifically. Interac has a strong Canadian identity, UPI belongs to India, and Pix runs on Brazil’s own financial infrastructure. Each record keeps that geographic identity intact while still connecting into the wider SlotCatalog database.

That structure also stops globally recognizable brands from dominating just because they show up in more countries. A payment system with a narrow regional footprint still gets a clearly defined place in the catalogue rather than getting crowded out.

Credit and debit cards in the SlotCatalog database

Visa and Mastercard are among the most recognizable payment methods SlotCatalog covers. Their international networks give cards a broader geographic reach than most domestic payment systems, which makes cards a useful baseline against the regional methods covered elsewhere in the database.

Availability still varies by casino, issuer, country, and transaction type, and currency conversion can apply when the card and the transaction use different currencies. Deposits and withdrawals also tend to follow different paths: card deposits typically process right after authorization, while withdrawals often go through an extra operator-side processing step before the funds reach the card network at all.

SlotCatalog records individual card networks separately rather than lumping them together. A casino accepting Visa doesn’t automatically accept Mastercard or American Express, and folding all three under one generic “bank card” label would erase exactly the distinction a player needs.e

E-wallets and prepaid payments covered by SlotCatalog

SlotCatalog also covers e-wallets and other digital payment services, including Skrill, Neteller, Quickpay, and CASHlib.

Skrill and Neteller work as account-based wallets, sitting between the underlying funding source and the transaction rather than connecting a card directly to the casino. CASHlib takes a different approach entirely: a prepaid voucher with a fixed value, spent once, with no ongoing account behind it the way a wallet has.

Quickpay is its own separate entry in the database rather than being folded into the e-wallet category, since its underlying model doesn’t match either a wallet or a voucher exactly. Listing Skrill, Neteller, CASHlib, and Quickpay as four distinct records instead of one “digital payments” bucket preserves the fact that their transaction models and underlying infrastructure genuinely differ from each other.

Regional casino payment methods in the SlotCatalog database

(Image: SlotCatalog)

Regional payment systems are where global coverage gets complicated. International cards can operate across dozens of countries at once, while domestic systems are usually built around one country’s own banks or national financial infrastructure specifically.

Market Payment method Payment model

Canada Interac Bank-based payment system

India UPI Instant bank payment infrastructure

Argentina MODO Local digital payment system

Brazil Pix Instant payment system

China / international UnionPay Card and payment network

Interac is the clearest example of the pattern. A casino can list Visa or Mastercard without listing Interac at all, simply because Interac runs on entirely different infrastructure underneath.

UPI connects participating Indian bank accounts through the country’s own instant-payment system. Pix plays a comparable role inside Brazil’s financial infrastructure, and MODO connects to Argentine financial institutions the same way. UnionPay stands apart from the rest of this group, since its network extends well beyond its home market and gets accepted by participating banks and merchants internationally, even though it’s still closely associated with Chinese banking first.

Grouping Interac, UPI, Pix, and MODO under one broad “bank transfer” category would preserve the general payment type while erasing the one detail that matters most about each of them: the specific market their infrastructure was actually built for. That’s also why a worldwide payment catalogue eventually grows beyond the handful of internationally recognizable brands, since adding a new market usually means adding domestic infrastructure with little relevance anywhere else.

Crypto casino payments covered by SlotCatalog

Cryptocurrencies form another major category in SlotCatalog’s payment database, with Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Tether (USDT), Monero, and Binance Pay among the individual options represented.

“Crypto” itself covers several different assets and payment models, and the differences matter. Bitcoin has a market-driven price and records every transaction on a public blockchain. USDT is designed to track the US dollar and generally moves far less than Bitcoin does. Monero uses privacy-focused technology that hides transaction details a transparent blockchain like Bitcoin’s would otherwise expose.

Transaction costs vary the same way. Blockchain fees depend on network conditions at the time, and exchanges or wallet providers can apply their own separate charges on top. There’s also a real difference between a cryptocurrency and a crypto payment service: Bitcoin, USDT, and Monero are digital assets in their own right, while something like Binance Pay is payment infrastructure that can move those assets around. Folding all of them into one “cryptocurrency accepted” checkbox would erase that difference entirely.

SlotCatalog keeps each of these as its own record, so different assets and different payment services stay distinguishable even though they all sit under the same broad crypto umbrella.

How SlotCatalog tracks withdrawal speed across casino profiles

(Image: SlotCatalog)

Knowing which payment methods a casino lists doesn’t describe the full transaction process on its own. Withdrawal times can differ between operators even when two casinos technically support the same payment category, which makes processing speed an operator-level variable rather than a fixed trait of the method itself.

A few real examples from SlotCatalog’s casino reviews show how much that variable actually moves:

Casino profile Listed withdrawal time Payment method Market

Betchan Casino 2 hours E-wallets International

Betchan Casino 24 hours Credit/debit cards International

Betchan Casino 24–72 hours Bank transfer International

CasinoBit.io Within 1 hour Crypto (Bitcoin, USDT, and others) Worldwide (crypto-only)

JugaBet Casino 0–48 hours Multiple payment methods Chile

The Betchan rows alone make the point: one casino, three payment methods, three different withdrawal windows ranging from 2 hours to 72 hours. A short payout time recorded for one casino and one method shouldn’t be read as a universal figure for e-wallets, cards, or crypto generally, since the same casino can post very different numbers for each.

Payment-method pages identify which systems exist in the database; casino-level records show how the transaction conditions around those systems actually play out. Availability and processing time answer two separate questions about the same payment setup.

Comparing one payment method across SlotCatalog’s casino listings

The examples so far all move in one direction: starting from a casino and seeing which payment methods it lists, or starting from a category and seeing why it splits into separate records. There’s a second, more practical use case that runs the other way: a player who already knows they want to use Interac, or USDT, or CASHlib, and needs to compare several casinos that all support it against each other.

That comparison only works cleanly because each payment method has its own dedicated page pulling together every casino connected to it. A player set on Interac doesn’t have to check ten individual casino cashier pages one at a time to find out which of them qualify. The method page already narrows the field, and from there the remaining decision is about game selection, bonuses, or licensing, rather than payment access. Interac, USDT, and CASHlib each support this kind of narrowing differently, since a niche method like CASHlib returns a shorter, more specific list than a near-universal one like Visa would.

How SlotCatalog connects payment data with games and providers

(Image: SlotCatalog)

Payment methods rarely matter to a player in isolation. A more common real scenario looks like this: someone wants a specific provider’s games, on a casino that also happens to take USDT, or wants Interac support alongside a particular RTP range they’re targeting. SlotCatalog’s connected structure is what makes that compound question answerable at all.

A casino record links its game library, its provider list, and its payment methods together, so a search that starts from “USDT casinos” can still be narrowed down by provider or by game once the payment filter has done its job. Without that link, a player would need to cross-reference two separate lists by hand, checking a payment method page against a provider page to see where they overlap. With it, the overlap is already built into the casino’s own record, and the 150-plus payment methods become one more filter layered on top of the game and provider data rather than a separate lookup entirely.

How new payment methods enter the SlotCatalog database

Regional instant-payment systems like Pix didn’t exist in most casino payment stacks a decade ago, and UPI’s casino adoption followed a similar curve once India’s digital payment infrastructure matured. Both point to a common way a genuinely new method tends to reach SlotCatalog’s database: a domestic payment system grows large enough at home that casino players start expecting it, rather than the method arriving as a variant of something already covered.

A method like Brite, a more recent addition to European casino cashiers, gets treated the same way Pix or MODO were when they were newer: as its own record tied to the markets where it’s actually relevant, rather than bundled into “European bank transfers” generally.

Conclusion

Casino payment methods get considerably more varied once the picture moves past international cards. Local systems such as Interac, UPI, MODO, and Pix depend on regional financial infrastructure, while e-wallets, prepaid services, cryptocurrencies, and crypto payment platforms each run on their own separate models.

SlotCatalog organizes more than 150 of these options as part of its wider casino and slot database, and that structure pays off in more than one direction. A player can start from a casino and check what it supports, start from a payment method and compare every casino that accepts it, or start from a specific combination of provider, game, and payment method and let the connected records narrow the field automatically. New systems, from Pix to Brite, have joined the catalogue the same way: as their own record, tied to the market where they actually matter, once domestic adoption made them relevant to casino players there.

For a database covering payment methods across dozens of markets, the useful part isn’t the total count. It’s the structure underneath it: individual records, cross-linked casino and game data, and enough geographic context to keep international and regional systems from blurring into each other.

Hospital chiefs in County Durham have agreed to review up to a further 4,500 breast cancer cases after failings including delayed diagnoses and unnecessary surgeries were found.

Hundreds of patients suffered harm under County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, according to a review of cases dating back to 2023.

The BBC has spoken to multiple women affected by the failings, including one who said she felt “mutilated” and the trust’s mistakes were “absolutely unforgivable”.

Ahead of agreeing to expand the review to cases dating back to 2015, members of the trust’s board offered “sincere” apologies for the failings and harm caused.

At an extraordinary meeting of the board held in Durham, board chair Alison Marshall said: “I would like to offer a sincere apology to all the women and their families who have been affected by the failings in our breast services.

“I can’t imagine the impact that has had.”

She said they could “not turn back the clock” but would be “open, honest and transparent” about the failings.

Chief nurse Gill Hunt told the board concerns were first raised in 2015 after a “service reconfiguration” and loss of breast surgical trainee posts.

Over the following years patients and bodies such as the Northern Cancer Alliance, Care Quality Commission and NHS England raised multiple issues, she said.

The key “themes” included treatment “not aligned to best practice”, excessive surgery and delayed diagnosis, she said.

The trust’s breast surgery lookback review began in April 2025 by examining cases between January 2023 and February 2025.

Hunt said 538 cases had been reviewed so far with 321 having experienced some form of harm, including one death.

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An NBA sports star has said that GTA 6 will cause sports leagues to ‘plummet’ in November since everyone will be too busy playing video games.

It’s impossible to overstate how big Grand Theft Auto 6 is going to be when it arrives in November. There’s a reason that most publishers are keen to avoid launching their games so close to it, which is why the release schedules are so packed in September and October.

Even celebrities like Millie Bobby Brown and Lewis Hamilton have publicly expressed excitement for GTA 6, with the latter saying he’ll be cancelling work plans just to play the game at launch.

More recently, NBA athlete Steven Adams mentioned GTA 6 during a press conference, saying that the game will have a detrimental effect on all professional sports once it drops. And while his statement got a bit of a chuckle from the crowd, he’s not really joking.

‘I will say, you guys should anticipate November,’ said Adams, who plays for American basketball team the Houston Rockets. ‘The performance of the league… league wide… GTA is dropping.

‘So look at NFL, look at all the leagues, and watch them, plummet, mate. Just for the month of November, performance is gonna go down.’ (Adams is from New Zealand and his dad is from Bristol, if you were wondering.)

He added that even coaching scouts will be ‘horrendous’ but assures things will pick back up by December, once everybody has finished the game.

Considering GTA 5 is the best selling traditional video game ever made, at over 220 million sales, it’s not an exaggeration that GTA 6’s launch will be a cultural touchstone in not just video games but entertainment in general.

Based on pre-order figures alone, GTA 6 is estimated to make roughly half of GTA 5’s lifetime revenue in just a week. So, it’s perfectly believable that sports athletes everywhere will be spending every opportunity they can to play GTA 6.

The game’s popularity is also being taken advantage of for PR stunts. In August, word spread of a US army battalion using the game to encourage re-enlistment.

This wouldn’t be the first time a popular video game disrupted athletes’ performance either. Back in 2018, The Washington Post reported on how there were concerns of athletes becoming addicted to Fortnite, which was still in its infancy at the time and rapidly exploding in popularity thanks to its battle royale mode.

In other GTA 6 related news, exclusive T-shirts that were only available at the Tokyo Game Show last week have been spotted on eBay, where they are being sold for as much as £182.

The shirts in question depict the four PlayStation buttons with the GTA 6 colour scheme as part of a partnership between Sony and Rockstar. These shirts weren’t even being sold; they were free gifts for anyone who attended the GTA 6 booth at the show.

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The pub’s owners describe it as a ‘strength of community spirit’

A Cambridgeshire pub that’s a “favourite spot” to visit for locals has been named as one of the best pubs of the year. The Great British Pub awards celebrates all of the best boozers on offer across the UK.

Celebrating the 27th year of the awards, the winners of its 17 categories have been announced for 2026. Taking the crown for the Admiral Taverns Pub of the Year is The Crown in Fordham, Ely.

In 2023, the pub had to close due to a devastating fire. However, with a mission to get it up and running again, the owners were determined to “rise once more”.

The pub was taken over by new management in 2025 and since it reopened, it has become a “vibrant hub created with the community”, as stated on the pub website. Today, it has a loyal customer base behind it and has become a “strength of community spirit”.

The pub offers a menu filled with “smoky goodness”, with a lot of great meat options on offer. Menu options range from buttermilk chicken thigh bites and smoked pork belly burn ends to battered king prawns and smoked mozzarella sticks. There are also a wide range of baked potatoes on offer with lots of different toppings.

The pub also serves a range of cask ales, regular beers and other refreshing drinks. The Crown is also a hit with locals, as one reviewer said it was a “favourite spot”.

Another person who visited the pub with friends for a Sunday roast said she was “not disappointed” with the food and its portions. Staff at the pub are also praised for being “super friendly and helpful”.

Our apprenticeships and knowledge exchange offer is a key part of this approach. Working closely with employers, we support organisations to develop their existing workforce, create new talent pipelines and build the skills and leadership capability needed for long-term success.

We are also looking ahead to the changing demands of the workforce. Our forthcoming Data Engineering and AI and Automation programmes will support organisations to build capability in areas that are rapidly transforming the way we work, while our Creative and Digital provision will help employers respond to the continuing growth of digital technologies and creative innovation.

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Alongside apprenticeships, our wider knowledge exchange and employer engagement activity connects organisations with the expertise, research and talent within York St John University. This enables us to work with employers not just to address today’s skills needs, but to anticipate and respond to those of tomorrow.

As a University, we are committed to being a long-term partner to employers and the communities we serve.

Tonight is about recognising achievement, ambition and excellence – and we are delighted to play our part in celebrating those who are investing in people and helping to build the workforce of the future.

Michael Schumacher’s wife, Corinna, has opened up on her relationship with the Ferrari legend in the new documentary Schumacher ’94: The Birth of a Legend

Michael Schumacher’s wife, Corinna, has admitted that she cries to herself in the car, when she hears Paul Abdul’s song Rush Rush. The 1991 hit holds a special place in the hearts of the couple as it was their song in the early days of their relationship.

Corinna has offered a rare insight into the family’s life following the horrific skiing accident Schumacher suffered 13 years ago. Corinna remains the Formula 1 legends primary carer, supportered by a team of nurses.

She has opened the door to their world for a new documentary, Schumacher ’94: The Birth of a Legend. Corinna has been protective of her husband’s privacy, and it marks the first time she has spoken publicly about their life since her involvement in the 2021 Netflix documentary Schumacher.

“That was our song back then,” she said, recalling the early days of her relationship with Schumacher. “When I hear it today and I’m in the car, I cry to myself.”

Corinna also opened up on her mother’s disapproval. “My mother was completely against it,” she said.

“Michael was always at the go-kart track and was always pushing others out. My mother always said: “Look at Schumacher! They have a go-kart track at home, they throw out anyone who does anything wrong, and now he’s throwing people out!

“My mother would say: ‘Schumacher, Schumacher.’”

In the 2021 documentary Schumacher, Corinna provided some insight into Schumacher’s condition “Michael is here. Different, but he’s here, and that gives us strength, I find,’ she said. ‘He still shows me how strong he is every day.

“We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he’s comfortable. And to simply make him feel our family, our bond.

“And no matter what, I will do everything I can. We all will. We’re trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives.

“‘Private is private’, as he always said. It’s very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible. Michael always protected us, and now we are protecting Michael.”

“Last night, a 37-year-old man, of no fixed abode, was arrested on suspicion of destroying ships or fixed platforms or endangering their safety under Section 11 of the Aviation and Maritime Security Act 1990, criminal damage, criminal damage with intent to endanger life, and conduct endangering ships, structures or individuals under Section 58 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.

Lorraine Kelly and HP are collecting family recipes for the National Book of Bakes, as a poll of 2,000 adults found 51% believe traditional British baking is being forgotten.

Lorraine Kelly is on a mission to stop classic recipes from disappearing for good. The TV favourite has teamed up with HP to launch a new appeal asking Brits to share their best-loved family baking recipes. Once they’re sent in, the recipes will be printed out using an HP Smart Tank printer, bound together and kept in a special printed collection called The National Book of Bakes.

The initiative comes after a survey of 2,000 adults revealed that many beloved traditional treats are being prepared with decreasing frequency – amongst them spotted dick, lemon drizzle cake and even the iconic Victoria sponge.

Even fan favourites like chocolate brownies have only been created by 39%, along with chocolate chip cookies (38%) and the classic hot cross buns (11%).

More than half of those polled (51%) say traditional British bakes are being forgotten, while 67% have a family recipe handed down through generations that they fear could be lost. Of these, 18% put this down to it being written on a scrap of paper which is falling apart, while 22% said it’s just in their heads.

Lorraine said: “There’s something so special about having an old family recipe, especially when it’s written by hand by someone you love.

“On paper it might just look like instructions on how to make a cake, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a piece of family history. Especially if it has been handed down through generations.

“I found my Granny’s recipe for a Dundee cake in one of my old recipe books. It’s a bit battered and tatty round the edges but it’s one of my most precious possessions.

“I’ve printed her recipe off to keep for myself and to pass copies onto my daughter and my friends and other family members. This will keep it safe and ensure my granddaughter Billie will be able to bake the same cake one day.

“I’d urge everyone to preserve these precious memories by doing the same. It’s quick and easy and a wonderful way to remember those we love.”

The study also revealed that 61% of people believe fewer bake nowadays compared to older generations. Only 11% bake on a weekly basis, while 17% admit they never bake at all.

Despite this, Gen Z appears to be reviving the tradition, with younger adults using the oven more than twice as frequently as Boomers (22% vs 11%).

Overall, 72% were in favour of preserving family recipes so they could be handed down through generations, with 79% stating that printing them out is the most reliable way to safeguard them.

A third said they trust a printed recipe book most when it comes to keeping a beloved family recipe safe for the future.

The survey, commissioned through OnePoll, revealed that 42% said family recipes make them feel closer to their family, while 41% said they feel connected to their childhood.

Jaina Mistry, UK and Ireland home print category manager at HP, said: “A family recipe can be incredibly precious, but also surprisingly fragile – scribbled on an old piece of paper, buried in a camera roll or simply remembered by one person.

“This project is about using print to give those recipes a more permanent home.

“With HP Smart Tank and three years of ink included, we can bring recipes from families across Britain together on the printed page, preserving not just how something is made, but the handwriting, notes and stories that make it part of a family’s history.”

THE TOP 30 BAKES AT RISK OF DYING OUT:

1. Cream fingers
2. Battenberg cake
3. Eccles cakes
4. Chelsea buns
5. Spotted dick and custard
6. Blondies
7. Treacle tart
8. Bakewell tart
9. Custard tarts
10. Hot cross buns
11. Profiteroles / eclairs
12. Banoffee pie
13. Jam roly-poly
14. Sticky toffee pudding
15. School cake / school dinner cake
16. Millionaire’s shortbread
17. Donuts
18. Coffee and walnut cake
19. Bread and butter pudding
20. Gingerbread
21. Lemon drizzle cake
22. Christmas cake / fruit cake
23. Carrot cake
24. Trifle
25. Shortbread
26. Banana bread
27. Chocolate chip cookies
28. Chocolate brownies
29. Scones
30. Victoria sponge

Social media algorithms are ‘normalising’ violence against women and girls, with one in three subjected to ‘shocking levels of abuse’ every day.

A new report from Refuge, the UK’s largest domestic abuse charity, and the End Violence Against Women Coalition reveals 36% of women experienced some form of violence online.

That number rises to 47% for women aged between 16 and 24.

A fifth of those said they encountered the same misogynistic content pumped into the manosphere ‘to maximise ad revenue’ most of or every time they logged on.

The online harms are having significant real-world consequences, with victims suffering anxiety or panic attacks and being driven from the platforms completely.

Most worryingly, 7% of women who experienced online violence said they felt suicidal – a figure which more than doubles (15%) among those aged 16 to 24.

Refuge CEO Gemma Sherrington said their findings ‘are reflective of a system that has continued to prioritise profits over safety, leaving women to pay the price’.

Jodie’s story

In January 2021, Jodie* opened an anonymous email directing her to images of herself which had been shared online, along with details identifying her and where she lived.

Weeks later she discovered explicit ‘deepfakes’ of her on an online forum.

Her ‘shock and desperation’ turned to ‘complete fear, anger and disbelief’ when she found out the perpetrator was her male best friend.

This Is Not Right

On November 25, 2024 Metro launched This Is Not Right, a campaign to address the relentless epidemic of violence against women.

With the help of our partners at Women’s Aid, This Is Not Right aims to shine a light on the sheer scale of this national emergency.

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You can find more articles here, and if you want to share your story with us, you can send us an email at vaw@metro.co.uk.

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Among the women polled by Refuge and EVAW, one in 50 reported they had personally experienced an AI-generated or ‘deepfake’ intimate image of them being shared without their consent.

Nearly three quarters (72%) identified the perpetrator as male, with current or former partners and friends or relatives each responsible in roughly a fifth of cases.

The most commonly identified perpetrator (53%) was a stranger.

When Jodie went to the police to report the abuse, she was told there was ‘nothing they could do’.

She had to track down the images and videos herself, contacting the online forum and porn site directly to get the material taken down. 

‘Gathering the evidence was incredibly distressing and retraumatising. It felt as though the responsibility for proving the harm had been placed entirely on me,’ she told Metro.

After going through that process and collecting the evidence, Jodie was told the creation and sharing of sexually explicit deepfakes had not broken any laws, so her abuser could not be prosecuted. 

‘Despite the threats and risks we were facing, we did not have a liaison officer, and we were told that we were unable to access an Independent Sexual Violence Adviser because the abuse was not considered sexually motivated,’ Jodie said.

‘Survivors should not have to repeatedly explain, document and prove their abuse while navigating systems that do not understand the nature of online harms.‘Evidence gathering and reporting need to be trauma-informed, coordinated and designed around the safety of the person experiencing the abuse.

‘The burden should not fall on survivors to become experts in criminal investigations, technology and platform reporting while they are trying to recover.’

Jodie successfully campaigned with EVAW for the creation of non-consensual sexually explicit deepfakes to become a crime, which came into effect last year.
 
Despite this, the report shows that 66% of women surveyed continue to feel concerned about the role of AI technologies in enabling violence against women and girls.

Jodie said: ‘The risks extend beyond deepfake images. We are also seeing concerns around AI chatbots providing detailed guidance on stalking, simulating rape or abuse through roleplay, and reinforcing misogynistic ideas.

‘These are serious risks from systems that have been deployed without sufficient safeguards, oversight or meaningful consideration of the people who may be harmed.

‘There are also emerging risks from technologies such as smart glasses and other wearable devices, which could make covert image capture, surveillance and violations of consent easier.’

The report also shows that chillingly, 1 in 7 women who have experienced digital VAWG have left the platform altogether, as a direct result of the abuse.

Almost a quarter reduced commenting or posting on social media following violence.

‘My relationship with social media changed significantly,’ says Jodie. ‘I became much more conscious of what I shared. Something that had previously felt ordinary, such as posting a photo with work colleagues, or in my home, began to feel like a potential safety risk. 

‘I have had to think about how visible I want to be and whether participating online is worth the potential risk. That is an exhausting position to be put in.
‘Women and girls should not have to make themselves smaller or disappear to stay safe.’

Threats of sexual violence

Anybody can be a victim – young girls and older women, social media users with relatively few contacts and celebrities with followers numbering the thousands or millions.

Ashley James, the DJ, broadcaster and bestselling author of Bimbo, told Metro that online misogyny and abuse have followed her ever since she entered the public eye and gained a following in 2012.

‘At that time, it was horrifically graphic sexual videos on Snapchat. Since them, it’s always [been] men reaching out with sexualised insults, comments about my appearance, threats and abuse,’ she said.

Recently, the threats have escalated to rape and are now being directed at her three-year-old daughter through DMs online.

‘I felt sick,’ she said of seeing those messages coming through.

‘When it comes to my children, I would die to protect them. Everything I speak about is for them, to hopefully make the world a better place.’

This harrowing message was not a one off. Since, Ashley has received multiple similar threats from different men. 

‘It’s devastation and guilt. Any kind of threat to them makes you feel like a failure as a parent,’ she said.

‘I frequently receive rape threats myself. The threat of sexual violence to myself and my daughter is 100% gendered.

‘I think often my content ends up on the wrong side of the algorithm, being pushed towards [people who support] the manosphere.’

Ashley says that despite all of this, she refuses to let ‘trolls’ drive her away from social media.

‘We shouldn’t have to choose between having a voice and being safe. No one should be bullied into silence,’ she said.

‘Misogyny didn’t start with social media, I just think social media has given it an algorithm and an audience, and kind of made it a business model. 

‘I’ll continue using my platform, because I don’t want my daughter to think that being a woman online means accepting sexual harassment, misogyny or graphic imagery as the price of participation.’

Real-life impact

Jodie said ‘the line between online and offline harm is continuing to collapse’, with the impact stretching ‘far beyond the internet’.

‘It affected my mental health, my sense of safety and my ability to trust people,’ she said.

‘I experienced PTSD symptoms linked to a previous assault, as well as depression, and needed weekly private therapy for months.

‘The abuse became something I had to carry into every part of my life, including my relationships, work and everyday interactions.’

The Dangerous by Design report shows that 40% of those who have experienced online VAWG experienced anxiety, while 15% of those between 16 and 24 reported feeling suicidal as a result. 

Dr Sophie Nightingale specialises in researching the psychological impacts of online VAWG, particularly image-based abuse.

‘We’re seeing this overlap between the online, and in-person physical threats of sexual violence. Whether these are threats people are going to carry out or not, this still impacts the victim,’ she said.

‘People will respond by withdrawing, feeling afraid and petrified to go out and leave their house.

‘It’s another way to oppress women, and keep them isolated.’

The psychologist explains that the risk of online VAWG leading to suicidal thoughts is particularly intensified by threats of sexual violence.

‘There can be these feelings of embarrassment, shame and guilt that should never actually be attributed to the victim.

‘You’re already scared because of the abuse itself, but then you also feel isolated, not knowing where to turn. 

‘Sometimes, people think that the only option is to end things, which can be heightened by the thought that because of the online element, the abuse will never go away. 

‘This is often the case with non-consensual sharing of intimate imagery, as it carries a digital footprint that people live in fear of. They question ‘When is it going to emerge again?”’

Dr Nightingale says growing threats to women online are part of a wider cultural regression.

‘At the moment, we are seeing the growth of misogynistic views and social, cultural norms,’ she said.

‘From a young age, children are growing up thinking this is normal behaviour, that it’s okay to do these things, and share an intimate image of a woman or girl without her consent, because that’s what people do and they get away with it.

‘If we don’t do something drastic soon to stop that, it’s going to snowball even further, and we’re going to take a huge step backwards in terms of women and girls’ rights.’

What needs to be done

The report shines light on how women are dealing with this widespread issue alone. 

One in five did not tell anyone about the abuse. Less than a third reported it to the platform where it occurred, meanwhile only 12% reported it to the police.

Over half of women who did report abuse to the platform itself were not satisfied by the handling of their report, demonstrating the urgency for tech companies to change their designs and approach.

Ms Sherrington said: ‘This report comes almost one year after Ofcom introduced its guidance for tech companies on how to tackle VAWG on online platforms.

‘Despite being a welcome step forward, Refuge has long-been clear that voluntary guidance lacks the force needed to address the shocking levels of abuse and violence faced by women and girls online every day.

‘Our report testifies to this, shining a light on the sheer scale of harm that women in this country are experiencing and the lack of confidence they have in tech companies, the criminal justice system, and policymakers to protect them.

‘These findings are reflective of a system that has continued to prioritise profits over safety, leaving women to pay the price. This cannot continue.

‘The government and Ofcom must go much further in holding tech companies legally responsible for combatting the normalisation of misogyny, holding perpetrators to account, and keeping all women and survivors safe.’

The report contains several recommendations, calling for the Online Safety Act to be updated, allowing Ofcom’s VAWG guidance to be upgraded to a legally enforceable code of practice. 

The report also demands safety by design, through the introduction of a Safety by Design code of practice.

EVAW’s interim director, Janaya Walker, said: ‘All women and girls deserve to live free from violence and abuse.

‘This report is a stark reminder of the ways in which online VAWG is a major feature of women’s everyday lives to devastating effect, particularly for young women.

‘The status quo is untenable and the government’s efforts to prevent VAWG needs to confront the business model of big tech, with a regulatory system which has the teeth to hold them to account.’

Earlier this year, Labour asked Ofcom to report on which social media companies are failing to implement measures to protect women and girls online.
Then-technology secretary Liz Kendall said companies ‘must go above and beyond’ to make their platforms safer.

She warned that the Government would be prepared to intervene if firms failed to use every tool at their disposal to protect women and girls from abuse and misogyny online.

‘This government has taken tough action to tackle intimate image abuse, deepfakes and the online harms women and girls face every day.

‘Now, tech companies must go above and beyond to use the tools readily available to them to make their platforms safer.’

As part of the Government’s VAWG online crackdown, cyberflashing was made a priority offence under the Online Safety Act earlier this year.

The change means that rather than reacting after such images have been received, platforms must take proactive steps to prevent such content appearing in the first place.

The Government also vowed to close legal loopholes which have allowed chatbots to create deepfake nude images and is planning further curbs on social media.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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