January 2016 Infinity Gaming Magazine

InfinityGaming www.gaming-awards.com | ISSUE JANUARY 2016

HAPPY NEW YEAR FRONT COVER - SARAH SCULPHER EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW - LUKE ALVAREZ WIG NETWORKING DETAILS REVEALED

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

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JANUARY 2016

08 IGA9 FINALISTS All the finalists announced

24 BRUSSELS SPROUTING Festivities by Christina Thakor-Rankin

46 42 REALISTIC RESOLUTIONS Liz Karter

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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JANUARY 2016

4 EDITOR NOTES Lana welcomes you to the December edition of Infinity Gaming Magazine.

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

19 BITCOIN CREATOR Has he been found?

21 BYE BYE PENNSYLVANIA

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Online gambling maybe next year

24 BRUSSELS SPROUTING Christina Thakor-Rankin

LET’S MAKE IT A H’APPY’ CHRISTMAS Paul Swaddle

29 SBTECH JOINS Latest company to sponsor IGA9

SAVING MACAU Desmond Lam

39 ROBOT DEALER Is this the future of casinos?

51 LES AMBASSADEURS SOLD London VIP Club has new owners

+ ALL THE LATEST NEWS & Opinions

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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

It’s Winter and time for Expo season with Infinity Gaming Magazine

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

Lana Thompson - Editor

Welcome to the January edition of the Infinity Gaming Magazine and what an exciting part of the year this is.

Welcome to the latest edition of Infin-

International Gaming Awards (IGA). I

ity Gaming Magazine and as we near

have to say this year was the most com-

a very busy period for the entire gam-

petitive ever and it really is special just

bling industry let us all take a little time

reaching the finals, there were some sad

off around this festive period to reflect.

companies out there but remember it covers 12 months and next year could

Ok that done, as always an amazing edi-

be your year.

tion in store for you while you put your feet up for a well deserved rest before

I want to however congratulate all the

the madness of the New Year starts.

finalists and amazingly we are already sold out for the 1st February awards

We have the superb Christina Thakor-

ceremony so I hope you got your tickets

Rankin with her festive treat, Liz Karter

already.

on resolutions and The App Man himself Paul Swaddle on what Apps you

Finally with the first Women in Gaming

really do need this time of year. Also

Networking Event taking place on the

as a special treat we have the lovely

1st February in London at the Savoy Ho-

Desmond Lam talking about Macau

tel we are excited and cannot wait to be

and what a time that region has had in

totally inspired.

2015.

Enjoy the magazine.

As always we have the very latest news from around the world and yes inside

So, “To Infinity and Beyond!”

are all the finalists for the 9th Annual Regards, Lana The Editor

INFINITY GAMING

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

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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JANUARY 2016

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 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

Liz Karter – Psychotherapist specializing in women and problem gambling Liz Karter is a specialist in gambling and women and has worked as a therapist in gambling addiction since 2001. Liz is also author of the book “Women and Problem Gambling” published in March 2013.

In January 2010 having worked with all leading UK problem gambling treatment agencies, and having successfully established the first UK groups for women with gambling addiction, Liz launched Level Ground Therapy. A treatment service in the City of London, Level Ground specialises in meeting the individual needs of women with gambling addiction.

Throughout her career Liz has been regularly consulted by the media regarding her specialisation and has made frequent national TV and radio broadcasts including This Morning, Radio 4 You and Yours and Women’s Hour and given numerous national newspaper and magazine interviews.

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.

JANUARY 2016

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INTERNATIONAL G

FINAL

1st February 2016 Best User Experience Mobile Betsson IGT LeoVegas Mecca Bingo Mr Green Unibet

Casino/Integrated Resort Crown Melbourne Limited Galaxy Entertainment Group Marina Bay Sands (MBS) Solaire Resort and Casino Studio City – Macau Venetian Macao Resort

Casino Operator Americas Caesars Entertainment Isle of Capri Las Vegas Sands Corp MGM Resorts Wynn Las Vegas

Casino Operator Asia/Australia Crown Resorts Galaxy Entertainment Group Marina Bay Sands Melco Crown Entertainment Sky City, Australia

GAMING AWARDS

LISTS

Savoy London Casino Operator Europe Aspers Group Caesars Entertainment UK Casinos Austria International Casino Poland Grosvenor Casinos Ltd

Casino VIP Room City of Dreams Crown Perth Galaxy Entertainment Group Studio City – Macau The Ritz Club

Casino Equipment Supplier Cammegh Limited IGT Playtech Scientific Games TCSJOHNHUXLEY

Corporate Services Supplier All In Translations Bit8 IGT Microgaming PaySafe Play’n GO Playtech

INTERNATIONAL G

FINAL

1st February 2016 iGaming Software Supplier Betconstruct Evolution Gaming IGT Microgaming Playtech Yggdrasil

Innovator Betconstruct CORE Gaming Limited IGT Lottoland Microgaming NetEnt Playtech Scientific Games Interactive

In-Play Sports Operator Betsson Paddy Power Sky Betting & Gaming Unibet William Hill

Lottery Operator Camelot EuroLotto Health Lottery ELM Limited IGT Lottoland

GAMING AWARDS

LISTS

Savoy London Mobile Operator Betsafe Cherry AB LeoVegas Mecca Bingo Mr Green Unibet William Hill Online

Mobile Product CORE Gaming Limited IGT Microgaming NetEnt Play’n GO SafeCharge International Group Ltd Scientific Games Interactive

Online Bingo Operator GalaBingo Mecca Bingo Playtech SkyBingo Tombola Bingo Unibet

Online Casino Operator Betsafe LeoVegas Mr Green Sky Betting & Gaming Unibet William Hill Online

INTERNATIONAL G

FINAL

1st February 2016 Online Gaming Operator Akamon Entertainment Cherry AB Gala Coral Interactive LeoVegas Unibet

Online Poker Operator 888Poker Full Tilt PokerStars Sky Betting & Gaming Unibet WSOP (Caesars)

Technology Provider/Supplier

Online Sportsbook Operator Bet365 Coral Interactive Paddy Power Sky Betting & Gaming Unibet William Hill Online

Payment Solutions Provider ECommPay PayPal Paysafe SafeCharge International Group Worldpay

Betconstruct Bit8 Continent 8 Technologies CORE Gaming Limited

Microgaming NetEnt Playtech Scientific Games

GAMING AWARDS

LISTS

Savoy London Socially Responsible Land Aspers Caesars Entertainment UK Clubs New South Wales Crown Resorts Galaxy Entertainment Group Genting UK

Socially Responsible Online Amaya Gaming Betsson Group Sky Betting & Gaming Unibet William Hill

Slot Provider/Supplier IGT Iforium Microgaming NetEnt NYX Gaming Group Play’n GO Scientific Games

Slots Operator LeoVegas Mr Green Sky Betting & Gaming Unibet Videoslots.com William Hill Online

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THE IGA9 JUDGES 01

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Andrew Cammegh- Sales Director Cammegh Limited

Alison Digges – Brand Director Gala Coral Interactive

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Desmond Lam Ph.D – Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Macau

Prof. Dietmar Hoscher – Deputy Chariman of the Supervisory Board of Casinos Austria International Holding

Emma Loveday – Head of Marketing for Gaming and Betting at The Sun

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Heikki Rinta-Panttila – International Gaming Consultant

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Janet Viipola – Executive Coordinator Interactive Gaming Council

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Liz Karter – Psychotherapist specializing in women and problem gambling

Marek Milewski- Operations Manager Casinos Poland

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Michael SilberlingCEO Affinity Gaming

Ohad NarkisCEO BGO Entertainment

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Onika Russell – Head of Gambling , Airlines & Travel Strategic Services, PayPal

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THE IGA9 JUDGES 13

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Professor I. Nelson RoseSpeaker & Gaming Law expert

Paul Armitage – Operations Director Grosvenor Casinos

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Peter Hoetzinger – CoCEO & President, Vice Chairman Century Casinos

Richard Noble – Chief Operating Officer of the Aspers Group

Roger Marris – CEO at The Ritz Club

Roger Raatgever – CEO Microgaming

JANUARY 2016

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Stella Dalton – Head of Business Development at GamCare

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Sylvia Dietz –Vice President Global Gaming Marketing IGT

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Stephanie Cheung – Chief Legal Officer at Melco Crown Entertainment

22 Tristan Sjoberg –

Vahe Baloulian – CEO BetConstruct

Executive Chairman at TCS John Huxley

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iGaming, Land based, Marketing and Media specialists – We are currently working with a number of the major players across the globe, all are looking to add talent to this resurgent market before the new financial year, attractive packages and options on offer, if you are looking for a new opportunity contact us in confidence: colin@empirecasinorecruitment.com

www.empirecasinorecruitment.com +44(0) 1543 478 889

GAMING NEWS

JANUARY 2016

Bitcoin creator named in new investigation

H

as the man behind inventing Bitcoin been found?

According to two major technology magazines the answer is yes, for years “Satoshi Nakamoto”, a pseudonym used by Bitcoin’s creator was the mysterious man behind the cryptocurrency but both Wired and Gizmodo magazines have named 44 year old Australian Brian Wright as the man who invented Bitcoin.

Australian Federal police searched Craig Steven Wright’s properties, but said the raid was about tax, not Bitcoin.

But the raid came only a few hours after both tech magazines named Wright following what they say is huge evidence to support their accusation.

Whether the raid is to do with tax or the fact that the founder of Bitcoin holds over a million of the coins which at today’s value is worth $400 million only time will tell once

authorities possibly charge Wright.

In supporting their findings the magazine sites say Mr Wright said in an email: “I did my best to try and hide the fact that I’ve been running Bitcoin since 2009. By the end of this I think half the world is going to bloody know.”

However it is not the first time someone was named as the creator of Bitcoin, last year Newsweek said that Satoshi Nakamoto was a 64-year-old Japanese-American living near Los Angeles was the creator, however it turned out to be false and the man did not even know anything about Bitcoins.

Newsweek were sued by Satoshi Nakamoto for stress and the huge disruption the article had on his life.

Macau November revenues fall by over a third November revenues for Macau fell again making it the 18th consecutive fall in revenues for the world’s largest gambling zone. Gross gaming revenues fell by 32.3% in the month to $2.1 billion.

The Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau reported that the fall was larger than expected most analyst’s had expected it to be around 31%.

Numbers also showed that the city’s economy shrank by 24.2% year-on-year during three months to September, the city’s Statistics and Census Service said.

“Economic contraction in the third quarter was attributable to the continuous decline in exports of services, of which exports of gaming services decreased by 37.4%

year-on-year and exports of other tourism services dropped by 15.3%,” it added.

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GAMING NEWS

JANUARY 2016

Pennsylvania to kick online gambling out of budget

T

he good news for supporters of online gambling in Pennsylvania is that the House Appropriations Committee voted to have online gambling included in the states 2015/2016 budget plan. Inside the plan was an estimated $120 million in revenues derived from internet gambling and some $24 million from licensing fees.

However the Pennsylvania Senate passed their own budget plan or at least their budget on spending in the state and not revenues, with no mention of online gambling in the plan at all.

Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman said, “We don’t have the votes for that, I mean, that’s just plain and simple that won’t happen.”

The budget dispute has been rattling on for 5 months now but this could be set to finish with a possible full vote happening this week and expectation are that internet gambling will not be on the budget.

gambling bill HB 649 may now have to try again in 2016 after it seems the Senate and the governor are in agreement that this time around online gambling is not to be included.

Rep. John Payne who is the sponsor of the online

Betfair Paddy Power merger could cut jobs The Sunday Times is reporting that Paddy Power and Betfair through their proposed merger are looking at the possibility of cutting jobs within both their businesses in order to save some £50 million.

With the merger announced back in August which analyst’s believe will make a £5.8 billion giant betting company, it looks like job losses are almost certain as both companies look at cost cutting and with both firms having similar jobs combining those roles and losing jobs would make financial sense.

According to the newspaper a circular from the companies say that they are looking at saving some £50

million a year in cost cutting and cutting jobs between a combined workforce of almost 7,000 staff would save the merged companies £25 million a year and go a huge way of reaching the target of reducing annual expenditure.

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GAMING NEWS

JANUARY 2016

Australia should not ask tech firms to block illegal gambling sites

A

s the Australian government look at ways of blocking illegal online gambling sites offering their services to Australians, many of the leading online companies say it is impossible to block those sites.

Twitter, Facebook and Google all said to wagering review chairman Barry O’Farrell it is impossible to block offshore online gambling sites and the government should not burden the online tech companies to help to do this.

“We consider there to be fundamental flaws and significant practical difficulties with any attempts to filter the Internet such that it may not be possible to automatically block content,” the companies said in a joint submission to the government under their Digital Industry Group association. “Who would determine whether a service is illegal and would entire websites be blocked if there are both legal and illegal services on the website?”.

billion a year and it is estimate $1 billion is to offshore illegal gambling sites that the government want to stop.

The government want tech companies to install web filtering to block these sites but in a joint statement to the review board the companies say it is unworkable.

Those tech giants also have big concerns around its own legal liability should it move to cut access to commercial websites.

“We have concerns around legal liability in preventing access to commercial websites and question what safe harbours would be provided. In addition, internet filters can be easily circumnavigated and information about how to use virtual private networks (VPNs) is widely available.

There is no existing legal precedent in Australia requiring Internet companies that are not ISPs to filter access to websites,” the note to the review board says.

Figures show that Australian nationals gamble some $24

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JANUARY 2016

The EU Co-operation Arrangement Brussels sprouting common-sense or just turkeys voting for Christmas

By Christina Thakor-Rankin

5

years after the Council of the Eu-

include some of Europe’s more promi

of the EU Council that:

regarding the framework for gambling

nent regulated markets, such as France

‘Cooperation between the Member

and betting in the EU member states

and Ireland. It would be foolhardy to try

States seems required to assess the

and the need for member states to work

and read anything into this so early on

scope, possibilities and mechanisms, in

more closely together in order to ad-

in the process other than to simply ob-

order:

dress cross-border challenges and is-

serve that they did not sign the docu-

sues, Europe took what could be viewed

ment on the same day their peers did.

ropean Union reached its conclusions

as it’s very first baby step towards that utopian goal of ‘harmonisation’.

Equally it is probably too early to speculate as to exactly how this sharing of data

Equally it is probably

November 27, 2015 saw the signing

and information will work in practice

of a landmark Co-operation Arrange-

given the multitude of member states

ment between the gambling regulatory

specific data protection and money

authorities of the European Economic

laundering laws which sit beneath the

Area. Of the 29 member states, 21 - Aus-

higher level European directives, im-

tria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus,

minent newer versions seeking to add

Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Fin-

greater consistency notwithstanding.

information will work in

uania, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway,

Consequently, the only sensible discus-

practice given the mul-

Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United

sion at this stage seems to look at the

Kingdom all appear as signatories.

spirit of the agreement, what it aims to

land, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lith-

achieve, the participants and its impact Interestingly, those whose signatures

within the world as we know it today.

do not appear on the document or are not included in the Appendices relating

So what exactly is it that the Co-opera-

to the ‘Gateways’ or protocols surround-

tion Arrangement hopes to do. The doc-

ing the sharing of data and information

ument opens with the 2010 conclusion

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too early to speculate as to exactly how this sharing of data and

titude of member states specific data protection and money laundering laws

JANUARY 2016

(a) to share information on gambling

within an EEA member state as listed

operators

within the agreement. For the greater

ing for Christmas.

part an operator regulated by any of

The first issue is that co-operation is

(b) to protect consumers, minors and

the signatories who currently offer

voluntary and caveated by Clause 1.3

ensure the integrity of game

regulated betting and gambling within

which states that: ‘This Arrangement

their jurisdiction is already subject to

does not amend or supersede any law

(c) to minimize, where possible, any un-

full disclosure of its operations, there

or regulation within the jurisdiction of

necessary administrative burdens

is already a baseline of consistency and

the Authorities, nor does it affect other

shared principles in respect of social

existing or future administrative coop-

(d) to identify and share best practices

responsibility, customer protection and

eration arrangements between the Au-

in relation to for example player protec-

integrity, and any initiative which aims

thorities.’

tion, technological tools for effective

to reduce administrative burdens, or

regulation and responsible gambling

share common practices and technol-

This is exactly as one would expect.

measures

ogy across territories will come as mu-

Let us not forget that the Co-operation

sic to the ears of those operators and

Arrangement which is founded upon

And further as part of the scope out-

suppliers juggling the challenges of

the findings of the EU Council are first

lined within the Arrangement:

administering multiple licence applica-

cousins to the other EU institutions

tions and varying technical standards.

which determined that the betting and

2.1. Cooperation under this Arrange-

gambling sector was exempted from

ment covers the organisation of gam-

The reality however, is that whilst the

the founding principles of the Common

bling, its supervision, enforcement and

objectives and principles underlying

Market and that each sovereign mem-

compliance with applicable laws and

the Arrangement are laudable and a

ber state could apply its own specific

regulations within respective jurisdic-

clear case of Brussels trying to take the

betting and gambling regulations, free-

tions, including the protection of con-

initiative and enforce some form of con-

dom of movement of goods and ser-

sumers and players, the prevention of

sistency across its borders, the frame-

vices notwithstanding, thereby causing

money laundering and fraud, and the

work within which the aims and scope

the inconsistency and fragmentation

integrity of bets.

will be implemented suggest that this

which this latest Arrangement seeks to

could be less a case of Brussels sprout-

remedy.

In theory none of the above should

ing common sense and something more

cause any undue concern for any op-

akin to a well-intentioned but funda-

erator currently licensed and regulated

mentally flawed concept of turkey’s vot-

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JANUARY 2016

The EU Co-operation Arrangement To now enforce any other position would

of technology to support not just the

be untenable, and sadly also restricts

existing variable landscape of prod-

the extent to which the signatories

ucts, channels and jurisdictions, but a

The fourth (and possibly a technical

might be able to co-operate, because all

new requirement which is applicable

moot point) relating to EU protocols. It

data sharing will be: ‘in accordance with

only to this new super pan-European

does not take an EU law expert to see

their respective data protection laws

‘jurisdiction’ and specific only to those

that this Co-operation Agreement whilst

and frameworks. Directive 95/46/EC2

products or principals which are com-

covering all EEA states both with and

with regard to processing of personal

mon to all or the majority and local

without active regulations, seems to

data as well as the national implement-

rules and laws. Ironically, achieving a

exclude some of wider ‘Europe’s’ most

ing measures apply to the processing of

common standard for online only may

experienced and established online

personal data in the framework of this

result in more not less fragmentation.

betting and gambling regulators, and

Arrangement.’

the IMF and Money Val.

those who over the last decade or so The third issue is that the one of the

have done more in establishing com-

One assumes that these

mon

various regulatory bodies

across the sector. It

already share and discuss

seems strange that an

approaches to best prac-

Arrangement aimed at

tice, player responsibility

better cooperation in

and technology solutions

the area of online gam-

- and if they didn’t one

bling does not include

assumes that it would be

any obvious provision

relatively simple to openly

for the extension of this

access

regulations,

co-operation to those

consultations and direc-

jurisdictions which form

tives to operators without

a part of the wider Euro-

crossing swords with any

pean landscape, and at

data protection gate-keep-

the very least Gibraltar

any

ers.

basic

standards

– unless this is assumed key areas relates to the ‘prevention of

under the auspices of the UK.

Any information which is not currently

money laundering and fraud’. If com-

shared as a result of local data laws

mon or garden data and information

Finally, and perhaps the most pertinent

and regulations will continue to not be

sharing might cause issues, the more

points: ‘The Authorities undertake to

shared. As such this Arrangement does

exotic sharing of any data or informa-

share information with each other on a

not appear to open any new opportu-

tion which relates to money laundering

voluntary and proactive basis on mat-

nity for information sharing over and

and criminal investigations is going to

ters of mutual interest such as market

above that which already exists.

be an even greater challenge unless the

data, new games, results of studies and

Arrangement is extended or assumes a

surveys, and international issues’ and

The second issue is that the Arrange-

similar arrangement with the relevant

‘The Authorities may review or revoke

ment’ is ‘concerning online gambling

law enforcement authorities in each ju-

their participation in this Arrangement’.

services’. Today’s world however is

risdiction.

all about unified multi-channel cus-

There appears to be nothing in this doc-

tomer experiences. By restricting the

In view of the current practices of sub-

ument which seeks to do anything over

Co-operation Arrangement to just on-

mission of disclosures to various enti-

and above adding a touch of formality

line gambling, we could see a new set

ties, one imagines that at best the shar-

to an informal process which already

of requirements which are specific to

ing of data and information in respect of

exists, but on a wider and so arguably

online gambling as driven by this par-

money laundering will be no more than

more valuable basis. And if this is the

ticular initiative, but which unwittingly

numbers of reports made, and practices

case, then the anticipated outcome of

either completely undermine or are

consistent with no more than adher-

the new Co-operation Arrangement is

in conflict with the newly emerging

ence to each state’s respective AML

likely to be as predictable as asking tur-

multi-channel experience. This could

regulations, and directives and advice

keys to vote for Christmas.

potentially lead to even more juggling

from international bodies such as FATF,

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JANUARY 2016

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GAMING NEWS

JANUARY 2016

SBTech sponsors 9th International Gaming Awards

T

he 9th International Gaming Awards (IGA) has announced SBTech as a Silver sponsor.

The 9th International Gaming Awards annual chic event is taking place in London’s Savoy Hotel, on the 1 February 2016. The IGA will unite industry professionals from across the world and allow them to network with talented insiders from across the industry.

Colin Thompson organizer of The IGA commented:” We are delighted to welcome SBTech to join IGA ceremony.

SBTech offers cutting edge technologies to the industry and the IGA is about awarding the best in technology and entertainment. Technology is incredibly important to this industry as it showcasing new ways for people to interact and connect.

The IGA celebrates success, rewards achievement and raises the profile of the UK gaming industry and it would not be possible without support of our Sponsors and participants” The 9th International Gaming Awards will provide first opportunity to showcase your product to the receptive audience of industry connoisseurs and as always will welcome the most successful operators from around the globe, outstanding leaders and charity supporters.

The International Gaming Awards the most memorable evening of the year with its main focus to support truly deserving charities: Care International, Children with Cancer and Responsible Gambling Trust.

IGA9 Finalists announced Clever Duck Media the hosts and organisers of the International Gaming Awards (IGA) have announced the finalists for the 9th annual awards ceremony.

News has it that the total number of nominations this year have passed the previous record and more information on this will be announced later in January 2016.

The 23 International Gaming professionals that make up the list of judgrs have made their final deliberations and have announced the lucky few that make the finals.

Only on the evening of the awards ceremony to be held on the 1st February at the historic Savoy Hotel in London will the winners be announced.

Clever Duck Media have indicated that seats for the evening will be sold out before the new year, so if you still want to be where the most powerful gaming executives will be, then book your place very soon.

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JANUARY 2015

12 Apps of Christmas

Let’s make it a H’Appy’ Christmas

By Paul Swaddle - CEO Pocket App

C

hristmas is almost upon us, and chanc-

years. Lots of fun watching the big

your handwriting (and even sketch-

es are you haven’t even made a dent in

man make his way around the world.

es

your shopping list yet. Fortunately, there’s

too!)

Available

inside on

your Android

chosen

card.

and

iOS.

a bunch of apps designed to help you.

2. Inkly: Create and send Christmas cards

Counting down the days until the 25th

in under three minutes this year with app,

3. Fire Place 3D lite: Fireplace 3D Lite

won’t just help you get in the spirit, it could

Inkly. There are hundreds of designs to

from iTunes will make you feel cosy this

help you organise yourself a little better.

choose from or you can even create your

Christmas. If you don’t have your own

own by uploading your favourite fam-

fireplace, there’s no need to worry as this

1. NORAD Santa Tracker: There are lots

ily photos. To give a personal touch, Inkly

app will make you feel like you’re sitting

of these now, but NORAD (Yes really the

uses handwriting technology. Write your

in front of a lovely, and warm wood fire in

North American Aerospace Defense Com-

message on a piece of paper, take a pic-

the comfort of your own home. There are

mand) has been tracking Santa for 60

ture of it with your phone and transfer

three different fireplaces to choose from:

rustic, traditional and Victorian, each of which have realistic images to make you feel warm and festive. This app is free and available for Apple iPhones and tablets.

4. Manage Christmas – Christmas Gift List manager: There’s no need to worry with this Manage Christmas app, which helps you stick to your budget, keep track of what you’ve already purchased and log any gift ideas that might spring to mind. Create your own shopping list by adding in your family and friends, setting a budget for each and adding in the gifts that you’ve bought or intend to buy. There is also a continuously updated gift ideas section, so if you’re out of ideas, you might find one of the recommendations useful. This app is free and available for both Apple and Android.

JANUARY 2015

Paul Swaddle is CEO of Pocket App a leading design company in the App Construction world

5. Price Spy: A price comparison app that helps you find the best shopping bargains available online and on the high street. Users can search for a product, filter by categories, and create lists of items to monitor their prices. It also features a barcode scanner, which will instantly display product information, reviews, and the best web price. Perfect for the ‘oh God, I haven’t finished my Christmas shopping’ phase of the month.

6. StreetLink: Christmas is the season of good will and as the cold weather kicks in, StreetLink provides a way for members of the public to inform local authorities

about rough sleepers in their area and help get them off the streets.

Over the last year there have been almost 11,000 alerts to local services, and StreetLink has directly helped 4,000 rough sleepers in the first year since its launch.

7. Good Food Festive Recipes: The BBC’s Festive Recipes app features a collection of over 180 tried-andtested recipes to get you through Christmas and New Year’s. There’s something for every course, plus drinks and canapés and a diverse selection of vegetarian options.

All recipes have clear instructions and photographs to help you get the best results. There is also a

selection of videos to help you improve basic skills, like chopping onions and making mayonnaise.

8. Ruffl: It’s Boxing Day and after all those frantic Christmas preparations you simply can’t face cooking another meal. With the Ruffl app you are only three ‘taps’ away from finding a local restaurant with a free table.

You can choose your price range, and the app will even provide a map with directions to your selected restaurant. Some establishments even offer extra incentives to entice you through the door…

32

JANUARY 2016

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12 Apps of Christmas

9. Deliveries - A package tracker: Terrified of the one troublesome gift which is unavoidably going to be delivered too late for Christmas? Never again! Deliveries keeps a watchful eye on all of your packages ordered from multiple retailers within the single app, spelling the end of accidentally missing a delivery time.

10. Hello Fresh: If it’s the supermarket assault course that’s getting you down, apps like Hello Fresh will send weighed measurements of all necessary ingredients as well as handy recipe cards, promising a Christmas dinner with minimal fuss.

11. GoFantastic: Fantastic Services is offering a helping hand to stressed out workers by introducing a new service – Fantastic Elves, a team of helpers bookable by the hour to take care of Christmas chores such as cleaning, shopping, wrapping and decorating.

12. Top10: If you’ve decided to get away from it all this year, hotel app Top10 offers a stress-free way to book a bespoke Christmas getaway, using your preferences to recommend ten stunning hotels at the best available price.

JANUARY 2016

Download Pauls 12 Christmas Apps here 1.

1.

NORAD Santa Tracker (Android) NORAD Santa Tracker

2.

2.

Inkly (Android) Inkly

3.

Fire Place 3D lite

4.

4.

Manage Christmas – Christmas Gift List manager (Android) Manage Christmas – Christmas Gift List manager

5.

5.

Price Spy (Android) Price Spy

6.

6.

StreetLink (Android) StreetLink

7.

Good Food Festive Recipes

8.

8.

Ruffl (Android) Ruffl

9.

9.

Deliveries - A package tracker (Android) Deliveries - A package tracker

10.

Hello Fresh

11.

GoFantastic

12.

Top10

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34

JANUARY 2016

Bookmakers to install new FOBT warning software

UK bookmakers are taking another ma-

lem, if they do not have a registered

lating to FOBTs more than 9,000 times

jor step in combating problem gambling

account the program will alert betting

to betting shops between January and

related to Fixed Odds Betting Terminals

shop staff.

September of this year.

in the terminals to inform players when

With FOBTs dubbed the “crack cocaine”

But leading bookmakers rely heavily on

the system believes their play is becom-

of the betting industry but generating

FOBTs now with William Hill and Lad-

ing compulsive and erratic in amounts

£1.86 billion in revenues for the bet-

brokes receiving more than half their

spent.

ting business companies are looking

revenues from FOBTs and so any way

(FOBTs) by now installing software with-

for ways to alleviate the pressure from

to protect their revenues and at the

The new software called “Player Aware-

anti-FOBT groups who are calling for

same time increase the protection of

ness System” needs to have each cus-

their removal.

problem gambling to customers is a

tomer to hold an account so the system

welcome move.

can email them or send a text message

According to the Gambling Commission

warning them of their gambling prob-

police were called out for problems re-

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JANUARY 2016

Caesars bankrupt division turns a profit in October It may be in Chapter 11 bankrupt-

requirements” of the bankruptcy court.

cy but Caesars Entertainment has filed

their

monthly

re-

In the report the bankrupt part of the

port for October showing it made a

gaming company said it has $19.7 billion

profit of $23.1 million for the month

in debts and is asking the court to allow

on

it to convert the division into a real es-

revenues

of

operating

$321.7

million.

tate investment trust which would then The company because of its bankruptcy

see $10 billion of its debts wiped out.

state is required to file monthly revenue reports, in the report the gaming firm

As a whole group the company car-

said that it held assets of $11.5 billion,

ries $22.6 billion in long term debt

however Caesars cautioned that the fi-

and many of the smaller creditors are

nancial statement was unaudited and

fighting this move in the courts say-

was prepared “solely for the purpose of

ing they would not see a penny should

complying with the monthly reporting

the court rule in favour of Caesars.

Florida governor and tribe reach gaming deal Florida Governor Rick Scott and the

Scott said in his proposal to the legis-

discussion,” Scott wrote. “This compact

Seminole Tribe have finally reached

lature that the agreement would lead

represents an unprecedented level of

an agreement that will ensure the

to a “stable and predictable gaming

cooperation between the state of Florida

state receive billions in revenues and

environment” for the state. The state

and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, includ-

the tribe will see them keep black-

and Seminoles had been battling in

ing the largest revenue share guarantee in

jack in their casinos and indeed be

court over the deal for several months.

history at $3 billion, which is three times

allowed to also have roulette and

“I have executed this compact after

the prior compact guarantee of $1 billion.”

craps in other casinos in the state.

months of collaboration, negotiation and

The new seven year deal which will start in 2017 will generate $3 billion in tax revenues for the state over the period said the governor although the deal has yet to be ratified by the state legislature.

Other inclusions in the deal will see slot machines at a Palm Beach county dog track and also leaves an opportunity for another casino to be developed in Miami-Dade.

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JANUARY 2016

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GAMING NEWS

JANUARY 2016

Betfred looking at 500 betting shop sale off

W

ith the Ladbrokes and Coral deal moving forward with the £2.3 billion merger, Betfred are looking to possibly snap up some 500 betting shops from the newly combined betting firm that Betfred believe will have to be sold to allow the deal through the Competitions Commission.

Currently Ladbrokes and Coral have a combined estate of 4,000 sites and to get the deal through the competition commission the business believes it will have to shed some 500 betting shops and that’s where Betfred hope to profit.

Fred Done, who founded the business with his brother Peter 48 years ago, told The Sunday Telegraph he would “absolutely” be willing to talk to the bookmakers about buying sites offloaded to gain regulatory approval for the deal.

“We operate just short of 1,400 shops, another 400 or 500 shops wouldn’t be a problem to run,” he said. “If somebody knocks at my door and says: ‘Fred, do you want to buy some of these shops?’, I’d like to sit down with Coral and Ladbrokes and have a discussion with them.”

Most analyst’s say that with the merged company having some 45% share of the market by the number of betting shops and 47% share of total revenues in betting shops in the UK many say that a sale of some 500 shops will have to happen to reduce that share percentage.

However Betfred think there will be competition for those shops from Paddy Power, private equity firms and foreign buyers.

Gala Coral year results show strong online performance UK betting form Gala Coral who are soon to be merged with Ladbrokes have posted their full year results to September 26 showing a rise in profits.

Net revenues rose 6% reaching almost £1 billion for the year which is impressive given that 2014 had the boost of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Most impressive was the companies online arm which saw revenues there rise £65.2 million to £247.8 million and the main reason for Ladbrokes merger is to benefit from the success of Gala Coral’s online success.

on revenues at £675.9 million while Eurobet Retail lost revenue of £6.2 million to £77.3 million.

Profits for the firm rose by £14.1 million to £699.5 million Chief executive Carl Leaver said the group’s unique multi-channel capability in the UK and Italy continues to be a key driver of value. “Connect customers are contributing over 40% of Coral.co.uk gross win, while in Italy, multichannel acquisition helped propel Eurobet.it to the number 2 position in the online sports market.”

But like Ladbrokes the retail division saw a flat line

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GAMING NEWS

JANUARY 2016

39

Casino robots the future? Meet

S

he has an hourglass figure, an unflappable manner and a friendly face. Meet “Min,” the robot

whose creators say could revolutionise card-dealing in the world’s casinos.

The svelte brunette is a prototype of a human-like electronic croupier, which Paradise Entertainment, a Hong Kongbased gaming machine manufacturer and supplier, says could cut labor costs and open up new markets for casino operators. While her function is currently limited to dealing cards, planned enhancements could have her recognising customers’ faces and speaking to them in multiple languages, Chairman Jay Chun said. novice customers may seek out robotic

ment, preferring to banter with dealers

After making her debut at a gaming show

tables to avoid embarrassment if they

and fellow gamblers than sit in front

in Macau last month, Min and her clones

make a mistake, he said.

of a machine that provides little or no

will initially be introduced in the US,

engagement, Mr Siu said.

where labour costs in casinos are propor-

While relatively novel in the US, robots

tionally higher than in Asia and where

will be viewed similarly to virtual dealers

“Gamblers often slam the table and shout

humans, but not machines, are prohibited

by regulators, Mr Jones said.

loudly to pump up the mood,” he said.

in some states from working as croupiers.

“I’m not sure if robotic dealers can tap

Paradise is talking to potential overseas

Robots can be a good solution in gam-

into the gamblers’ psychology correctly

buyers, Mr Chun said, declining to say

bling jurisdictions where real dealers

and give an appropriate response.”

how much the robots will cost.

are banned, said Carlos Siu, an associate professor at the gaming teaching and

On top of that, a slowdown in Macau’s

“We are the first gambling equipment

research centre of the Macao Polytech-

gaming industry may result in an over-

manufacturer in the world that produces

nic Institute. Genting Malaysia’s Resorts

supply of croupiers in the territory, Mr

the human-like robotic dealer,” he said.

World Casino in New York state uses elec-

Siu said. Paradise wouldn’t comment on

tronic table games to get around state

whether it plans to sell robot dealers to

Automated table games are a growing

gambling laws that bar human dealers, Mr

the city’s operators. Any roll-out in the

segment of the North American gaming

Jones said.

Chinese territory could spark opposition

industry, according to Christopher Jones,

from a labour union that has urged the

an analyst with Union Gaming Group

In Macau, the world’s largest gambling

Macanese government to keep barring

in New York. Installing electronic table

hub, machines are less likely to appeal.

foreign workers from dealer jobs. Under

games can help casino operators reduce

Asian customers are more inclined to

Macau law, only local residents can be

their labor exposure on low-denomina-

gamble in a noisy and crowded environ-

hired for such positions.

tion games and during slow periods. Also

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GAMING NEWS

Packer & De Niro want to build island casino resort

JANUARY 2016

Prague to close down gambling arcades

J

ames Packer and Robert de Niro and teaming up to convert a once luxurious destination now in disrepair back to its former glory. The K-Club luxury beach resort in Barbuda was once home to the rich and famous along with royalty but those days are long gone however the Australian billionaire along with his Hollywood friend want to bring a new resort to the island.

Following a vote by the islands government to approve incentives for a development of the once luxury resort along with a 25 year tax break has now brought the two together to develop a resort worth $225 million.

In the agreement drawn up by the government agreement the offer comprises of a five-star boutique hotel, a ‘high-end eco-lodge’, a marina with jetties for superyachts, licences for a casino and air service, and a new airport for executive jets.

But many are alarmed by the scale of De Niro’s ambitions for a 198-year lease to include nearly 400 acres of the low-lying natural paradise, noted for its frigate bird sanctuary, for a mere US$ 6.2 million.

However many locals are not happy with the plans which will be decided at a local meeting on Monday 30th November as they will possibly impact on the local wildlife. But business leaders on the island point to the fact that at present there is a derelict resort that needs to be brought back to life and in the process will create hundreds of jobs for local people.

“I can’t understand why they don’t see the obvious benefits,” one island businessman told the Sunday Telegraph. “Truly? This is a no-brainer.”

So Monday will see if the dream of de Niro and Packer will become a reality and work on the new resort can start as early as next year.

The Prague City Assembly has voted to close all the 212 gambling sites that are overtaking the cities streets say lawmakers. The new legislation does not affect the 101 casinos within the city but the cafe or slot arcade style gaming centres.

The new law will take effect in January 2016 with a gradual closure of the gambling sites which some say could take a year or even more to happen.

“The operation of gambling is connected with a number of sociological and pathological phenomena,” Mayor Adriana Krnacova said.

Proposals were put forward back in 2008 to draw back the number of slot machines in the city from 8,358 to 2,724 however this did not happen and the new legislation hopes to address this.

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42

JANUARY 2016

Realistic Resolutions for a Happier New Year!

By Liz Karter To find out more about Liz Karter and her work visit these links: www.levelgroundtherapy.uk - www.lizkarter.com & Liz Karters Books

A

lready had enough Christmas cheer to last a lifetime?

Looking forward to a New Year and a brand new start? Maybe with the pressures of Christmas and all those festive parties you found yourself having a glass too many, or wondering if those stairs might feel easier without quite so many cigarettes? My area of specialisation is treating gambling addiction, but my clients often find they want to get back on track with smoking and

INFINITY GAMING

drinking patterns, too. I find many of my clients are particularly vulnerable over Christmas as opportunities for over indulgence rise, along with the stress levels, which can of course accompany this season.

At Christmas we have time to reflect on the past year and see stuck patterns we wish to change. We make resolutions and it is a great time to include resolving to reduce or give up any addictive patterns – yes, sadly chocolate can be included... We all

know, of course, the downside is that New Year’s resolutions are notoriously hard to keep. One reason is that we make them using the words ‘always’ and ‘never’; we start with unrealistic expectations, fail a few times and give up.

It is so much easier when we make realistic resolutions when giving up anything, and a part of that is giving ourselves something in exchange.

Especially at this time of the year when it is cold and dark and we all crave comfort. So, start by working out what it is that you feel has been helpful to you about the behaviour you are resolving to give up and then give yourself a healthier alternative.

For example, if cigarettes help you to lower stress levels then ask yourself what you can do instead of smoke the next time you feel stressed. Without a healthy alternative coping strategy next time you are stressed your default strategy ‘smoke’ will kick in and you will have a hard time tackling cravings.

JANUARY 2016

Six Ways to Make Realistic Resolutions.

1. Prioritise: if you ultimately want to give up more than one behaviour, it will generally be easier to focus on just one at first.

2. Aim for 4 weeks free of whatever it is that you want to stop doing.

Telling yourself “never again” is off putting and unrealistic. It is normal to slip along the path of adjusting any behaviour. Tell yourself “just for today I will not eat cake” feels easier and those days soon add up to your four week goal.

3. Buy a diary to note significant daily events and your thoughts and feelings about them. You will soon start to notice patterns. Maybe a day when you found it hard not to smoke you had an argument and were feeling angry, or sad. Maybe a day when you hardly thought about smoking you spent time talking with a friend.

4. Alternative coping strategies give you what you were getting from the behaviour you want to stop, but in a healthier more rewarding way. If your diary shows that the behaviour you are giving up is about escaping stress, can you make life adjustments? Can you watch a movie, talk to a friend, or walk the dog when stressed?

5. Tell someone that you are trying to give up that behaviour. It helps to be accountable to someone who will speak out as they see you reach for the cake you are trying to cut down.

Once you get to four weeks free of whatever you want to give up, you truly will notice far fewer cravings for the old behaviour. You will have a great sense of achievement, too!

Of course, your New Year’s resolution might not be to stop something, but to start something. Starting and maintaining a new behaviour can be every bit as hard as giving one up. A reason we have often give up on our New Year’s resolutions to bring in a positive change is because, again, we are unrealistic.

We promise ourselves we will go to the gym every day after work, when of course we fail to keep to our Herculean task we are disheartened and so give up. Or, often, we know we want life to feel better, but we do not take the time to work out what ‘better’ would really mean to us. Changing behaviour is hard work and we are much more likely to keep going with the work it requires, if we can clearly imagine what that change will look like and the benefits it will bring to our life.

Before rushing off to sign up for yet another improving Pilates class, take a little time to ask yourself these questions to work out what your goal for change really is. You might surprise yourself at what it is you truly do want for a happier New Year.

“What would a happier life in 2016 look like for me...?”

Being healthier?

Finding love?

Improving my relationship with family and friends?

Improving my finances?

Developing my career?

Becoming more creative?

The list is endless and it is personal to you, so do please add to it as you please. Once you have your detailed goal in mind then ask yourself: “What steps to I need to take to reach my goal by this time next year?”

I wish you all you wish for yourself from Christmas and the New Year.

Whether your resolution is to rid yourself of a troubling ghost from Christmas past, or to bring in a positive behavioural change to become a much happier new you.

INFINITY GAMING

43

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The growth doesn’t stop there, though. PokerStars and Full Tilt are now spreading out into other gaming sectors, and Rational Group is recruiting right now across a range of fantastic roles in its market-leading poker business and rapidly growing new verticals of casino, sportsbook and social. Come join the team.

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GAMING NEWS

JANUARY 2016

Shay Segev to join GVC Holdings well from his time at Playtech.

“Shay is recognised in the industry as one of the leading figures in online gaming. His knowledge & experience of integrating technology businesses across all product verticals, from casino to sportsbook products, will be central to the success of the enlarged GVC/bwin.party group which we expect to complete in early February 2016, Kenny Alexander , chief executive officer of GVC Holdings said.

I

ndustry professional Shay Segev will be joining GVC Holdings as Chief Operating Officer at the beginning of March 2016 and will be responsible for leading the integration of GVC and Bwin.Party’s respective technology platforms following the completion of the merger between the two, expected in February 2016.

Segev who was formerly COO of Playtech before departing to Gala Coral as Chief Strategy Officer, however with Gala and Ladbrokes in the midst of their own merger Segev has decided to take up the demanding role he knows

“Everyone at GVC & bwin.party are excited to be working with Shay & we are confident he will be a key player in the success of one the largest online gaming operators in the world following completion of the bwin.party acquisition.”

“I am looking forward to working with Kenny & his team to deliver world class services & products to an ever increasing audience. My experience at Playtech & Gala Coral is highly transferable & I am confident will deliver for the enlarged GVC & bwin.party group’s shareholders, Segev concluded.

Dutch online gambling could be worth 1 billion euros

A

new survey in Holland has found that some 1.5 million residents either have gambled or gamble regularly on the internet. Indeed the total gambled online each year using online gambling sites have topped 500 million euros.

The study carried out by Motivaction on seventeen thousand Dutch people which was commissioned by Holland Casino, the survey found that 15% or 1.5 million Dutch residents played online bingo, poker roulette and blackjack and of that number 800,000 played at least four times a year or more.

It also showed that Dutch residents spent on average 26 euros a month leading Motivaction to estimate the Dutch

INFINITY GAMING

market is worth a minimum of 500 million euros per year.

With online gambling currently illegal in the Netherlands, the treasury is losing out on about 100 million euros a year in taxes that could have been collected.

However Holland Casino who commissioned the survey thinks that Motivaction’s estimation is very conservative, pointing to Denmark, where online gambling is legal.

There Danish gamblers whose population is 5.6 million gamble on average 338 million euros online in the first 9 months of this year alone.

With Holland having nearly 17 million resident, the Dutch online gambling market could be worth over a billion euros say Holland Casino.

INFINITY GAMING

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JANUARY 2016

Drilling Through the Wall of Woes to Save Macau

By Desmond Lam

T

ing Macau’s market base but yet cater

brought in created a vibrate casino VIP

he year 2015 will be best remem-

many of its offerings to its Mainland

gaming market and fueled business

bered as the year of woes for many casi-

Chinese visitors, who have spending

booms in other areas of the economy.

no gaming executives working in Macau.

power beyond those from other seg-

Casino gross gaming revenue in 2015 is

ments. Mainland Chinese visitors made

Then in 2014, their numbers dwin-

expected to fall by as much as a third

up about 67% of visitorship to Macau in

dled as anti-corruption drive in Main-

from 2014, or approximately US$ 28-

the first 10 months of 2015, with Hong

land Chinese took a serious note.

30 billion. The impact of a slowdown in

Kong and Taiwan visitors contributing

gross gaming revenue can be felt across

another 25%. Macau still, predomi-

all facets of this tiny society, a region

nately, relies on its Chinese market.

south of China. Non-gaming businesses like retail and F&B are slowing down as

Many difficulty tasks lie ahead; among

visitors to Macau spent less this year.

all, the long term goal of market and

Many come to Macau for vacation and

product

not just gaming, according to major sur-

take time and continuous efforts by,

veys. Retrospectively, by all accounts,

not only the Macau Government Tour-

Macau has already exceeded the ex-

ist Office, but also the collective ef-

pectations of many since it was handed

forts of all six casino concessionaires.

back to Mainland China in 1999. From

After all, the main reason for a ticket

a tiny village, it has now transformed

into this market is to help transform

into an “international� center for many

Macau into a world tourism and lei-

leisure travelers. It is still the biggest

sure center for the many, not just a

casino gaming market in the world.

privileged few. This wish seemed to

diversification.

These

will

have been forgotten during boom-time But wait! Despite some effort to diver-

Macau. In the past, there was an over-

sify, Macau is still essentially servic-

emphasis on recruiting and servicing

ing the leisure and gaming appetite

the VIP gaming guests. Amenities were

of tens of thousands of Chinese out-

often built or modified and services

bound tourists from across its border.

bundled to cater to the needs of these

For many years, executives and gov-

big spenders on the gaming tables.

ernment officials talk about diversify-

Their existence and the guests that they

INFINITY GAMING

Many difficulty tasks lie ahead; among all, the long term goal of market and product diversification.

These will take time and continuous efforts by, not only the Macau Government Tourist Office, but also the collective efforts of all six casino concessionaires.

JANUARY 2016

This dramatic fall said a lot about the

in Macau are now told to accept the new

values in their visits to Macau. Recent

types of VIP gaming customers that Ma-

“norm” that, in my own opinion, what

studies found that Mainland Chinese

cau has. Are they the type of visitors that

it should have been in the first place;

outbound tourists are, among others,

Macau hopes to have? Monetarily, abso-

thus, an old hope turns into new norm.

increasingly interested in cultural and

lutely yes! But, socially and politically, I

The next three years will be critical for

shopping tours. Future initiatives by the

think big brother has a different opinion

Macau and a testing time for its busi-

government and individual property

(all along). A relentless and exhaustive

ness executives, who have been through

can use these studies as guidance for

anti-corruption drive exacerbated the

boom time and unused to the kind of

further innovation. Macau’s casino con-

speed of an economic slowdown in

“sluggish” business performances amid

cessionaires need to create new non-

Mainland Chinese. Some Mainland Chi-

the renewal of casino concessionaire.

gaming offerings that can support its

nese gamblers are deliberately avoiding

These executives have set such high

gaming products; not standalone non-

Macau, while others simply withhold

expectations (and difficult targets) for

gaming offerings that some created for

their travel plans and spending over-

themselves in the past, which seem log-

the sake of diversification or, perhaps

seas. In some ways, Macau is haunted

ical in boom time Macau but ridiculous

more appropriately, demonstration of

by its own business model; that is, an

by any measures elsewhere. Moving

diversification. The idea is an integrated

overemphasis on gaming and on the

forward, Macau’s executive first need to

resort with elements supporting each

Mainland Chinese market, VIP in par-

genuinely lower their expectations and

other and it all has to make sense. Exec-

ticular. VIP businesses and the junket

get back down to earth with their stra-

utives need to find a formula that con-

operators are badly affected in current

tegic options. On a positive note, so far,

nects non-gaming offerings to gaming

market and, poor market conditions,

visitorship has not really plummeted;

revenue. Currently, this is missing. Some

have spilled into and are taking its toll

although each visitor is spending less

of the huge investment in non-gaming

on the mass gaming market. Unless the

on average and less valuable compared

attractions just does not make business

Chinese central government takes a dra-

to previous years.

sense, not even towards brand building.

matic turn to open the tap that allows

Continuous and relevant innovation has

Chinese gamblers to flood back into

Macau needs to innovate to target a dif-

to be the prime driver of growth and

Macau, we are unlikely to see upturn

ferent segment of customers. Visitors

visitorship.

any time soon. Casino concessionaires

who gamble less but demand greater

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47

48

JANUARY 2016

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Drilling Through the Wall of Woes to Save Macau

JANUARY 2016

By Desmond Lam It does seem like the Macau government has to play a greater role in the whole industry to help push it forward.

After all, Macau has more historical and cultural “wonders” than each individual property. Typically strategies in an increasingly matured market is to grab market/customer share from competitors, entice existing players to gamble more, and bring in new players to the market. There is a need to do all three here. But, in this case, it is paramount to promote greater co-opetition, rather than competition between properties.

After all, no single property or the Macau government has it all. Macau’s visitors are increasingly seeing Macau as a single destination, offering multiple customer values.

Macau needs to remove its stigma to bring back the crowd and build confidence. It is often seen to be a city of vice, where Chinese gamblers with dubious background gamble with money from dubious sources. It is perceived by some to be a home of a “morally- and socially-dirty” industry, which exports “problems” to its neighbors. For the industry to move forward, it has to work together (junkets, casino operators, and government) to remove this stigma.

More stringent regulations are needed; more checks must be in place, and with greater emphasis on “responsible” gaming. Then, with the genuine support of its residents, Macau needs to educate the world on what it means, with a focus on its positive side. Macau’s casino gaming industry has survived for centuries. But the world has changed and, so, Macau needs to change with it. In conclusion, the sustainable development of Macau’s casino gaming industry needs the support from all stakeholders. The industry should answer to all their stakeholders and not just to their shareholders.

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GAMING NEWS

JANUARY 2016

Les Ambassadeurs sold to Landing International

L

anding International Development the Hong Kong listed gaming company is spreading its wings after agreeing the purchase of London casino Les Ambassadeurs.

The deal worth £137 million to acquire the business from Twinwood Ltd is the first step in for the company outside of Asia. Les Ambassadeurs is well known as a high end gambling club which was previously owned by London Clubs before selling it in 2006 to Indonesian tobacco tycoon Putera Sampoerna who had used the Twinwood vehicle to purchase the club for £115-million.

In the companies recent annual report Twinwood said of Les Ambassadeurs, Gaming revenue in the first 10 months of 2015 was nearly £16.44 million. With revenue for full-year 2014 was £104.88 million.

club will be hoping that the new owners will ensure that the venue is a success in what is a highly competitive market in London.

In other news from Landing International it said the district where its planned Jeju scheme – known as the Myth-History Park project – is to be built, had been designated a Foreign Investment Zone by Jeju Island’s semi-autonomous government.

The firm said this would allow “100 percent exemption according to foreign investment ratio for five years,” on corporation income tax, with a 50 percent reduction on such tax for a subsequent two years; a 100 percent exemption from customs duties, individual consumption tax and value added tax – as applied to capital goods – for five years; and a 100 percent exemption from acquisition tax and property tax for a period of 15 years.

“The gaming revenue for fiscal year 2014 achieved a year over year increase of approximately 167% due mainly to a few substantial losses by long term players in July and August 2014,” said Landing International’s filing.

Genting Singapore is Landing partner in the project which is said to cost $1.8 billion to develop when they broke ground on the resort back in February this year.

The casino in the West End of London in Mayfair has now seen several owners over recent times but with the casino offering 45 gaming tables from roulette, baccarat, blackjack and three card poker the staff of the exclusive

Landing International said that the Jeju resort would be modelled after Genting Singapore’s Resorts World Sentosa and would open in stages from 2017, with completion due by 2019.

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GAMING NEWS

JANUARY 2016

BetConstruct and DataCenter new collaboration

B

etconstruct, the betting and

Gasparian, BetConstruct’s

gaming software provider

Chief Technology Officer.

(betconstruct.com), is proud

“Datacenter Luxembourg

to announce its recent collabora-

and its hosting offering

tion with Datacenter Luxembourg,

answered all our needs,

the European IT Provider based in

their Tier IV datacentre

Luxembourg.

provides the highest level of security and its loca-

BetConstruct recently chose Datacen-

tion in Luxembourg, at the

ter.eu to host its IT infrastructure in a

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Tier IV datacentre in Luxembourg.

excellent connectivity to the entire world.”

BetConstruct’s innovative and proven offerings include an extensive range

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company provides highly secured co-

clear endorsement of Luxembourg

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as the safe hub of Europe. Their in-

global offices.

in BetConstruct’s choice of provider.

dustry is highly specialised and has a

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range of requirements that we could

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our industry and partners require all these attributes,” explained David

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Massachusetts lawmaker wants online gambling in state

M

assa chusetts which is

sion to take a review on internet

and Wynn Resorts not quite so sure

considering to allow for

gambling also to help casinos drive

about it observers believe it is a fifty-

two new casino resort style

in more revenues and in turn increase

fifty chance that the state will join

revenue taxes for the state.

Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey in

casinos operated by Wynn Resorts and MGM also wants to consider online gambling.

online gambling. Many believe that It is expected that Massachusetts

Pennsylvania will be the next to join

will allow for two resort casinos in

the fledgling industry.

Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr

the next couple of years but with

wants the state Gambling Commis-

MGM supporting online gambling

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GAMING NEWS

JANUARY 2016

Malaysia to tighten laws on internet gambling

I

t seems the Malaysian government want to get tough on illegal online gambling within their country after the country’s deputy home minister said that the current legislation prevents the police from prosecuting operators and needs changes.

“The police are facing constraints in prosecuting those responsible. They have proposed amendments to the laws on gambling to allow them to better deal with the problem,” Mr Nur Jazlan said at the country’s House of Representatives.

At present the only piece of legislation that covers

gambling was constructed in 1953 and although has received several amendments since then none have covered online gambling. The legislation makes it illegal for all forms of unlicensed gambling but contains no mention of “online” or “internet” or even “remote gambling” so makes no power for police to arrest those running gambling online illegal at present.

However plans are now being considered to make amendments to the Communications and Multimedia Act, Lotteries Act, Common Gaming House Act, as well as the Betting Act to ensure online gambling will be

Betfair surprise analyst’s with H1 results Betfair surprised many analyst’s with exceeding expectations for the first half year results with a 15% increase in revenues. The betting exchange firm chief executive Breon Corcoran said: Betfair traded strongly in its key markets throughout the first half of FY16.

“These results, which came against a tough comparative period featuring last year’s football World Cup, are ahead of our original expectations and demonstrate the Group’s continued strong momentum.

“Our strategy of focusing investment in markets with good regulatory visibility continues to pay off.

Betfair’s relatively low exposure to unregulated jurisdictions meant that even though revenue decline in these markets accelerated, primarily due to the impact of suspending operations in Portugal, it was more than offset by growth in sustainable markets.”

Total revenues for H1 ending October 31 stood at £274.4 million compared to £237.6 million in 2014.

Profits were up 9% from £67.2 million last year to £80.5 million in 2015.

Betfair and Paddy Power who have agreed a merger of the two companies which is still Subject to shareholder and regulatory approval expect the deal to go through in the first quarter of 2016.

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GAMING NEWS

JANUARY 2016

Ladbrokes Coral deal approved but Desmond fights on

T

he Ladbrokes Coral merger has been agreed by shareholders on Tuesday paving the way for the completion of the £2.3 billion deal. However Irish billionaire Ladbrokes investor Dermot Desmond has vowed to fight on against the deal.

Approximately 96% of Ladbrokes shareholders voted in favour of the tie up with two of the UK’s largest bookmakers but Desmond who has a 2.8% stake in Ladbrokes has threatened to convene another shareholder meeting to reverse the decision.

He said: ‘This is only the first of 15 rounds, or ten rounds or even seven rounds.

‘There’s a long way to go.’ He went on to say the deal was ‘abysmal’ and has contacted the Takeover Panel with concerns Ladbrokes had not been transparent about some details connected to the deal.

The enraged billionaire said that current chairman Peter Erskine and in-coming chairman John Kelly has brought about ‘the death of Ladbrokes as an independent company’.

Playtech win Sun Bingo deal over Gamesys Playtech has scored a coup by signing up News UK and its Sun Bingo & Fabulous Bingo to its Virtue Fusion Bingo platforms in a five year deal.

Announcing the deal Playtech said the sites will launch in August 2016 after it migrates all existing players to its network.

“The Playtech-powered Sun Bingo will use cuttingedge technology to offer best-performing and highly innovative bingo and side games, with fantastic promotions and prizes and the industry’s largest jackpots,” said Playtech chief executive Mor Weizer.

Sun Bingo, established in 2005, is regarded as one of the UK’s largest bingo sites and was previously using the Gamesys platform which will now cease on the third quarter of 2016.

Desmond would need a minimum of 5% of investors to support a call for another meeting, saying: ‘The company’s total debt burden will increase by four times to £1.2billion.’

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PR NEWS

JANUARY 2016

NetEnt sets new mobile jackpot record with Mega Fortune Touch instant.

Today’s news comes hot on the heels of a €4.5m jackpot which fell on Mega Fortune Dreams with Unibet late in November.

Alexander, 30, from Stockholm, said: “I was totally speechless and couldn’t believe what was happening. It was late and my wife had already gone to bed, but I had to wake her up and celebrate.

N

etEnt has made history on its Mega Fortune Touch slot by awarding an €8.6m jackpot – the largest ever via mobile.

The huge prize was won on ComeOn Casino’s mobile website from a bet of less than €1.50, turning one lucky 30-year-old from Sweden into a multi-millionaire in an

“I’m going to lay low to begin with, but I’ll make sure my mortgage is paid and treat myself to some exciting holidays. It will probably be difficult to avoid buying a new car!”

Simon Hammon, Chief Product Officer of NetEnt, said: “NetEnt’s games excite, entertain and reward our players and it’s fantastic to break another record with this jackpot won via mobile. Our games have paid out over €13m in jackpots in just over a week – the perfect early Christmas present.”

That’s the Bullseye! Microgaming announce new branded slot

M

icrogaming is delivering a ‘super, smashing, great’ online slot to its operators this December.

The classic TV game show ‘Bullseye’, was presented by stand-up comedian Jim Bowen and was a huge hit. Based on the game of darts, Bullseye involved three pairs of contestants competing against one another to win prizes. Bully, the darts playing bull was the show’s mascot, making appearances throughout the programme.

You can’t beat a bit of Bully! And the popular game show is presented in this 5×3 reel, 243 ways to win online slot, with reels based on the programme’s notorious star

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prizes, including a speedboat, caravan and car.

It’s game on during Bully’s special bonus round, triggered by the prize board symbol on reels one and five. The bonus round lets the player step up to the oche for some real darts action. Players throw darts at the board for the chance to win cash prizes depicted by such vintage items as a VCR or carriage clock, worth up to 15x the total bet for each dart thrown!

Furthermore, three or more scatter symbols on the reels takes players to the retriggerable free spins bonus.

15 free spins are presented, during which all wins are doubled, and additional scatter pays between 5x and a ton (100x) can be awarded.

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GAMING NEWS

JANUARY 2016

61

Atlantic City to see more casinos close

C

redit rating firm Moody’s latest

their business and face additional com-

expect increased competition will keep

report warns that Atlantic City

petition,” said Moody’s Investors Service,

the heat on incumbents, and that number

could still lose more casinos

in a report on the gaming industry.

of casinos in Atlantic City will likely con-

because of increased competition from neighbouring states.

tinue to shrink.”

With Caesar’s, Bally’s and Trump Taj Mahal all currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Competition from new casinos opening

The famed Atlantic City boardwalk on the

protection the ratings firm say they are

up in New York, Massachusetts, Pennsyl-

Jersey Shore has seen four casinos close

“already on the brink” of following those

vania and Maryland by the end of 2018

in the last twelve months with over 8,000

closed already suffering falling revenues

will put even more pressure on those

jobs gone but others could go the same

as the whole of the industry in the state

struggling already say Moody’s.

way according to this recent report with

did last year by 8%.

only eight remaining at present.

It seems the question now is not whether “As the number of casinos shrink, some of

more casinos will close in the state but

“We expect more casino closures to occur

the remaining casinos have seen rev-

which one will be first and then who fol-

in Atlantic City as some struggle to grow

enues increase,” said Moody’s. “But we

lows?

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