BRIT BOESKOV JOINS BC

Britt Boeskovs Goodbye To Kindred & Joins Better Collective

As quickly as Britt Boeskov said goodbye to Kindred than news was announced that the industry veteran has joined Better Collective the sports betting media group as their new Senior Vice President of Strategy.

In a LinkedIn post on her days at Kindred she said; On a cold January day in 2005 I joined Unibet Group as a management trainee. The Scandinavian challenger bookmaker was my employer of choice for two reasons: The most driven, invested people – and a rapidly changing, challenging path ahead.

I’ll be forever grateful for the tsunami of growth and learning that followed – and for the experience of belonging in a place where people believed in me and included me.

During the 17 years I have climbed and moved mountains together with a 15x’ed workforce of ever-awesome people. I can’t help but be immensely proud of the challenges we wrestled, the growth we created, and the culture we nurtured. Now my journey at Kindred is complete, and it’s with a pinch of nostalgia that I say a fond farewell and THANK YOU to my dear colleagues, many of whom are now friends. You know what to do to make Kindred even stronger. I’ll watch and cheer for you as a proud alumni.

Boeskov received the Outstanding Contribution Award at the 2019 Women in Gaming Diversity Awards.

The shortyl after announcing her departure from Kindred than a news release from Better Collective stated:

Better Collective, has hired Britt Boeskov as Senior Vice President of Strategy. With this hire, Better Collective strengthens its ambition to further scale the business within the sports betting media industry.

Britt Boeskov brings with her many years of C-level experience from Kindred Group, a leading operator within the gambling industry. And especially her digital skills and expertise from the intersection between customer, product and technology will be relevant in her new position.

Jesper Søgaard, CEO and co-founder of Better Collective, says: “I am very pleased that Britt has decided to join Better Collective and look forward to welcoming her as a member of the management team. She knows the industry and she has vast experience at management level driving digital projects towards end-users. We are a growing company with very big ambitions and many ideas. Britt will become an important asset as we continue our future growth journey”.

Britt Boeskov says: “I am excited to join Better Collective’s growing leadership team at this crucial stage of the company’s remarkable growth journey. Scaling globally while transforming the business to secure a long term sustainable performance are exactly the type of challenges I enjoy. I’ve followed the team from the sidelines for some years, and I’m deeply impressed with the culture and ambition of the organisation”.

ECA Shows Impact On Casinos From COVID Pandemic

The European Casino Association has released details of its latest member survey, which tracks the impact of Covid-19 measures recently introduced by European governments. Following the devastating consequences of the pandemic on the land-based casino industry in Europe over the last two years, ECA members continue to operate under strict governmental controls and mandates at the start of 2022.

On average, European casinos faced 150 days of closure in 2021 and while most countries currently allow casinos to open, with the exception of Holland and Denmark, curfews are widespread curtailing the operating hours of casinos and restricting the F&B offer to partial guest services. The ECA survey reveals that Hungary experienced the lowest number of enforced days of closure in 2021 at 54, while France experienced the highest number, with metropolitan areas closed for 199 days.

Proof of vaccination is required at over 95 per cent of European casinos, with a negative lateral-flow test insufficient for admission, causing distinct problems for casinos reliant on cross-border custom. Social distancing requirements for guests vary from country to country, starting from one metre in Sweden, rising to 15 square metres in Poland. Safety requirements mandate that every adjacent slot machine is made unavailable for play, effectively halving the slots offer of most properties. Guests are required to wear masks throughout their stay in 95 per cent of casinos in Europe, while over half of all European casino staff are required to wear masks during the entirety of their working hours.

“Closures, curbs and curfews continue to disrupt the normal flow of operations for ECA members into 2022,” stated Per Jaldung, Chairman of the ECA. “While the majority of casinos in Europe are open for business, the restrictions on opening times, the reduction of the gaming and F&B offer, plus further guest and staff requirements continue to put enormous pressures on the business. Government help and support needs to continue into 2022 as ECA members battle to keep their locations open to provide entertainment, employment and tax revenues, as they play an essential role within the international tourism and leisure industry.”

An example of the wide variety of restrictions presently facing casino operators in Europe: *Sweden: Guests must be seated at all times during play. *Hungary: PCR tests must be shown, even for the fully vaccinated. * France: Food and drink prohibited in games areas. * Austria: FFP2 mask must be worn at all times by staff and guests. * Luxembourg: Events limited to 200 people. * Poland: One guest per 15 square metres. * Estonia: Casinos must close at 11 pm. * Montenegro: No music or shows of any kind. * Slovenia: F&B offer must cease at 10 pm.

Employee testing and strict hygiene protocols continue to be observed by all casinos with the consumption of drinks and food prohibited from gaming areas across many locations. Curfews for the closure of restaurants are in place in several jurisdictions, while casinos have a variety of closing times mandated upon them by authorities ranging from 10 pm-11 pm in most countries, severely restricting normal business operations.