Infinity Gaming Magazine February 2021

InfinityGaming www.gaming-awards.com | ISSUE124

GAMING + ARTICLES + BUSINESS+ GLOBAL + ONLINE + NEWS+ AWARDS + etc

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28 WHAT WILL SPRING BRING?

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10 FIONA BUCKLEY - MAKING FRIENDS

34 MULTITASKING

Opinion Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in all external articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Infinity Gaming Magazine Any content provided by our feature writers or authors are of their opinion, and are not intended to malign any religion, ethic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.

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4 EDITOR NOTES Editor welcomes you to the latest edition of Infinity Gaming Magazine.

6 OUR WRITERS Meet our feature writers, the superb writers on our rosta.

09 SHAY SEGEV IN FOR PREM 15 JAPAN ONLINE GAMBLING 19 UKRAINE GAMBLING ARGUMENT OUR CONNECTED WORLD

21 ALABAMA GAMBLING 37 UPDATES

HOW SAFE?

+ NEWS & MORE NEWS

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from the gaming industry

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A note from the editor adapted some of the categories for the land based industry so they can take part along with our online brothers and sisters.

To this in the UK we have an announcement on the 22nd February by the Government on our roadmap out of the pandemic and we expect to have a clear path on how we can host the Interna-

Hope Springs Eternal”

tional Gaming Awards this year, so stay tuned for news next week.

CONTACT US Clever Duck Media Centrix@Keys Keys Park Road Staffordshire WS12 2HA UK Tel: +44(0)1543 478 889 PRODUCTION Clever Duck Media Centrix@Keys Keys Park Road Staffordshire WS12 2HA UK

So now inside this edition we have our

Lana Thompson - Editor

superb writers giving us their experience and insight on the gaming industry with contributions this month by,

Welcome to the latest edition of the In-

Andrew Cosgrove, Lynn Pearce de Frei-

finity Gaming Magazine and as we hur-

tas, Teresa Tunstall and Tim Cullimore.

tle towards Spring in Europe and vaccines are rolling out at speed there is

Along with our excellent writers we

an increased optimism that we will be

have a featured article from Fiona

moving back to normality soon.

Buckley our keynote speaker at the WIG Diversity Talk, introducing herself

PUBLISHING Infinity Gaming Magazine is operated by © Clever Duck Media Ltd ® Company Reg. No. 687 1018 (Registered in England) V.A.T reg. no 972 6372 91

Sponsorship Opportunities Colin@cleverduckmedia.com

With the start of Spring that means it

and offering a flavour of what to expect

is nearly the 8th March and the Inter-

on the day.

Business Partnerships Svetlana@gaming-awards.com

Duck Media it is a day to celebrate

As well as all the above our team have

Marketing & Advertising claire@cleverduckmedia.com

and to this we are hosting a Women in

also had time to fit in the very lat-

Gaming Diversity Talk which is free of

est news and reports from around the

charge.

world to keep you up to date on every-

national Women’s Day. To us at Clever

thing that is important, what more can This innovative talk taking place online

you want from the leading magazine

will feature Fiona Buckley and lead-

for the gambling industry?

ing gaming companies offering their thoughts and ideas on this special day.

Don’t forget you can get all the lat-

It will be a relaxed and informal event

est news from our 24/7 news service

lasting about one hour and we invite

the iGaming Post, the only place that

all ladies and supporters to register on-

breaks the biggest stories within the

line and take part in what will be a fun

gaming industry worldwide.

and entertaining hour celebrating this global event.

As always- “May the Force be with you” - Star Wars

To register just go over to the gaming awards site and click on the WIG Diver-

Regards,

sity link for full details.

Lana

As hope springs eternal we have also released the categories and nominations page for the 2021 Internationa Gaming Awards (IGA). This year we have

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The Editor

Editorial Content & PR media@cleverduckmedia.com

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Infinity Gaming Magazine Contributing Writers A magazine is only as good as the content inside and with some of the leading specialists within the gaming industry. With specialised articles covering customer service, the gaming law, new products, technology and current affairs with the sector the Infinity Gaming Magazine is delighted to showcase our superb line-up of contributing

Christina Thakor-Rankin Christina is Principal Consultant at 1710 Gaming Ltd, a specialist betting and gaming consultancy, delivering a range of services including licensing and compliance (incl. regulation, money laundering and social responsibility), business start-up, training and strategic re-engineering, project management, research, business analysis and development, to start-ups and

established multi-national operators and providers, gambling regulators, law enforcement and government agencies, media, and specialist interest groups and associations within the sector, in both established and emerging markets across the world. www.1710gaming.com

Teresa Tunstall – Independent Gaming Consultant After many years of working in casinos in the UK and on USA ships as a croupier and inspector, Teresa turned from ‘poacher to gamekeeper,’ spending 16 years with GamCare, who offer help and support to those who develop problems with their gambling.

Working closely with the betting and gaming industry, She developed strong links delivering Social Respon-

sibility and Problem Gambling training around the world, Teresa now works independently consulting on all issues relating to Social Responsibility and Problem Gambling.

To contact Teresa regarding consulting please email:

Andrew Cosgrove - Slots Guru Andrew Cosgrove is a seasoned slot operations veteran and certified project manager with over 24 years of hands on experience in Latin America and the Caribbean. Andrew has worked on both the operator and supplier side of casino slots and continues to help clients succeed and exceed customer expectations.

Andrew can be reached at andy.cosgrove@hemingwaycasinoconsulting.com or see http://hemingwaycasinoconsulting.com/

Lynn Pearce de Freitas Lynn has creatively strategized and implemented B2C and B2B acquisition, conversion and retention marketing campaigns. Lynn started off her igaming career consulting to LCI, a prestigious land-based casino in the UK, where she was responsible for the online marketing and project-management of conferences, events, presentations, video production, and other activities.

She joined Forwardslash, (an igaming marketing company) as Marketing GM: Creative Studio. She then went on to work for a sportsbetting company to launch a poker room and casino for a while, before being headhuntered to join a startup casino company in Prague, where she worked as the Marketing Operations Manager.

Tim Cullimore From dealer to CEO in the U.K., Europe and North America, Tim has pretty much seen it all in Casino gaming. For over 40 years, from running slot rooms which needed to frisk for guns to the Ritz in Mayfair, arguably the most luxurious casino in the world, Tim has never stopped challenging what we think we know about casinos.

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Tim is a well-respected Consultant to the gaming industry, encompassing project management and operational analysis, as well as representing and advising some key manufacturers within the industry. Tim is a renowned conference speaker and also proud to be visiting lecturer at the University of West London College of Hospitality and Tourism.

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OPINION

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Former Entain Boss Considers Premier League TV Rights

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hay Segev the former CEO of online gambling firm Entain who left to become joint-CEO of sports streaming company DAZN is to bid for the rights to Premier League football.

Nicknamed the “Netflix of Sport” DAZN who host multiple live sporting events is rumoured to be gearing up for a major bid to become a competitor to both Sky Sports and BT Sports to show live Premier League football from 2022.

According to sources close to DAZN they are seriously looking into making a bid for the rights to what is the most valuable football league in the world.

Segev left Entain in a surprise move to join DAZN which is owned by Sir

Leonard Blavatnik’s Access Industries firm and has pumped in billions of dollars to the platform to rival other live streaming companies.

DAZN is available in the UK and already shows Premier League games in Canada, Spain and Japan under license and now it is rivalling the two biggest players in the sport.

It was expected that both Sky and BT who have stopped their aggressive tactics to each other and with that the latest round of bidding for the 2022 to 2025 screening rights to Premier League football was expected to fall by some £900 million compared to previous bidding rounds.

However now with DAZN it could be set to rise again if the rumours are correct, the latest bids are due to

close this week and all eyes will be on DAZN if they do make a bid.

The sports streaming company acquired the nickname “Netflix of Sports” because of its strategy to invest billions into the business without currently making any profit in the expectation it will reach a capacity that then turns it into a profit.

Latest figures from the company showed a $1.9 billion loss at the end of 2019, the previous year DAZN lost $731 million.

The numbers over those two years for subscribers went from 4 million in 2018 to 8 million in 2019. Clearly the possible move into the Premier League Footbal tv rights battle would see their subscriber base rise massively.

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MAKING FRIENDS wITH OUR INNER Critic

By Fiona Buckley Fiona Buckley is keynote speaker, work behaviourist and Empowerment Coach and specialises in the areas of Leadership, Teams, Motivation, Work Behaviour, Personalities and virtual working.

Meet Fiona on the 8th March when she will be speaking at the Women in Gaming & Diversity Talk. Contact Us for full details of this free of charge event.

O

ur inner critic can be known to go into overdrive when we work remotely away from our colleaguesas we are spending a lot more time in our heads than ever before. The Inner critic refers to the voices in our mind that can turn any situation negative. However if we have a good relationship with these voices, it can equally can turn situations into a positive event. There are 7 inner critics (Early and Weiss) and when ignored can act as serious blockers to our self-improvement and self-development. Let’s take a look at each of them below: 1. The Perfectionist:This inner critic sets the bar so high that these stan-

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dards can often be unmet which sets unrealistic expectations. Opportunities go by all the time when this critic is busy “perfecting” things. This critic wants you to do everything flawlessly.

Feelings of failure often set in when these unrealistic expectations are then unable to be met. This “Perfectionist” can often come innately from a personality trait or it can be down to an environmental influence for example ; a partner at home or a manager in your organisation.

2. The Underminer:This one is one of the most dangerous and selfsabotaging inner critics. It is also the one you may recognise the most!

This inner critic fears rejection and

warns you off doing things so as not to get “hurt”. It can undermine your ambition, goals and keeps you stuck in one place and prohibits you from progressing forward. It continually under-mines your self-confidence and self-esteem.

3. Inner Controller: This critics task is to control impulses and when you give into the impulsive behaviour it criticises you. For example, speaking freely in a meeting and then later regretting it and having that awful “post mortem “feelingfollowing the meeting. Equally if you didn’t speak up at a meeting it’s the same voice that’s triggered.

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4. Destroyer:This is the voice that tells

in work relationships, meetings and/or

7. The Conformist/Moulder: This critic

you you’re a failure, you’re not worth it.

presentations. For example, if you deliv-

wants you to conform and makes you

It directly attacks your self-worth and

ered a presentation that didn’t go very

stay in you comfort zone. People often

is the most debilitating critic. It makes

well- the next time you have an upcom-

feel pressure from parents, teachers,

you stay in your comfort zone and not

ing same/similar presentation this inner

mentors and loved ones to follow a

volunteer in work to get involved in

critic can really set in which can fuel

certain career trajectory that has been

projects or not apply for promotions or

anxiety.

moulded for them. Entrepreneurs and

new roles for fear that you aren’t good

corporate mavericks are known not to

enough. This one often works in tandem

6. Taskmaster: This critic wants you to

with the aforementioned Underminer

work hard and fights against the inner

inner critic above (number 2).

procrastinator. It’s fear is that you will be

listen to this inner citric.

So what we can do?

judged as mediocre or lazy if you don’t 5. The Guilt Tripper: This critic is un-

work hard. This inner critic is not the

1. Firstly, recognise that these inner crit-

able to forgive you for wrongs you have

worst one to have providing it doesn’t

ics exist. Self-awareness is key.

done or mistakes you have made. It is

contribute or cause anxiety. If you have

concerned about relationships and tries

a positive inner chatter with this one it

to protect you from repeating past mis-

can channel drive. This inner critic often

takes by making sure you never forget

works in tandem with the Perfectionist (

or feel free. This can be very prevalent

Number 1).

(PTO)

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Register your interest contact: claire@cleverduckmedia.com

Fiona Buckley Article

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2. Recognise that not all 7 will be present in each and every one of us, so isolate which one is most prevalent for you and which is blocking you the most.

3. Develop an action plan which works against the inner critic through daily conditioning self-coaching and/ or using an independent coach 4. Start journaling when this inner critic is at its worst and reflect (Daily if needs be).

5. Start using positive self-talk to combat the inner critic talk and consciously reframe your thoughts with positive affirmations through daily practice 6. Lastly and most importantly, a great technique called “Fact or Fiction” can also assist greatly here. Basically what this means is if any of the inner critic or negative thoughts come to mind, we choose to apply fact as opposed to fiction to them. By way of example, after finishing a meeting you may start post morteming the meeting and perhaps think that someone may have “been off” with you. That’s largely a fictional thought. A fiction is a worry, an anxiety, a fear of something that may/may not be true. A fact is a fact, a black and white objective fact that is not the basis of opinions. We often obtain facts by analysing the situation and/or obtaining feedback from people. We need to continually apply facts rather than fiction in this space.

In summary, the first step is to be aware of these inner critics, then we need to process these thoughts and place facts on them. Once the thoughts are processed we need to try avoid circulating back to them so they don’t morph into self-limiting beliefs and stop us from progressing and developing forward in our lives.

The event coincides with International Women’s Day which is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.

To join and be a part of this special, unique and informal chat please contact claire@cleverduckmedia.com

-------------------------------Fiona will be the keynote speaker at the Women in Gaming Diversity Talk hosted by Clever Duck Media on the 8th March.

7. Another take on this is a technique called “Name it…Neutralize it”- it adopts a similar strategy to the fact or fiction technique above but is largely used to name a fear or emotion that is happening. Name the fear/emotion, then neutralise it by putting something in play that will counteract or combat it.

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GAMING NEWS

Japan To See Huge Rise In Online Gambling

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Crown Resorts Boss Resigns After Crown Resorts were found not suitable to hold a gaming license for their new resort in Sydney, their CEO Ken Barton has stepped down from his role with immediate effect.

Over the last ten days calls from all sides involved in the inquiry that concluded Crown Resorts were unable or were complicit in major breaches in its governance.

Online gambling in Japan is on the rise following the announcement by Google Play to allow for the inclusion of gambling Apps to be downloaded in Japan from the 1st March.

Already hugely popular with Japanese gamblers are horse racing, motorboat racing and bicycle racing, which all has been available to use and gamble with for some time, however with the Google announcement many believe an explosion of more gambling online will take place in the country.

Indeed there are many illegal online gambling sites offering their services in Japan and it seems that the government and law officials have at present little appetite to address this issue or amend current laws that are no longer suitable to restrict the rise in online gambling.

Now with Goggle allowing gambling apps in Japan for online casino games, lotteries, sports betting, and daily fantasy sports the growth of gambling online is certain to grow rapidly especially with the current pandemic locking people inside and unable to go to racetracks and other venues allowing gambling.

Many observers believe that when or if land based casino resorts are built sometime in this decade online gambling will be so established that the majority of gamblers will consider integrated resorts an add-on to already established gambling behaviours within the country.

Following the inquiry by the New South Wales (NSW) Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority chaired by Former NSW Supreme Court judge Patricia Bergin. It was found that Crown was involved in “facilitating money laundering” and working with organised crime towards their VIP players.

The announcement of the departure of Ken Barton is seen by some as necessary for the company to move forward as Barton was ultimately responsible for the failings of the company.

Helen Coonan, Crown Resorts Chair will now head up the search for a new CEO, to hopefully find a person able to lead the company out of what has been a disastrous period.

MGM China Suffer 78% Drop In Revenues MGM China announced their fourth quarter and full yearly results showing a massive 78% drop in revenues for the 2020 to HK$5.1 billion.

The only good news for the year was that the revenues market share of all operators saw MGM China rise from 9.5% in 2019 to 9.95 in 2020.

For the fourth quarter MGM suffered a 70% decline in revenues compared to the same period in 2019 at HK$2.4 billion.

Hubert Wang, President & Chief Operating Officer of MGM China said: “We expect the broader rate of business recovery will continue to be gradual, driven by the premium mass market which both MGM MACAU and MGM COTAI are well positioned to capture.”

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Our Connected World is evolving and as marketers we need to fit into the social conversation to drive ROI

By Lynn Pearce de Freitas

T

he pandemic certainly changed the world of marketing as we knew it – and as marketers we need to understand the significance of this change, which forced on consumers more and diverse digital communication channels, including the ways we are using it.

Prior to the global pandemic, most brands knew where they stood in terms of social media, having studied the right balance of social engagement and advertising. However, once the pandemic hit and everyone went into various stages of lockdown, everything changed.

As part of a gaming company that started up in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic, I am feeling cautiously optimistic about 2021, but at the same time know that it is going to be even more difficult to deliver shortterm ROI with targeted performance marketing tactics, whilst building on

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customer journeys and gamification experiences to win loyalty over the long-term, unless I get to grips with the new world environment we live in today. I think we all probably need to rebuild our customer personas and relook which social media channels are more effective in trying to acquire new customers, which is probably the most important KPI to us as marketers right now.

I also feel we need to ready ourselves for the next chapter in advertising – the rise of connected TV communications, which combines a mass consumer audience with so much better targeting and measurement, the time is ripe to start reaping its benefits.

We need to understand that as whole countries went into lockdown, most traditional above-the-line advertising channels i.e. billboards, underground station advertising, cinemas closed, all of these channels added to the decrease in advertising revenue and

appeal. We need to pivot and reach the customers where they are – in their homes and this is where they will most likely continue to be for the rest of this year. The only notable exception was TV, due to more people being at home and viewership going up dramatically.

TV has always been the leading ATL channel for brand awareness and creative campaigns. Right now, it is even more significant due to the rise of connected TV (CTV) with its targeting and measurement capabilities allowing a more personalized, data-driven strategies, resulting also in CTV evolving into its own entity, moving marketing towards belowthe-line social media campaigns and targeted online advertising and messaging. All very exciting stuff, however, the only deterrent would seem to be the high cost of inventory, although increased investment

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and taking the plunge early on will allow the savvy marketers to finetune their campaigns long before their competitors do and give them increased ROI in the long-term.

In the social media space, not surprisingly, global online content doubled in 2020, particularly video consumption. One interesting fact that came out of a recent combined Taboola and Nielssen report stated that videos showing people driving – have a much higher completion rate than those showing people travelling by plane, or swimming and other outdoor activities! I personally found this to be true, as even I have taken to watching videos of people driving, how bizarre! This is one of the reasons we need to stay up-to-date with current trends, but bear in mind that this info may differ in the markets you are marketing into.

Of particular interest to me, as a marketer in the gaming industry, is a recent ThinkWithGoogle report, where they interviewed Marc Kohn at Overtime, who said that over 90% of

millennials who watch sports videos say they do so on YouTube and they also know that the next generation wants to see more long-form storytelling, highlights of sporting events, the athletes personal stories and influencers that matter to them – it’s all about the content. By leaning into what they know of their audiences, they have increased their channels from one to six, adding specific content for football, basketball and gaming! By interacting with their audience via messaging, likes and comments they have an active audience of more than 3 million subscribers now, with over 45 million followers, which is a real success story.

The Millennial audience has always been hard to reach on linear TV, but with YouTube and streaming on Twitch, this makes our jobs as marketers so much easier all round, as we can do it so much more effectively and we can measure results and ROI with greater precision.

largely ignored by marketers in their social media campaigns, typically only targeting this group through traditional TV advertising! However, there has been over a 60% increase in baby boomers discovering new products, shopping for food online and using social media over the past few years – apparently over a quarter of them are spending even longer on social platforms as they most likely feel a lot safer doing their shopping at home during the pandemic and therefore not going into the stores as they would have done prior to the pandemic. We need to explore this increasingly digital-savvy audience going forward, as they generally have a bigger spending capacity.

Right now, at a time when 65% of people are re-evaluating their lives and goals, we have the medium to reach them and serve them the right content at the right time – the ”moment of next” is now, whether through CTV or social media and digital video!

Another interesting age group are the Baby Boomers, who were

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Controversy Over First Gambling License In Ukraine

T

here seems to be some controversy over the recent issuing of the first gambling license in the Ukraine by the Commission for Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (CRGL).

The CRGL announced it had issued a license to Speisiks LLC, who operates the Cosmolot brand which ran lotteries previously, and now will be working in the online gambling sector under the new license.

However other stakeholders involved in license applications said they were surprised by the granting of the license as they were still awaiting

clarification from the newly formed regulator on the technical certification of the Gambling Law. According to reports the CRGL has already rejected 15 license applications before the issuing of the license to Speisiks LLC over technical specifications.

Indeed the Ukraine government are yet to implement the standards for ‘technical accreditation’ for licensees even thou the gambling law was legalised in the summer of 2020. Also the technology, operating systems, applications and enforcement controls for operators and suppliers are

still to be clarified.

As such there are concerns because these rules and also the tax structure for licensees are still sitting in the Ukraine parliament of the Rada’s floor which has stalled in agreeing them.

Possible legal challenges to the issuing of the license by the regulator to Speisiks LLC could now take place as it seems unfair to others while the framework and tax structure remains undecided.

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GAMING NEWS

Fewer Breaches On Under Age Gambling

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Alabama To Consider Gambling Expansion Alabama have started discussions on the creation on allowing for a state lottery, land based casinos, sports betting and online gambling.

The bill is sponsored by Republican Senator Del Marsh and requires 60% or more of the legislator in both houses to approve the bill and would then go to a public consultation and ultimately a vote.

The UK advertising regulator, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has released its latest quarterly report on advertising breaches showing a fall in online gambling advertisements.

In the report covering the months October to December 2020 it found that only three advertisements from the same advertising agency on behalf of an online gambling firm violated age restrictions.

Alabama has a population of nearly 5 million and is the 24th most populous state in the US and the last time the public voted on gambling expansion back in 1999 it was rejected.

However there is a belief this time should it reach that stage it could very well be accepted.

Marsh said: “I firmly believe that the people of Alabama want to address this gaming issue, once and for all.”

The ASA which started its quarterly report last year on breaches of advertising standards towards protecting under age viewers covering gambling, alcohol, e-cigarettes and tobacco, slimming and weight control products and food and soft drinks has found a total 47 adverts breaching the code.

However in the period from July to September there were a total of 70 gambling adverts that broke the guidelines showing that both the restrictions are working and that gambling companies are working better at their advertising reach in protecting under age viewers.

The ASA said on the latest figures and impact the new reporting is doing: “Following our first and second reports, the ASA is encouraged by the lower number of ads found to have broken the rules.

There has been some debate over the cost of a casino license being proposed at $100 million, that fee would be for Birmingham which is the largest city in Alabama.

The legislators will begin discussions over the bill in the Senate on the 23rd February.

“Once we have run the monitoring again in Q1 2021, we will in the summer publish a final report, reflecting back on this year-long project and in which we reserve the discretion to publicise repeat offenders, if there are any.”

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How safe are the On-Line Guys feeling?

By Tim Cullimore

I

t is hardly a surprise during the pandemic that online gambling has seen such a successful rise in clients, following the trend of other retail and leisure activities.

Despite what I wrote last month that gambling is distinctly different from other leisure activities, we shouldn’t assume that it is from another planet. Social trends such as online purchasing, food home delivery through online ordering and entertainment streaming are of course being mirrored in online gaming activity. Those who enjoy visiting a casino, attending a racecourse or calling in on a high street bookmaker are not simply going to put under the pillow the money they would otherwise have spent. They will seek out alternative outlets for their passions, and happily there has never been a better choice of legal gambling websites as there is now. Not only are they legal but the choice and excellence of games, quality of service and technological reliability has never been so great.

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We have also seen this week that several big retail operations in the U.K. including Debenhams, and Topshop which is of course international, have been purchased by leading online retailers, who intend to leverage the brand name whilst at the same time closing the high street properties.

The pandemic continues to accelerate what were already distinct trends, and those not ready will pay the price. So, to touch on my previous theme, land-based casino operators must use this time to strengthen their online presence, because business is very unlikely to return exactly as it was before, with a hybrid online/landbased business model the most likely outcome.

Now, as we all know, with rapid growth and expansion of a successful industry there are those who are also looking for opportunities, but not always the legal type. As has been seen throughout I.T. roll outs in both the private and public sector, the quicker and more aggressive the expansion the more chance there is of internet

security lapses, which demandan extremely high price to pay for rapidly addressing the increased demand in the market.

One of my roles when advising clients is to take a step back and consider where the weaknesses are in the software and hardware infrastructure. I am professionally qualified to know if there are any weaknesses in the trustworthiness of the physical equipment, but to know if the software is secure, we need to get a more professional view.

I cannot imagine what could be worse for the brand of a company than a major security breach in the I.T. part of the operation. Not only should we be afraid of financial fraud (consider we spend a lot of time and effort to counter-act cheating in a bricks and mortar casino, are we doing enough on-line) but what would be the reputational fall-out if it were found that the data of the clients, their financial status, playing history and personal details, all of which are

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becoming required information on legislated sites for social responsibility and AML reasons, was corrupted.

Who would have imagined that the security of corporate giants such as Virgin Media, British Airways and Equifax could be breached, the latter exposing the details of 147 million consumers in 2017? For regular commercial websites a breach such as that would be bad enough but imagine if the details of clients’ playing habits were made known, this would be catastrophic for a reputable casino gaming site.

I have been seeking to educate myself on the security of gaming on-line, so to that aim I spoke with Ben Gunn, head of Olchon and Associates, a leading global Asset Protection Organisation. What they don’t know about cyber protection isn’t worth knowing and I was interested in how a company might wish to ensure their protection from exterior threats.

Ben’s speciality is orchestrating simulated attacks on systems, and the physical shielding of the servers and communications within an organisation.

Ben has said that it is essential, in the first instance, to consider a Cyber Security Health Check.

“A Cyber Security Health Check (CSHC) is an independent, subjective security review of the current Information & Communication Technology (ICT) system, incorporating recommendations for future target hardening.” Said Ben. “The CSHC can be reactive, in response to a security or safety incident, or as a proactive, preventative, measure to mitigate risk.”

At the heart of a target hardening procedure is Cyber Penetration Testing. Cyber Penetration Testing is carried out by lone workers or organised teams ethically hacking into an ICT system or parts of the system

and exposing the vulnerabilities. Ben tells me that at the very minimum all companies should be doing this on an annual basis, to at least give them the comfort of knowing where their weaknesses are. It compares to having a Physical Penetration Test on your security systems, a service which Olchon also delivers, which is an on-site assessment, rather than sitting in front of a computer system; a service still conducted throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

To date we haven’t seen in the news a major disruption on a gaming site due to a cyber-attack, or to be more specific, we are not made aware of the countless attempts to hack, disrupt or deny an online system. A major attack must seem inevitable, and as many of the online companies are publicly owned, there is a larger corporate responsibility to answer to.

(PTO)

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Tim Cullimore Article

Ben continued: “I advise my clients to be proactive and not just hope that all will be well. Bearing in mind a company has a player’s personal details, logins, passwords and access to payment systems”.

If I were a player on my preferred provider, I would be gratified to know that the company was instigating the highest levels of security, surely a good selling point, and further reason to play on fully certified sites, as opposed to deregulated ones.

Digital Toothpick We see that the UK Gambling Commission has announced their proposals for making slot games safer, or at least that is what they are attempting to do, but to me it seems like a lot of box ticking: “The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) announced on Tuesday a package of strict measures aimed at strengthening the protections and controls for those who gamble through online slots games – including the introduction of limits on spin

25

speeds, and the permanent ban on features that speed up play or celebrate losses as wins.”

This really does appear to be at the best misguided and actually comes across as very lazy regulation. These measures have been talked about and sometimes implemented over many manyyears in Europe, where the slot market is stronger, larger, and more mature. It has had little effect in the protection of the most vulnerable players, either in remote or non-remote scenarios. At the same time, the BGC (Betting & Gaming Council) has shown that the number of players using black market sites has more than doubled according to a report made

by PwC. We really need some joined up thinking here.

To most players, they may not even see the change in game speed, but if they appear to have more money left over after a certain time playing they are most likely to up their stake or play for a longer period. To those who are the most in danger, if they feel the game is going too slow, they will do the obvious and play on two

or more devices, on several separate sites, simultaneously. Shouldn’t this be obvious? So there will be less opportunity to monitor their play, and a diminishing opportunity to step in and help them.

Many years ago there was regulation in one European jurisdiction which didn’t allow for repeat play on slots in land-based casinos, with the goal of slowing down the rhythm of the player. Many players love setting their bet and then letting the machine play automatically until they won or ran out of credits. So when this repeat play feature was no longer allowed I noticed that we were getting through more toothpicks than usual in the restaurant. I found the players were using the toothpicks to jam the play button, so the slot machine continued to play “automatically” as before.

With the limitations the Gambling Commission is suggesting we will see the players using what I think of as “Digital Toothpicks” to play at the rhythm they like.

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GAMING NEWS

Wynn Resorts Post $2 Billion Loss For 2020

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ICE London Cancelled For 2021 The ICE London Gaming Show which was due to be held in late June has been cancelled for the year says Clarion Events the organisers of the annual meeting for the gaming sector.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic which sees the venue, The Excel Centre in London still be using as an emergency hospital, the ICE Show which has seen its normal date in early February changed firstly to April and then late June now cancelled completely for the year.

Wynn Resorts

have announced their results for 2020 showing a 58.5% drop in revenues across their business in both the US and Macau.

In the official announcement Stuart Hunter MD for Clarion Gaming said: “The soundings we’ve taken and the ongoing conversations we are having with exhibitors of all sizes across both events have shown contin-

In reporting their fourth quarter results along with full year, the company said that in the final quarter revenues were $686 million with a net loss of $269.5 million.

ued and significant uncertainty about the year ahead.

Exhibitors have expressed a desire to put the experiences of the last 12 months behind them and instead focus their collective energy and creativity into making the 2022 editions into memorable in-person cel-

For the full year results were not pretty for the company as revenues due to the global pandemic hit the land based casino industry hard with local and national lockdowns. In reporting the full year results CEO of Wynn, Matt Maddox said total revenues were down 68.3% to $2.1 billion with a net loss for the company of $2 billion.

ebrations.”

The iGaming Post has tried to contact Clarion Gaming several times prior to the announcement as several exhibitors and former staff at Clarion approached the iGaming Post regarding the cancellation, but no response was forthcoming from the organisers.

The CEO said in his report: “We are encouraged by the progress we have made at each of our properties over the past several months, as we continue along the road to recovery from the pandemic. In Macau, the gradual and thoughtful easing of visitation restrictions allowed us to return to Adjusted Property EBITDA profitability in the fourth quarter, with particular strength in our premium mass business.”

He went on to say focussing on the US business “our operations at both Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Boston Harbor were resilient as we continue to deliver our industry-leading service, while remaining focused on costs. On the development front, our WynnBet online casino and sports betting app is currently available in three states following successful launches in Colorado and Michigan, with additional launches planned over the coming months.”

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what will spring bring?

By Teresa Tunstall

F

ebruary, my favourite month full of anticipation for Spring time. However, Lockdown is still with us yet I long for normality that will give us back our lives.

Particularly for those who have seen winter through gambling Online what could be easier? Submerged on their laptop with bright lights flashing you could be in Las Vegas!

The reality is far from the dream but it can help to escape into our own ‘bubble,’ unfortunately the consequences can be a disaster for some players using ‘turbo play,’ which allows players to speed up games and place multiple stakes on different games at the same time. No longer will there be offers to players such as, ‘reverse withdrawals,’ when players opt to collect their winnings then with a change of mind decide to feed the cash back into their account allowing them to play on.

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Such high-risk gambling will be stopped and according to the Gambling Commission this will be made mandatory.

The moves come in response to concern over what are known as online slot games designed to mimic slot machines in real-life betting in shops and casinos. These account for an estimated 70% of online casino

games. There is no doubt that the Gambling Commission will do their best to support gamblers in need of help, however the downside is that it’s so easy for a player to switch over to Online gaming outside the UK. Countries in Europe which are easy to play on and don’t necessary carry safeguards or information for players. Things are moving fast furious over in the UK and players should

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restrict themselves to gambling only in the UK. After playing you need a cool drink apparently when it comes to drinking enough water quantity is not necessarily quality. A new study has shown that too much water can flush out vital nutrients now it seems fresh water containing foods is best for us.

For instance, eating an apple with a bottle of water hydrates is more effective than drinking two bottles of water because the fibrous material in an apple serves as a sponge to help hold the moisture longer. Avoiding processed food like pizzas, which not only lacks moisture but is laden with salt which makes you lose more fluid

than you originally drank.

Ideally,we should drink a glass of water before each meal, a great way to spread your hydration evenly throughout the day and filling your plate with high-water content fruit and vegetables plus adding a daily green smoothie made by blending water-filled vegetables and fruit.

The Ritz casino club London, has been bought by Las Vegas gaming company, casinos are shut down so this could take a long time to raise its head. However, ‘Hard Rock’, this is an interesting investment as at the moment all UK the majesty of The Ritz casino will require much time to

match the original granular of such an amazing club.

The Australian lottery and betting operator, Tabcorp Holdings issued its own announcement acknowledging the shutdown of hotels and clubs, due to Lockdown caused by Covert 19.

SkyCity Entertainment Group, the New Zealand-based operator which also runs a casino in Adelaide, announced that it was closing that venue and withdrawing its earnings guidance for the current fiscal year based on “uncertainty as to the duration of the closure.”

(PTO)

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Teresa Tunstall Article continued

SkyCity is keen for its casinos to remain open but warned that it was “preparing for the potential closure of its New Zealand properties” should the government raise the COVID-19 Alert Level beyond its current ‘level 2’ designation.

Meanwhile, Tasmania’s pub and club owners are protesting the fact that they’re being asked to continue making rental payments on their video poker machines despite the fact that the pubs are now closed and the machines are no longer accessible.

The monopoly on poker operations in Tasmania, but poker rent would still need to be paid, “due to ongoing commitment to pay these lease agreements with banks.

While Russia’s experiencing turmoil with real disruption from their citizens reminds me when I was asked to give presentation on Problem Gambling, to staff in a Moscow casino. First, we arrived at our hotel to find a young group singing for the audience all Beatles songs and even dressed as the Beatles, as soon as they finished singing, we approached them only

to find they didn’t speak a word of English. Training started the next day this time with a translator’, I explained in London if you are going out for the evening and intend to drink alcohol you would leave your carat home.

My young group started to laugh I turned my Translator why they were laughing? Apparently, if they went out party for the evening, they would just be sure they had enough money, to keep the police happy!

A new hotel casino is looking to expand in Primorye region of Russia, progresses with its casino market to help the counties in the far Eastern become more self-sufficient. The plan is to introduce a similar development to the Crimea region, previously Russia President Vladimir Putins quashed the idea.

Now studies have shown that the area could add around $329 million in annual revenue once it is up and running, plus the massive number of jobs that would be added to the economy.

31

appeal to most international travellers, though many Russians seem to enjoy ‘polar bear’ environments.

A gambling zone can fill the treasury of the Republic of Crimea with 25 billion roubles annually, adding an increase to the number of jobs for the local population.

The Primorye region already has the Tigre de Cristal, with its close proximity to Japan, China and South Korea, it has the ability to attract international attention, provided borders can be reopened, Crimea is optimistic that it too, can become a global gambling target. Properties will have to be careful of how they promote themselves and should avoid targeting Chinese gamblers at this point. The gambling zone project is scheduled to be implemented in three years.

Read more from Teresa Tunstall each month in the Infinity Gaming Magazine

Lounging around on a beach chair when it’s 38F outside probably won’t

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34

Multitasking: the enemy of success?

When your best work turns out to be your competitors worst, you could be a victim of multitasking, it’s never too late to take action so say ‘NO’ to multitasking!

By Andy Cosgrove

S

ome might say that multitasking is the ultimate ‘must have’ skill in today’s competitive job market because it’s considered productive to answer an email, order a coffee, have a meeting with your boss, fix a slot machine and, all this, while having to meet financial targets and exceed customer expectations! Some CEO’s go even further and proclaim that without multitasking success, fame, fortune and everything that goes with it will remain an illusion. On the other side of the debate, I contest that multitasking is the enemy of success and that a wise leader should banish multitasking from their building

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allowing their management team to focus on operational priorities that will nurture growth and sustain the kind of success that a multitasker can only dream of. So how can you, the humble slot managers of the world, make sure that multitasking doesn’t creep up on you like a hungry peregrine falcon on an unsuspecting field mouse?

Focus on your number one priority and build success sequentially – Building sequentially relates to building one step at a time in a logical order to maximize results.

Focusing on more than one goal at time will yield the same result

as the peregrine falcon trying to catch two field mice at the same time while travelling at speeds of up to 390km/h and expecting not to go home hungry! The ‘One step at a time’ concept might be alien to the multitasker but it is frequently reflected in the ‘okay, regular and forever average’ results they achieve.

Success, however, means identifying your top priority and identifying the sequence of events that will ensure that you reach your goal, and achieve greatness by breaking down your top priority into smaller, more actionable steps. In real life, the road to success can be bumpy, and it can be really easy to lose focus which is

35

why it’s important to counterbalance the bumps and remain on track. In project management the ultimate project objectives are revisited on a frequent basis in order to assure that focus is maintained, and the project remains aligned with expectations.

A great leader knows all about the bumpy road to success but keeps the multitaskers at bay by adapting priorities and making sure that each step they take is laser sharp focused and leading towards their number one priority.

No one succeeds alone – In any business, teamwork is essential and for you to reach your ultimate goal you will need the help of others.

A common mistake of the multitasker is to want to claim glory from themselves by doing everything at the same time and, by themselves.

I have borne witness to this kind of phenomena; it’s not pretty and rarely results in anything successful. No one is self-made, and all successful people have someone behind them whether it be a friend with a technical skill or a coach who pushed an athlete to their limits. If you’re working on moving half of your slots floor around, you know you’ll need to coordinate with electricians, IT techs, slot techs, Security, suppliers, and the list goes on. The focus is the same, ‘to create a more productive slots floor’ one step at a time so delegating tasks is es-

sential and will give you more time to focus on managing the coordinated effort and increasing your chances of success.

Beware of multitasking lies and thieves of productivity – Some bosses state that everything matters equally and other outrageous, non-productive rants. Multitasking is one of those rants and is a big lie simply because by definition it calls for juggling which, in turn will cause distraction, loss of focus, place limitations on your productivity, and inevitably cause your projects to fail.

Multitaskers fail to recognize many of the thieves of productivity such as the ability to ‘say no’ and fail to realize that

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Andy Cosgrove Article (continued) successful you have to justify one thousand ‘no’s’ to defend a single yes, so make sure you know what you’re getting into beforehand. The fear of chaos is another attribute of the multitasker but when you’re busy focusing on your top priority some things will inevitably not get done.

Great leaders know that on the path to success, chaos will inevitably make an uninvited appearance and so they counterbalance the effects by blocking out time to focus on their main priority and reduce the chaos factor by becoming more productive.

Don’t fear big and use your time wisely – Some bosses use the word big as much as possible when it comes to projecting success. Big plans, big budget, big benefits, and big risks are enough to send the multitasker into overdrive and force many employees to run for the hills rather than step outside of their comfort zone. The great leader looks at big, embraces it and uses it to their advantage. They are relentless in their pursuit of success so block out time to focus on their one priority instead of constantly putting out fires like our familiar colleague the multitasker.

Think about this, we all have the same amount of time in the day so the more you concentrate on what you can do right now to help achieve your number one goal, the more likely you are to achieve it. To be successful it’s important to drown out the noise and concentrate on what’s important, so think big, use your time wisely, start taking action and greatness will become your new best friend.

Are you asking the right questions or are you just multitasking yourself towards the wrong answer?

- Part of great success starts by asking the right kind of question and not, as the multitasker might speculate, by asking a thousand random, mostly irrelevant ones where the only goal is

to create more clutter. The right kind of slots question might be, “what’s the one priority I can focus on to maximize slots productivity in such a way that by doing so I will add more value to the customer experience and in turn, generate higher revenues?”

By first asking the right question you now have a vision of what the ‘big picture’ might look like and when you start by establishing well defined goals, you have already taken the first step towards building a solid foundation for success. By ignoring ‘what’s doable’ and drilling it down to ‘what’s necessary,’ you become more productive and are ready to start building in the right direction and adding true value to the customer experience.

Use purpose, priority, and productivity to achieve extraordinary results – A lot of businesses focus only on profit and productivity without giving any thought to their significantly larger cousins, purpose and priority. The unseen and largest driver behind success is purpose and we all have it. The peregrine falcon’s purpose is to eat in order to survive, and in order to survive you have to set your priorities (this includes saying no!) without which, you won’t have much luck being productive or reaching you revenue targets. A typical slots example might have a choice between changing the power supply in your top performing slot machine

37

and diplomatically telling your boss that he will have to wait for his urgent meeting regarding the AV setup for the office party which is still 3 months away. Together, purpose productivity and priority are the foundations of success. Neglect one of them and multitasking will set in and reaching your goals will become like launching a fishing boat with multiple holes in its hull and expecting it never to sink.

Conclusion – Success remains an illusion to many, but if you ask the right questions, block out the noise and focus on your number one priority, success will no longer be a myth and even the multitasker might find satisfaction in building extraordinary results one ‘focused’ step at a time.

----MY MINI-BLOG - Andrew Cosgrove is a seasoned slot operations veteran and certified project manager with over 24 years of hands on experience in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Andrew has worked on both the operator and supplier side of casino slots and continues to help clients succeed and exceed customer expectations.

Andrew can be reached at andy.cosgrove@hemingwaycasinoconsulting.com Or go to: http://hemingwaycasinoconsulting.com/

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39

5Dimes Wins Isle Of Man License

5

forward to upholding the same level of principles and innovation with the launch of 5Dimes.”

This license allows 5Dimes to establish a comprehensive international operation, excluding the United States, in the Isle of Man and conduct legal and regulated gaming activities in full compliance across multiple jurisdictions.

5Dimes is a leader in online sports gaming with strong brand recognition and more than 20 years of experience. The launch provides players full access to 5Dimes’ robust gaming platform with customized applications, a diverse offering of lines, and other gambling options. Known for its reliability and loyal customer base, 5Dimes is focused on becoming one of the leading international e-gaming platforms, catering to all players from the small wager bettor to the larger players across multiple regulated jurisdictions.

Dimeshas announced the launch of its online sports betting and casino products in the Isle of Man market, following the issuing by The Gambling Supervision Commission in awarding 5Dimes a license in February 2021.

“This licensure is an exciting milestone for the 5Dimes brand,” said Laura Varela, Member of 5Dimes Sportsbook’s Board of Directors.

“The Isle of Man is a Tier-1 jurisdiction, known for its advanced approach to gambling and e-gaming legislation and its exceptional reputation in the international gaming community. The Isle of Man sets high standards for its gaming operators and players, and we look

5Dimes will establish a management and operations team base in the Isle of Man to support key functions such as compliance, finance and operations.

“This undertaking in the Isle of Man is a first step towards relaunching

the 5Dimes brand in all legalized jurisdictions around the world,” continued Ms. Varela. “We are excited to welcome back many of our loyal customers to our top-of-the-line gaming experience while keeping our eyes set on future expansion opportunities in additional legal and regulated markets in the near future.”

This venture is possible because of a public settlement in the United States in September 2020, which freed the Company to explore expansion options, including, but not limited to, licensing the 5Dimes brand to conduct legal, regulated gaming activities in the United States and internationally.

The licensing process in the Isle of Man was made possible with the support of the Wilton Group, an independent professional services firm with offices in London’s Mayfair, the Isle of Man, Dublin, Dubai, and Bristol.

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GAMING NEWS

Crown Resorts Found Not Suitable For Sydney

F

ollowing a gruelling month long investigation into Crown Resorts application to receive a license for their A$2.2 Billion Barangaroo casino resort, has found them unsuitable.

The final report by the NSW’s Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) that was presented to the State Parliament on Tuesday found that the company need to make “sweeping cultural changes if it wanted to apply for a license in the future.”

Heading the inquiry, Commissioner Patricia Bergin — a former chief judge in the NSW Supreme Court said that Crown Resorts casinos in Melbourne and Perth were found to have serious issues with money laundering and also possible links to international organised crime.

It was also said the company had regulatory arrangement failings which needed to be addressed.

With the new resort in Sydney which has already opened its hotel and restaurants it now remains to be seen what happens next. The report is not final and needs to be adopted by the ILGA but this is believed to be a formality.

The “core problems” which made Crown unsuitable, the report said, were the operator’s “poor corporate governance” and “deficient risk-management structures.”

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Macau Operators Hopeful On CNY Numbers

Casino operators in Macau are optimistic that the forthcoming Chinese New Year (CNY) that begins on Thursday 11th February will be better than expected.

In recent conference calls both SJM and Wynn Macau senior executives said that although bookings were down on last year they did expect many mainland Chinese to travel to Macau.

However some local government regions in Macau have said that their citizens should avoid external travel it is thought that many will want to celebrate the CNY in Macau.

But with no new cases of COVID-19 reported on the mainland for some time now, operators hope that the revenues compared to last year could be around 25% lower than normal.

Revenues Down By 63% For January

Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, the regulator for gaming has released its monthly figures for January showing a fall in revenues by 63.7% to just over $1 billion compared to the same period in 2020.

However the slightly better news is that January showed an increase from the previous month in revenues by 2.6%.

The continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the reduced numbers in VIP players has continued to weigh down figures for the world’s largest gambling hub.

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GAMING NEWS

45

UK Gambling Industry Will Survive Gambling Reforms

S

tewart Kenny one of the co-founders of Paddy Power when it was conceived in 1988 has written an article in which he blames himself as much as the company he built for failings in social responsibility towards gambling addiction.

In an article by the Daily Mail online Kenny looks at the failings of both government and the industry to protect their customers, however the piece is more about who should be responsible and the blame is on regulators and lawmakers to have in place measures that help vulnerable gamblers.

The gambling industry is the same as any major sector, those working within the regulations follow those rules, but in the gambling industry in the UK they still are attacked for not protecting problem gamblers.

We all know that within the gambling business there are a lot of very smart people and work within the laws set out by Gambling Commis-

sion and government, but when too successful they are criticised for not protecting gamblers.

on any changes is impossible to know, there will be some it could be more or it could be less.

How can government expect an industry to regulate itself? It is the purpose of government and its lawmakers to do this and the industry will follow, there are some big changes set to happen especially to the online gambling sector in the UK which will follow the current review of the 2005 gambling act and it is probably for the best.

Every industry has its lobbyists and the gambling industry is no different, they work to ensure their clients get the best deal possible from any government changes. The gambling industry will try and fight their corner for protecting their businesses against radical change, they have shareholders, investors and indeed their own staff to protect and serve.

Some gambling companies are trying to impose their own measures to protect gamblers, but without ALL companies doing the same the measures will not work. That is why in the end it is government that should enforce and regulate the sector.

Changes will happen this year, we have already seen some announcements on sports shirt advertising and more will come.

Kenny says in his article that gambling companies should expect to be hit by around a 15% drop in their profits with the new changes such as cross promotion of gambling products and limiting deposits by law and not by the industry itself. The impact

But the gambling industry are a very clever group and they will even thou complain about the new regulations they will do the best within those new restrictions. The success of any business is how they adapt to change and the gambling sector has been around for centuries and will be so for a long time to come.

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GAMING NEWS

China Warn On Cross-Broder Gambling

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Playtech Investor Wants New Chairperson

Three of China’s leading law enforcement

agencies stated that they were after any organisers of “cross-border gambling crimes” and that if there are any citizens involved in those activities they have until the 30th April to give themselves up to Chinese authorities or face stronger punishments if they are caught.

In a joint announcement by the law agencies last week on mainland China it said that those nationals involved in illegal promotion of gambling to Chinese citizens should “turn themselves in” and receive more lenient prosecution by judges than those who were found to be supporting or acting as “backers and or investors of the gaming groups outside China that solicit our people to gamble.”

It is not believed these actions are focused on Macau operators but those working on behalf of other locations that promote casino gambling or online gambling to Chinese players.

On the briefing the law enforcement agencies did not mention any nations or countries that they are looking at but said they were focusing on “networks by the gambling groups working outside our country that targeted our people, and we will not give up until we achieve our goal.”

It is said that police had already taken legal action against some 35,000 people in China that were allegedly involved in illegal gambling activities in the last year.

In naming those people or organisations the new focus will be on and will be targeting are “casinos’ operators, controllers, investors, managers or those that profit from casinos, gaming rooms and gaming tables; and also the builders, providers and users of online gambling.

Playtech the online gaming software company is fighting off a shareholder revolt over the appointment of a new Chairman since the departure of Alan Jackson last year.

According to a report in the Times Newspaper some of the major shareholders are unhappy because Playtech which started its search for a replacement early last year but then suspended the process in May citing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since that time Claire Milne has been working as interim Chairperson for the company and Playtech has stated that they will begin the process for a successor in due time.

Apparently Jason Ader and his investment firm SpringOwl that holds a 5% stake in Playtech has vented his frustration on the lack of urgency with the search by saying, “We do not support Claire Milne as the future chairwoman of Playtech,” he was quoted as saying in the article.

He is said to have continued by stating “We believe there are better candidates to lead this company into US gaming markets and lead it in its various endeavours over the course of the next decade.”

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GAMING NEWS

49

SoftSwiss Sportsbook launches its new project

S

oftSwiss is excited to announce the launch of the new betting project, set to run on the recently released Sportsbook Platform. The SoftSwiss Sportsbook’s new client is Bitkingz Sportsbook, the project of the successful Bitkingz Casino. Launched on 1 February, the Bitkingz Sportsbook now gives access to 10,000 live events, with the main odds feeds provider behind the platform being Betradar.

Bitkingz Casino, running on the SoftSwiss Online Casino Platform, is a new casino brand with a team of creative authors and designers with years of experience in the gaming and online casino industry. Now thanks to the SoftSwiss Sportsbook integration into the Online Casino Platform, users will have an easy and uninterrupted switch between online casino and sports betting experience, along with a “seamless wallet” feature.

Furthermore, the Platform provides a fast-performing and high-conversion user interface for even more im-

mersive betting. The solution is also mobile-friendly, as SoftSwiss developers took care of the fact that most bets are made on mobile devices.

The Sportsbook Platform provides an easily customised mobile-first user experience, which in its turn enhances overall platform usability.

Alexander Kamenetskyi, Product Owner of SoftSwiss Sportsbook noted: “Bitkingz Sportsbook is a rather young project, yet it is developing very rapidly. We’re happy to be partnering with such an energetic team to start our own exciting journey in the world of sports betting”.

Lars Dresden, managing shareholder at Bitkingz noted: “Now SoftSwiss not only offers the perfect Online Casino Platform but also provides the most stable and easy to handle all-in-one solution for combined casino and sportsbook operations. We are happy to run an all-in-one entertainment area for our audience.”

extending its territories by acquiring new exciting sports betting projects. The very first deal was inked in December 2020 with JooSports, the project of the successful JooCasino, part of N1 Partners Group.

SoftSwiss Sportsbook Platform is an all-in-one solution for managing sports betting operations. The solution comes with full risk management, fraud prevention and high-quality customer support.

Sportsbook inherits the company’s extensive experience in the iGaming market and all crucial functionality and features from SoftSwiss Online Casino Platform: security, stability, advanced player segmentation, adaptability to operators’ marketing needs.

Find out more about SoftSwiss Sportsbook here: https://www.softswiss.com/sportsbook/

Officially released in December 2020, the SoftSwiss Sportsbook keeps on

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