Infinity Gaming Magazine January 2021

InfinityGaming www.gaming-awards.com | ISSUE123

WIG Diversity Talk Announced GAMING + ARTICLES + BUSINESS+ GLOBAL + ONLINE + NEWS+ AWARDS + etc

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28 A NEW WORLD

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12 RAISING STANDARDS

40 NEW SLOT RESOLUTIONS

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

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

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

09 LAS VEGAS SANDS NEW HEIR 44 NEW START UPS ADVICE 47 DIGITAL YUAN COMING TREND FOR ONLINE GAMING

48 YOUR PERFECT EMPLOYEE 53 UPDATES

PREPARE THE GROUNDWORK

+ NEWS & MORE NEWS

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from the gaming industry

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A note from the editor ence and insight on the gaming industry with contributions this month by, Andrew Cosgrove, Lynn Pearce de Freitas, Teresa Tunstall, Christina ThakorRankin and Tim Cullimore. BUT NOT JUST THAT but we a great article from MD & Co-Founder of Liverbird Digital Jeremy Taylor on starting up your own business. And we not done there, we have guest writer Silvie Mazacova on

See You In 2021”

why companies should hire casino staff, it really is a great read.

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

As well as all the above our team have

Lana Thompson - Editor

also had time to fit in the very latest news and reports from around the world to keep you up to date on everything that is important, what more can

Welcome to the latest edition of the In-

you want from the leading magazine

finity Gaming Magazine and into 2021

for the gambling industry?

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we go, it has not been the best starts to the year but we all have hope that it

Don’t forget you can get all the lat-

will bring us to a conclusion to this aw-

est news from our 24/7 news service

ful pandemic that has blighted so many

the iGaming Post, the only place that

lives and allow us to once again meet

breaks the biggest stories within the

up and celebrate beating this virus.

gaming industry worldwide.

categories for the 2021 International Gaming Awards (IGA) and we have re-

As always- “May the Force be with you”

ceived huge interest in the event and

- Star Wars

shows the massive demand there is to get together and celebrate something

Regards,

that does not involve COVID-19!

Lana

now launched is the Women in Gaming Talk recognising International Ladies Day on the 8th March. Sadly March we thing will be too early to get together in the real world so we have decided to produce an online event for all our supporters to take part and listen to some amazing women for an hour. You can just pop in to wish everyone a wonderful International Ladies Day if you want. Just email calire@cleverduckmedia.com for more details.

So now inside this edition we have our superb writers giving us their experi-

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Business Partnerships Svetlana@gaming-awards.com Marketing & Advertising claire@cleverduckmedia.com

As you all know we have launched the

Another superb initiative our team have

Sponsorship Opportunities Colin@cleverduckmedia.com

The Editor

Editorial Content & PR media@cleverduckmedia.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

To contact Teresa regarding consulting please email:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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OPINION

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Sheldon Adelson Passing, So Who Is The Heir To The Throne?

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ith the death of Sheldon Adelson the billionaire owner Las Vegas Sands many within the gaming industry and also investment vehicles have been asking what is the direction of the company now the man that founded the business and was a strong opponent of online gambling to be?

For the short term everything will be normal, currently Robert Goldstein is assuming the CEO top job as it was announced prior to the passing of Mr Adelson Goldstein would be taking over on a temporary basis from his everyday job of President and Chief Operating Officer since 2015.

Many within the industry believe Goldstein who has worked for Las Vegas Sands since 1995 will assume the new role of CEO on a permanent basis now his boss has died.

However with the Adelson family having a total of 56.6% stake in Las Vegas Sands, is there anyone from within that family who could assume control?

The one man who could possibly be the new heir is Patrick Dumont, his

is the son in-law to Sheldon Adelson and married to his step-daughter from his marriage to second wife Miriam.

Currently Dumont works for the Las Vegas Sands as their Chief Finance Officer after joining the company in 2010 in various other roles., 46-yearold Dumont from New York, in 2009 married Sivan Ochshorn and joined the family business. Indeed back in 2015 it was alleged that Dumont was instrumental in Adelson acquiring the Las Vegas Review Journal for some $140 million.

The acquisition was a bitter affair with many staff and writers opposed to the sale, however it happened and management within Sands believe Dumont has been involved with Adelson in the past in other acquisitions the company have made.

Many analyst’s believe that with the passing of Adelson Dumont will be the “key� figure representing the families interests and will at the very least be given a more prominent role within the boardroom and maybe also the top job.

too soon for Dumont to take control, it is thought that Goldstein will assume the Chief Executive position in the short to medium term and steer the company into a new era.

Already even before the death of the companies founder Las Vegas Sands were reported to be gearing up to enter the sports betting industry that is growing rapidly now in the US. Was this an idea from Dumont or Goldstein or both? Whoever from Las Vegas Sands had the idea it is clear that the company is moving in a new direction. Whether the rumours of a meeting between James Packer and the Adelson family during the New Year holidays is correct over the acquisition of his remaining interest in the ailing Crown Resorts business, there seems to be a clear path in where the company wants to go.

That is move out of Las Vegas, look to expand within the International gaming industry, gain more traction into local states for casinos and jump into sports betting while the industry is growing.

It is believed by many that it could be

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Register your interest contact: claire@cleverduckmedia.com

GAMING NEWS

Entain Chairman Rejects MGM Inevitability

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Okada Manila Warns Of Fake Online Site

Owners of the Okada Manila Casino Resort have warned the operators of an online casino which carries the name “Okada Manila Online Casino” to stop using its name and warned customers the online gambling site is illegal and has no connection to the company.

According to the Chairman of Entain the on-

line gambling operator MGM Resorts made two increased offers behind closed doors before eventually deciding to pull out of negotiations to acquire the owner of brands such as Ladbrokes, Bwin and Coral.

In an article in the Sunday newspaper The Telegraph Barry Gibson the Chairman of Entain said that he rejects claims the online firm will eventually succumb to an offer from the US Casino giant.

Entain have an exclusive agreement with MGM to work with their joint venture BetMGM and many analysts see this as a stumbling block for any other company to approach Entain, however Gibson says that is not the fact and MGM does not have any blocking rights should a separate offer materialise from elsewhere.

Gibson was quoted by the newspaper as saying: “We’re not disappointed. We can deliver a lot more value for our shareholders over the next one to three years.”

Those words seem to align with the Entain Boards view that in the next couple of years the value of the business will be far greater and in a better position to attract other suitors apart from MGM putting it in a stronger position altogether.

Now the MGM have officially withdrawn the offer the US casino operator is not allowed to make another approach for 6 months, where both parties will be in that time given the current global pandemic is another question altogether.

The casino which is promoted by Japan’s Universal Entertainment Corp. has seen the online site gain more popularity over recent weeks and is concerned that its customers will believe it is operated by the casino resort.

In a statement released by the casino operator it said: “Okada Manila does not operate an online gaming facility or service at present, it appears that certain persons and groups are promoting an online casino claiming to be operated by Okada Manila.”

The statement finished by saying, “we urge the public not to patronise these unauthorised online gaming operations, which are illegal and punishable under the law.

DraftKings Makes It Twelve With Virginia DraftKings has announced the launch of DraftKings Sportsbook in Virginia, marking the 12th state the company now operates. According to the sports book firm Virginia will now be able to place bets on a number of markets across professional and collegiate sports using DraftKings.

“Just in time for Super Bowl LV, we are thrilled to bring the DraftKings sports betting experience to Virginia with an abundance of betting options for fans,” said Jason Robins, co-founder and CEO, DraftKings. “With our customer-first approach, we hope to be the sportsbook of choice for Virginians who enjoy having skin in the game.”

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Raising standards: not as straightforward as black or white

By Christina Thakor-Rankin

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ast year ended with the industry association,the Betting & Gaming Council (BGC) released details from a report it commissioned to highlight the unintended consequences of more stringent regulatory measures as a result of a review of the UK Gambling Act 2005.

The report produced by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) suggested that over a 12-month period between 2018-2019 around 200,000 UK customers gambled in the region of £1.4billion with non-UK regulated sites.The report also suggested that such sites also accounted for around 9% of online search results.

This year began with the regulator issuing a formal response to the report, labelling it an exaggeration based on

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its own experiences of ‘182 information reports, through all sources, of illegal online gambling from a total of 26,212 contacts to the Contact Centre in 2020’, citing its own efforts in combatting illegal and unregulated gambling including engaging with 15 other regulators, identifying and reacting to spikes and stating clearly that it remained ‘unconvinced’ that ‘raising standards in the licensed market will prompt consumers to gamble with illegal operators’.”

When set down, side by side, the numbers claimed by the industry do appear to be slightly outlandish when compared to those cited by the regulator and a by-stander might be forgiven for thinking this is just a clumsy attempt by industry to ward off an increase in regulation and

reduction in revenues.

Given that neither side is actually denying the existence of a black market or the possible impact of changes in regulation on it the question is whose version of events (or numbers) is closest to reality?

The industry figures might be higher than those experienced by the regulator, but that does not necessarily mean they are wrong. 200,000 customers gambling £1.4 billion in a 12-month period translatesto an average of £7,000 per customer per year.

Assume that ‘gambling’means staking (wagering/handle/turnover) rather than deposit or loss and that £7,000 per customer is reduced even further (for a bonus with x 40 wagering that’s a deposit of less than £200).

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Add to this the output of the Gambling

and affordability, attempting to bypass

ogy generally move faster than regula-

Commission’s own historic research that

a national self-exclusion, or looking for

tion or enforcement. This means that

indicated that ‘almost half of people in

products not available locally. For exam-

addressing unregulated activity will

Britain gamble’ is it really so difficult to

ple, it would be interesting to see what

nearly always be a reactive rather than

believe that of the 100% of people who

proportion of this gambling relates to

a proactive measure.

gambled in the UK just over 0.5% did

secondary lottery betting with custom-

so with non-UK regulated sites? (*based

ers continuing to play with non-UK op-

The Commission also provided its own

on 33.5 million from a total population

erators following the ban in 2018?

numbers to illustrate the disparity be-

of around 67 million in 2019)

tween the estimates suggested in the Based on this the numbers bandied

industry report and its own experi-

And the reasons for playing with non-

about by the industry sound about

ences, stating that of all of the contacts

UK sites? Some will be new customers

right, so does this mean the numbers

received in 2020 only 182 related to

responding to unsolicited marketing

quoted by the Gambling Commission

reports of illegal online gambling.

communications (most likely as a result

are wrong? Again, the answer is no - not

of someone selling a database some-

necessarily.

where) or search engine results. Some

Customers generally only complain when they do not get what they were

will be looking for market value or bo-

The regulator is working with 15 other

expecting (such as a bonus or refund).

nuses. And a large proportion (based on

regulators to tackle illegal and unregu-

In such cases the customer will direct

the experiences of many UK operators)

lated activity. Whilst no-one would dis-

the complaint as outlined in the opera-

will be customers trying to avoid what

pute the efforts of the regulators many

tor’s terms or to the party they believe

they consider to be intrusive and unrea-

would question the effectiveness given

is most likely to secure them a favour-

sonable checks around source of funds

that customers, operators and technol-

able outcome. (PTO)

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Christina Thakor-Rankin Article

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Where would be the benefit to the customer in raising a complaint to a regulator, or indeed any other party,who did not have the power to intervene or compel an operator to act?

For example, it would make perfect sense for a customer in the UK playing on a Malta regulated site to contact the Malta Gaming Authority if they felt the operator had breached Maltese regulations - but what would be the benefit to them in contactinga regulator (such as the UK regulator) when that regulator has to authority or power over the Malta regulated operator they have a gripe with especially when the decision to play with the non-UK operator was based on avoiding checks or access products banned in the UK? Based on customer behaviour the numbers provided by the regulator may be true, but it is probably also true that the number of reports received by the UK regulator in relation to unregulated sites will only ever be the tip of the iceberg.

The problem is not with the numbers provided by each side. The problem is that comparing them side by side is like comparing apples with oranges.

The success of a black market is based on customer demand. A better way of trying to understand theimpact of regulatory changes in relation to the black market might be to look at how the customer is likely to react to them, based on the Commission’s own historic research indicating that ‘67% of respondent’s think people should have the right to gamble whenever they want’.

long they could play for; orrestrictions on gambling opportunities in the UK such as bonuses or promotions, in-play betting or turbo mode or other in-game features, but which continued to be available and accessible with operators outside the UK; or a requirement forcustomers to share personal and financial information they believed a gambling business had no business asking for?

For instance how would a customer react to a change that curtailedtheir freedom to make choices and decisions for themselves such as how much they could deposit or how

If the view is that the customer would be happy with the changes then the impact on any black market will be marginal. If the answer is the customer would not be happy with the

changes then that would see customers moving to the black market to find ways of continuing to play on their terms as has been the case in places such as Scandinavia, Asia and the Americas.

The answer to how changes in regulation will influence or impact on the black market lie in first understanding how they will impact on the white market.

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GAMING NEWS

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Jette Nygaard-Andersen The New Boss At Entain

E

ntain plc the owner of brands such as Ladbrokes and Coral have announced officially that Jette Nygaard-Andersen has been appointed as the new CEO of the company with immediate effect.

Jette Nygaard-Andersen who replaces Shay Segev who announced his departure from the company after only seven months into the job to take up a co-CEO position with sports streaming firm DAZN. Along with the new role for Jette Nygaard-Andersen will be Rob Wood who currently sits as CFO will now also become deputy CEO. Barry Gibson, Entain’s Chairman, said: “We are extremely fortunate to have such an outstanding candidate and readymade CEO in Jette. She is already deeply immersed in Entain’s

strategy, and clearly shares our ambition to be the world-leader in sports betting and gaming entertainment.

“Jette and I have been immensely impressed by Rob. He is extremely well regarded internally and externally, and the additional responsibilities will enable him to further develop his operational skills as well as overseeing a key tenet of our growth ambitions through M&A. “Sandeep has been integral to the development of Entain’s unique proprietary technology platform, which is a source of significant competitive advantage. His appointment not only reflects his contribution to the success of Entain but is also aligned with our aim to have a broader range of experiences and inputs on the Board.”

Jette Nygaard-Andersen said: “I am very excited to have the opportunity of continuing the extraordinary momentum that Entain has in its existing markets, as well as helping it enter new regulated markets and reach new audiences. I am delighted that Rob has agreed to take on broader responsibilities and that the importance of our proprietary technology is recognised through Sandeep’s appointment to the Board. I am deeply wedded to Entain’s commitment to providing industry-leading levels of player protection, and to its philosophy that the most sustainable business in our industry will be the most successful business in our industry. I cannot wait to get started.”

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The Trend for online gaming to merge with land-based casinos continues

By Lynn Pearce de Freitas

I

t is interesting to note that even during the pandemic, with lockdowns happening across the globe, the trend to merge online gaming with land-based casinos is continuing to gather pace.

When you consider the odds against this happening now, in our present situation, the question arises as to why gaming companies are continuing to do this, and I thought I would try to find out the answer, as

there are more perceived negatives than positives in this scenario, even though I am totally in favor of this trend and wanted to find out other people’s reasoning in this regard.

Years ago, I recall taking my entire online gaming staff complement of over 50 people, to a land-based casino, so that they could experience the sights, sounds and ambiance of being inside a casino, hoping they would be inspired to bring this experience to the online gaming world. We sat at the tables, had lessons, played some roulette, baccarat, blackjack, and video poker games and had a lot of fun.

We also gained a lot of knowledge observing the players, their behaviors and what they considered to be lucky!

However, back in the studio the following day, they struggled to bring those sensations to life online, although they did a really good job, with animation and creation of a casino lobby with croupiers.

Nowadays, with Live Casino and real

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live dealers in virtual studios, who interact with the player baseand keep them entertained and fully immersed in the experience online – it is so much easier to do, so why bother merging with a land-based casino? In addition, the number of casino slot games in the online world are immense, with really interesting themes, and the game mechanics are designed to entertain anyone, from the recreational player, who plays low to medium volatility games – to the experienced player who wants high volatility with a better chance of winning big – and fast! The games also appeal to the younger target markets, like the typical Gen Z and Millennial esports enthusiasts and players, with a lot of the slot games mimicking this environment. There are also retro and branded games online, which appeals to the Baby Boomer market, as a number of these games have been taken from the traditional land-based casino environment and reworked for the online gaming community.

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I can certainly understand from the land-based casino perspective, with the pandemic either forcing people to stay at home, or having to social distance when going out, and a lot of people decided for themselves that they would not go to land-based casinos for fear of catching the virus. A number of land-based casinos closed their doors during this pandemic and are now feeling the pinch, so it would be understandable that they would want to look for opportunities to merge with a reputable online gaming company, which would give their business the opportunity of targeting a much broader player base.

On the other hand, some people have specifically visited land-based casinos, because of the lockdown situation at home, with children not being able to go to school and studying virtually at home – just to get a break from the family and play a few games and have some fun. This has resulted in mixed revenues, with some land-based casinos earning between 20 – 30% more

than normal revenue.

I personally think online gaming companies have a huge advantage right now, as they basically have a captive audience, looking for entertainment while being stuck at home. In addition, and as the numbers show, online gaming has increased tremendously over the past year and looks to continue for the foreseeable future, with the second wave on us right now and the threat of a third wave facing us all.

Gaming communities have been thriving during this period – the younger generation live on social media, in fact, they have grown up with the technology that allows them to play against their friends online, you only have to witness the growth of esports over the past year alone to realise that fact!

believe augmented reality will be a no-brainer for this crowd. Millennials are traditionally sports-orientated - and during the past year, with so many sports being cancelled globally, either switched to esports or casino games, which a number of casino software development companies acknowledged and are now actively developing syndicated jackpot games online, basically allowing them to play with their friends and share the pot. I love the idea – and I am a Baby Boomer!

However, the biggest advantage online casinos can offer their landbased counterparts is offering them the chance to keep their customers playing, and communicating with them, even when they are not in the casino. Couple that with the lure of live streaming – and you have a winning combination all round!

Gen Z have been born into the digital age, are tech savvy, constantly on their mobile phones and always looking for the next best thing online – I

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GAMING NEWS

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Online To Turn Tables On Land Based Operators

M

any thought that MGM Resorts would come back with a larger offer for the Ladbrokes, Coral operator as the US casino giant wants to increase its presence in the sports betting sector state side.

As land based casinos worldwide suffer with lockdowns the online gambling industry happily picks up the slack from lost revenues.

Caesars Entertainment was the last big US operator to take another British online operator in William Hill for £2.9 billion, however the really big last two is now Flutter Entertainment

and Entain.

The latter has already said £8 billion is not enough and Flutter could be valued at upwards of £19 billion, so who in the US could go for either one now?

Most likely no-one but could it be that an online operator could go the other way and look to acquire a US land based operator to increase its foothold in the US? All states that allow online gambling only does so with registered licensed operators physically in that state, so if an online operator bought into a company with multiple locations well you know how that would go.

Indeed the iGaming Post has been informed that a smaller online operator is doing that very same thing in South America this year, so by acquiring the land based licenses are able to then offer the more lucrative online gambling services.

Has the tide changed with the failure of the MGM bid and will the industry see a reverse acquisition of a major online operator go for a major land based casino operator?

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GAMING NEWS

Thailand Gambling Reforms Questioned

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Reed Announces Date For G2E Asia 2021 Reed Exhibitions the organiser of the Las Vegas G2E and also G2E Asia has announced the new date for this years expo in Macau. Following the cancellation of the event last year the company have made the following statement: Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia – the marketplace for the Asian gaming and entertainment industry – will return to the Venetian Macao from August 17-19, 2021.

Thailand’s Stop Gambling Foundation (SGF), the group opposed to legalising gambling in the country have said that there is a danger that the government could increase both legalised gambling and also illegal gambling.

Traditionally held in May, the August convening will allow exhibitors and attendees more time to plan for their participation in light of continued COVID-19-related commercial and travel restrictions.

Through ongoing consultation with our stakeholders and the Macau government, Reed Exhibitions and the American Gaming Association determined that an August event provides the

The Secretary of the group said that by bringing in legislation to allow for gambling venues those not allowed to gamble will still use illegal gambling dens and so just increase gambling within the country.

Thanakorn Komkris, secretary of the SGF said: “Legalising gambling is not straightforward. Legal casinos need rigorous standards and require supervision and regulation. When a gambling den is brought in line with such standards, some people will be denied access. As a result, they will return to illegal venues. Thailand might end up having both legal and illegal gambling dens which would be worse than now.”

He went on to say, “For example, cockfighting and bullfighting dens have already been legalised, but there are still many illegal events held across the country, people who are pushing for the legalisation of gambling are naive to believe that illegal gambling dens will be eradicated overnight.”

best opportunity to showcase the calibre of educational content and create the valuable marketplace that our industry has come to expect from G2E Asia. We look forward to bringing the gaming community together at G2E Asia, as the industry continues to recover from the devastating impacts of COVID-19.

Mr Komkris said the government need to set up a “Gambling Problem Management Centre”, to help review the impact increasing legal gambling would have on the country.

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Prepare the groundwork for a very different future

By Tim Cullimore

A

New Year and perhaps a new start or sadly maybe some more of the same difficulties, sadness and tragedy.

There are so many things to consider during these difficult times, and nothing will compare to the feelings of loss by those who have experienced bereavement, but the tribulations of those in work, or more probably out of work, must be considered also.

In all the countries I work in throughout Europe the decisions madein lockdown regarding Casinos have been some of the strangest and most difficult to understand. A theme I often return to is the lack of genuine understanding of our industry by legislators, so it is completely understandable that they would get this wrong too, especially as these officials are being put under so much strain.

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So as is always the case it looks like the casino industry, especially the land-based branch will have to look after itself, which means trying to imagine a future vastly different from the reality we know now. And the key element of preparing for a post covid environment is the reassessment of the relationship between land-based and online, and although this may seem to be a heresy, perhaps the land-based guys need their on-line brethren to show them a way to a more innovative and dynamic business model.

Up until now we have thought that an online presence of a traditional land-based operation was primarily an extension of their core activities, but with the continued lockdown in most countries, including the closure of the majority of land-based casinos, perhaps the focus of online operations could be to perpetuate

the identity of the core product.

For 20 years we have had a linear flow of commerce from land-based to on-line, but interestingly this wasn’t initially instigated by the land-based industry; it has largely been the initiative of web-based entrepreneurs who have occupied the market, in the way that Elon Musk has taken the E.V. market whilst having no background in the car industry.

Over the past 10 years I have advised many on-line operators about the practical and emotional elements of a flesh and blood casino operation. The questions that arisen have surprised and delighted me, as just as often the question will be of a variety that can be answered by “well that’s pretty obvious”, there will also be questions that have stopped me in my tracks, giving me pause to reflect

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Elon Musk & Tesla Cars

and say “why hasn’t anyone asked that question before”, or “why the hell haven’t I asked that question before”.

So let’s imagine what we would see if we let a bunch of online guys loose in a bricks and mortar casino environment, what would be the dynamics of the operation for the players? Would there be a vastly different game offering, would the ancillary products such as F & B and entertainment be entirely alien, would there be any human interaction at all? Well, disappointingly I cannot give you the answers, because I am one of those guys of the old school who have been griding away for years and years in the same old way. But boy, would I love to see it, because unlike some of my esteemed colleagues I’d really like to shake things up. And what would there be

to loseby giving a fresh sheet of paper to the best game designers, programmers and web architects for a day and see what they come up with.

We see this with Kindred group buying the Blankenberge casino on the coast in Belgium. Coincidentally I spent a very enjoyable winter many years ago working at the Blankenberge casino with one of the best teams of dealers and inspectors I’ve ever seen, working hard as a dealer, and enjoying the down time as only you can when surrounded by Belgians.

Here we have a situation where the norm has been reversed, and where a group whose principal activity is on-line are moving into a land-based environment. It is true of course that

the Belgian market is particularly suited to this type of acquisition, as to operate an online casino you have to own or be partnered with an existing physical casino, but this is by no means a unique scenario, with Switzerland having a similar legislative set-up. So it will be very interesting to see if Kindred use this opportunity to be a disrupter in the market, and if others follow suit. Kindred have great brands and have intelligently used them for promotional purposes, especially in sport, so can these brands cross over to a regular casino.

Will this be the first of many casinos being acquired by online operators as (PTO)

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Tim Cullimore Article

live online gaming is also becoming extremely popular. The volume of live play moving through the market leaders such as Playtech and Evolution is remarkable, and I have been privileged to see inside these operations, and not giving anything away, they blew my mind with their professionalism and innovation. I also enjoyed very much visiting the Portomaso casino in Malta where they have online gaming being fed from the live table games on the gaming floor, giving a totally different atmosphere to that which you can find being broadcast frompurpose-built studios.

As a consumer of the product, I think I would feel a sense of trust and security knowing that if I really wanted to, I could walk down to the casino where the games I am playing online are being operated. That kind of trust is hard to come by. As we know,

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playing casino games is an emotional activity above all else, and as we have discussed in my previous articles, our clients are not always rational, at least not all the time.

promoting the core product of casino games, until once again a new philosophy arrives of gaming being just like any other leisure activity (which of course we know isn’t the case).

So perhaps to find the key to future success and sustainability of our businesses we should look to re-energise and innovate by adopting the effective aspects of on-line operators within our walls, instead of trying to replicate the traditional gaming experience on-line.

I believe we need a third way. One where real innovation is given a chance. So here’s the deal, lock me in a room with a team of young bright on-line gaming developers, programmers and architects, and not only will I come out of that room being a far better FIFA 2020 player, I will show you some real new ideas, and we should hold true to that which Cole Porter so eloquently wrote, and Sinatra so expressively sang, “Anything Goes”.

For years, the pendulum has swung between seeing gaming in Casinos as only a part of a wider leisure offering of food and entertainment (remember Vegasbeing promoted as a family entertainment destination anyone?), then when that doesn’t show the expected success, swinging back to

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A New Year and a new World

By Teresa Tunstall

T

he start of a brand-new year is normally ajoyousoccasion but unfortunately 2020 was so dire that most of us have tried to forget it. However the dawning of 2021 has produced some light at the end of the tunnel with the introduction of both the Pfizer and AstraZenica vaccines. Currently there are more and more “jabs” being provided so hopefully at some point soon we will all be well and happy!

Meanwhile despite being locked down (or locked up!) life goes on with various different issues such as access to our welfaresystem, treating EU and non-EU migrants, equality and the economic recession.Perversely there is a little known fact that there are 32,000 children of EU nationals whoreceive child benefit which is expected to be terminated.

The value of Bitcoin continues to grow to an all-time high with analysts considering it might be just days before setting a new record.

However, the surge in value does not involve UK investors who are now unable to trade crypto derivatives following decisionsmade by the Financial Conduct Authority. I pre-

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sume this is upheld to protect those gamblers who don’t fully understand Bitcoinsand their use.

Bookmakers were urged to repay tens of millions of pounds of business rates after online betting boomed in lockdown, and together with other substantial companies who have benefitted from the Pandemic have handed back more than £2bn of business rates relief. B&Q owner is the latest, returning a £130m tax breaker following a boom in DIY and home improvement Now pressure is mounting on other gambling com-

panies to pay back their rates relief.

Ladbrokes Coral’s owner,GVC which has 3,300 UK shops will receive £20m in rates relief while Paddy Power owner Flutter with 350 UK shops, benefits to the tune of £4.8m.

Bookies have been closed in the two major lockdowns benefiting from both the immense volume of online gambling, and the tens of millions of pounds received from the Government’s “furlough” scheme. Therefore it is and should be incumbent on them to remit back the rates relief they received.

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Covid-19 has thrown the nation’s love of pets into the sharpest focus, especially for those lonely, bored or nervous folk seeking solace in a new family. Research has shown that looking after, feeding and caring for a pet takes prime place in the budgets for most of them despite the financial disadvantages that prevail.Thus it shouldn’t be a surprise to learn that for many people Guinea pigs have the biggest demand; it is a pet requiring the least work and the least demand for food or veterinary bills. I have it on good advice thatthey are also found to be very kind creatures.

Ofcom Information: The Govern-

ment’s intention is that online platforms should have appropriate systems and processes in place to protect those who are users and that Ofcom should take action against them if they fall short.

Although independentof Government, Ofcom has links to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Secretary of State is required to present Ofcom’s annual report before Parliament.

known as Ofcom, is the governmentapproved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers across television, radio and telecoms. It has a statutory duty to represent the interests of citizens and consumers by promoting competition.

Their tenets include a policy to act and ensure that people are protected from fraud and bad practices, in particular in relation to vulnerable or older people.

For your information, The Office of Communications, commonly

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Teresa Tunstall Article continued

Independent of both Government and companies Ofcom, see themselves asregulators and their duties are set out in statute, making them accountable to Parliament as follows,‘We will engage with Government and other industry partners as we continue our programme of work and further our research of the complex way in which online services affect peoples’ lives.’

It was in February 2020 that the Government announced that it was minded to appoint Ofcom as the UK’s online “harms” regulator.

Their code of conduct continues, ‘The scope and design of any new legislation is a matter for Government and Parliament. We share the Government’s ambition to keep people safe online and will work with them to help ensure that regulation provides effective protection for people online.

We will be working closely with the Government in the coming months, as the details of the new regime are developed.’

Unfortunately, Ofcom has already hit a problem wall, which occurred whilethey updatedtheir definition of hate speech to include ‘political opinion,’ raising fears over freedom of speech.

As a consequence It seems their new code is set to cover the following: ‘All forms of expression which spread, incite, promote or justify hatred based on intolerance on the grounds of disability, ethnicity, social origin, gender, sex, gender reassignment, nationality, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, colour, genetic features, language, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth or age.’

Without doubt this will cause much anger and rage as Ofcom maintain these changes would not prevent criticism of an opinion but only guard against inciting hatred towards the person holding it.

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sexuality had narrowed the debate on equality. MP Ian Duncan Smith said, “we are drifting into a totalitarian ‘woke’ state where noting can ever be said for fear that somebody will be offended. It’s madness and it’s driven by a small minority. Most people don’t care.”

This beggars the question as to where and when will the line be drawn and what freedom goes with it? Only time will tell.

Finally, I’m pleased to say a good friend has been chosen for the Virus vaccination and he is as happy as if he’d just won the Lottery!! Let’s hope we can all win our own lottery of health and happiness. Take care and go safely.

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

The Equalities Minister warned a fashionable focus on race, gender and

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35

Why Did Entain Boss Leave After Just Seven Month?

S

ir Len Blavatnik the owner of DAZN who enticed Shay Segev to leave Entain after only seven months in the job and join his growing online sports streaming service, is reported to have offered the Israeli businessman a salary several times higher than what he was earning with the online gambling firm.

Entain was paying Shay Segev some ÂŁ675,00 plus bonuses a year, with the reported multiple increase in salary by DAZN along with what is reported to be share options valued at ten of millions of pounds, how could the Entain boss refuse.

gev have said that it is unlike the businessman to accept money over a challenge which Entain was, but Sir Len Blavatnik who is listed as the fourth richest man in the UK with an estimated wealth of ÂŁ23 billion wanted to online gambling professional to head up a shared co-chief executive role with DAZN. There had been rumours within Entain that Mr Segev had opposed the approach by MGM Resorts, believing the value and timing was not right for the online gaming firm. However speculation mounted that the nonexecutive leadership on the board of directors wanted the MGM deal to go ahead.

Both of these accounts have been rejected by Entain but clearly for some reason after only seven month in the top job at Entain Shay Segev believed it was the time to go and try a new venture with DAZN. Entain have said that Mr Segev, who has a six month resignation agreement could have seen out the full term of that arrangement, however with the recent announcement of a new CEO at Entain it could very well mean that Mr Segev goes to DAZN sooner than anticipated.

However close friends of Mr Se-

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Five slots new year’s resolutions you don’t want to keep We all toy with the idea of New Year’s resolutions, but how many of us actually turn our thoughts into actions and how many of us end up making the wrong ones?

By Andy Cosgrove

A

t this time of year slot managers all over the globe look at their personal lives and dream of a brighter future for themselves and their families. They may consider any variety of ambitious and spirited undertakings such doing more exercise, eating better, spending more time with their families, taking up a new hobby, or even setting the ultimate goal ofa dry January! New year is traditionally, without a doubt, a good time to dream of such bold initiatives regardless of whether or not we follow through with our sometimes over enthusiastic aspirations. After all it’s the thought that counts right? The dedicated slots managers may even dream up some wild new year’s resolutions for their department that will, beyond a shadow of a doubt, elevate

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them to legendary status, transform their operation into the envy of their competitors and make their customers queue up for miles for the mere privilege of playing on one of their magical slots. However, despite all our good intentions, thing’s can and will go wrong so be aware of these classic slots New Year’s resolution blunders: Let’s not change anything – Some less competent slot managers might feel comfortable maintaining the status quo simply because they are happy avoiding problems instead of making their goal the achievement of excellence. My question is do these managers really manage or are they just slot technicians with an inflated title? Others might be fortunate enough to have reached a certain level of success and live under the

illusion that once you get there all you have to do to maintain a successful operation is to do the exact same thing that it took to get there only to find out (much to their disappointment) that success is a moving target and that takes 24/7 effort, analysis and innovation because it’s constantly redefining itself with every customer interaction. If you think that you’ll survive by using the same old suppliers, the same old tired marketing campaigns, obsolete technology and overzealous procedures then don’t be surprised if you don’t last beyond the end of 2021. If you start the new year by asking yourself “how can I make my slots operation better today than it was yesterday?” then you’ll be taking the first step in the right direction towards making your new year’s resolution work for

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you, your slots department and your customers without anyone even asking. Change also refers to regulatory organizations who, in certain jurisdictions, need to level the playing field between online and land based operations.

Let’s increase our slots hold percentage– a classic blunder that, more often than not, comes from some high up executive that’s under budget related pressure because the original projections have been changed 10 times and, before you know it, you’re expected to pull off a 200% increase in annual revenues by whatever means necessary just to keep your bosses looking good, while magically adding extra value to your customer experience!!!How does that work? This is where it all goes wrong and we realize (after the fact)that in

reality increasing the slots hold results is adding a negative value to the customer experience which, in turn, translates into less customers, less revenues and the high up executive pointing the blame finger at everyone but themselves. If you must change your hold percentages, start by clearly defining the project focus, identifying and prioritizing which percentages to change, analyzing the impact of the changes, selecting and implementing the solutions and creating a control plan that will help prevent the high up executive from making any such demands in the future. Your customers will thank you!

Quadruple the minimum ADT required to qualify for slots comps.

This may seem like a bit of a crazy new year’s resolution blunder to avoid because it would never happen right?

Wrong! I witnessed this happening and without being asked for even a basic risk analysis. This all happened from one day to the next and the effects were immediate. We lost some of our best customers and by the end of the first month coin in was down significantly. If you do wake up on the first day of the new year dreaming of implementing this kind of temporary insanity, my advice is to discuss it with your management team first, and I don’t mean only with the player development execs. Some casinos do fall into the trap of over comping players simply because it’s so easy to give away money that’s not yours but unless you manage comps carefully your casino can easily accumulate excessive risk from both sides of the spectrum with very little return on investment. Be flexible but introduce clear guidelines and limits.

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Andy Cosgrove Article (continued)

Increase you F&B prices– If your casino F&B department is seen as an extra service for your slots player’s then why would you sell your products at an over inflated price that, most probably, will alienate your local player’s.

I’m well aware of the 80/20 Pareto law that states that 80% of your revenues comes from 20% of your player’s but I know of very few casino executives that would be willing to purposefully alienate 80% of their player’s. The ideal casino accommodates all their customers and tailor’s each experience based on the volume of their play. If someone bets $50 a spin on your high denom. slots I’m pretty sure they don’t care about the paying $10 for a drink (which is still wrong by the way) but if your regular player has a $50 budget for the entire day, then they will hesitate to pay and it automatically diminishes their entertainment experience. Add the fact that the waitress doesn’t smile or look them in the eye, then you have a serious problem. F&B is part of the experience and not a separate one so it’s important to know the difference and use it for the customers benefit.

Adapt the leader-follower style of leadership – Part of running a successful operation requires a

highly competent team with strong technical skills who know how to follow procedures, fix slot machines and service customers within the guidelines set by the company. The other, sometimes overlooked part of the equation is emotional intelligence without which success will remain an illusion. It’s a well-documented fact that leaders that engage and empower their staff greatly increase the odds of achieving the ultimate goal of adding essential value to their customer experience and increasing revenues. So why is it that many bosses still adopt the leader-follower approach to leadership? If you have to make all the decisions yourself, you are not an effective leader so isn’t it better to ask your well trained staff how to approach problems instead of solving them all by yourself? Isn’t it better to hear different opinions that lead to better outcomes as opposed to only your solution will work? And isn’t it better to create an army of leaders that work together instead of oppressing initiative and punishing anyone who deviates from your narrative? If a leader-leader mentality can work on a nuclear submarine, shouldn’t the casino business at least try it?

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Conclusion: The only thing I know for sure is that 21 beats 20 in a game of blackjack and that change is inevitable in 2021.The future might seem bleak at the moment but if we use our new year’s resolutions wisely and stick to them, we can and will improve ourselves, our relationships and become more effective ambassadors for the casinos we work for. I’m looking forward to the roaring twenties, are you?

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

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

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

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Why set up your own business

By Jeremy Taylor - MD & Co- Founder

“

So why set up our own business when we’ve successfully run other peoples, some have asked? Well…the answer is exactly that. For the past +20 years or so my Co-Founder and I have been at the forefront of driving other people’s businesses forward, ranging from scaling small businesses through to £bn global organisations, and across many sectors such as Telco, Retail, Gaming, Entertainment, Sport, Consumer Goods, Transport, and Pay TV. We have been CEOs, Advisors, and Investors and so it felt now was the time to complete the jigsaw and become founders ourselves.

It was at O2 (Telefonica UK) that Martin and I met, where Martin was running the Commercial Marketing dept including CRM, Propositions and P&L management and I was running Acquisition Marketing and the Online dept. O2 was ahead of its time be that launching innovative propositions like O2 Refresh, Simplicity or Priority Moments, or pushing the likes of Google and Facebook to come out with more advanced advertising tools as we were always

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the first to Beta test new ad products.

Customer centricity, product innovation and a ruthless focus on the Brand were key ingredients to O2’s success and why they cut through the crowded and once dull, Telco space. Even today many still don’t know that the reason for O2’s brand name is grounded in the fact Oxygen is essential for life, as O2 saw mobile phones to be – and this was back in 2002! How true that’s become!

Aside from our professional background’s and shared values, we are both Liverpool fans, hence the Brand name, are proud fathers and enjoy football, golf and other sports.

Our values are very similar which is reflective in how we operate at Liverbird. First and fore most we base everything on trust, honesty and a personal approach, values that are vital for all customers. We believe religiously that if you look after your customers, they will look after you, be that B2B or B2C even if that means trading short term opportunities for long term gain. As co-founders we bring complimentary skills to the table with my background originally

in digital and brand marketing and Martin’s in commercial, product, CRM and revenue generation. We believe we have all bases covered.

As such Liverbird Digital provides consultancy services across ECommerce, Marketing and Brand including everything from Business planning, P&L Management, Marketing and Brand strategy, Performance Marketing, SEO, CRM, Content, Social Media, Web/Marketing analytics, Design, and Agency selection. Whether it’s across the forever growing subscription and D2C market or pay as you go, LiverbirdDigital can help having worked across both in the Telco and Entertainment sectors. We also have a huge network of freelancers who we have worked with in the past should specific skills be needed outside our forte, such as AI, Business Intelligence, Creative, Video production to name but a few. We are happy to manage the end-to-end brief so it’s joined up from strategy, to execution to measurement across all areas – leading to optimal customer satisfaction and business performance.

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Many ask us a similar question which is, in today’s digital world, especially post Covid, what are key ingredients for success. Of course, this depends on many factors which we would need to understand in more detail such as the company, customer type, targets, and country to name but a few but as a snippet for now you can’t go too far wrong if you focus on Brand, Product and Customer Experience. Product innovation is important so word of mouth spreads.

The better and more innovative the product, the less advertising money is required. The second thing I would say is to think truly digitally. On top of product, it’s a battle for the digital high street ie. search engines and the better the website and brand experience across all devices the better your site will rank in Google. This means you are present at point of purchase so can ride on the back of the competitions’ ad spend and demand generation. Of course, this alone isn’t enough so good affiliate/partner marketing will remain important but the more direct traffic the better so PR, Social, CRM, video, and content marketing is key. You need to get brand awareness

still and tell the story of why customers should care about your existence vs the competition and you can do this these days without the need for above the line media like TV - if it is even allowed/available in the country/sector (eg Tobacco, Gambling).

I would always encourage bottomup marketing starting with owned and earned channels first and then overlaying with paid media, where it’s permitted. Think like a start-up and you will optimise marketing spend far more efficiently. You will also be ahead of the competition in these key areas should advertising get banned or restricted, or if allowed it will make your ad spend work harder. Of course, if these are already in place and budget permits or you have market share to protect clearly TV is and will remain important. So, in short, ensure a strong Brand, Product and Customer experience (cross devices) and whatever paid marketing is available, it will work that much harder for you.

perience, we are here to help. We are very agile and flexible so whether you need retained support or just by the hour/day we will accommodate your needs. Everything we do we do with pride and with a smile, listening to what you need and want to achieve.

After all, customer centricity is at the core of our business and that starts with our own customers.

ABOUT JEREMY TAYLOR Jeremy Taylor has worked in senior management roles at GentingBet, Betsson & O2 prior to founding Liverbird Digital. www.liverbirddigital.com

(PTO)

In summary, whether it’s a strategic3 year plan that needs creating or simply understanding your customers and how to perfect their online ex-

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GAMING NEWS

Kindred Report Record End To Year

O

nline gaming operator Kindred Group, has announced its strongest ever fourth quarter with Gross winnings revenue at an all-time high of approximately £365 million (Q4 2019: GBP 236.2 million), representing annual growth of 55%.

The company said this has been achieved through continued strong activity across its markets and products, and record active customer numbers of 1.78 million, an increase of 11% compared to the same quarter last year.

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Guangdong Gamblers No CNY For Macau

Macau gambling has had another major hit in its attempt to recover from the major impact COVID-19 has had in its performance over the last year with the announcement by a senior official in the Guangdong that citizens should stay at home for the forthcoming Chinese New Year celebrations.

Guangdong is hugely important to Macau casino operators as last year it made up some 60% of Macau’s visitors for the entire year as it currently has an open corridor to the province without quarantine restrictions.

But late last week the senior aide said that although Guangdong is a low risk area for COVID it is best to protect the city and avoid travel.

Gross winnings revenue growth was also supported by a slightly higher than normal sports betting margin, which was approximately 10% compared to the long-term average margin of around 8.5%.

In China there has been a rise in the cases of COVID with the highest number of infections recorded in the north of the country particularly in Hebei province, Beijing city, Liaoning province and Heilongjiang province.

Underlying EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2020 is estimated to be approximately £115 million (Q4 2019: GBP 30.7 million) which is significantly higher than the current consensus.

Although the government are trying to play down the rates of infections there are major concerns of the infections rising in other areas should citizens move around for the New Year celebrations that last from the 11th till the 17th February.

The company said the main contributing factors for this increase are the strong revenue growth, combined with Kindred’s continued focus on operational efficiency and costs.

The year’s end report for 2020 will be published on 10 February 2021.

Any further restrictions on travel to Macau would damage the economy there and would certainly put back any sort of recovery till later in the year given the huge importance the Chinese New Year has on business in Macau.

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GAMING NEWS

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Digital Yuan Coming To A Macau Casino Soon

Ritz Club License Acquired By Hard Rock

Talk regarding China’s central government-

The casino license of the Former Ritz Club Casino that stood within the Ritz Hotel for decades has been acquired by Hard Rock International.

backed digital yuan (CNY) is gathering pace with a recent report issued by brokerage firm Sanford C. Bernstein, looking at the benefits and drawbacks on the implementation.

However currently Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau continues to deny that they have or are having discussions with casino operators on the introduction of the currency.

But many feel the introduction of the digital yuan has too many upsides for China not to bring it in.

Firstly it would appeal to mass-market Chinese gamblers, they would not need to convert their currency into Honk Kong Dollars which most of Macau casinos use as its commercial currency.

It would remove the cost for them using bank automated teller machines or licensed currency exchanges and the costs associated with them.

Thou this would attract some players thou the Chinese government would have greater scrutiny towards regulating the money flow out of the mainland with possibly making deposit limits, removing the need for money lenders and junkets. All areas of illegal currency lending and underground banks would be eliminated.

With the acquisition of the license it is expected now that the US based firm will look for alternate sites to develop a new casino within the city of London.

It has been rumoured before that Hard Rock wanted to develop a casino in the capital but over recent years has not taken that step further until the announcement by the firm today.

Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International said on the announcement: “We look forward to expanding our brand offerings within London and bringing our award-winning hospitality, gaming and entertainment to the birthplace of Hard Rock.”

Hard Rock International is a major player now in hospitality, leisure and gaming with venues in 69 countries with 240 locations within them, spanning hotels, cafes, shops and casinos.

Most recently the company entered into the online sportsbook business with a joint venture of online industry veterans such as former Stars Group CEO Rafi Ashkenazi.

VIP players could find themselves under more scrutiny also, the lack of using other means to facility money lending would hamper their ability to play large stakes without the government knowing, it could encourage those players to go elsewhere apart from Macau and that would not be a good thing for casino operators.

But the amount of chat and reports now coming towards the digital yuan makes people believe it will be introduced, however ways around using the currency will always be found but in the medium term it could be that not just the COVID-19 pandemic having an impact on Macau Casinos but the introduction of the new digital yuan may also now impeded operators in growing any sort of recovery.

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Your Perfect Employee Comes From the Casino Industry Casino dealers are feeling undervalued and at present looking for a new challenge, here from Silvie Mazacova is some reasons you should consider hiring a casino person.

By Silvie Mazacova

Why do we, casino employees, always meet with a suspicious eye when applying for a job in a different field?

We either don’t get contacted at all, or we have to answer weird questions like: ”And what does it mean to work in a casino?” ”Why on earth do you think that you could be a good fit for our company?” (OK, not in these words, hiring people are professionals after all, and they try not to be rude. But, between the lines, this is exactly what they are asking.

And I can’t say I blame them.

T

he Casino industry is a world on its own. We all know each other because we work such unsociable hours that we have no option to know anyone else. We are so desperate that we marry each other in the end.

OK, that sounds a little too tragic!

It’s not always like that and many people manage to have a decent life, some of us do manage to have friends elsewhere, and the lucky ones even get to marry someone from the outside!

The main reason as to why we are the best employee anyone could

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have, is that we are so used to pressure! And it’s a shame that none of the potential employers know that!

Imagine starting your work-day at 10 pm. Then, you try to make drunk people happy for 8 hours, while you are attempting to work out, sometimes incredibly complex, calculations. Obviously looking beautiful - full make-up, hair and nails done, suited and booted.

Not to mention that the treatment you get sometimes might not be your typical office interaction. You might get to experience some beautiful moments like:

•Someone shouting at you.

•Someone insulting you •5 different people asking 5 different questions from 5 different directions.

•If you are lucky, someone might even throw something at you.

Yes, Casino is a very civilised environment.

So you go through all that, only to get home at 7-8 o’clock in the morning. Pass out, wake up in the afternoon when everyone is just finishing their work-day.

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You have a “breakfast”. And if you slept more than 5 hours, you might even go ahead and hit the gym or do some housework, or even shopping!

But you can’t do much because the working hours change all the time and you have less time today! You have to get to work for 8 pm, which means that you have to leave at 6 pm.

Traffic in London is a sight to behold.

Even if you don’t drive, you have to leave early because the train is 90% likely to get cancelled.

You get there five minutes to 8, slap make-up on your face, boys suit and boot up. And we do the shouting, insulting, counting and arguing all over again.

We leave the building at 3 am! Yay! Don’t get excited, you have to be back at 2 pm the same day. Go home, go to sleep, and get up at 11 am not knowing where, or who you are. But that’s

OK, we are used to that. Coffee will do the job. Or seventeen of them.

You go through the day-shift without ever waking up and, quite often, not remembering what on earth happened that day. The only thing you can think of, is sleep. Somehow, however, you manage to do your job extremely well and even put a smile on your face.

You are so knackered at the end of the day that you master the last little remnants of strength, and drag yourself to a pub to get a Gin & Tonic for £15. Or two. The beauty of working in Mayfair is the bargain prices.

After 5 days of these shifts, days off come! It’s not a weekend, obviously, so you can’t go out with your normal friends (if you have any). But that’s OK, you just want to sleep, anyway.

catch up on sleep, go to the gym so you don’t have a heart attack when you are 45 (you at least hope so), and spend some time with a partner of yours. Which is really convenient because, remember, they work in a casino too.

But they are most likely on opposite shifts, so you just have to call them and hope they are awake. Same as your family, really. Get used to the fact that your mum will be calling you at 9 am asking: “Why are you asleep?”

Mine still does this 11 years later, so don’t think you will be able to explain your weird hours to them.

Want to go out with your normal friends or visit your family at the weekend? Sure. No problem. You have weekends off every 6 months.

Who wants to see them more often, anyway.

You manage to do some housework,

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50 SO, WHY ARE CASINO EMPLOYEES SO GOOD TO HIRE? Well, first of all, after what I’ve just mention, I don’t think you can throw us off by something simple like a deadline. I mean, after being sleep deprived for years, a deadline is quite a nice form of pressure. Or is it pressure, really?

We juggle constantly changing shifts, friends, love life, family and some of us try to stay fit and look OK-ish. So by being told that I have to write 5 000 words in four weeks is not going to make me crumble. I’ll probably do it on the train to work.

•Our interpersonal skills and relationships must be top-notch! As I will explain in a bit.

So, if any potential employer is reading this, don’t dismiss us. We are NOT just a bunch of pretty girls and boys, who spin the ball in a roulette wheel.

It’s a tough job, emotionally and mentally.

If you ever need an employee, who: •is energetic •can multitask •is great at customer service

not a venue that everyone has been to or want to go to.

WE ARE NOT CROOKS! As my former colleague rightly pointed out in the comments section on my post, another issue we often have to deal with, is these accusations.

We do not steal anyone’s money, neither we beat people up in the basement.

The Casino industry is incredibly strictly regulated.

We have to prove where every penny comes from and if we cannot, we are not allowed to accept it. Cash is becoming less and less frequent due to increasing number of rules regarding money laundering.

I am not trying to devalue anyone’s work at the office and I am aware that 9-5 job, or working from home poses its own difficulties.

We have to be aware of many rules and regulations and protect ourselves and our employer all the time.

Also, I cannot even imagine what sort of pressure you must be experiencing, if you own your own business!

The times, when casinos were dark dens in the underground and customers were carrying guns on them are buried in the past. It’s definitely not your typical UK scene.

Main point I am trying to make here is that we are constantly under pressure and we are damn good at dealing with it.

We don’t work for the mafia.

•We have to look presentable.

•We have to smile all the time and pretend that we have no personal issues or lives.

•We have to function on minimal amount of sleep. And we do!

•We have to multitask - calculate, look good, smile, have a casual conversation with a customer, and be respectful of the team we work with (which is challenging at times).

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WHAT DO WE DO WHEN THE CASINO IS QUIET? •doesn’t crumble under pressure •is excellent at teamwork •doesn’t mind a little sleep deprivation Please do consider a CV with a casino industry on it. We are often overlooked because nobody knows what skill sets we possess. Even if we do mention our skills on our resumes, nobody can put them into context, and I am not surprised. Casinos are

You must have been thinking this, right?

It can’t be busy all the time, just like pubs and bars are not constantly packed.

You are absolutely right. More often than not, we are quiet. But that poses more challenges than you would think.

Silvie Mazacova Article

51

We are a small team of people. So imagine working with 10 - 15 employees. Not a problem, right?

Now, imagine that you have nothing to do and you have to spend 8h a day staring at your colleagues. With nothing to do, no deadlines, no assignments, nothing to do at all. Now, imagine they are all women. Casino industry, at least the London one, is largely dominated by women.

Not that I am against women, not at all. It would be a little counterproductive if I was since I am a woman myself. I have found some amazing friends in this industry. But let’s be fair.

We, women, tend to have the urge to talk without saying a lot. If you had 10 men in the room, it would most likely be a very quiet room.

Lock 15 women together in a room with nothing to do and let 2 men be their boss. What do you think is going to happen? You are probably thinking something like a third world war. Well, I’m sure there were moments where this guess was not far from the truth.

So, what do we do?

Well, we cover the weather, obviously.

We ask about the husbands, kids and family and find out if they are still alive. We might even have something in common with each other, we are human beings after all.

I’m not going to lie. There are differences and disagreements.

BUT! We have learned to leave our own emotions and issues at home.

When we come to work, we have to treat everyone professionally, not just the customers, but each other too. We work in a high-end environment and there is no space for personal issues.

This is another reason that makes us so valuable! And it all comes down

to the ability to handle pressure and stress in the end. We are damn good at it. We make jokes out of situations that would send most of the population to a psychiatrist’s office.

•offer insight into a mysterious job role from someone, who has been in for 11 years.

•inform •hopefully entertain

THE END If I made anyone laugh, that’s a bonus.

I hope I didn’t bore you too much with a story about a profession nobody knows anything about. But that was the point of this article. I wanted more people to know what we do and how our skills can be transferable to many different industries.

If you could share this post, dear reader, I’d be eternally grateful. And I am sorry if my sarcastic tone made someone feel undervalued or uncomfortable - that was not the purpose.

It’s enough for me that you managed to stick to the end!

ABOUT SILVIE MAZACOVA: A casino employee who found fitness and writing to be her passion and managed to connect all these interests by blogging.

More can be found about Silvie here https://fitnesschaos.com/

The purpose of this post was to:

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GAMING NEWS

53

William Hill Full Year Report Ups & Downs

W

illiam Hill announced their full annual results showing that the company suffered a decline in revenues of 16% for the year to £1.32 billion.

The good news is that the company that is soon to be owned by Caesars Entertainment in a deal worth £2.9 billion had a better 4th quarter with revenues up 9%.

Chief Executive Officer Ulrik Bengtsson said: “2020 was a year like no other… The offer received for the Group recognises the substantial progress we have made as well as the opportunities and challenges ahead of us.”

The UK betting company whose deal with Caesars is expected to be completed in the second-quarter of this year had an up and down year with sporting events that would have helped William Hill’s results not taking place because of the global Pandemic, however the last quarter saw results turn in the companies favour.

Some of the companies highlights are as follows: Online International net revenue increased 12% on a pro-forma2

basis in 2020, benefitting from the successful integration of Mr Green, which launched in two new regions.

Delivery of product improvements and effective implementation of a multi-brand strategy offset regulatory headwinds and the absence of live sport during part of the year, with gaming growing 18% pro-forma.

Online UK net revenue grew 5% in 2020. The steady stream of platform and product upgrades improved our competitive position and the year concluded strongly, driven by a full calendar of live sport in the last quarter and with gaming net revenue growing 20% in that quarter.

US full year net revenue increased 32%, driven by strong growth online.

Casinos remained closed or operated with restricted access for long periods and the major US sports leagues rescheduled their seasons in response to the pandemic. As part of our existing joint venture agreement, we absorbed the Caesars In-Person sportsbooks onto the William Hill platform. William Hill US went live in five new states and launched mobile in five states, leading to 121% net revenue growth in the fourth quarter.

William Hill’s sports betting apps and sports book odds are now featured

on both ESPN and CBS Sports, two of America’s leading sports media brands, as a result of agreements entered into during the year.

Retail responded to the disrupted trading environment with great agility. Net revenue decreased 30% on a like-for-like basis, driven by a series of national and regional lockdowns, implemented in response to the pandemic at the end of the first quarter and affecting the remainder of the year.

When open, with no restrictions, Retail traded well and profitably. At the end of the third quarter Retail was on course for a breakeven outcome for the full year. However, the Covid-19 related restrictions experienced during the fourth quarter impacted all our 1,414 shops at some point, resulting in a full year loss of c.£30m. We received £24.5m of furlough funds in the first half which have since been repaid and, under the current circumstances, we do not expect to claim any further job retention related support. Throughout the year, even when furloughed, our UK retail colleagues received 100% of their full pay.

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GAMING NEWS

Calls For £2k Upper Limit On UK Deposits

The UK Gambling Commission gaming review

which began in November and is now planned to conclude on the 9th February following an extension because of the huge involvement in the consultation.

Indeed so many areas concerned about gambling and those who have worries towards the industry being heavily effected have recently sent a letter to all MPs and now is doing the rounds within the sporting groups.

The letter has no name to it but is believed to have originated within the UK political world, if focuses on horse racing mainly and the worry that the industry that has already endured a torrid year because of the COVID-19 pandemic could be damaged even further by Gambling Commission plans.

One of the concerns not just the racing industry has but overall within the gambling sector both land based and online is the strengthening of “affordability checks,” should the Gambling Commission take a hard line the maximum limit could be £100 per month.

This the letter says would do massive harm to the horse racing industry that claims problem gambling within that sector is much lower than other areas within gambling.

The letters author is pleading with MPs, the government and the Gambling Commission to consider a top limit of £2,000 per month, this however is unlikely to happen however much the gambling industry would like it to be.

The hope is that a figure somewhere near the upper limit would be decided on as the racing industry alone could suffer a £60 million a year decline in revenues.

Indeed all areas of the gambling industry would see large declines in revenues and the greater fear is that a huge rise in unregulated gambling could emerge because of the stricter limits.

55

2021 H2 For Macau Bounce Back

Expectations for the Macau gambling industry are rising especially in the second half of 2021, the news comes as Morgan Stanley the investment bank revised their outlook for the industry.

The firm says it expects gross gambling revenue of $24 billion and corporate EBITDA of $6.4 billion for the year. Those numbers are between 65% and 70% of 2019 figures.

Its analysts believe that with visas now for mainland China opening up and the government advising Chinese nationals to stay local and avoid international travel the winds of fortune may be blowing in the casino operator’s favour.

The investment company says that the first half of 2021 will still be challenging for Macau operators as confidence in travel grows but it is expected grow faster in the second half of the year.

Ireland Gambling Regulator By Summer 2021

Reports from Ireland suggest the government there is determined to establish the Gambling Regulator by the summer of 2021. This has been a long time waiting for the government and the formation of a regulator will also see new regulations towards gambling.

James Browne the Minister for Law Reform at the Department of Justice will be responsible for setting up the new regulator and says initially the government will pay the cost of launching the new department estimated at being around €8 million to €12 million.

The Minister expects the industry itself to fund the new regulator, the plan is that the new department will have flexibility in reacting and forming plans for controlling the growing sector in Ireland.

Some if the ideas the government want to introduce quickly are expected to be in the form of: Caps on the amount customers can deposit, stronger age verification, restrictions on the forms of advertising gambling companies can use and also controls to ensure those gamblers

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56

Major Changes At Clarion Gaming Clarion Gaming the organisers of the London ICE Expo have announced a reshuffle of its senior management team which includes Kate Chambers the former Managing Director of gaming departing the company.

Taking the lead role now as Group Managing Director of Clarion Gaming will be former iGaming Business magazine editor Alex Pratt. iGaming Business was acquired by Clarion Gaming in 2016 and Pratt served following the acquisi-

Pennsylvania

tion as MD of the entire publishing arm for Clarion.

Sheldon Adelson the casino billion-

Pennsylvania may have had a bad

However in a major shakeup Pratt now

time of their traditional bricks and

takes over from Kate Chambers as the

mortar gambling revenues because of

boss of the gaming division following

the huge impact from the COVID-19

Chambers removal to a consultant role

pandemic but online gambling saw

and now has left the company perma-

a rise in the state by 17 times the

nently.

aire who founded Las Vegas Sands was laid to rest in Jerusalem on Friday the 15th January after passing away following a long illness from non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin

previous figure for 2020.

Meanwhile Stuart Hunter who has been However the Pennsylvania Gaming

with Clarion for some 14 years will take

Control Board reported revenues for

over as managing director of gaming

the state were disappointing overall

events, a role Chamber briefly held

with a drop in total revenues by 20%

before departing.

from a year ago and that is with the

ADELSON BURIED

Netanyahu was at the airport for the arrival of the coffin carrying Adelson to his final resting place at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives, just outside the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City.

rise in online gambling.

The state’s 13 casinos saw revenues drop from $3.4 billion in 2019 to $2.65 billion this year

Russian Gambling Operators Move To Bitcoin As Banks Pressurised With the Russian government cracking down further this year on illegal online gambling operators are now turning to Bitcoin as their only possible source of deposits and payments to customers.

Since January this year the Russian central bank has squeezed payment providers to cease offering their services to illegal sports betting companies, indeed both Qiwi and Yoo.Money have had their facility to offer their depositing facility to foreign companies suspended in an attempt to stop those online gambling firms working in Russia.

It is being reported that some ten banks now have had or facing sanctions if supplying foreign companies with payment services.

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It is a clear move by the central bank and the government to cut the money flow line to those operators.

So far two smaller banks which offered those services, Fintekh and Onego have had their banking licenses removed.

All this has prompted the online gambling operators to move to Bitcoin deposits and payments only, some operators who have the ability with on the ground agents are taking cash payments and paying out in cash also.

57

Racino To Casino For New Mexico

Self-Exclusions Rise In Spain Spain has seen a rise in online gamblers self-excluding according to the latest figures by the Registro General de Interdicciones de Acceso al Juego (RGIAJ).

The RGIAJ was set up to assist gamblers

Expanded gambling at racetracks could be on the cards for New Mexico,

New Mexico has a population of just

Representative Raymundo Lara has just

over 2 million residents and the state

proposed a bill along with co-sponsor

are desperately looking for other op-

Senator William O’Neill to increase the

tions for revenues apart for the current

current gambling at the 5 racetracks in

oil and gas industries. It is believed

the state.

that the increase in permitted gambling would see an increase of $40 million

If passed the new bill would allow for

a year for the state tax collectors with

types of online gambling.

increased offerings at the current raci-

some $15 million of that going to the

nos where a limited number of games

state college scholarship program.

The national regulator Dirección Gen-

are allowed. At resent only a certain

wishing to remove themselves from all

eral de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ) formed the self-exclusive department back in 2015 and the rise in self-exclu-

level of slot machines and other games

Senator William O’Neill said, “We really

are permitted.

need to diversify our revenue stream, and that’s going to be a big theme in

However under the new bill craps, live

the upcoming session. We’re looking at

compared to the previous year.

poker and blackjack would be allowed

a lot of different strategies to not be at

and would be regulated by the New

the mercy of the boom and bust of oil

According to the figures Andalusia

Mexico Lottery division.

and gas.”

which is the most populous area in

Holland To Remain Closed Till 9th Feb

sions rose in 2020 by 12% or 56,329

Spain saw the biggest rise of all those self-excluding by 7.1% compared to

on the 16th December.

the same period last year.

This announcement will mean HolMadrid was second in self-exclusions

land Casino the state run operator

with a rise of 13.1% and the Balearic

of the countries 14 casinos will now

Islands third with a rise of 56.9%.

remain closed until at least the date announced.

It is thought that the reason for the rise is linked to the COVID-19 pandemic

It was back in March when the first lock-

when all of the country was in lock-

down affected the country till July, then

down in March for several months and

The Dutch government has announced

November saw a two week national

saw a steep increase in online gam-

that it is extending their current

closure as numbers rose and the latest

bling.

national lockdown till at least the 9th

came on the 16th December.

February. The current lockdown is the third the country has seen and started

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