OUR 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 Responsibility 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 extensive senior management experience in online gaming. She is an experienced, data-driven, commercially focused, strategic marketing leader. She has over 15 years of proven success in gaming, from land-based casinos, to online gaming companies offering sports betting, poker and casino, live casino and Esports. Lynn has many start-ups under her belt and is now co-founder and CEO of a start-up igaming company, Mobius Interactive Ltd, headquartered in Vancouver BC Canada.

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. 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.

DON’T GAMBLE WITH YOUR FUTURE

The Time To Move Ahead is NOW!

By Craig Morgan

Planning, evaluating and taking advice on your post COVID evolving business and customer trends has never been more important than right now. -outside of the company’sfinancial position which is key), there are some key principles with which to review the current business strategy.

1. Digital – Your online presence and experience is more important than ever in making customers emotionally attached and loyal to your products and services. Instead of your web site just being a marketing tool it needs to constantly evolve to add value to your business. The traditional marketing newsletter sign-up is out of date.Virtual tours, e-payments and table bookings should now be your ‘normal’. Creating memorable community events, activities, charity activities, take out / eat out services and live social media feeds for your customers to be part of, should become a fundamental part of your business.

2. Negative Digital –Whilst enhancing technology in your business plays one of the most important roles, it can also backfire. Customers are all aware of the negative impacts that digital can have on our lives from the use of personal data, negative online comments, ‘cancel culture’ and many more. Whilst using technology to deliver elements of your product / services are important, it is worth taking a step back, looking at the fundamental offer and ensuring that it is aligned with your overall customer journey and that it adds to the customers experience. Mental health is increasingly significant in the digital age and Apple tell us every week our screen time as a gentle reminder to you to not become a slave to the machines. So, if you have brought customers in to an environmental or ethical journey as

Not long now and the furlough scheme will end and we will start to see the true extent of the damage that the pandemic has had on our economy.Businesses both small and large need to be ready to stand and survive on their own “Post Furlough”. Some will, and some won’t…

In the retail, leisure and hospitality businesses that I understand, (and out-

part of your role in the environment debatethen this is adding to your customer’s positive mental wellbeing, rather than adding to their individual digital dilemma.

3. Sustainability –It is certainly the case that an ever-increasing population is having an impact on the climate we live in. This reality will continue to drive world politics which in turn will put pressure on businesses to be more ethical and go beyond carbon neutral. Customers are now researching for more information on the people they spend money with and are looking for companies that go beyond just cleaning up after themselves, but actually put back more than they take out. Hospitality and leisure businesses have placed more emphasis on using local produce and local suppliers and some are going as far as supporting the reforestation and green space agenda. An alignment that has a positive impact on the environment, mental health and wellbeing will help win customers and develop loyalty for the future, so if you haven’t already, think now about creating your own positive story.

4. Customer behaviours and trends – Customer’s behaviours have adjusted quickly over the last 18 months and there are certain trends that now appear to becoming normal and for which businesses must align their operations with. The modern-day consumer continues to refine the behaviours that drive their spending habits and savvy businesses have aligned their policies and reinvested in order to embrace these altered behaviours. before they even visit! They make decisions to purchase based on a number of factors such as; your support of a cause which they believe in, or whether your ethical values align with theirs. Customers are keen to support causes, and the sense of community spirit for such causes has risen substantially though the pandemic. We have seen many examples wherethe use of technology and digital media has quickly rallied supportfor ethical and social change. Engaging local communities and taking advantage of the sense of togetherness that has arisen from the pandemicwill definitely help maintain customer interest in and loyalty to your businesses. With the cancellation of social gatherings over the last year my local Pub continued its quiz night and then grew it via zoom calls. It now has an additional loyal following of customers who were vulnerable and isolated through-

-out the lockdown. The Pub has won the heart of many new local residents and since reopening is trading really well. Brexit has also createdthe opportunity to “Buy / Support British” We are seeing reports of a huge rise in the “staycation” currently driven by factors beyond consumers control, but if holiday experiences are good and hospitality and leisure providers enhance their experience and servicesthen UK holiday destinations and businesses should flourishonce again.

ii. Essentials – customers do not have an unlimited budget and the pandemic has helped focus customers on necessity, affordability and convenience. With cashless technology firmly in place consumers will naturally cut down on nonessentials so making your product, or service a part of their normal activityis key to repeat business. Premiumisation is also a concept that we have seen grow in recent years and UK customers are now familiar and embrace it. This has been demonstrated really successfully with fitness brands that have successfully delivered online group exercise or 1:1 PT sessions for members in their homes to maintain and keep subscription fees going throughout the lockdown.This trend will no doubt continue with a “virtual membership” for premium customers who have invested in exercise equipment at home, but need the motivation of a group class to use it.

iii. Mental Health & Wellbeing – The balance between feeling healthier with a positive mental attitude has never been more high profile than now. Many people on furlough schemes, or those who have lost income through the pandemic have experienced and, (in many cases with the use of technology), selfdiagnosed a mental health disorder. Customers seem to be making more decisions based upon “escapism” rather than just eating healthy and exercising. Customers seem to treat activity or evenings out as a “rest fromdaily life” event. So as an operator reimagining your space with both comfort and activity in mind will help achieve what consumers are looking for. The experience you give has to be a positive one that contributes to the escape from normal life thus adding to a customer’spositive mental attitude.

Business leaders that take the time to review their early performance and realign their strategy based on their own critical analyses will be better prepared for the “POST furlough world” which I hope won’t morph into the business Pandemic…. But if it does, then possibly some of these thoughts will help you administer your own vaccine and stay healthy!

ABOUT CRAIG MORGAN:

Craig works with Nick Harding’s Spray Lakes and independently as a consultant with a number of businesses and private entrepreneurs within the gambling and hospitality industry to help them with their products, networked introductions and business planning. I lead the turnaround in performance for Gauselmann in the single site pub market from 2017-2020 delivering a transformation in their results before heading off the pastures new at the start of the pandemic…

https://www.spraylakesconsultancy. com/

China Chasing Down Illegal Online Gambling

The effect from China towards illegal online gambling is changing the way those operators are working according to a recent report.

With China reporting that over the last twelve months they have arrested more than 110,000 suspects in relation to online gambling, closed over 3,400 online gambling sites and 2,800 payment providers to those illegal gambling platforms.

All this along with the government of China using their influence in neighbouring countries to cease their involvement in allowing online operators to function.

A focus has been live dealer gambling and those operators are now more than ever moving their focus away from China and more towards Japan and Korea to avoid the ire of those hosting countries or China themselves.

The financial muscle China has with aid and business support in the region has made the difference in the countries fight against those operators offering their services to Chinese gamblers. Indeed with China inviting gamblers to inform on those illegal websites is also having a major effect.

It is also said that many operators working in the region are moving their operations to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), this has not gone unnoticed by China and they are working more closely with the UAE than ever before. Offering services such as the COVID-19 vaccines and supplying 5G technologies to the Kingdom. In this the Chinese government of course will influence officials there to clamp down on those operators trying to offer gambling services to Chinese nationals.

China is chasing down any and all of those operators supplying online gambling to their nationals and there seems that they are not slowing down in that effort.

One gaming consultant who did not want to be named said to the iGaming Post: “for many operators working in the region the safest bet now is to focus more on Korea, Japan and India rather than China, the authorities are not giving up on their battle against those operators.”

BETTING ON DRONES

..... sports betting is flying high

By Lynn Pearce de Freitas

It never fails to amaze me how interesting and innovative our gaming industry is overall. I have just had the privilege and honor of judging the International Gaming Awards (IGA) again this year and it was so inspiring to see how our industry, even though they had at first struggled with the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, how quickly they all managed to pivot, regain their momentum, and continue along their path towards growth and success in so many unique and technically challenging ways.

In the USA sports betting companies went through multiple mergers and acquisitions and established their footholds solidly in all the States they entered as they became regulated throughout 2020 and continuing into 2021. The igaming industry is flying high – and for DraftKings, the sky is the limit, with the deal they enteredrecently with the DRL (Drone Racing League), making them an official sports betting partner in January 2021.

Prior to that, in October 2020, according to a report from PRNewswire - the Drone Racing League announced a partnership with Genius Sports in order to accelerate DRL into the sports betting arena, as they believed that professional drone racing was on the fast track to be one of the best sports to bet on, based on consumer research indicating that drone racing fans are three times more likely to place a bet, than fans of major sports leagues, and ninety percent more likely to be interested in sports betting than the average global sports fan.

It all started with drone sports, which combines physical reality with the virtual. First Person View (FPV) started as an elite hobby, as it was rather expensive when drone sports were first available, and a lot of people lost interest when it became much cheaper to acquire, but it seems the sport itself has been revitalized over the past few years, with drone racing taking off as a competitive sport. Participants control drones which are equipped with cameras, while they wear headmounted displays showing the live stream camera feed of the drones. To win a drone race, the player has to complete a set course as fast as

possible. The speed is incredible, it’s a real adrenalin rush, whether you are playing or a spectator, it is truly exciting, a spectator sport like none other, with custom-built drones at speeds above 80 MPH flying through threedimensional VR courses.The DRL have hosted these races anywhere and everywhere, the Colosseum in Rome, in arenas, in museums, castles and other exotic locations.

Back in 2016, ESPN made the decision to televise drone racing and there were clear indications of its potential broad appeal, which means it also caught the attention of sports betting operators and sports betting platform providers, who are always looking for the next best thing to differentiate themselves.

I guess they also wanted to see that a significant audience was tuning in and that the market would be big enough and to be able to determine the odds with the same precision that they applied to other more traditional sports betting – in the gaming industry, it’s all about the numbers.

For the past few years drone racing has been making headlines, so it seems that the betting industry has decided to get on board, and quickly. Betting on drone racing appears poised to grow alongside the sport. Last June saw the first official drone racing betting market open on the Betfair sports betting site.

The Drone Racing League broadcasts official drone races and now, having partnered with DraftKings, they have transformed high-speed racing into a betting sport, which appears to be taking off as the ultimate sports betting craze right now.Gamblers can make bets before the races and during them, the same as they can do for football, baseball, basketball, F1, horseracing and any number of other sports. Betting on drone races is already legal in U.S. states including Colorado, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Tennessee and West Virginia, with more states awaiting approval.

However, it appears not everyone is happy with drone activity in sports betting. Drones with live video feeds have become a major concern in the world of horse racing, particularly in the UK, where it is also legal. The devices are being used to give bettors an unfair advantage for “live” betting, where the bets are placed after the race is underway.And that’s where drones come in, giving punters a 1-2-second edge on live TV, an unfair advantage, some may say.

There are also proponents of the use of drones in horse-racing in the UK. In an article in The Guardian, an evangelist for in-running betting, Hughes, argues that a healthy in-play market also fosters pre-race betting, as punters like to establish positions from which to trade when the race starts. Hughes’s view is that fast pictures for all could be an enormous boon to the horse-racing and sports betting industry and help to get the attention of a technologically savvy younger generation.

Whichever way you look at it, whether you are into drone racing as a sport or not, most sports betting fans will bet on anything that captures their attention and imagination, so they will, given the opportunity, bet on drone racing, and I believe it is time for the rest of us esports and sports betting operators to get on board, the sooner the better.