Infinity Gaming Magazine Special Edition 2021

InfinityGaming www.gaming-awards.com | ISSUE129

WE ARE BACK

IGA & WIG DIVERSITY 2021 ALL THE WINNERS & MORE GAMING + ARTICLES + BUSINESS+ GLOBAL + ONLINE + NEWS+ AWARDS + etc

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43 INSPIRING SPEAKER

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36 WIGD AWARDS RECEPTION

44 WIGD AWARDS WINNERS

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.

56 A MATTER OF LIFE & DEATH Christina Thakor-Rankin

63 LONG HAUL 66 SLOT MANAGEMENT Andy Cosgrove

IGA2021 WINNERS

70 AUTUMNS COMING Teresa Tunstall

76 NFT MARKETPLACE BBIN CHAMPAGNE RECEPTION

Lynn Pearce De Freitas + NEWS & MORE NEWS

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from the gaming industry

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A note from the editor ple said it was so good to be back.

But let our attendees say it for me with the following comments: “A fantastic evening as always, made even fantastic that you and the team put on two wonderful productions in two different locations in three days! – Ciara Nic Laim Commercial Director Betsson.

So Good to be Back”

“Such a beautifully organised event and an amazing night.” – Chu Yook Crea-

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

tive Director Greentube. “A huge thank you to Clever Duck Media for hosting

Lana Thompson - Editor

the event what an amazing evening” – Eyecon I could go on and thank you to all our

Special Edition of the IGA & WIGD Awards

companies and people for commenting.

congratulate and companies that have and see who won at both events.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Infinity Gaming Magazine and Congratula-

Also not forgetting our superb writers

tions to all those winners at the 2021

as always, enjoy this extra large edition

International Gaming Awards (IGA) &

of the magazine and if you missed the

The Women in Gaming Diversity Awards

events in person we will be back again

(WIGD). Wow what a week we just had,

at the end of January for the 2022 IGA

two events in three days!

Awards, see you then.

It was so amazing to return and see so

Enjoy this special edition of this maga-

many friends and inspiring people and

zine.

companies and we think you all missed our events.

“To Infinity and Beyond!”

Edition of the IGA and everyone enjoyed the Champagne Reception hosted by

Regards,

BBIN before going to the main ballroom

Lana

for the ceremony and dinner, once again expertly hosted by the Savoy Hotel.

The Editor It seems that we all missed face to face events so much and so many times peo-

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Company Reg. No. 687 1018 (Registered in England) V.A.T reg. no 972 6372 91

There are so many wonderful people to done superb things so I will let you read

We started on Wednesday with the 14th

PUBLISHING Infinity Gaming Magazine is operated by © Clever Duck Media Ltd ®

Sponsorship Opportunities Colin@cleverduckmedia.com Business Partnerships Svetlana@gaming-awards.com Marketing & Advertising claire@cleverduckmedia.com 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 extensive senior management experience in online gaming. She is an experienced, data-driven, commercially focused, strategic marketing leader. She has over 15 years of proven success in gaming, from land-based casinos, to online gaming companies offering sports betting, poker and casino, live casino and Esports. Lynn has many start-ups under her belt

and is now co-founder and CEO of a start-up igaming company, Mobius Interactive Ltd, headquartered in Vancouver BC Canada.

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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GAMING NEWS

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UK Gaming Council crackdown on black market operators

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esults of a study released for the new standards body, the Betting and Gaming Council, (BGC) which represents UK regulated operators, revealed that consumers are exposed to a huge number of unlicensed operators, 38 per cent, through search results for key gambling terms on major search engines.

As a result, the BGC has called on the government to ensure that the Online Harms Bill, which is soon to be introduced in parliament, includes action to crack down on platforms that profit from unregulated, black market gambling operators.

Michael Dugher, chief executive of the BGC, stated: “Search platforms are promoting black-market gambling operators for profit, putting the British consumers, including children, at risk. None of the UK’s strict licensed safeguards are in place on these illegal sites.

“Regulated bookies and online operators have a strict zero tolerance approach to underage gambling, yet unlicensed operators are free to prey on vulnerable consumers.

“We welcome the Government’s Online Harms Bill. But it also provides the Government with a chance to clamp down on the black-market and help protect punters who want a flutter in a safe environment.”

The study found that a particular danger is that children are accessing websites because there are no strict ID and age verification measures.

Strict verification procedures were introduced in May 2019 for UK licensed operators that require full verification of name, age and address before anyone can open an online account or place a bet.

The BGC findings also revealed that four in 10 search results for key gambling terms on major search engines are unlicensed black-market

operators. There are 27 million visits from UK IP addresses to black market gambling sites and an estimated 200,000 people in the UK have used illegal gambling sites in past 12 months.

This follows the regulatory Advisory Board for Safer Gambling warning in 2018 that internet service providers, app stores, search engine companies and other relevant providers should be vigilant to the possibility of third-party use of their products to provide illegal gambling to children and young people, and should be proactive in preventing it.

The sizeable proportion of customers using unlicensed operators shows that the revenue of the active ‘black market’ in the UK today is worth around £1.4bn in stakes.

The BGC is the single industry association for betting and gaming, representing betting shops, online gaming businesses and casinos.

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2021 INTERNATIONA

GAMING AWARD AT T H E

SAVOYHOTEL 8th September 2021 London

S E C T I O N T I T L E

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12 MAG A Z I N E

The Champagne Reception Sponsored by BBIN

Above Our Champagne Reception sponsor BBIN organised an excellent start to the evening 1 2

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13 S E C T I O N T I T L E

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hen you have a chance to speak to some of the leading figures from the online and land based

gambling industry Clever Duck Media and our interviewer Lauren Morris did not miss the opportunity.

The team were on hand to turn on the lights and record some truly memorable moments from the Champagne Reception sponsored

by BBIN. The reception party was in full swing thanks to the superb music on offer.

With the champagne flowing for the first time in 18 months attendees were delighted to network at the first major event back in the gaming industry.

As always with the International Gaming Awards there were some glamorous dresses by the ladies and all the men dressesd to impress.

This is a night for the entire gambling industry to get together and celebrate theirs and others achievements.

The setting for the 2021 International Gaming Awards was the Savoy Hotel London and attendees were treated to the highest level of service only one of the most exclusive hotels in the World can deliver.

Everything was in place for what was going to be one of the best nights ever for the awards ceremony and all those in attendance.

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Above Photos Relaxing at the Champagne

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MAG A Z I N E

Right IGT

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S E C T I O N T I T L E

Above Netwroking at the Champagne Reception Left Celebrating being back to face to face events

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Above & Right Everywhere you looked great dresses and the men were well dressed too.

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S E C T I O N T I T L E

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And the winners are....

Left BBIN Winner Australia/Asia Focused Technology Supplier of the Year

Below SOFTSWISS Wins Best Customer Service Of The Year

Below Galaxy Entertainment Casino Operator Of The Year Asia/Australia & Charitable Community Award

Below UltraPlay Winner of eSports Betting Software

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Above Majestic Bingo Wins Game of the Year Left ComeOn scoops Great Place to Work (Operators) Top Right Innovator of the Year won by Coolbet (Operator) Below Oryx Gaming Wins the Supplier version of Great Place to Work

Right Betconstruct Wins iGaming Software Supplier

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Above Innovator of the Year (Supplier) won by Microgaming

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S E C T I O N T I T L E

Above Live Casino of the Year Winner 1xBet

Left Betsson Mobile Operator of the Year Winner

Right Lottery Product of the Year Winner - IGT Mobile Lottery Solutions

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Winning an award You got to thank people

Above Coolbet Collects Mobile Sports Product of the Year Right The Award for Online Casino Operator of the Year went to ComeOn

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Top LeoVegas Scoops Online Gaming Operator of the Year Above Relax Gaming Wins Unique Gaming Company of the Year Left Just for the win takes Rising Star of the Year INFINITY GAMING

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Above Online Poker Operator of the Year Kindred

Above Winner Pragmatic Play RNG Casino Supplier of the Year Right Yggdrasil wins Slot Provider Award

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27 S E C T I O N T I T L E

Above Slots Operator of the Year - Videoslots Below Betsson Awarded Safer Gambling Operator of the

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And The Winners are The Stage Photos

Above Sports Betting Operator went to Kindred Right Sports Betting Platform was won

by Digitain

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Above IGT receives Technology Provider/Supplier of the Year Below Scientific Games picks up Sustainable Business of the Year

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The After Party Sponsored By Videoslots - Been Awhile For A Party

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GAMING NEWS

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William Hill seals the deal with CBS

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K bookmakers, William Hill, this week sealed a deal with major US media company CBS to provide sports betting to the CBS Sports Digital network.

Stars Group, who many say is about to merge with Flutter, has a deal with Fox Sports. And Ladbrokes Coral owner GVC has a contract with MGM Resorts.

branding and promotional rights across CBS’ leading digital sports properties in the US, to take the William Hill brand further and faster in the US.”

This gives the betting giants access to more than 80 million viewers who use the media channel to watch golf, American football and baseball.

The betting company’s shares have struggled compared with its competitors, which have risen sharply after agreeing deals with US companies.

Hill’s performance on the stock market has been lagging behind competitors who have clinched deals with US companies. Stricter gambling regulations in the UK have also affected Hill’s financial performance, including an upcoming ban on credit card gambling and a new cap on fixed-odds betting terminals.

American legislators in many states began reversing a decades-long ban on sports wagering almost two years ago, opening up a lucrative market for experienced operators from Britain.

Jeffrey Gerttula, Executive Vice President and General Manager of CBS Sports Digital, said: “We’re thrilled to launch this momentous partnership, which will allow us to deepen our investment and further extend our leadership in delivering multi-platform sports wagering content, while providing William Hill with unprecedented reach for their market-leading betting platform as they continue to grow their industry leading US business.”

However, the company has forged a relationship in Nevada where gambling rules are less strict, and signed a deal with Eldorado Resorts two years ago.

William Hill’s competitors, meanwhile, have enjoyed considerable success in transatlantic ventures.

Flutter, the owner of Paddy Power and Betfair staged a successful takeover for fantasy sports company FanDuel in 2018. Sky Bet’s owner,

William Hill’s deal with CBS means its sports channels will use William Hill’s odds and technology.

William Hill Chief Executive Ulrik Bengtssond: “Becoming the official sports betting provider to CBS is another major step forward for William Hill in our US expansion.

“We are already a market leader with leading access, a bespoke technology platform and the most experienced US team.

“Now we have exclusive media,

The partnership will kick off in March, with a full rollout planned for the fantasy football season — a major cash cow for the Viacom BCS-owned media firm.

UK bookies have been jockeying to expand into the US amid growing competition in the country’s recently legalised sports betting market.

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The 2021 Women in Gaming

ARE B INFINITY GAMING

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Diversity & Inclusion Awards

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Left Star of the Future (Supplier) was won by Valeria Russo Below Young Leader of the Year (Operator) Winner Vanessa Simpson from The Stars Group

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The WIG Diversity Champagne Reception AFTER SUCH A LONG TIME ATTENDEES CELEBRATED THEIR RETURN WITH THE #WIGD LOGO

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FINALISTS, THEIR COMPANIES AND COLLEAGUES RELAX BEFORE THE AWARDS START

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SETTLING IN AT THE LONDONER HOTEL BEFORE THE AWARDS CEREMONY AND ENTERTAINED BY THE SUPERB VIVID JAZZ

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Motivating & Inspiring Carol Stewart Talk

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hen you have such an inspirational speaker at the WIG Diversity Awards all the audience listens, Welcome Carol Stweart: Carol is the founder of Abounding

Solutions and author of Quietly Visible: Leading With Influence and Impact as an Introverted Woman (listed as one of the 10 best self-development books written by women to read during lockdown by BeYourOwn). She is an Executive, Career and Leadership Coach, specialising in introverted women who are senior leaders. Carol coaches women to lead with confidence, influence, and impact.

She has been the featured expert in Women and Home magazine, Good Housekeeping magazine, the Telegraph, and other media publications. She is a LinkedIn Top Voice UK 4 years running, and has received awards for developing women leaders.

Carol hosts the Quietly Visible podcast and a TEDx speaker.

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Above Winner Fabienne Bourgaize - B2B Excellence Award Below Betsson Group - Diversity & Inclusion Award

Let The Awards Begin

Above Winner The Coingaming Group - Best Diverse Place To Work Below WinnerGamesys Group - Community Engagement Award

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Above Employee of the Year went to Barbara Batari (Just for the win)

Right Best in House initiative Internal Communication - Scientific Games

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Winning an award Means Hard Work

Above Diverse and Inclusive Team of the Year went to Gamesys Group Right Company of the Year - Quickspin AB

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Top Center: Excellence in Customer Service - Lais Bordallo (Coingaming Group) Right Industry Achiever - Kajal Verma (Push Gaming)

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S E C T I O N T I T L E

Above Employee Wellbeing Award - Microgaming

Above Innovation in Employee Engagement Shondra Deloach-Perea (IGT) Received by Jennifer Bowman Right Winner of Innovator of the Year - Julie Craig (Playtech)

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Above Inspiration of the Year - Natasha Whittaker (Microgaming)

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And The Winners Keep On Coming, You are all Amazing

Above Leader of the Year (Operators)Lena Nordin (Betsson) Right Leader of the Year (Suppliers)Renana Faktor (Playtech)

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Above Positive Role Model of the YearSarah Campbell (Microgaming)

Right Star of the Future (Operators) Camilla Engelin (Betsson Group)

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More Winners & Two Special Awards

Above Young Leader of the Year- Laura Peretta (Betsson) Right Star of the Future (Suppliers)- Mara Costin (Just for the Win)

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We are the Champions!

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Two Very Special Awards With Two Amazing Ladies

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Above Jennifer BowmanReceived The Outstanding Contribution Award Left Industry Pride of the Year - Chu Yook (Greentube)

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Women’s Football: A Matter of Life or Death

By Christina Thakor-Rankin

E

arlier this year the All-In Diversity Project partnered with the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA)to host a session exploring the growing popularity of women’s sport and how this might have an impact in areas such as betting integrity and new commercial opportunities. The session covered a number of areas including the rising number of female sports bettors and included statistics indicating that 43% of sports bettors in the US could be women. Other research suggested that women sports-bettors were on average 20% more successful than their male counterparts. The session appeared to be well received by an open, interested and predominantly male audience.

information was being questioned, the surprise was that the this came from 1) a woman; and 2) a woman who considers themselves to be a supporter of women in the industry.

tions about the rise in female sports betting addiction the evidence is there for anyone who wants to see it.

Women’s sport and sports betting is now ‘a thing’.

With that in mind it feels somehow fitting that as the Women in Gaming awards enter their second decade of celebrating women in the industry, the focus for this month should be about supporting women.

But women’s sport is so, SO, much more than just about female sports bettors and the commercial opportunities it presents to forward-thinking betting operators. In 2021 is it also fast becoming a platform for promoting gender equality and women’s rights.

A few weeks later elements of this discussion were repeated in a smaller closed session. What happened next came as something of a surprise.

All-in was contacted and criticised for spreading misinformation in suggesting that the number of female sports bettors was so high. The surprise was not that our integrity or that of the

Add in some anecdotal data such as betting operators now regularly offering odds on women’s football, cricket and golf (not just tennis), the rise in women’s sports and betting communities on social media, female sports pundits appearing alongside their male counterparts, and reports from problem gambling organiza-

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According to WGP Global women’s football (soccer) is the fastest growing sport in the world. According to FIFA the last women’s World Cup was watched by over 1 billion people, with 260 million watching the final live.

The Olympics and Para Olympics have seen female athletes raise awareness about the inequalities that continue to exist within sport. The Norwegian women’s volleyball team received a fine and risked disqualification after taking a stand against the skimpy bikini bottoms which are a mandatory requirement of the women’s uniform and appearing in shorts as worn as by the men’s team. The event also saw Lauren Hubbard represent New Zealand as the first ever transgender athlete

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and high-profile individuals such as Si-

Arabia was the only country in the world

This comes on the back of the Saudi

mone Biles and Naomi Osaka bravely

that still banned women from driving. In

bid to host the 2027Asian Cup. One of

speaking out about the pressure faced

aligning the removal of the iconic driv-

5 bidders (the others being India, Iran,

by young women in sport and the im-

ing ban with images of women attend-

Qatar and Uzbekistan) the Saudi sub-

pact on their mental health. Their ac-

ing a soccer match it instantly elevated

mission unequivocally links the bid with

tions garnered the respect and support

the game to something much more than

women’s football and by association

of not just other women but also men

just a sport.

women’s rights.

in sport.

Whilst the association between wom-

In talking about the bid in March of

There is one sport though that is fast be-

en’s rights and driving drivers contin-

this year, SAFF Secretary General Ibra-

coming the champion of women’s rights

ues to be complex (activists arrested

him Alkassim said that of the 5m foot-

about any other - women’s football or

and jailed just before the end of the

ball fans in “Saudi Arabia, 33 per cent

soccer to avoid confusion with the other

ban continue to be held in prison), the

are female and their share is growing”

‘football’. Here’s why.

association between women’s rights

and that they “deserve our full atten-

and soccer is a very different matter.

tion, and today’s announcement of our

In 2018 Saudi Arabia announced that

This month saw Monika Staab, ex Bun-

new ambition for women’s football will

it was taking its first steps towards fe-

desliga coach make history when she

hopefully send an encouraging mes-

male emancipation by changing the

tookcharge of the first Saudi women’s

sage to all.”But it was the statement

laws to allowing women to do three

national team, in a project backed by

made by SAFF Board member and Min-

things that they were not allowed to

the Saudi Arabian Football Federation

istry of Sports Planning and Develop-

do before: drive, go to the cinema and

(SAFF).

ment Deputy, Adwa Alarifi, that really

attend sports events.At the time Saudi

drive the message home:

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Christina Thakor-Rankin Article death.

Between them, the Saudisand the Taliban have just turned women’s football into a platform for women’s rights. On their own these two things are probably not enough to turn women’s soccer into a modern-day suffragette movement.

Fortunately, this is not the case.

The actions of the Saudis will ripple across the Middle East and beyond and add to the continuing interest in women’s football, ensuring that by the time the next women’s World Cup comes around in 2023 it will without doubt be the most popular sport on the planet and take place against the backdrop of the men’s World Cup and a mere 6 months before in Qatar amid protests and calls for boycotts against a country with a questionable record on human and women’s rights and allegations of stadiums being built by migrant slave labour.

“As we in Saudi Arabia undertake our own transformation through our national Vision 2030, we want to use our long-standing passion for football to make sure that women and girls across our country can get involved and enjoy the game.”

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 is the country’s long-term economic strategy for diversification, and which has already seen women gain new rights such as getting passports, travelling, living independently and set up businesses without requiring male permission.

Women’s soccer has been a vehicle for pushing gender equality for a few years now, with countries like Norway leading the way by ensur-

ing gender pay equality across the men’s and women’s national sides, but when a country like Saudi Arabia, a country synonymous with the denial of women’s rights for so long, adopts women’s soccer as its‘poster boy’ for modernization this takes the game to a whole new level.

Compare this with the fate of the national women’s soccer team in Afghanistan,in fear of their lives for having committed the sin of playing football following the return to power of the Taliban and evacuated by the Australian government following an appeal by FIFA and Fifpro.For these women football literally was, and for those left behind, continues to be a matter of life or

Compare this to the women’s event co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand and the first event of the modern digital age to include women of every creed, colour and religion from every part of the world taking part ina sport which many will see as synonymous with women’s rights and gender equalitystanding shoulder to shoulder (and most likely including the Afghan women’s team) under the tournament slogan ‘As One’ - watched by billions across the world.

It may not be the start of a new suffragette movement, but hopefully it will be the moment that the world wakes up to the fact that for some women the right to play football continues to be a matter of life or death, and for that reason alone, the world’s continued support of the women who play it, so much, much, more important.

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GAMING NEWS

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Melco Not Giving Up In Japan

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fter nearly a decade working in Yokohama with the local government and agencies Melco Resorts & Entertainment has announced it is closing their office after the newly elected Mayor has given the integrated resort proposal the thumbs down.

In a statement on the closure Lawrence Ho the Chairman and CEO of Melco said: “For the past several years, we have worked with our partners to devise a superlative, worldclass IR proposal that reflects the unique characteristics and culture of Yokohama and which would put the city on the global stage of tourism,” Lawrence Ho went on to say.

“Our proposal was focused on the Asian premium segment, our devo-

tion to quality and craftsmanship, and our dedication to creating a world-class entertainment destination. We designed this resort in a way that reflected Melco’s focus on quality, demonstrating a respectful approach to partnership, developing the most advanced protection measures in the world, and with stringent ethical business conduct during the process.”

on an anti-IR platform, has now closed the door on the process we engaged in with our partners. While we are disappointed, we are grateful for the friendships that we have formed throughout the process and express our sincere gratitude to the people and government of Yokohama, as well as our business and community partners, for their tremendous support.

However local sentiment was set against any such development, and the project ground to a halt.

“Melco has been working on the ground in Japan for over a decade.

We firmly believe in the country’s long-term potential and remain committed to exploring opportunities to develop the world’s best integrated resort in Japan. We will be closing our Yokohama office while maintaining a representative office in Tokyo.”

“Unfortunately, the citizens of Yokohama have decided otherwise, and the mayoral election results give a clear verdict,” added Ho. “The new mayor, having campaigned

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GAMING NEWS

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Metropolitan Gaming In For Long Haul

W

hen the iGamingPost exclusively revealed that US investment firm Silver Point Capital were to buy the total UK casino assets of Caesars Entertainment the belief was that the new owner was to break up the business and sell off several of the outer London properties.

However under its management business, Metropolitan Gaming Limited the iGamingPost has learnt it has refused to discuss any sale of its new casino assets and believes it can go it alone and turnaround the former struggling casino estate.

Caesars Entertainment moved into the UK market back in 2006 on the back of the UK government Budd Report that recommended the country should build super casinos like Las Vegas. However national media campaigns stopped that from happening and Caesars were left with a portfolio of seven casinos that apart from a few made little or no profit.

With no interested parties to buy the business until this year when Caesars made the decision to pull out of Europe and focus solely on the US following the acquisition on William Hill.

At the time when Silver Point purchased the casinos (the final exchange is still pending) it was thought that the investment firm would break up the casinos and sell off the most lucrative locations, but the management now feel they can turnaround the business and eventually sell it for much more than the value they paid for it.

At the time the deal was announced, Edward Mulé, Founding Partner of Silver Point, said: “We are very excited about the opportunity to acquire a number of historic and high-end casinos in the United Kingdom. The acquisition fits well with Silver Point’s focus on investing in high-quality businesses at opportune times.”

“I am excited to join the amazing team at Metropolitan Gaming,” said Michael Silberling, the newly appointed CEO of Metropolitan Gaming. “The world, the global economy, and the hospitality industry have been rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic, but I believe that this team is well positioned to lead a strong rebound of this business, benefitting from their experience and expertise, and a partner that is committed to invest. We intend to focus on job creation and investment in this historic business as we partner with our employees, regulators and the communities in which we operate to create a safe, fun and memorable experience for our customers that is second to none.”

Mr Siberling has an extensive background in gaming with Mohegan Gaming, Affinity Gaming and was even Managing Director for Caesars in the UK under its previous name of Harrah’s Entertainment up until 2008.

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GAMING NEWS

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Coingaming Group Rebrands To Yolo Group

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he Coingaming Group is now Yolo Group, following a full rebrand of the maturing business to better reflect its status as disruptors across a diverse range of sectors including gaming and fintech.

Within the Yolo Group will sit five verticals which cover the full spectrum of the business’ interests: *Yolo Investments, focused on investment opportunities across gaming and fintech. * Yolo Entertainment, incorporating all Coingaming Group B2C brands including Bitcasino and Sportsbet.io. * Yolo Finance, home of our blockchain, fintech and banking rails

related activities. * Yolo Ventures, covering strategic partnership projects on a B2B scale. * Yolo Tech, delivering IT and back office services within our ecosystem.

Yolo Group and the more than 600 Yoloers working with the business will continue to be defined by a “fun, fast and fair” approach and a laser focus on putting the customer at the centre of the universe.

The change in brand will further help create synergy throughout the fast-growing group as it continues to expand into new areas and markets.

both excited and proud to announce that we are rebranding to Yolo Group with a new identity for a company always looking to the future. The Coingaming brand served us well for many years, but as disruptors in industries beyond gaming, we felt Yolo Group better represented our people, our business and our vision.

“Yolo Group is about bringing nextlevel innovation to gaming, fintech, blockchain and many more sectors, all the while ensuring our customers are kept at the centre of the universe.

You only live once and that’s why we don’t settle for anything less.”

Yolo Group CEO Maarja Pärt said: “I’m

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Slot Management 101: Controlling a stage

By Andy Cosgrove You developed a well-defined project concept in the business case, you put together a project brief and used it to get project approval. You planned and executed the initiation stage, but the real work still hasn’t begun.

Now what?

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fter receiving project approval, you gave yourself a much deserved pat on the back and congratulated all those involved for a job well done. You then toiled over the initiation stage to create the management approaches, the project controls and the project plan. You assembled the project initiation documentation and now have a firm foundation to make your ‘next great idea’ a massive success. At this point you and your outstanding team will be feeling really proud of what you’ve accomplished. However, you haven’t yet grabbed a hammer, turned on your cement mixer or put a finger on your impressive new casino management system. Your next step is knowing how to successfully control a project management stage.

necessary precautions and corrective actions are taken to ensure that the management stage remains within pre-defined tolerances. To successfully manage a stage, the focus must be on the products that need to be created, risks and issues need to be kept under control, and each stage must be delivered to stated quality standards and within tolerances for cost, effort and time. The main activities are as follows:

The purpose of the controlling a stage process is to assign work to be done, monitor the work in progress, deal with issues and risks, report progress and ensure all the

Work Packages – If people were to start working on project activities when they felt like it, it would be chaotic. Can you imagine your systems installation team travelling one

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• Work packages - are authorized, reviewed, and received when completed.

• Monitoring and reporting – review the stage status, report highlights.

• Issues and risks – capture and examine, escalate issues and risks, and take corrective action.

thousand miles to find out that the systems hardware won’t arrive for another week? Although work teams require a certain level of autonomy, it’s important that work commences and continues only with the consent of the project manager. The vehicle for this is the production, execution and delivery of a work package. A work package may include extracts from the project plan, and if a product requires more than one work package to create it, then it should be broken down into further products. Reviewing a work package is done in line with the frequency of reporting defined in the work package itself.When the work package is allocated to a team, there should be a matching confirmation that the work has been successfully completed. When approved any subsequent changes must pass through the change control process. The main components of the work package are as follows:

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• Team manager or person authorized to work on the work package • A work package description of the work to be done • Techniques, processes and procedures needed in the creation of the product • Development interfaces including people who provide and who will receive information • Operational and maintenance interfaces are any specialist products with which the product will interact during its lifecycle • Change requirements • Joint agreements include agreements for effort, cost, start and end dates • Tolerances • Constraints include those on the work, people involved and rules to be followed.

• Requirements and frequency of reporting • Problem handling and escalation Monitoring and Reporting – If the

project is not checked on a timely basis, work can get out of control and costs can go through the roof. That new bank of slot machines that you originally planned for and agreed upon could end up as a new, pointless, money losing poker pit or even a trophy room for your narcissistic boss.

There needs to be a balance between planning ahead and reacting to events. In order to make informed decisions, it is necessary, and I repeat necessary, to compare what has actually happened with what was expected. To achieve this requires a steady flow of information that provides an overall view of progress. The inputs and outputs include the following: • Review the progress of the stage including checking the forecasts against actuals, check for quality issues and the risk register for any new or revised risks • Analyze the stage progress to decide if any other actions are required such

as: the need to escalate risk and issues, take corrective action or seek project board advice.

• Update the stage plan if aggregated assessment changes any forecasts • If ownership of any products is to be transferred to the customer, ensure products have been approved, that products meet their quality criteria, and that operations and maintenance organisations are ready to take responsibility for the products.

Issues and Risk – Issues and risks will inevitably occur during the lifecycle of your project.They will appear in an ad hoc manner and will need to be captured, examined, escalated and corrective action taken before they run out of control and leave your small tin of gold coloured paint costing more than an oversized deck of 24 karat gold playing cards.Before deciding on a course of action each issue or risk must be registered and assessed for

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Andy Cosgrove Article

it’s impact. If a project stage exceeds it’s agreed tolerances, then risks and issues may need to be escalated to the project board in the form of an exception report and action taken based on the project boards advice.

Escalations and risks should be seen as a good practice and not as failure because the earlier that issues are escalated, the more time will be available to implement any necessary corrective actions. Plans rarely go as we expect but the better prepared we are for all eventualities, the more chance our project has of finishing on time, on budget and much to the delight of your boss. Corrective action is triggered during the review of the management stage status and may include the following actions: • Collecting information about the deviation • Identify potential ways of dealing with the deviation

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• Trigger corrective action via authorizing a work package • Update configuration records, issue reports and issue and risk registers where necessary • Update the stage plan for the current management stage.

Conclusion–The initiation stage helps create a solid foundation for the success of your project, but without the monitoring, control and approval of the work being done on each management stage by the project manager, your ‘next big idea’ project can easily run high on costs, low on quality, and scope creep can result in premature project closure, an angry boss and possibly the loss of employment. I’ve seen to many project’s fail due to lack of vision, lack of leadership, lack of planning, communications, accountability, and lack of effective stage management so my advice is to take my advice and manage your

project right from the start. I prefer successful project management in all stages including project delivery and benefits management. And you, are you ready for effective project stage management, or will your competitors beat you to the finish line, steal your customers and push you out of the spotlight?

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 is available to help you succeed and exceed customer expectations via contracted consultancy services.

Andrew can be reached at andy.cosgrove@henimgwaycasinoconsulting. com or seehttps://hemingwaycasinoconsulting.com/

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September brings Autumn

By Teresa Tunstall

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fter much deliberation and consideration I have decided to start with a letter I received a while ago; ‘My name is Steven and I am 20 years old from Liverpool, I am currently in jail serving a 3yrs 8months sentence.

I believe I have a problem with gambling, I started dealing drugs to fund my bets.

Gambling was making my home life very unhappy it was also affecting my reputation. When I lost, I felt I had to return ‘asap’ and win my money back. When I would win, I would believe I could win more and would continue to gamble. In the past I have gambled away until my very

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last my very last pound had gone.

I have borrowed to fund my addiction, I have said things to fund my gambling also I have committed illegal offences to get money, in the past arguments and disappointments have led me to gamble. As I am in jail it’s difficult to start getting the proper help I need.’

The sad truth is I actually received this letter in August 2008 - 13 years ago!I would like to say how things have improved and changed considerably, but reality has made me realise how little has varied for those compulsive gamblers whose lives are really miserable.

The evidence?In a UK gambling

debate the parliamentary committee accused the Gambling Commission of an “unprecedented” attempt to block its inquiry into the agency’s role as the lottery regulator.

The chair of the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee hit out at the commission for overstepping its remit after it warned them in a letter that the inquiry posed “a significant risk” to the integrity of the current bidding round for the next National Lottery licence.

The Gambling Commission is already under pressure from MPs to prove it can continue to function as a regulator ahead of a major overhaul of the UK’s gambling legislation due next year.

Teresa Tunstall Article

Applicants are not permitted to openly criticise the incumbent operator of the lottery and have to check any public comments relating to their bids with the commission. Breaches of the confidentiality agreement could see bidders removed from the competition by the regulator.

Lottery bidders include Italian lottery operator Sisal, the Czech gambling companySazka and media mogul Richard Desmond’s Northern & Shell.

Camelot, owned by Canada’s Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, has run the lottery since its inception in 1994.

The commission said in a statement that it respected the need for scrutiny and would “support the committee’s inquiry as fully as possible” but that it would be writing to applicants to remind them that sharing information

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about the competition could breach confidentiality protocols..

On a different note, my daughter and her family now reside inNew Zealand,and have done so for several years.She has kept me up to date with the pandemic there. Of course New Zealand which is locatedon the other side of the world had until very recently zero Covid cases. However, itisno longer virus-free after an outbreak of the virulent Delta variant.Their Covid-19 Response Minister reported a further 21 cases in a viral cluster that emerged in Auckland last week ending a six-month run of no local cases and sparking a national lockdown.

“The scale of infectiousness and the speed at which the virus has spread is something that, despite all the best preparations in the world, has put our

system under strain,” he told TVNZ. New Zealand’s widely praised Covid-19 response whichoriginally had resulted in just26 deaths in a population of five million centred on eliminating the virus from the community. Positive cases have been recorded in several busy locations including schools, churches and supermarkets with health teams checking the status of almost 9,000 close contacts.

However, New Zealand covers two islands, the North and South.At the moment the South Island is totally free of Covid and yet only approximately 20% of the population are fully inoculated, one of the lowest rates in the developed world.

Now back to the gambling scenario.

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Teresa Tunstall Article

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he location of gambling venues in economically deprived areas in the UK remains a persistent trend, according to The Standard Life Foundation in a recent report. The figure is compared against just 2% of gambling premises being located within the UK’s least deprived areas as Standard Life’s research focused on the relationship between different gambling premises and deprived areas of the country.

Analysis conducted with the University of Bristol detailed that arcade venues registered the highest amongst deprived areas with 34% of venues located within the UK’s most deprived boroughs. Despite UK gambling registering a decline in gambling venues to 10,000 licensed premises, Standard Life noted that the sector has more outlets than the eight leading supermarkets which have 9,900 stores.

Research underscored that the association between deprivation and

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the number of gambling premises was strongest amongst the UK’s 637-licensed bingo venues, followed

by Arcade and Family Entertainment Centres.

the UK sector had been previously accused of during its FOBTs examination and which saw machine staking reduced to a £2 wager limit enforced across all gambling venues.

For bookmakers, the research stated that their relationship remained ubiquitous across the UK, as a premises tended to be concentrated in city centres – equating to a weaker correlation. A breakdown of bookmaker premises saw Glasgow hold the highest number of betting shops with 194 locations, representing one shop for every 3,264 people. Glasgow was followed by Liverpool (136) and the London borough of Westminster (79).

“Gambling Harms” APPG Chair, Carolyn Harris, issued the following statement: “It istargeting the most vulnerable in society both economically and those who may have a problem.

It’s a testament to what we’ve always said, which is that the industry puts profit before people. It’s not unexpected but it’s disturbing”.

Standard Life also detailed that its report had been presented to DCMS review of the 2005 Gambling Act and policy panels leading the UK government’s ‘levelling-up agenda on geographical inequalities. The report will likelyto express concerns about clustering by gambling venues which

Finally, Peter Shilton once a top class goalkeeper has written his autobiography in which he outlines his 30 years of extreme gambling alongwith his football life and the stress he went through. The end product was when his wife discovered his substantial debts and the unhappiness and misery he went though. Thus his story has a happy ending for both he and his wife!

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GAMING NEWS

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5,000 Apprenticeships To Be Created In Gambling Sector

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tandards body the Betting and Gaming Council – which represents betting shops, casinos and the online gaming sector – has announced its own ‘Plan For Jobs’ setting out how the regulated industry plans to support the Government’s post-Covid recovery by investing in young people across the country and providing them with the skills required for a career in the sector.

The initiative, in support of the Government’s own Plan For Jobs, comes as Britain’s globally-leading tech companies running online betting, gaming and bingo, continue to grow their employment in the UK. Under the BGC plan, its members have vowed to create a total of 5,000 apprenticeships for young people looking to work in the industry between now and 2025.

Regulated operators are also signing up to the Government’s own Kick Start scheme to provide job opportunities for 16 to 24-year-olds on Universal Credit, as well as rolling out graduate recruitment schemes, offering career paths for young people straight from university.

The announcement comes as the

Government prepares to publish a White Paper on the Gambling Review it has been carrying out since last December.

traineeships, tackle unemployment, increase productivity plus support British business overseas through Global Britain.

This commitment from the industry follows a report earlier this year by EY which showed that BGC members support 119,000 jobs – directly employing 61,000 people and a further 58,000 in the supply chain. Nearly one-fifth of those employed in the industry are aged under 25, while more than half are under 35.

“BGC members alone already supports nearly 120,000 jobs in worldleading tech through online gaming and bingo, in hospitality, tourism and entertainment through casinos, and across our hard-pressed high street jobs through modern betting shops. Our industry stands ready to play a key part in the national recovery.

They also generate £4.5billion for the Treasury in tax and contributed £7.7bn in gross value added to the UK economy in 2019.

Michael Dugher, chief executive of the BGC, said the Plan For Jobs showed the regulated industry was ready to go even further to help to support the UK economy’s recovery from Covid.

He said: “As the UK emerges from the pandemic, creating more good jobs and training for young people will be more important than ever before.

“The Government’s own Plan for Jobs is a fantastic opportunity to create more apprenticeships and

“Between now and 2025, we pledge to offer a further 5,000 apprenticeships – crucial opportunities for young people to take their first step on the career ladder. Young people have been hardest hit by the pandemic – this pledge is an important step in enabling them to be a part of the wider recovery.

“The future remains highly uncertain and the impact of the pandemic will be felt for a long time to come. Betting and Gaming Council members are ready to play their part by giving young people – our country’s future – the skills and opportunities they need to thrive.”

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THE GROWTH OF THE NFT MARKETPLACE

By Lynn Pearce de Freitas

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hat is the allure of digital collectibles, known as NFT’s (non-fungible tokens) on the blockchain? Why are NFT’s so popular right now, is this a passing trend, or will it grow into the foreseeable future? This seems to be a hotly debated subject right now and one that interests me greatly, for several reasons, which I will unpack further in this article.Interest in NFTs have been high since the first quarter of 2021, which saw $2 billion in total sales of NFTs, most likely spurred on by the NFT artwork created by a digital artist called Beeple, which sold at $69 million at Chris-

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tie’s, the highest amount to date.

The NFT market has dropped considerably in the past few weeks, however, theinterestand belief in the future of digital collectibles is still growing exponentially.

It is really hard to determine whether NFTs are a fad or future asset. From music moguls, Rollingstone, celebrities, financial institutions, investors, venture capitalists to blockchain enthusiasts, who feel like it’s the underlying technology that is more important – everyone seems to have a different opinion, with some even

likening it to a punk movement! Being in the sports betting and gaming industry, it is interesting to note the surge of interest from global sports teams, with incredibly valuable intellectual property, looking to tokenize and distribute their collectibles in the form of digital trading cards.

I guess we need to understand the business model before we can determine the answers to all the questions and interest around NFTs currently running on blockchain technology.

NFTs are digital blockchain-linked assets that are unique identifiers and

Lynn Pearce de Freitas Article

not interchangeable with any other asset, from trading cards, F1 racing, programmable art, ownership records, music – even virtual plots of land! They are seemingly impossible to replicate, guaranteeing authenticity and offering a huge market of valuable digital goods that can be scaled, collected, and traded. In fact, one of the major benefits that I can see is how musicians, artists and the creative community can now be a part of the process of selling their art form and in an entirely new business model, get paid royalties for their work, in this new asset class. In some instances, the artist even retains the

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copyright ownershipand can continue to produce and sell copies. For example, historically, artists would sell their paintings for a pittance to survive, and years after their death these paintings would change hands and be sold for millions of dollars. Even today, artists sell their paintings for perhaps a decent sum of money and then it gets sold on for millions more and under normal circumstances, they would get nothing more out of that sale, but with the new digital assets business model conferring ownership, they are a part of the ongoing sale process and herein lies the key to the continuing popularity of

NFTs, in my opinion this is one of the biggest drawcards for this emerging community-based business model.

I wrote an article previously on the emergence of the metaverse and how quickly tech companies are embracing it and are racing to be first to market with their version of the community-driven universe. NFTs will most definitely be a part of this metaverse and will most certainly also add to the gamification effects of it, particularly for the more digitally astute Gen Z and Millennials,

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Lynn Pearce de Freitas Article

who are mobile-driven and tech savvy and thrive off community-driven social experiences.

In addition, looking at the current growth of the video gaming industry, currently valued around $160 million and set to grow more than $200 billion by 2023 – and taking into consideration the constant need for more interactive gamification, the popularity of NFTs will soar in this space, as players have thousands of games where they can play for points, accumulating assets and trading these with other players using NFTs. According to Diego Geroni, in his article of non-fungible tokens on 101Blockchains:“NFTs continue to dominate a certain section of news in the crypto and blockchain space. Furthermore, NFTs are also gaining the support of celebrities. A renowned YouTube star and gamer, Pewdiepie,

recently announced his collaboration with Wallem, a blockchain-based game. The game utilizes NFTs for trading skins and other in-game assets.”

The trend in NFTs have launched a number of marketplaces and below are a few, based on my personal preferences.

OpenSea declare themselves the world’s largest digital marketplace for crypto collectibles and NFTs, offering trading cards, sports, domain names and digital assets like CryptoKitties, Decentraland, and allows creators to sell for a fixed fee, declining price or auction listing.

Rarible is another great communityowned marketplace, focused on art assets. It allows creators to mint new NFTs of artworks, books, musicor movies – and the platform allows you to give your purchaser a “sneak peek”!

KnownOrigin is a marketplace for rare digital artwork. Creators can use the platform to showcase and sell their work to collectors who truly care about authenticity.

Async Art is truly fascinating to me.

With Async Art, you can create, collect, and trade programmable art.

You can either buy the individual layers– or the Master image. Layers have special abilities decided by the artist. So, when you change something on the Layer, the Master image will reflect this change irrespective of who owns it.

-------------Read more from Lynn Pearce de Freitas every month exclusively in the Infinity Gaming Magazine.

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Japanese Integrated Resort Dream Falters

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wenty years of discussions and debates and when finally the Japanese government allowed into law the development of integrated casino resorts in 2018 the gambling world got very excited.

Fast forward just three years and most of that euphoria has gone along with many of the leading casino operators in developing a resort in the country. With the vote for an ant-casino resort mayor in Yokohama spelling the end of a resort there for both Melco Resorts and Genting that just leaves three locations all in

western Japan.

That in itself goes against the government hope that casino resorts would be a tourist draw with locations around the country, but with Yokohama the city closest to Tokyo now on the verge of pulling out what is left?

The largest remaining city is Osaka which behind Tokyo and Yokohama is the most populous, then comes Wakayama and Nagasaki, given that the government indicated three licenses would be given out that said

all three will now gain those casino resort approvals.

MGM Resorts International is the sole contender in Osaka with its local partner Orix, Toronto-based Clairvest Group is up for the Wakayama license and Casino Austria for the Nagasaki resort.

Not what many had thought would happen in Japan and there is still much debate if these will pass with public sentiment growing that they do not want casino resorts anymore.

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Maltese Billionaire Casino Owner To Stand Trial On Murder

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orgen Fenech should spend the rest of his life in prison says Malta’s attorney general after the businessman was finally indicted on complicity to murder Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia back in October 2017.

Victoria Buttigieg the attorney general has laid formal charges to Fenech over the murder after almost four years after the leading businessman in Malta who through his company the Tumas Group own among other interests the largest tower in Malta and also operates the Hilton Hotel and the Portomaso Casino and Marina.

arrested for trying to escape justice by trying to leave Malta on his yacht and ever since then legal arguments and delays have complicated and slowed the process until now.

But now the indictment means he will stand trial for conspiracy to plan murder against who was the leading criminal investigating journalist in Malta, that of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Galizia had investigated the Tumas Group and Fenech and had identified him as the owner of the named 17 Black, a shadowy company that had links to high powered political leaders in Malta through payments made.

At the time of her death she was investigating the controversial deal regarding a new power station that Fenech was one of the main shareholders in, but during that time a car bomb was placed under her vehicle and she was murdered in October 2017.

Her death sent shockwaves through Malta and even European leaders were concerned that Malta was descending into a rogue state.

It is not known when Fenech will actually stand trial for his alleged crimes but it is at last a move to redeem Malta from what was a very dark time.

Back in November 2019 Fenech was

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