InfinityGaming www.gaming-awards.com | ISSUE APRIL 2017
8th WOMEN IN GAMING DIVERSITY AWARDS
GAMING + ARTICLES + BUSINESS+ GLOBAL+ ONLINE + NEWS
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APRIL 2017
21 888 IN FOR WILLIAM HILL?
12 18
HIGH ROLLERS - VIP Chritina Thakor-Rankin
08 GENDER DIVERSITY Kelly A. Kehn
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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APRIL 2017
4 EDITOR NOTES Lana welcomes you to the latest edition of Infinity Gaming Magazine.
6 OUR WRITERS Meet our feature writers, the superb writers on our rosta.
11 MICHIGAN VS PENNSYLVANIA The race to online gambling
17 LOTTOLAND IN GERMANY?
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Operator applies for license
22 WHAT APPS CAN DO FOR YOU Paul Swaddle Article
CASINO GAMING & CHINESE VALUES Desmond Lam
25 AUSSIES BAN ONLINE POKER New bill bans online poker
YOUTH & GAMBLING Teresa Tunstall
29 AMAYA ACQUISITIONS? Also new name brand for company
45 FANTASY SPORTS Will it work in Europe?
+ ALL THE LATEST NEWS & Opinions
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APRIL 2017
A note from the editor 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
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PUBLISHING Infinity Gaming Magazine is operated by © Clever Duck Media Ltd ®
Lana Thompson - Editor
Welcome to the April edition of the Infinity Gaming Magazine covering the global gaming industry Hello and welcome to the April edition
Yes we have it all covered and no need
of the Infinity Gaming Magazine, this
to go anywhere else. As always we
time of year is for everyone to be do-
have the very latest news from around
ing business, operators and suppliers
the world and one of the most innova-
and it is even more important to know
tive awards ceremonies coming in May
what is going on in the world on gam-
with the Women in Gaming & Diversity
ing and so that is why your favourite
Awards. The event is held at the stun-
magazine covers everything from land
ning Savoy Hotel on the 12th May in
based gambling, app industry to online
London, a great place to network with
gambling.
leading individuals from not just Europe but from across the globe.
As always we have a superb line up of writers with Paul Swaddle cover-
Enjoy the magazine it will keep you
ing everything to do with Apps, Teresa
busy reading it and also make you think
Tunstall covering responsible gambling
about the industry we all work in.
and Chistina Thakor-Rankin handling all things from a consultant perspective.
So, “To Infinity and Beyond!”
This month we also welcome to more
Regards,
contributing writers in the shape of Kelly A. Kehn and Desmond Lam, offering
Lana
their perspectives on gender diversity and Macau gambling.
INFINITY GAMING
The Editor
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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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APRIL 2017
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 prducts, technology and current affairs with the sector the Infinity Gaming Magazine is delighted to showcase our superb line-up of contributing writers.
Christina Thakor-Rankin - Gaming Consultant 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 reengineering, project management, research, business analysis and development, to start-ups and established multi-national operators and providers, gambling regu-
lators, 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.
Teresa now works independently consulting on all issues relating to Social Responsibility and Problem Gambling.
Working closely with the betting and gaming industry, She developed strong links delivering Social Responsibility and Problem Gambling training around the world, from Antigua to Moscow, and Auditing in the UK.
To contact Teresa regarding consulting please email: Teresatunstall1@gmail.com
Paul Swaddle - CEO Pocket App A self-confessed ‘gadget geek, Paul Swaddle has been working at the leading edge of mobile technology for the past 15 years. He co-founded Pocket App in 2011 to bring the creative and technical development elements of mobile technology together under one roof. This unique approach continues to differentiate Pocket App in today’s increasingly competitive landscape.
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Working across a range of communications disciplines such as acquisition, loyalty, retention and customer development, Paul understands the importance of a strategic and coordinated marketing approach, particularly between on and off-line communications. In the past decade he has enabled brands as diverse as Kellogg’s Fruit Winders, Barclays and Loaded magazine to get the best out of mobile.
.com
ALEA.com is an award-winning casino operator founded in 2012 by Alexandre Tomic and Charles Gross, who have over ten years' industry experience ranging from affiliate network owner to casino operator. They are driven by innovation and dedicated to staying on the cutting edge of technology; with this in mind, ALEA’s product, SlotsMillion, is an online casino with over 1,300 slots and many inventive features. This includes the world’s first real money virtual reality casino, which is available to play in both VR and 3D and has received very positive reactions at conferences and from industry and mainstream publications.
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Five Things Businesses Should Do For Gender Diversity By Kelly A. Kehn Kelly Kehn has been in iGaming senior management since 2012. She’s led teams and brands through regulatory changes, migrations and rebrands as well as held leadership roles in marketing, operations, management and sales. In 2016 she formed Kelly A. Kehn Consulting Ltd., a consulting firm dedicated to helping companies grow their business and improve corporate governance through recruitment, retention, mentorship and empowerment of women. Her mission is to demonstrate to corporations the invaluable benefit of gender diversity through measurable results and revenue growth.
W
ednesday March 8th is International Women’s Day – a global day celebrating achievements of women as well as marking a call to action for accelerating gender parity. It’s also a great time to talk about what we can do today to affect real change in order to improve diversity within our organisations. So in the spirit of celebration, here are 5 things that we can all do to start to move things toward gender parity, improve the bottom line within our businesses and lift the industry up as a whole. 1. Set measurable targets and then measure them Every successful business does this, so why aren’t we doing it to measure progress towards gender equity? If we are to change the current situation, we must hold ourselves accountable. The only way to do that is through practical target setting and clear metrics to measure progress. Here is a starting point. We know that in the US and in the UK there is a near 50/50 split of men and women at entry level in Gaming. However, by the time we get to board level,
INFINITY GAMING
the drop off is staggering. Of the 19 gaming companies listed on the FTSE 500, only 7.6% of the leadership is comprised of women. It’s even less at 3% in the US. A 2016 study by Ernst and Young revealed that increasing representation of women on boards to 30% could increase net margins by 6%.
done by Ernst and Young 43% of men said that the most significant barrier to women’s careers was a shortage of female candidates. Only 7% of women agreed. The top three barriers women did list were a lack of support from the business, bias, and the conflicts of raising a family.[2] Perception is everything.
We should not look to implement quotas for quota sake. There is proof that increasing the number of women at the Board level increases success of a business. Until we have set goals with achievable targets, clear metrics for measurement and actual data, we can never identify obstacles that keep us from reaching full potential.
Make a point to have a chat with women in your organisation about current policies, their thoughts on potential for advancement, marketing messages and challenges they face in their day to day. Aligning perceptions will bring you closer to a more inclusive culture, create more employee loyalty and save you money in the long run. It will also likely highlight some high-achievers within your organisations who are not going to follow the “traditional route” to senior management. If we can align perceptions of how to advance the best talent, we open up our business to new opportunities, new revenue and new ways to operate.
2. Talk to your female colleagues, co-workers and employees to align perceptions There is a reason that the book, “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus,” is a bestseller. There are fundamental psychological differences between the two sexes. This is important to understand this from an employment perspective, a mentoring role and in order to understand customer behaviour. In a survey
3. Consider how you and your organisation can play an active role in improving the Gaming industry’s
APRIL 2017 and outside of the industry. Speak up when things can be improved. Take an interest in new talent to the industry and if you aspire to senior management, start thinking about what skills and experience you need to get there. Ask for help. Start getting the experience. Say yes to opportunities. 5. Consider critically where and how unconscious bias impacts your decisions about who to work with, who to hire and how to network and collaborate.
image to the outside world through gender diversity. ICE is still fresh in everyone’s mind. This year, it was suggested that we reconsider the seemingly required half-naked models at every stand during this event, as it didn’t resonate with the increasing numbers of female decision makers in attendance. I agree. This is a simple action that can have significant effects on the image of the industry as a whole. Further, an overall audit of our current external marketing and advertising strategies would likely reveal that we aren’t doing ourselves many favours on image. Are we delivering clear brand promises in our messages? Or are we delivering cheap stereotypes? And if the latter, why are we spending MILLIONS of dollars (pounds, euro, etc) doing so? The image of our industry is not just about ego and whether our mom’s can brag to their friends about how successful we are. Industry image affects how well we can recruit, how we can market to new customers and how our stocks perform. This is very much about working to raise the industry up as a whole by improving
our own internal practices. 4. Don’t assume gender diversity will happen on it’s own. It’s not going to. There have been several global studies that estimate at the current rate of change, it will take over 100 years to achieve gender parity. [3] Gaming is even further behind this rate. We all need to do our part to improve the current state. For the men: Gaming will remain in the dark ages without your participation. We need advocates, we need the decisionmakers supporting the careers of high achieving women, supporting policies and supporting the dynamic we bring to the table. We need you to support inclusive networking opportunities and mentorship programs. We need you to take parental leave, not only so the women can get back to work, but also so that we can see you taking the lead supporting women in business. For the women: You are the key to moving our industry toward success. Take charge of your career and ask for what you want. Look for mentors both inside
We are all guilty of using our “niche” industry experience to our advantage in job hunting and networking. How many of us have been invited for interviews and then received offers because we simply have “gaming experience?” How many times have we made a purchasing decision solely based on the fact that we have done business with the same guy when he was at (INSERT ANY GAMING COMPANY NAME HERE)? First, let’s consider what roles truly need gaming experience. Yes, product knowledge is key for product managers. I would argue that many other roles would benefit from having candidate experience from other industries – marketing, compliance, customer service, design, finance, payments, etc. Asking for gaming experience when recruiting can limit our available talent pool and excludes us from accessing top talent. Not to mention, it only further insulates the old boys club. New perspectives, new ideas and outside experience are good things for all of our businesses. Making small changes and having real conversations on the issue will equate to real increases in revenue, a better more inclusive working culture, a better industry image and very likely, better products.
INFINITY GAMING
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APRIL 2017
Michigan in race to beat Pennsylvania to online gambling
T
he Michigan Senate Committee on Regulatory Reform passed the online gambling bill by 7-1 votes last week and making it a race to see if Pennsylvania or Michigan will be the fourth state to legalise online gambling. However the bill has a long way to go with critics of the bill saying it will cause legal opposition and a public safety risk. But the main problem for Michigan is to get it past the states Native American tribes who will want a piece of the action, as they fear it will make it more difficult for them to obtain an online gambling license opposed to thoose casinos based in Detroit. In that respect Pennsylvania has the edge over Michigan as that issue will not come up there, but Sen. Mike Kowall who is sponsoring the bill says the benefits for the state in terms of stopping illegal offshore online gambling operators by legalising and bringing in much needed state tax dollars along
with jobs is a major driving force. He said to a local newspaper recently, “The potential for jobs and economic development right here in Michigan is being lost,” Kowall, R-White Lake, said in committee. “This legislation gives Michigan an opportunity to stop this illegal activity and to generate new revenue that could help fund infrastructure improvements, health care, education, public safety and other worthwhile programs.” Amaya the world’s largest operator of online poker has supported the bill in the state and sent two representatives to testify at the Senate Committee on Regulatory Reform. Michigan still has way to go before legalising online gambling and could still fail but the race is on to be the fourth state in the US to offer online gambling legally.
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21st Century VIPs – High Roller or High Risk? By Christina Thakor-Rankin
B
titudes and expectations of customers.
increasing, attracting and maintain-
ack in the day identifying and
If the last part of the 20th century was
ing VIPs is getting harder and more
managing VIPs (that precious group of
about customer aspiration, the first part
expensive by the day. If the trend con-
around 20% of customers who made up
of the 21st century is very much about
tinues as it is, there is every chance
around 80% of an operator’s revenues)
customer demand. Like the customers
that online VIPs as we understand
was a relatively straight-forward affair.
of yesterday, customers today know
them become, a thing of the past.
They were the ones who deposited big,
what they want. The paradigm shift is
often played big, and on balance, lost
that they can now get it on their terms -
The shifting profile, and dwindling num-
big. VIPs were worth every penny of the
what they want, when they want it, and
ber of new customers is not however,
additional management costs associat-
at the price they are willing to pay. This
the biggest challenge facing operators.
ed with the personalised service, offers,
makes them savvy, value driven, pro-
Regulation, which seeks to improve
gifts and invitations to hospitality events
miscuous and demanding. They want
the reputation and practices of an in-
expended upon them, rewarding an op-
it, and they want it now. They know that
dustry which has historically been as-
erator’s investment in them with long-
in a highly competitive digital market-
sociated with shady dealings and dens
term and on-going revenue and profit.
place with so much choice operators
of gambling iniquity by pushing an
now have to try much harder to keep
agenda of greater social responsibility
them – and if they don’t they’ll move on.
and awareness, has and will continue
These VIPs were generally slightly older, appreciated the traditional values
to play its part in the future of VIPs.
of good customer service, and under-
In today’s world, and with an obvious
stood that their VIP status and its as-
lack of interest in betting and gam-
VIPs are an operator’s most important
sociated rewards, was a reflection and
bling amongst the younger genera-
customers, spending and losing signifi-
recognition of their level of spend, and
tion, operators have had to extend the
cantly more than the average customer
continued allegiance to that opera-
strategy that was only applied to 20%
and critical to maintaining a stable bot-
tor. This was a generation of custom-
of their customers to 80% of them.
tom line. Common sense and logic dic-
ers that appreciated the quid pro quo
The traditional 20% is slowly declin-
tates that customers who spend a lot
nature of the relationship and under-
ing and being replaced by a smaller
generally fall into three main categories.
stood that nothing in life came for free.
pool of more demanding customers who expect to be courted, rewarded
Genuine high rollers. Those who like
Sadly, this is no longer the case. Tech-
and essentially treated as a VIP simply
gambling, and do it as genuine interest,
nology, social media and the move to-
for the fact that they are a customer.
hobby, entertainment or leisure activ-
wards a global digital economy has radi-
ity - whether it be going to the races or
cally changed the way in which we do
In a hugely competitive global market
a casino or playing poker – face to face
business today, which in turn has radi-
where margins are narrowing but the
or the online equivalent. It is something
cally changed the habits, behaviours, at-
cost of doing business is constantly
they enjoy doing and they have the
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means to do at stakes which would be
bling debts, settlement of which would
escalating issues denied on the basis
beyond the average player, and without
invariably reduce their families to fi-
that their gambling was not having an
any detrimental impact to them or their
nancial ruin and bankruptcy. The law
adverse financial impact – the tradi-
bank balance.
also somewhat conveniently assured
tional signifier of a gambling problem.
the preservation of the social order by Unfortunately, genuine high net worth
stemming the upward mobility of suc-
Then there is the second category of
individuals are not the only ones who
cessful gamblers from the lower classes,
players who are linked to various types
spend and/or lose more than the av-
but that is a different story altogether.
of undesirable or inappropriate activity.
erage customer. The other groups of
This too is not news. From Bruce Grobb-
individuals who also exhibit this type
In fact, history is littered with important
elaar and cash for gaols to the more
of behaviour are problem gamblers,
persons manifesting modern day gam-
sophisticated manipulations of today,
and criminals – from the common or
bling related issues, from John Mon-
to South African cricket captain Han-
garden money launderer, to the more
tague, 4th Earl of Sandwich, who rather
sie Cronje’s relationship with an Indian
exotic match-fixer, and a range of va-
than leave the card table fell into the
betting syndicate, to jockey’s throwing
rieties in between. This is not news.
habit of having his servants bring him
races, snooker players throwing frames,
slices of meat between two slices of
darts players throwing sets, and the
Operators have always known that that
bread allowing him to eat whilst play-
more recent revelations around tennis –
there is a very thin line between pas-
ing, and Casanova who started out as a
influencing score-lines for financial gain
sion and compulsion – the player who
gambler but whose inability of knowing
has been around a while. Bookies use
doesn’t want to stop because it’s fun
when to stop made him turn his back on
information to manage their liabilities
turning into the player who can’t stop
the card table in favour of a more stable
however, and whilst overt manipulation
when it stops being fun, and this very
career choice, to Dostoyevsky, who, ac-
will always out, it is all too easy to jus-
issue of VIPs and problem gambling
cording to legend, speed wrote parts of
tify what is essentially ‘buying’ informa-
was the cause of one of Britain’s earli-
Crime and Punishment in order to secure
tion which then allows them to contain
est pieces of legislation, the Gambling
an advance from his publisher to pay off
their overall liability or exposure on
Act, 1710, which effectively made gam-
gambling debts. Modern day high rollers
that event by tagging the customer as
bling debts unenforceable. This piece of
include names such as Michael Jordan,
a shrewd judge rather than someone
legislation was an attempt to address
Charlie Sheen, Gladys Knight, Michael
with insider information. These cus-
he rising issue of young upper class
Phelps, Paul Merson and Wayne Rooney
tomers who hold information which
gentlemen becoming addicted to cards
- all of whom would most likely have
is commercially valuable are almost
and dice and running up huge gam-
been treated as VIP players, and their
nearly always considered important.
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APRIL 2017
21st Century VIPs – High Roller or High
There are also those customers who
assessment process. Likewise, for evi-
Where in the ‘good old days’ we had VIPs
seem to have an endless supply of
dence of criminality and money which
who ‘loved a punt’, ‘would bet on two
funds, who play high stakes games and
may be associated with crime. In both
flies crawling up a wall’, or ‘playing sys-
whose overall win to loss ratio is fairly
these cases operators must ask cus-
tems’ we now have potential problem
level over time. They may win occa-
tomers to provide supporting evidence
gamblers and money launderers. Where
sionally, but not enough to worry the
of their source of wealth and funds
we had ‘characters’ and ‘shrewd punt-
operator unduly. They may be marked
– this is never an easy conversation.
ers’ we now have potential match-fixers.
out as a VIP’s for their losses, but just
In the case of those VIPs so have is-
as likely for their deposit and play lev-
sues relating to gambling the operator
The terminology may have changed but
els which provide the operator with a
must act on the information presented
the behaviour of these characters has
nice margin - as well as boosting their
and advise the player accordingly with
not. What has changed is the fact that
turnover figures. They do not bring any
the possible inevitable outcome be-
regulation no longer allows us to turn
privileged information, nor are they es-
ing reduced deposit and spend. In the
a blind eye to those things we would
pecially demanding or need any special
case of the second, there is only one
rather not know too much about. We are
attention or nurturing. They are happy
outcome. Similarly, with betting in-
now actively required to risk assess all
to quietly go about their business and
tegrity and match-fixing. Operators
players and ensure that VIPs are in fact
the operator, not wishing to spook
are now required to take a pro-active
genuine VIPs making a considered de-
them into leaving, is happy for them to
stance and what used to be passed off
cision based on the information avail-
continue going about their business.
as they know something, now needs to
able to us. As events in both the UK and
be investigated and if need be reported.
Asia have shown, operators who fail to
Alas, no more. Regulation now re-
Over time these two groups will natural-
take their obligations seriously or get it
quires operators to apply greater due
ly move away from the regulated sector
wrong will end-up paying a high price.
diligence in respect of their players.
and deeper into the unregulated sector.
Operators are now required to moni-
And this is the real challenge with VIPs
tor player activity for signs of problem
Even those customers who are genu-
in regulated territories – high roller now
gambling, criminality and issues relat-
ine VIPs are unlikely to welcome such
also means high risk.
ing to integrity. Losses are no longer
a deep level of scrutiny into their per-
the only marker of harm – sessions,
sonal circumstances, and decide to
stakes and circumstances must now all
take their business to an operator who
play a part in the monitoring and risk
is less likely to ask such questions.
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YGGDRASIL INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR 2017
“We love to push the boundaries and innovation is a part of our DNA.” FREDRIK ELMQVIST, CEO YGGDRASIL GAMING
SOCIAL SHARING TOOL
TRULY CROSS PLATFORM
IN-GAME PROMOTIONAL TOOLS
IN-GAME MISSIONS
APRIL 2017
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Lottoland go for German lottery license
L
ottoland has filed an application to have its own lottery in several German federal states. The game/ play principle resembles that of the German lottery classic ‘Lotto 6aus49′ or the European multi-state lottery, Euro jackpot. With a revenue of €300 million ($317.9 million), Lottoland is one of the leading private online lottery operators in Europe. Lottoland offers bets on major lotteries around the world. “With more than five million customers, we understand what lottery players worldwide are looking for. Now we want extend our offering even further and set up our own lottery in Germany,” says Dr. Rolf Stypmann, spokesman for Lottoland. “If we were to receive permission from a federal state authority, Lottoland would be the first private lottery company offering a ‘major lottery’ (a lottery with high jackpots) in Germany. Lottoland would set up the game plan, have the draw handled by a neutral authority under public supervision, and would allow the jackpot pool to be distributed according to a pre-set game plan. Customers would be able to collect their lottery ticket at selected collection points and lottery terminals, as well via internet.
“We are excited to see the outcome of this application and hope at the very least to be informed about the requirements for such a license. Organisationally, private companies are able to handle lotteries at the level of state lotteries. This is what we experience in Italy, UK and Austria,” says Stypmann. The German State Lottery Association produces 7.3 billion euros in revenue each year. About 40 percent of the money goes directly to the finance ministers of each federal state. The assignment of the money is independently decided upon by the states. The public sport bets supplier Oddset, generating revenues of 186 million euros, is comparably small. “These figures demonstrate why the federal states have an interest in maintaining the public lottery monopoly and refuse any kind of progress. For them, too much money is at stake, especially in comparison to sport bets,” says Stypmann. “In February the German State Lottery Association called on private sport bets suppliers to agree on mutual standards for a strictly-controlled opening of the sport betting market. No comparable measures have been taken concerning the lottery sector which is less at risk of manipulation and less dangerous. We see this is as absurd.”
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Youth & Gambling – ankle biters By Teresa Tunstall
T
here was a car accident outside my local grocery shop I’d sent my 15 year old (at the time) son to buy some bread, unbeknown to me he’d also bought Scratch Cards, he described how the shop keeper reacted, “quickly now boys the police are out there,” as he handed their Scratch Cards over to them. How often have we all said the Police look so young nowadays? Age verification is now part of our law no matter how old they look. Underage gamblers will always be a thorn in the side for the gambling and betting industry, those who think they can buff their way in or override the system by looking the, ‘part’, those with false ID’s created with great artist flare at school. Gambling Commission statistics show that 436,309 people mostly male, were challenged when entering one of 8809 betting shops in the UK this is approximately 49 people challenged by every betting shop over a year add to that those who gambled but were unable to
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prove their age 21,272 approximately 2 people per betting shop. It’s now a serious part of their job for all gaming and betting staff to age-check customers who don’t look 25 years old (Scotland) 21 years old Wales and England, along with all the other duties and hard work that staff go through running their betting shop.
Gambling perception; I once asked a problem gambler how long he had been gambling for he hesitated then replied, “if you count the only time I ever saw my dad was on Saturdays when I went to the bookies with him, I’d sit on the steps of the shop waiting and he’d put occasional bets on for me or at least he told it was, I guess I
was about 10 year old at the time.” An excellent study by UK Gambling Commission shows that a sample children between the age of 11 – 15 years old gamble each week and 78% were parents or guardians actually handed the money over to pay for these Scratch cards and/or Lottery tickets, education should not be restricted to children there’s obviously a required for parents as well as for their children. What about those who gamble that we can’t see if they’re 15 or 18 years old? Remote gambling have the highest figure in the UK for those who couldn’t prove their age, however, it should be kept in mind the UK Gambling Commission is the only Regulator, who release these important but sensitive figures. Of the 57,369 playing remotely who were unable to verify their age, no figures are released as to how many returned with their ID. Previously, a 15 year old boy emailed to say he lost £1500 gambling Online, it beggars the question; how did a 15 year old get his hands on that sort of money? The fact that he made contact to attempt
APRIL 2017 to recover his money shows he was savvy enough to chase! UK law now requires that players are not paid winnings until their age is checked and that if you are underage only your stake will be returned but no winnings will be paid. Social gaming; the reality is when it comes to gaming for 11-15 year olds the study found that 73% of those playing online gambling-style games where no money can be won did so via their smartphone or tablet these games can be free to play but users can pay to further their play. 71% of children use social media but accordingly do not follow gambling companies. Which brings to the forefront are these games part of the preparation for children, when they come of age, to move onto real gambling using their own money? A Report from Australia which includes Social Gaming and young people’s gaming has made gambling even bigger with the market for the social casino games alone. Gambling has a growing presence on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Social casino games look just like online gambling. The experience of spending money may normalise and generalise to spending money on online gambling.’ However, ‘We can expect about one in five Australian adolescents to gamble and more than one in ten adolescents reported that their gambling had increased because of promotions viewed on the website. www.Internetmatters.org is a website aiming to help keep children safe in the digital world. Young children are frequently offered a wide choice of learning games available to keep them quiet and occupied for example on long car journeys or when bored at home, 1 in 7 of 3-4 year old plays games online.
What help is out there for underage gamblers bearing in mind that it’s illegal for them to be gambling? Only 9% of young people experiencing gambling related harm looked for help or support. These days for Remote gambling there are many steps that gamblers or their parents can take to bar gambling from laptops, ipads, mobiles etc., such as Gamblock, Net Nanny, Betfilter and the other many software blockers. Parental responsibility jumps into my mind first and foremost know what your child is doing check history on their laptops, phones, whatever they’re playing on. Teachers complain, ‘Not another addiction to deal with!’ Parent and Teachers working together should start at home and be reinforced and continued throughout their school life. GamCare’s Youth Website; www. bigdeal.org.uk aimed at 12-18 years old is representative of the risks of gambling and to support those experiencing difficulty through their own gambling or that of a family member. Young Gamblers Education
Trust (YGAM) www.ygam.org a charity that delivers accredited training for teachers, youth workers, community mental health, prison and probation and volunteers to enable them to deliver the YGAM gambling related harm-prevention programme. Counsellors and Therapists who work with underage children would have Disclosure and Barring Checks including Police Clearance which qualifies them to work with young gamblers building up a working relationship with an adolescence to help them deal with their situation. However, the problem continues, unless the situation in education and awareness is endorsed, embraced to become part of the school and college curriculum keeping up in the techno world we now live, when the young gamblers finally reach the age of 18 years, making it legal for them to gamble, close behind them is the next generation of youngsters, ‘ankle biters,’ eager to replace and fill the gap of this never ending spiral of gambling.
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APRIL 2017
888 in for William Hill once more?
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nalysts’s in the City are speculating heavily that 888 who recently announced record profits in its latest annual report will go back in for a bid on William
Hill.
Itai Frieberger the boss of 888 said while presenting the companies annual figures that, “the company was ready to dive into the merger frenzy that is gripping the sector.” With 888 announcing that their profits rose by 24% to $100 million and revenues soared by 13% the company itself has been the target of an acquisition in the past and analysts believe that 888 need to go on the offensive or they could be a target again. William Hill was indeed the interested party to acquire 888 and now the tables have turned with last year 888 and Rank Group the operator of Grosvenor Casinos and Mecca Bingo joining forces in a failed attempt to acquire William Hill.
However with the instalment of new CEO at William Hill Philip Bowcock a company insider previously holding the role of Chief Financial Officer many see this move as someone who can steer William Hill into a successful sale instead of someone with little operating experience in the gaming industry helping the firm wrestle the losses the UK bookie have given to their competitors. With Frieberger saying that M&A was an “opportunity”, adding: “It could be William Hill, it could be someone else. What I’m saying is that any deal needs to make sense. It has to be a win-win.” Would the move once again include Rank is unlikely the offer was not accepted by William Hill so a new partner maybe or 888 going it alone is a big possibility but the next couple of months will be interesting for both companies.
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APRIL 2017
What apps can do for you? By Paul Swaddle, Chairman, Pocket App
Regardless of vertical market, be it
your customer, thus having more control
App was tasked by a leading interna-
healthcare, logistics, finance, gambling
over the experiences and associations
tional technology manufacturer to de-
or retail, progressive organisations are
that people have with your business.
velop a comprehensive sales tool for
digitising both internal and external
For example, a leading UK supplier of
the company’s salesforce. The platform
processes, maximising the use of en-
coconut water came to Pocket App to
features access to product catalogues;
terprise applications to help stream-
develop a solution to update its exist-
presentations; meeting planner and
line their processes. From a consumer
ing paper based internal operations
number of calculator tools to assist staff
perspective, the gambling industry has
which was an issue for the organisa-
during client meetings and new busi-
made great use of applications to better
tion. Aimed at its field staff, who man-
ness opportunities. The sales enable-
engage with its customers and provide
age the collection and maintenance of
ment app allows the sales team to sell
a greater overall customer experience,
data on their vendors and suppliers,
effectively at each sales appointment
however, when it comes to internal pro-
the app has enabled the company to
without the need to take a multitude
cesses, is the industry missing a trick by
automate previously manual processes
of physical devices to demo. The app
not making more use of enterprise apps?
while also presenting a uniformed and
arms the sales person with the critical
consistent image to its vendors and
data they need in a timely manner be-
Over the course of my career, I have
suppliers. Additionally, this application
fore and during every meeting. Imag-
helped a number of companies look-
also combines reports and analysis for
ine being able to demo any product in
ing to harness enterprise apps to max-
sales and national coverage for its prod-
your portfolio with the click of a button.
imise aspects of their business such as
ucts. This might not feel like branding,
branding, sales enablement tools and
but branding is as much—if not more—
other back end processes. Let’s face it,
a strategic and methodical process as
with the explosion of mobile and apps,
it is a creative capability. A coherent
Let me provide another example, we
enterprise mobility is a “must have” for
look and feel of all branded communi-
developed a number of multiple as-
any competitive business, and what
cations is critical for any company, but
sessment and calculator tools for a
industry is more competitive than the
particularly for gambling companies
leading American multinational com-
gambling industry? I’ve outlined below
who need to build a solid brand and
puter technology corporation. The app
a number of ways that mobile gambling
image across their estate or venues.
generated reports include key insights,
companies can gain greater business efficiency, streamline business processes
graphs and charts which help the busiSales enablement tools
and increase worker productivity simply by implementing a mobile strategy. Branding
Lead generation
nesses to make informed decisions for future planning and growth. This
Sales enablement tools focus on the
sort of solution might well be suited
implementation of strategies, tools and
for those selling into the casino indus-
processes that increase the efficiency
try, allowing comparison of different
and effectiveness of an organisation
mixes of machines or table formats,
“Policing a brand” is the term used to
sales team. This type of tool could be
and comparing to industry averages. Of
define the process of ensuring clear and
applicable to many in the gambling in-
course, to get the information you have
consistent brand communications to
dustry, for example, the team at Pocket
to give up your contact details, allow-
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APRIL 2017
ing the sales team the data they need.
to provide real-time information on any
tures give the employees a self-service
number of important workplace activi-
way to discover and use mobile apps
ties can transform the way communica-
created by the business for their work
tion takes place. For example, Pocket
activities. As mentioned, such features
An integrated communication app adds
App developed an innovative app for
offer an automated approach to previ-
effective streamlined communication
a leading Japanese bank. The app ena-
ously manual processes, simplifying
across the board. This would allow com-
bles direct contact with employee base,
processes and create and speeding up
panies adopting this strategy to deliver
providing a handy and accessible way
productivity. In short, here at Pocket
better internal communication, and cre-
to get at the information that previously
App, we are big believers that your app
ate better streamlined external commu-
was lying unused on the company in-
needs to offer benefits to both your con-
nication. This can be done by providing
tranet. It also included a desk locator for
sumer and your internal business and
important information to employees
their entire UK staff, so that even though
we expect to see a flood of companies
such as company news, corporate di-
it was a hotdesk office, you could still
increasingly offering new features and
rectories, security, information about
find who you were looking for. This sort
developments over the next few years.
local amenities and more. Also, impor-
of solution suits anyone with a dis-
tant announcements can be sent across
persed workforce such as a high street
company-wide or in-app alerts ensuring
chain, or where the staff are not gen-
If you’re looking for some expert help, or
employees are always aware of the lat-
erally desk bound such as land casino.
would like to hear more about how your
est updates. The app can also be ex-
Creating an enterprise mobile strat-
business can benefit from enterprise
tremely valuable, and becomes even
egy will offer companies within mobile
apps, don’t hesitate to contact us at
more-so when it is personalised based
gambling a competitive edge. The im-
Pocket App, on paul@pocketapp.co.uk
on the users’ location or role. The ability
portance of internal corporate app fea-
Communications
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The Ritz Club 150 Piccadilly, London W1J 9BS +44 (0)20 7499 1818 | www.theritzclub.com | @TheRitzClub
APRIL 2017
Online poker shut down in Australia following new amendments Bill
O
nlinePoker in Australia is now banned unless players want to take part in un-authorised games online following the passing of The Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016 by the federal parliament on Tuesday 21st March. Following a Review of Illegal Offshore Wagering in 2015 where companies could also offer in-play betting over the telephone the Parliament moved to close the loophole and also shut down online poker at the same time. “The 2001 Interactive Gambling Act had already sought to outlaw online gambling — including poker, blackjack and roulette — but this amendment bill aimed to close “loopholes” which allowed online gambling to continue,” said Liberal Democrats senator David Leyonhjelm. “It’s stupid,” he told reporters in Australia. “If you want to play poker, there are lots of opportunities in Australia, at casinos and tournaments. It’s not as if there isn’t a great deal of poker playing already, but they’re just stop-
ping it online. The whole world is online now.” “The original 2001 law was meant to stop online gambling of many kinds, but it didn’t, there was a loophole. There is quite an active online poker community in Australia. I don’t think it will succeed for those really determined. If you have a [virtual private network] or offshore account, you will still play. It’s a stupid situation to be in,” he continued by saying. “It will promote the black market. There are ways to circumvent these prohibition approaches. People will gamble using foreign providers by various means. They will be in the hands of sometimes shady providers, and if they get ripped off, they will have no recourse.” Online companies such as Vera&John left the Australian market in December as the writing was on the wall that new amendments were coming, also 888 pulled out in January expecting the same and online poker giant PokerStars said it will leave the Australian online poker business should the amendments come into force.
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general manager and CEO
GAMING NEWS
APRIL 2017
Vietnam to get new $2 billion casino resort
B
illionaire Trinh Van Quyet the Chairman and co-founder of FLC Group says his company has received permission to build a $2 billion casino resort in the north of Vietnam. According to reports permission was granted from the northern provincial government of Quang Ninh for the Hanoi based firm that specializes in resorts and hotel developments in Vietnam to build a five-star hotel, a convention centre and a golf course along with a casino that Trinh Van Quyet hopes will attract local Vietnamese gamblers and tourists from overseas.
allowing certain casinos to admit Vietnamese gamblers to play in their casinos as a trial to expand to the whole nation. At present only nationals that can prove their monthly income of $440 or more can play in those casinos along with the stipulation the casino allowing local gambler has a total capital investment of at least $2 billion in the resort that would allow the new resort being built by FLC Group to permit Vietnamese gamblers in to play. It is estimated that Vietnamese gamblers travel overseas and spend near $1 billion a year in casinos and the government want to encourage those players to stay at home and so reap the tax rewards from them.
Back in January the Vietnamese government passed a law
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GAMING NEWS
APRIL 2017
Amaya to consider M&A along with name change
C
ould Amaya be looking for new acquisitions or mergers in 2017? Well it is highly likely following the companies soon to be debt on the acquisition of PokerStars is paid down. With new CEO Rafi Ashkenazi who took over from founder of Amaya David Baazov last year Ashkenazi has carefully guided the online gaming company to rely less on poker and more towards sports betting as online poker continues to decline. As such Amaya now relies on internet poker for 70% of its total revenue a year previous it was 78%, while its sports betting and casino business has increased from 17% to 26% in that same time. With that investors are now coming back to Amaya and the company has seen its stock rise in the last year by 31% since Ashkenazi has been in charge. In a recent interview Ashkenazi said that the company may be interested in acquisitions or a merger and went as far to say that the failed merger with William Hill last year when U.K. activist investor Parvus Asset Management opposed the deal and so failed could be back on the cards. Ashkenazi said that maybe after a period of time it could be a possibility to once again talk of a merger with William Hill which if happened would make the world’s largest gambling company.
He said, “You can never say that anything is dead,” Ashkenazi said. “Sometimes companies need time to reflect before they reengage in discussions.” He added that he believes William Hill is a “great company with a great brand” and it would be a “very good merger.” Amaya still has debts of $2.9 billion and so any deal on an acquisition of any size would need investors on board to make it happen, but analyst’s believe Amaya would not have too much trouble if the right deal on an acquisition came along. The Amaya boss also said that the companies name will be changed, he did not say what to and when the change would occur but the name Amaya will be disappearing most likely this year. It seems Ashkenazi who has had senior roles with PokerStars before Amaya bought the company and with Playtech is the right man to steer Amaya into new territories with possible Acquisitions and mergers while at the same time working over the other side of the Atlantic in getting Amaya and its flagship brand PokerStars into any new states that legalise online gambling and most of all ensuring the company are in at the start once California now or in the long term join the online gambling business.
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APRIL 2017
What the business of casino gaming in Macau is telling us about modern Chinese values? By Desmond Lam Desmond Lam is an associate professor in international integrated resort management at the University of Macau. He is a life member of Clare Hall (University of Cambridge) and an academic affairs advisor to the Macau Gaming Management Association. Desmond is the recipient of several research and industry awards including the Cambridge Clare Hall Fellowship and the Emerging Leader trophy at the 2016 Asia Gaming Awards. H e is author of the book Chopsticks and Gambling, which examines the little-known world of Chinese gambling from historical, cultural, psychological and social perspectives.
C
hinese outbound tourists are making their (big) mark in the international travel and hospitality markets. Research shows that Chinese outbound tourists are not only the biggest global travelers; they are also the biggest spenders. In 2015, more than 120 million Chinese traveled overseas, compared to 54 million in 2000. Together, they spent more than US$100 billion in 2015. Recent studies estimate that outbound Chinese tourists can possibly exceed 200 million by 2020. In Macau, a special administrative region of China that has the largest casino gaming industry in the world, millions of eager Mainland Chinese tourists continue to flood this small city each year. Macau’s gross casino gaming revenue topped US$28 billion in 2016. Macau’s casino gaming was at one time larger than the combined gross revenue of all casinos in the USA. With an explosive growth of Chinese outbound tourists projected in the future, international service and hospitality companies will benefit
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from a more thorough understanding of these big spending tourists. In this article, we examine the behavior and psychology of Chinese outbound tourists through the eyes of the casino gaming businesses in Macau. Wagering game of choice – Chinese values inferred from baccarat play in Macau. Baccarat is predominantly the game of choice among Mainland Chinese gamblers, who share certain characteristics, in Macau. The game has unique characteristics that fit the needs of these Mainland Chinese tourists. Baccarat game play by Mainland Chinese gamblers reveals a number of issues and values relating to modern Chinese people. These include tradition over objective, illusion of control, superstition and belief in luck/fate, aptitude to take risk, attitude towards money, desire for quick wealth, we-versus-I collectivistic values, power distance, herding behavior, and women’s role in Chinese society.
Objective- versus tradition-driven Baccarat is now THE game of choice among Mainland Chinese tourists to Macau, accounting for almost 90% of gross casino gaming revenue. The game appears to have been thoroughly embraced by its Chinese customers. On the gaming floor of The Venetian Macao, for example, it does not matter if a wagering game’s origin is in the East (e.g. the Chinese traditional game of fantan) or the West (e.g. the game of baccarat). What matter are the characteristics of the game and how it fit the (Chinese) players who play it. Chinese tradition no long matters here and beating the “house” (i.e., casino) is much more important. Chinese gamblers in Macau are very focused on achieving their first objective of gambling, which is beating the “house”. Chinese people are objective-driven and open to changes as long as these changes help them to achieve their planned objectives. Susceptibility to superstition and fallacy biases
APRIL 2017 people are increasingly wealthy and have gained much wealth in the last few decades. However, they are still unsure how to spend their wealth productively to better their lives. They still believe money can buy them dreams.
There is a strong belief in luck, fate, feng shui and superstition on the gaming tables of Macau. Chinese players exhibit fallacy biases that lead to an illusion of control that they can manipulate gaming outcomes. This encourages herd behavior during gaming. Chinese players often gamble in packs and actively seek out “hot” tables (i.e., tables with many people) on the gaming floor. Interpretation: Chinese people are often superstitious, or susceptible to superstition, and have a strong belief in luck as well as fate. They exhibit a strong illusion of control over objectively independent events. High financial risk seeking Chinese players seek high risk during gambling. They often bet way above the minimum betting limit of the gaming tables. pursuit of quick wealth. Chinese people are high financial risk seeking; they are willing to bet their wealth in order to gain greater value. Being
wealthy is a worthy achievement to honor the Chinese ancestors. To gain wealth quickly, sometimes ethics can move aside. Face seeking and power distance Money seems to buy “face” in the VIP gaming room of Macau. VIP Chinese gamblers expect good and appropriate services from their hosts. They want to be treated differently from those in the mass market and also serviced by personnel with the appropriate rank (i.e., high power distance). However, these players seek to stand out in a subtle way and often play in packs. Chinese people want face. They also believe money can help them buy more face. Wealth without purpose Chinese players’ aggressive betting behavior gives the perception that they have loads of monies but do not know how to spend them. This does not only occur on the gaming tables but also in other purchases while they are in Macau. Interpretation: Chinese
Societal role of the Chinese women Mainland Chinese female players roam the Macau’s casinos. On average, one out of three gamblers of baccarat game are women. However, research reveals that there are unusual high suicidal thoughts prevailing among Chinese female problem gamblers. Chinese female players have fewer means to finance their gambling expenses and often revert to loan sharks. This is attributed to the fact that many are housewives seeking excitement from boredom on the gambling tables. The society views these female problem gamblers to be “bad” housewives who squander away their family pocket monies. At times, these Chinese female problem gamblers seek suicide to avoid shame to their families. Modern Chinese women still could not overcome the society’s traditional view of them (often as housewives) as a member that stays at home, man the kitchen and cook for all. Implications to international executives The resulting values that we infer from Chinese outbound tourists’ gaming behavior have significant implications to executives working in the global gaming, tourism and hospitality industry. They are particularly helpful to the managing of services provided to Chinese outbound tourists, which requires businesses to understand the underlying modern values that these customers hold. Perhaps more importantly, they help to generate new ideas in the creation, promotion and delivery of better customer values.
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APRIL 2017
Over 4,000 London jobs to be lost if FOBT stake reduced
I
f the UK government go through with their proposal to lower the stakes bet on bookmakers FOBTs then as many as 4,300 jobs could be lost in London aloe says Ladbrokes Boss Jim Mullen. An announcement in April f following a review by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport into Fixed Odds Betting Machines (FOBTs) is expected to announce that the maximum staked per game should be lowered to £2 instead of the current £200 maximum. “In London alone, potential shop closures could hit nearly 1000, with nearly half of all employees, 4300, losing their jobs, and a potential tax loss to the Exchequer from these London shops alone of £230 million by 2020,” said Chief Executive Jim Mullen in a recent interview with the Evening Standard newspaper. Currently there are 1,800 betting shops in the UK capital and some 1,000 could close due to the impact on the loss of business to bookies.
Mullen added: “The future for high-street betting shops is bleak. The challenges we now face, in my opinion, pose the most serious threat to the existence of bookmakers and the key part we play in communities from Brent Cross to New Cross and throughout the UK.” The loss of 4,300 jobs would account for nearly half the current jobs in the bookmaking industry in London which employs 9,000 people. Not just this but the Ladbrokes boss says the Exchequer would lose some £230 million in tax revenue in the capital alone by 2020 should the new rules come in to force. It is clear bookmakers are trying to put pressure on politicians with the potential loss of jobs and tax revenue but there seems a determination by the government to press on with the reduction following a concerted campaign by newspaper The Daily Mail to wipe out what it calls “The Crack Cocaine of gambling.”
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APRIL 2017
The World’s Biggest Online Casino with over 1800 games
T H E FA M I LY
Gamble responsibly. Gambling can be addictive. Videoslots.com is operated by Panda Media Ltd, a company registered in Malta having registration number C 49090. Panda Media Ltd is regulated by the Malta Gaming Authority under licence number MGA/CL1/956/2014, MGA/CL1/1048/2014, MGA/CL1/1047/2014 and MGA/CL1/1091/2015 and the Gambling Commission in United Kingdom under licence number 000-039380-R-319311-001. The facilities provided to UK players is solely made in reliance on the latter licence.
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GAMING NEWS
APRIL 2017
Third online gambling bill in Pennsylvania a help or hindrance?
P
ennsylvania has now three online gambling bills with the introduction of Senate Bill 524, the bill is very much similar to the current two and why a third is needed has confused many observers with lawmakers in the state set to discuss the online gambling bills again this week. Currently Senate bills 392 & 477 proposing online gambling in the state with varying tax rates of 14% to 25% are to be discussed again in the coming week with both aimed at helping casino operators in the state boost revenues that have stagnated at $3 billion for 6 years as neighbouring states fight for customers dollars.
them support the introduction of online gambling, with the introduction of this third bill it could muddy the waters for the current two bills and lengthen the process of legalising online gambling that has dragged on in Pennsylvania for 18 months now. Estimates for revenues for the introduction of online gambling at $300 million a year and would meet the Governors budget proposal from expanding gambling in the state that he puts at $250 million extra. How the new bill will proceed or hinder the current two will be clearer after next week’s meetings to discuss expanding gambling in the state.
At present there are 12 casinos in Pennsylvania and 10 of
New Zealand to introduce Point of Consumption tax to offshore operators The New Zealand government is getting tough with offshore betting companies following concerns that the racing industry in the country is struggling to keep afloat because of the loss of betting to overseas operators. It is to introduce a consumption charge for offshore operators taking bets from residents in New Zealand, estimates by the government say that 40,000 New Zealanders bet online with offshore operators spending annually over $500 million and losing some $58 million a year.
es gambling harm.” The consumption tax is expected to be around 2% of each operator’s turnover, The New Zealand racing industry generates some $1.6 billion in gross domestic product and providing for 17,000 full-time jobs and the move by the government is hoped to ensure those jobs and figures are protected.
That says the government represents a loss to the racing industry here of at least $45 million. “These changes will help create a more level playing field for the TAB in the face of offshore competition, and ensure that offshore operators pay their fair share back to our communities,” Racing Minister Nathan Guy said. “This system ensures any proceeds from gambling go back to the local sporting and racing activities that make that gambling possible in the first place, and that punters operate within a regulatory framework that minimis-
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Behind every great character @Microgaming are hundreds more operating in their element.
See you at ICE.
N5-220
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Wearables. Mobile. Online. Land-based.
GAMING NEWS
APRIL 2017
32Red announce record profits
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2red had a final full year of excellent results as an independent company prior to its sale to the Kindred Group (Unibet) when it announced its full year results for 2016. Revenues were up to £62.3 million for the year compared to £48.7 million in 2015 while pre tax profits rose to £6.5 million compared to £1.1 million the previous year, however the purchase of Roxy Palace in 2015 impacted on that profit but has now contributed to the companies profits now. “In August 2017 the online gaming market in the UK is anticipating changes in remote gaming duty in relation to customer bonuses. Whilst this will offer a headwind to the industry, the board is confident that with 32Red’s strong
brand, marketing capabilities and operational momentum the group is well positioned to minimalise the impact of these changes on the group as well as capitalising on potential opportunities presented by any changes in market dynamics,” 32Red Chief Executive Ed Ware said. “Underpinned by the strength of the brand, 32Red has an exceptional platform to drive continued growth across the business and increase market share both in the UK and Italy,” The Chief Executive added. The Kindred Group (previously known as Unibet) made an offer and has been accepted to purchase the whole stock of gambling operator 32Red, the offer of £1.96p which values the company at £176 million and is awaiting final shareholder approval.
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GAMING NEWS
APRIL 2017
West Virginia next to have online gambling
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s much of the focus surrounded Pennsylvania and Michigan over the last week with online gambling on the table in both states not many noticed that West Virginia introduced their own online gambling bill in the form of HB 3067. Sponsored by Delegate Shawn Fluharty and having the backing of Sean Hornbuckle, Mike Pushkin, Joseph Canestraro and Mike Bates the bill allows for interstate online gambling with other participating states.
more attractive given the small population in West Virginia. Online licenses would be given to land based operators working in the state already and is hoped to alleviate the falling revenues those casinos are suffering from competition from neighbouring states, last year casino revenues fell by 10.9%.
However because the state only has a population of some 1.8 million residents and will not be a major player above Delaware but below Nevada and New Jersey the bill understands their place and have installed the fees to reflect this. An online gambling license will be set at $50,000 and a tax rate of 14% under the control of the states West Virginia Lottery Commission. HB 3067 would also allow for other states that have online gambling to pool their business for online poker to be
Pennsylvania anti-gambling bill introduced As Michigan pushes forward with their online gambling bill, Pennsylvania has hit a problem with State Representative Thomas Murt introducing a bill to ban online gambling in the state, the ‘Banning Internet Gambling in Pennsylvania Act’ has the support so far of four co-sponsors and could de-rail the progress of internet gambling in the state. Bill HB 801 would make it law that the Gaming Control Board in the state “shall not promulgate rules and regulations allowing any form of internet gambling”. The bill contains a list of fines and jail time for those offering online gambling to residents in Pennsylvania and is due to be discussed at the next hearing of the House Gaming Oversight Committee on March 28.
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GAMING NEWS
APRIL 2017
PAGCOR boss will not stop the privatisation of casinos their way. Currently PAGCOR own and operate all casinos in the country along with being the regulator of gaming, “I am not opposing that,” PAGCOR Chair Andrea N. Domingo told reporters in a briefing in Pasay City. Lawmakers in the country say that the regulator should move away from operating casinos and concentrate on regulating the industry.
T
he Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) Chair Andrea N. Domingo told reporters that if the government wanted to continue on its course of having the casinos privatized they would not stand in
Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said, “PAGCOR should do away with casino operations, and to focus mainly on industry regulation. “We had a discussion, and I suggested that PAGCOR should limit itself to the regulatory functions and should privatize their casino operations because, quite frankly, it’s very difficult for them to compete with other current casinos.”
IGT beat annual forecasts Gaming Machine and games maker International Game Technology (IGT) reported annual profits of $233.3 million for 2016 with revenues for the year at $1.32 billion beating most analyst’s expectations. Marco Sala, CEO of IGT, said: “We reached many important milestones in 2016. We reinforced our number one position in Lottery globally, achieving robust samestore revenue growth and securing valuable, multi-year contracts. We also made good progress with our Gaming turnaround, developing compelling new titles and hardware, in addition to expanding our International presence. We operate in growing global market segments
and IGT has a long history of investing in innovation to create shareholder value.” “We achieved our financial goals for 2016 and ended the year in strong financial condition,” said Alberto Fornaro, CFO of IGT. “Disciplined capital management enabled us to reduce our debt and improve our leverage profile despite the large upfront investment in the Italy Lotto. We expect 2017 to evolve as a year of two halves, with difficult comparisons in the first part of the year easing as we reach the second half.”
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GAMING NEWS
APRIL 2017
New Boss of William Hill announced
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hilip Bowcock the acting Chief Executive of William Hill has been officially announced by the company as the permanent boss. Bowcock has been in temporary charge of the role since July following the removal of James Henderson after just two years in the role in which time the UK bookie suffered falling behind most of its competitors.
tant progress across our online, retail and international businesses over that time.
The announcement came as no surprise ad many analyst’s predicted that Bowcock would be given the role and the only surprise was it was not announced earlier leading to speculation the board were considering other options that did not work out.
“Our recent results show that William Hill is now in a stronger position and Philip has outlined a clear plan to continue that momentum into the future.” Mr Bowcock said: “I am proud to be chosen to lead William Hill, a business that millions of customers trust and a brand that is synonymous with betting. During my time at the helm, I have had the opportunity to lead a passionate, talented and committed team and we have made considerable operational progress in recent months.
William Hill’s chairman, Gareth Davis, said: “Since his appointment as interim CEO last July, Philip has driven the business forward at real pace and we have seen impor-
“The team and I are excited by the opportunity to keep improving our position in all our key markets whilst delivering a great experience for our customers.”
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ARTICLE
APRIL 2017
Fantasy Sports - Will it Work in Europe?
F
antasy Sports are an interesting development of our age. People can literally play their favorite sports with their favorite players! Fantasy Sports is an online game that allows people to play using teams that are comprised of imaginary players and even virtual versions of real players of those sports. Adding to the effect is the fact that these virtual versions of the players perform just as per the on-field statistics of the real players. Fantasy sports has gained a lot of popularity because it allows fans get as close as possible to playing the sport they are most passionate about with their favorite players. It has already kicked off on all six continents, and more and more people are now joining the community of Fantasy Sports. However, in comparison, Fantasy Sports has not gained much popularity in the US. In-fact, Fantasy Sports is something that has mostly created ripples only in the North-American continent, and is struggling to gain a secure footing on European soil.
What is the deal with Fantasy Sports? Fantasy Sports has enabled people to bet on teams and team players. In the US, betting on actual games and players comes under a lot of restrictions. As such, people are not able to derive the full joy of betting on the games, as they would have without so many limitations. When Fantasy Sports began, however, the authorities were unable to do anything about the betting that ensued, because the betting was no more on real players but on virtual players! As such, the restrictions and regulations that applied to general betting could not be applied to Fantasy Sports. As a result, Fantasy Sports spread quickly as an amazing alternative to real-life betting all across the North American continent. Some of the biggest names in the American Fantasy Sports are Draft Kings and Fan Duels. People who bet have to pick their team of choice, and partner up with other ‘partners’.
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ARTICLE
APRIL 2017
Fantasy Sports - Will it Work in Europe? (CONT.)
T
he rest works out exactly as it would otherwise. The only difference is that, here, everything happens virtually, over the web. And because the virtual players perform just as well as their real-life counterparts, the results of the game can be considered to be on par with the results as they would have been in real life. Needless to say, better the team play, more the money the ‘managers’ make. Europe does not really need Fantasy Sports betting. The simple reason for Fantasy Sports not taking off in Europe is that Europe has fairly relaxed regulations on sports betting. The void that Fantasy Sports fills in America does not even exist in Europe! As such, the need for virtual teams and players are redundant. In Europe, Football fans can easily bet on their favorite teams and players without any fear of legal regulations. For example, in the UK, betting is practiced freely across different streams and for every sport there is. Because of this, it will be interesting to know how Fantasy Sports will manage to make themselves an alternative option to sports betting in the country. No matter how close to reality Fantasy Sports gets, it obviously can never replace the real deal! Domestic betting in Europe poses tough competition
Fantasy Sports, despite their lack of popularity, have always been there in Europe. However, the top names in Fantasy Sports betting admit that the costs for firms like theirs are too high because the competition they face from local, real-life betting is just too high. Despite the current situations, speculations are made that the Fantasy Sports is not taking off in Europe because it is still in its primitive stages. Subsequent updates, developments and additional features in time will bring it on par with actual betting. Valery Bollier, the CEO of a Fantasy Sports betting firm shares this optimism. He argues that Fantasy Sports is a growing industry and as such, with time, will definitely gain popularity in Europe as well. “Not sustainable” Industry expert Lorien Pilling does not share the optimism of people like Bollier. He admits that Fantasy Sports will definitely be able to build a fan-base because sports betting is very popular among Europeans. However, he also doubts that it will be able to last long or become as popular as in the US and Canada and that the business will not be sustainable. He also says that right now a lot of money is being pumped into Europe, trying to get Fantasy Sports popular. However, he argues that once the marketing stops and the flow of money reduces, the future of Fantasy Sports betting will become dark again.
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GAMING NEWS
APRIL 2017
Freehold of the Victoria Casino in London up for sale for £70 million
A
prirose Investors the owners of the land the Grosvenor Victoria Casino sits on is up for sale for £70 million, however for that you do not actually get the casino but just the land the casino resides on.
tial buyers,” said Manish Gudka, chief executive at Aprirose. “We have appointed our advisers to dispose of the asset as we look to exit in line with our investment strategy at the time of purchase.”
Three years ago Aprirose Investors bought the land for £55.5 million and now want to make a good profit on their investment and have appointed Knight Frank and Savills to conduct the sale.
However Grosvenor casinos has a pre-arranged agreement with the seller for the leasehold of the venue till 2026 and so nothing on top of that land that is for sale will change anytime soon.
The Victoria Casino is the flagship of Grosvenor Casinos and has over 1,200 customers a day to the venue that is well known for poker competitions and high stakes cash games. “The Grosvenor Victoria Casino is a London West End institution that makes an attractive investment for poten-
Rumours inside Rank Group that own the Grosvenor Casino brand are that the company itself may make a bid to Aprirose Investors for the freehold and observers believe it would be a good move by Rank to secure the long term operation of their flagship casino.
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