SLOT MANAGEMENT

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?

After 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.

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 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:

• 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.

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 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:

• 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 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 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

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 • 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/

September brings Autumn

By Teresa Tunstall

After 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 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. 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.

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 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.

The 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. the number of gambling premises was strongest amongst the UK’s 637-licensed bingo venues, followed by Arcade and Family Entertainment Centres.

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).

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 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.

“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”.

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!

5,000 Apprenticeships To Be Created In Gambling Sector

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

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.

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

“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.

“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.”