TERESA TUNSTALL

Finally an end to 2021!

By Teresa Tunstall

In December the last month of the year when we listened to Chief executive Andrew Rhodes addressed the 2021 GambleAware conference, it was an interesting listen he continued;

“There are products out there now which look an awful lot like gambling but do not meet the current legislative framework in order to attract customers, which also means they don’t have the safeguards in place that we would require from the licensed gambling product. Some of the things that we have seen from the Football Index collapse, which is something that if you make the mistake of following me on social media, I get gifted quite a lot of feedback about.”

He continued explaining, “It is an incredibly difficult topic. People have had horrendous experiences in losing money as the company collapsed. But what we found here is we’ve got a company encouraging consumers to believe they were investing and not gambling when there were no assets to support an investment. Many did and still do refer to themselves as traders, seeing themselves as engaged in a different kind of activity where they’ve made a mental leap from gambling into something else.”

Gambling Minister Chris Philp MP has all but crushed the idea of £100 monthly affordability checks as the review into the Gambling Act 2005 rolls on. Whilst speaking at the GambleAware annual conference, Philp’s wide-ranging speech touched on several key pillars of the upcoming White Paper, including the debate around single customer view.

Last February apparently, Pfizer CFO Frank D’Amelio, said in a call with Wall Street analysts that after the pandemic, Pfizer is “going to get more on price” and hinted there would be a substantial price increase for its COVID-19 vaccine.

The company currently charges US$19.50 per dose for its vaccine, but the typical price is $150 to $175 per dose for other vaccines it sells. If implemented, this aggressive pricing policy would undoubtedly result in public criticism, especially from developing countries that have already been neglected during the first round of global vaccine allocation.

The latest restrictions to combat the Omicron variant of Covid-19 in the UK are widely seen as divisive for the amusement industry.

English rules demand a requirement to wear masks in most walks of public life, including going into FECs, arcades, pubs and adult gaming centres.

The industry fears that some customers will stay away from their favourite locations which could have a real impact on machine incomes.

Another lockdown is seen as likely in England, but the separate governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland may go in different directions.

Currently, it appears that Wales and Scotland wish to impose more restrictions than in England.

Members of the London Parliament from all four nations appear to endorse even stronger restrictions, Vaccine specialists GSK has suffered another setback as scientists struggle to recruit enough un-jabbed or uninfected patients to test it on.

Now we wait to see the outcome particularly awaiting the sad end of 2021, however I believe we should all be looking forward to 2022 being a new positive year for us all but until then stay at home with your family and we’ll all be happy!

Vaccine specialists GSK effort to produce a Covid-19 shot has suffered another setback as scientists struggle to recruit enough un-jabbed or uninfected patients to test it on!

The Anglo-French partners said their experimental vaccine antibody levels by between nine 43 times when taken as a booster in those who have already received doses from rivals including AstraZeneca and Pfizer. But now pushed back publication of results of late-stage clinical trials for its use as a first line of immunisation defence until next year. The companies said, “Regulatory authorities require phase 111 efficacy to be demonstrated in naïve populations who have never been infected by the Covid-19 virus.”

The trial recruited most participants in the third quarter of 2021, amid a global surge in Delta variant cases. They continued “To provide the necessary data to regulatory authorities for the booster vaccine submission, the trial will continue to accrue the number of events needed for analysis, with results expected in the first quarter of 2022.

The delay prevents the companies from seeking regulatory approval for the booster, and sent shares in both firms down by around 1% in London and Paris. Neither trial involved the Omicron variant and it is unclear how its rampant global spread with affect further trials.

London venture capital firm Balderton has made its biggest ever crypto currency investment has led to £40million funding round into start-up Ramp, who was founded in Warsaw, is now based in London. Its payments infrastructure allows companies to accept crypto payments directly in their apps, meaning customers do not need to set up a crypto wallet. Ramp is “making buying digital assets as straightforward as buying US dollars when making a purchase from your favourite American brand in euros.” Ramp co-founder said “this will be essential for helping us achieve international growth.”

Investment giant Fortress, the owner of Majestic Wine, has agreed to buy Punch Pubs & Co, which has an estate of 1300 sites. The business, which has around 60 pubs in London, was purchased from Patron Capital Partners. No figure was disclosed but a report last month suggested a price of around £1 billion. Onward and up-ward I am preparing myself for a viscous winter especially if Covit-9 continues to hang around it’s a case of watch yourself, don’t get to close and finally when this finally ends you’ll find me home.

Las Vegas Sands Optimistic About Asia

Las Vegas Sands, has doubleddown on its commitment to persevere with Asian markets, amidst its colossal investment in both its Macau and Singapore activity. Furthermore, the group are set to focus operations away from Nevada, as it looks to hunt down lucrative opportunities in Florida, Texas, and New York.

The group recently sunk an eye-watering $1b into its Singapore-based Marina Bay development, despite continued COVID curbs to arrest the incline in Omicron infections. However, CEO Rob Goldstein remains confident that global travel and tourism industries will recover in 2022, paving the way for lucrative South Asian performance. mism around their Macau enterprises, despite considerable volatility in the autonomous region’s current marketplace. However, LV Sands bosses are buoyed by the apparently inevitable re-issuing of their licence when Macau’s new gaming bill is eventually introduced into law. The legislation’s provisional reading also articulated that there will be no immediate rise to gaming taxation; a move welcomed by the Las Vegas Sands group.

Endeavours to find new ventures closer to home continue, with insider specialists currently conducting a wealth of research into potential locations and markets for their operations. New York is perhaps their number one focus, with the operator rallied by Gov. Hochul’s landmark investment announcement. The company are also set to sell-off three of its Las Vegas venues.

LV Sands will also review opportunities in the potentially emerging UAE market, after Wynn Resorts stated their intention to build a new resort in the Ras Al Khaimah emirate. A move which could signal the Middle-Eastern territory’s first tentative steps into the gaming industry.

Whatever happens, the operator’s property landscape is set to materially change in 2022. We await to see whether their patience in the Far East will pay off.