November 2018 Infinity Gaming Magazine

InfinityGaming www.gaming-awards.com | ISSUE100

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW LAWRENCE HO GAMING + ARTICLES + BUSINESS+ GLOBAL + ONLINE + NEWS+ AWARDS + etc

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22 HOUND DOG Teresa Tunstall

32 BREXIT 7 AFFILIATE IMPACT

26 4 WEEKS TO FREEDOM (PART 2) Liz Karter

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

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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.

08 LAWRENCE HO EXCLUSIVE 16 WORK AT HOME?

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Lynn Pearce De Freitas

22 HOUND DOG Teresa Tunstall

WORK AT HOME OR OFFICE?

26 4 WEEKS TO FREEDOM

Lynn Pearce De Freitas

Liz Karter

GAMBLING ADVERTS FALL

32 BREXIT & AFFILIATE IMPACT Lee-Ann Johnstone

Christina Thakor-Rankin

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40 PASTTIME TO PARIAH Christina Thakor-Rankin

51 LOSING MARKET SHARE

+ NEWS & MORE NEWS from the gaming industry

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A note from the editor CONTACT US Clever Duck Media Centrix@Keys Keys Park Road Staffordshire WS12 2HA UK Tel: +44(0)1543 478 889 PRODUCTION Clever Duck Media Centrix@Keys Keys Park Road Staffordshire WS12 2HA UK

Nominations are in!

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

Lana Thompson - Editor

Welcome to the latest edition of the Infinity Gaming Magazine Welcome to the latest edition of the

contributing writer in the form of Lynn

Infinity Gaming Magazine and if you

Pearce De Freitas, welcome Lynn and

missed it, well its too late as the nomi-

you have started off with a great topic

nations deadline has passed for the

and one close to my heart for sure.

12th International Gaming Awards (IGA) Adding already to our superb writing There is always next year, however with

team of Chistina Thakor-Rankin, Teresa

some 600 entries it very much looks like

Tunstall and Lee-Ann Johnstone and we

the entire gambling industry went for

have a powerhouse of wonderful arti-

one of the most prestigous of awards.

cles to read.

By the next magazine is published we

Have a super month and Enjoy the mag-

will be announcing our finalists, so ex-

azine.

citing. Also what is exciting is this edition celebrates the 100 edition of the

“To Infinity and Beyond!”

super Infinity Gaming Magazine, Happy Birthday to us....

Regards,

And how we have celebrated, with an

Lana

exclusive interview with Lawrence Ho the Chairman & CEO Melco Resorts & Entertainment, he gives us the lowdown on Japan, Macau and Cyprus, a must read I promise.

What also is a must read is our latest

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The Editor

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

Sponsorship Opportunities Colin@cleverduckmedia.com Business Partnerships Svetlana@gaming-awards.com Marketing & Advertising claire@cleverduckmedia.com Editorial Content & PR media@cleverduckmedia.com

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

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

lators, law enforcement and government agencies, media, and specialist interest groups and associations within the sector, in both established and emerging markets across the world.

www.1710gaming.com

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.

Teresa now works independently consulting on all issues relating to Social Responsibility and Problem Gambling.

Working closely with the betting and gaming industry, She developed strong links delivering Social Responsibility and Problem Gambling training around the world, from Antigua to Moscow, and Auditing in the UK.

To contact Teresa regarding consulting please email: Teresatunstall1@gmail.com

Lee-Ann Johnstone - CEO Best Odds Marketing With almost two decades of digital marketing and affiliate experience gained within retail, payments and blue chip iGaming brands, Lee-Ann has a wealth of expertise as an award winning digital marketing expert and business mentor. She is the creator of AffiliateFEST, founder of Best Odds Marketing a digital consultancy specialising in affiliate marketing and recently launched Affiliate Insider offering training, events and business development for the affiliate channel.

www.affiliateinsider.com|www.bestoddsmarketing.com

Lynn has creatively strategized and implemented B2C and B2B acquisition, conversion and retention marketing campaigns.

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. Longing for the sea and sunshine, she relocated to Malta to consult for a B2B igaming software development company.

Lynn Pearce de Freitas

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 projectmanagement of conferences, events, presentations, video production, and other activities.

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BEEN LOOKING FOR? FOR MORE INFO VISIT: www.videoslotscareers.com

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Interview with

Lawrence Ho Chairman & CEO Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited

Lawrence thank you for your time today in speaking to Infinity Gaming Magazine, there has been a lot happening with Melco since we last spoke. To start can we ask how the Macau business is going and what effect did the recent Typhoon Mangkhut have in Macau in general with the full closure of casinos there?

Just as we halted the construction of

While we are not in a position to pro-

Morpheus to reassign our 2,000 work-

vide further details of the IPO, I can

ers to help with post-Hato relief efforts,

say that Studio City is entering a very

Melco made immediate efforts in the

exciting phase.

days following Mangkhut to support the

Phase 2 expansion plans with the goal

government’s city clean up initiatives.

of commencing construction within the

Our teams of employees and volunteers

next few months, which will cover more

assisted with the clean up of debris and

hotel rooms and non-gaming facilities.

We are finalizing our

fallen trees at local beaches, community, and fixed fallen hoarding in the city

We’re also dialing up the entertainment

which were potentially hazardous to

on offer, and significantly upgrading

Typhoon Mangkhut was a significant

citizens. Luckily, the threat of Mangkhut

our food and beverage experience, and

event for Macau, particularly coming a

passed without major incident, and we

it’s now home to Macau’s first e-sports

year after Hato. The Macau SAR Govern-

are grateful for our team’s dedication

stadium. Later this month, we will be

ment made the decision to temporar-

and professionalism to ensure guest

announcing a new, electrifying world-

ily close all casino facilities in order to

experience was affected as little as pos-

class show at Studio City. Created in

keep everyone safe, this was an excep-

sible during and after the typhoon.

collaboration with the world-renowned

tional measure that we fully supported.

Our management team activated the contingency plan we have in place, and we took all possible precautions to assist both guests and staff members alike. During the closure, we constantly monitored the situation.

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entertainment architects Stufish, this

Studio City we understand is being separated and to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), what was the reasoning behind this move?

new show - Elēkrŏn – is action-packed, all electric and is set to ‘rock and electric-shock’ Macau with its stunning death-defying stunts. The 75-minute show features more than 70 powerful electric vehicles – including sports cars,

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customized buggies and even a plane –

Put it simply, we will do what it takes to

Quite rightly the Japanese Government

all engaged in daredevil feats that will

continue to be pioneers and innovators

is determining the criteria for the pro-

keep audiences on the edge of their

in premium gaming, leisure and enter-

spective and winning bidders. And it’s

seats. This show proves yet again that

tainment. And that doesn’t stop with

a process being undertaken both at the

we’re always giving our guests memo-

Macau. Our guests in the Philippines,

local and national levels. Ultimately, I

rable and stunning experiences that is

Cyprus and hopefully Japan will enjoy

think that the successful operators in

unbeatable in Macau.

the same exciting experience with Mel-

the bidding process should be the ones

co.

that will deliver Integrated Resorts that

Can we expect more of this type of move with other parts of the business?

We are constantly on the move, continually pushing our team members and our partners to deliver better and more memorable experiences for our guests.

work best for Japan.

Moving on from Macau, over the last year or so all the excitement in the casino industry is about Japan, what do you think will be the criteria that will be used to decide on the winning bidders for Integrated Resorts in the country?

It shouldn’t be “cookie cutter”. It must be uniquely tailored to Japan, reflecting and enhancing the local culture, not overpowering it, and that means both the hardware and software.

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Lawrence Ho Exclusive Interview

our guests.

Apart from it being highly competitive to gain a license in Japan, what other challenges will there be in the country, will public perception of the dangers of gambling be important?

I want to build the most technologically

Japan’s decision to open up integrated

business model and our sustainability

advanced premium IR in the world that

resorts is a big step for the country

strategy. As such, we’ve invested a lot

will go beyond gaming and offer the

and there are certainly negative public

into this area and Melco has one of the

most incredible refreshing and truly

perceptions of gaming entrenched in

industry’s most comprehensive frame-

innovative entertainment and leisure

Japanese society. And rightly so, this

works for responsible gaming. We are

options. And we will tailor our plan for

concern has prompted the Japanese

the only gaming operator in Macau that

each location in Japan, designing it spe-

Government to put in place restrictions

has a dedicated steering committee to

cifically to enhance that region’s culture

for the gaming industry. For Melco, we

champion responsible gaming, and I am

and local needs

have in place industry-leading Respon-

so far the only owner among the gaming

sible Gaming strategy and practices that

operators to chair the responsible gam-

we plan to roll out in Japan if we were to

ing committee. We invest a consider-

Melco as a company, and I personally am very committed to working closely with the Government, our local partners and the host cities to design and build the best possible Integrated Resort for

be selected as a gaming operator.

Has Melco got a plan to ensure social responsibility on the dangers of gambling addiction in Japan?

Responsible gaming is core to our

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-able amount into state-of-the-art tech-

trates our commitment to the local com-

mission, and the drawing up of the nec-

nology such as Strict Entrance Controls

munity within which we operate. Add-

essary bylaws. Right now, our priority

that are enabled by Facial Recognition

ing to the points I mentioned earlier,

is to focus on introducing Japan to our

Technology and the use of Blockchain,

we place a lot of focus on training and

interests, passion and strengths. We are

AI and Big Data to help detect and re-

awareness-raising initiatives around RG.

establishing trusted partnerships and

duce gambling addiction.

I’m proud

In fact, from 2009 to 2018, over 56,000

continuing our commitment to dedicate

that we are the first in Asia to use fa-

employees participated in Melco’s re-

resources, time and efforts to new initia-

cial recognition in all casino entrances,

sponsible gaming awareness activities.

tives in each region. Ultimately, Melco

and the only concessionaire in Macau

Aside from employee training, we also

plans to invest at least US$10 billion to

to train all employees, not just those

work with local rehabilitation centres

build the greatest, most amazing, most

on the frontline, in responsible gaming.

and counselling services to help curb

technologically advanced Integrated

And for Japan, as in Macau, we will go

addiction and also engage the local

Resort ever, anywhere.

beyond simply being compliant with

community in raising awareness about

the local legislation and regulation and

responsible gaming. For example, Mel-

will develop and implement proactive

co recently sponsored a public service

best practice initiatives.

video that promotes healthy gaming practices.

Not just in Japan but how is social responsibility in protecting their customers on the dangers of gambling addiction important for the company? : Responsible Gaming (RG) is really im-

Back to Japan for a moment and how personally do you see the timeline for winning licensed casino operators to develop and see operational integrated resorts in the country?

portant to Melco as an operator, and I’m

Has Melco announced any local partnerships in Japan to develop integrated resorts should the company win a license?

For us, strong and trusted partnerships have always been important to us. They’re one of the keys to our success. We have an amazing track record of working successfully with many partners on multiple projects around the world. We are meeting with potential

personally committed to making sure

Our timeline is entirely contingent on

local Japanese partners and will contin-

this concept flows through every level

the steps being taken by the Japanese

ue to explore local partnerships as we

of our business.

To me, responsible

Government and candidate cities, such

believe that they add tremendous value

gaming is more than a CSR term. It illus-

as the creation of a casino control com-

to our offering.

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Lawrence Ho Exclusive Interview

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How big a market do you see Japan becoming, bigger than Las Vegas, second behind Macau?

We view Japan as a market with the potential to rank among the largest global gaming destinations in Asia, second only to Macau. It will be distinct in its own way however, evolving to adapt to the needs, desires and preferences of the guest in Japan.

Now on to Cyprus and congratulations in getting the first satellite casino operational, how is the is business so far going?

It’s going well and proves to be very promising. Within the first three weeks of operation, we’ve already had over 34,000 individual guests visiting Cyprus Casinos (C2). We expect that the visitor numbers will go from strength to strength, and I really think our upcoming integrated resort in Cyprus – City of Dreams Mediterranean will help establish Cyprus as a world class tourist destination.

Will anymore satellite casinos be operational before the end of the year?

Two more satellite casinos will also become operational in 2018 in Nicosia, Larnaca, and the other two in Ayia Napa and Paphos will open in 2019

The Integrated resort, how is the development going and what is the scheduled date for it opening?

City of Dreams Mediterranean is set to launch in 2021 and is expected to at-

Greece has recently announced that they are opening the Helleniko site in Athens for development of an integrated Resort, is this something Melco would consider applying for or will Cyprus be the main focus going forward?

tract 300,000 tourists every year. It will

you see Melco developing in the next few years, what is your vision for the company?

I set myself fresh challenges every day. And that also influences how we do things at Melco. I’m always looking for ways to do things differently and be

offer leisure, recreational and MICE

For now, City of Dreams Mediterranean

better, to give our guests an experience

facilities currently not available in Cy-

will remain our focus and is expected

they will not find anywhere else. My vi-

prus. This new integrated resort will be

launch in early 2021.

sion is for a company that is constantly

a game-changer, promoting Cyprus as a top destination for international tourism and conferences.

evolving and improving, always going

Lawrence before we let you go and thank you so much for taking your time today in talking to us, how do

beyond gaming to amaze and excite tomorrow’s most sophisticated international travelers.

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EXCITING ROLE FOR FRENCH SPEAKING CASINO MANAGER EXCELLENT SALARY AND BENEFITS

GAMING NEWS

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Albania Considers Sports Betting Monopoly and Online Gambling Ban

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he Albanian government is looking to place restrictions on its online and land-based gambling operations. In early October, Prime Minister Edi Rama told the media that all gambling venues, including slot halls, casinos, and betting shops, would be forced to move to the outskirts of cities and towns by the end of the year or face governmental action.

The PM further stated that the Albanian Gambling Commission would also be shut down till the new year, as a “new regime” would be put in place to regulate licensing and monitor gambling activity via online methods.

However, the leader’s announcements only led to more confusion, especially with regard to the status of online gambling. Rama had issued a statement on social media saying that the online monopoly and gam-

bling would see their end by New Year. However, a week later, he announced that online gambling would be permitted as part of a second phase, after the initial shutdown.

Special state-controlled structures to oversee sports and race betting According to a report from The Tirana Times, the government was thinking over the prospect of operating sports betting and race betting as a state monopoly and controlling them via specially established state structures.

This was soon followed by reports that the online gambling aspect of the gambling overhaul would be complex, as stated by the PM. However, the PM believes that a proper conclusion will be reached once a thorough assessment of the situation is carried out.

Earlier this week, The Balkan Insight reported that the Parliamentary

Commission on Economy accepted the proposed legislation to place a ban on retail gambling while creating a clause allowing the closure of the country’s online betting operation. The legislation will be voted over on next week.

The clause calling for the closure of online betting was added after opposition parties claimed that the government was simply boosting business for the country’s online betting monopoly on the pretext of offering protection to customers.

The PM responded to these claims by labeling them as “a defamation.”

Ironically, the claims were supported

by Sali Bersha, the country’s former PM, who told the media that Rama’s intentions were to simply close down retail gambling outlets and shift the business to the state monopoly, which was run by his brother.

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Working in an Office vs Working Remotely

By Lynn Pearce de Freitas

I

woke up this morning, poured myself a cup of coffee, read the posts on LinkedIn as per normal – and immediately stumbled across an article that caught my interest.

I believe that working from home is not for everyone, you need to be seriously motivated to be able to work from home indefinitely. Some people are disciplined to do this, others not.

With rising transport costs, time spent travelling, better internet and data connections, and better quality of work-life balance, why do more companies not embrace the work from home scenario?

I have worked from home in the past for almost 2 years, with a virtual team in far flung places, different time zones included, managing diverse teams. It worked exceptionally well for the company, but I found myself working flat out from 7am (when the software developers started working) through to 10pm at night, due to my marketing team starting at about 2pm (my time zone). The company scored in this instance and were very happy with the arrangement. I was not. I enjoyed the work, which made it possible to get through the long days, but not the lack of personal time. There was no work-life balance.

The question was raised: do companies trust their employees enough to allow them to work from home?

Most of the responses seemed to think a lack of trust was the issue.

Only one person commented on the fact that more opportunities do come your way in an office environment, particularly if you are climbing the corporate ladder and looking for that next career break, which was an interesting point.

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After 2 years I was offered a role leading a marketing operations team, and I jumped at the opportunity to work with colleagues in an office environ-

ment again, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Until I started taking work home, which seems to be the norm with white collar workers. If you consider that the majority of us are taking our work home with us, checking emails regularly, catching up on some tasks due to being in meetings a lot of the time during the day, the only way to stay on track with the workload is to take work home, then we are already working remotely, it is just not formalized.

Personally, I believe it is possible to find a middle ground, allowing staff to work remotely and allowing them to work in the office, in a flexible way that works for the company and the individual.

Telecommuting is on the rise in the US, and more and more companies are starting to implement this work-life balance strategy. When you consider that Millennials now make up about 35% of the workforce in the US alone, and in a recent study 68%

Office or Home?

of millennials seeking jobs stated that the option to work remotely would significantly increase their interest in an employer.

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The upside for the company is that they

problem – but when you are working

can decide where best to place their

from home – it is solely yours!

headquarters when they have remote staff, the offices do not have to be that

On the positive side, with all the strides

large and fully equipped, it could be a

in technology, you have great tools at

Working from home allows you to cre-

space where staff do visit on occasion,

your disposal to ensure you are working

ate your own schedules, to have more

to get assignments, meet up and com-

productively from home, like time track-

time to spend on family and friends

municate in person should they wish to

ing software, shared task board apps,

and to spend less time commuting,

do so. It also allows companies to have

online communication apps – allowing

which helps with keeping the work-life

staff in different time zones, which gives

you to communicate with remote team

balance. It is also easier to maintain a

them additional man hours to achieve

members anywhere, anytime!

healthy diet, being able to make up your

business objectives.

own meals at home, as opposed to be-

I am certainly not going to solve the

ing in an office environment, getting

On the other hand, communication and

work remotely or in an office environ-

take outs, or eating on the run between

transparency is difficult when working

ment here, but I do believe that this is

meetings.

remotely – face-to-face communication

a great debate to be had, and I think the

is a lot easier to decipher than speaking

time has come to address this topic seri-

Another benefit working from home, is

via email or mobile, or any other form

ously.

that we are not all morning people, af-

of online communication, unless you

ternoon or nighttime – we all have our

regularly make use of video conferenc-

And it goes without saying that I would

best hours that we are at our most pro-

ing. Technology being what it is, it will

love to hear your feedback!

ductive, and we can work our schedule

fail from time to time, most likely when

around those hours, making us much

you are about to make that call! But that

happier people.

can happen anywhere, in an office when the internet goes down, it is everyone’s

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THE IGA12 JUDGES 01

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02

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01

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Anna Hemmings GamCare CEO

Christina Thakor-Rankin Gaming Consultant

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Kirsty 06 Thompson CEO 138.com

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David Mills Managing Director of CasinoBrokers and CasinoCompliance

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

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Ebba Arnred CMO Play’n GO

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Gavin Isaacs Vice Chairman of the Board at Scientific Games Corporation

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07

09

11

08

10

12

07

09

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Jennifer Bowman Senior Director Global Field Marketing at IGT

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John Coleman CEO Microgaming

Kirsty Thompson CEO 138.com

Marek Milewski Operations Manager Casinos Poland

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Liz Karter Specialist in Gambling Addiction in Women

Mike Rothwell Managing Director of Caesars Entertainment EMEA

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THE IGA12 JUDGES 13

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17

14

16

18

13

15

17

14

16

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Mor Weizer CEO Playtecht

Kostandina Zafirovska CEO at BtoBet

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Paul Fitchford Managing Director & Casino Consultant at iGamingUK

Peter John Caveny Assistant Senior Vice President, Investor Relations Galaxy Entertainment Group

Peter Hoetzinger Co-CEO & President, Vice Chairman Century Casinos

Richard Noble Chief Operating Officer of the Aspers Group

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19

21

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22

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Rob Cairns Executive Director of Finance Les Ambasadeurs Club

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Roger Marris CEO at The Ritz Club

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22 Stephanie Cheung

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Shelly Suter-Hadad COO at Mansion Group Limited

Chief Legal Officer at Melco Crown Entertainment

Vigen Badalyan CEO BetConstruct

Irina Cornides CEO, Group Marketing @ Jackpotjoy Group

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You ain’t nothing but a hound dog……

By Teresa Tunstall

I

can’t hear an Elvis song without feeling sad along with Michael Jackson both died too young, both had their addictions which ultimately ended their lives. They also had experts who paid the price and were punished for their mistakes. So it was when I was delivering Social Responsibility & Problem Gambling training to staff at a betting company in Scotland, their Area Manager, shop Managers and staff all attended. The training was going well with lots of interaction and interest from the group until near the end of the training where we’d cover the most difficult of all subjects – threats of suicide from customers.

Gaming and betting staff would always feel uncomfortable as this issue could affect them personally. The class went deadly quiet and silence continued to reign as we asked, ’Any experience?’ no one reacted instead they all agreed together that none of them had come across such an

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incident. So we changed tack, ‘In case you come across a player threatening suicide let’s discuss how you would deal with it,’ it was like pulling teeth we persevered, finishing with ‘well if you need advice don’t hesitate to contact us’. Within days I travelled to Manchester continuing my audits there and I met up with the Area Manager who reassured me that unfortunately they do come across those who can’t cope and step into avoid such issues.

Way down the other end of this island that is known as Britain, I was auditing a betting shop in quite an affluent area near the seaside the manager and staff told how FOBT’s can tell staff behind the counter how much is being played and when to interact with a customer they had concerns about.

However, one particular customer played the FOBT continually ignoring staff requests to take a break or

to slow down on their gambling finally when he departed from the shop, only to return with a large metal knife. Those days are gone I’m pleased to say that staff be they betting or casino’s or both now have an obligation to take control of situations like this.

On a lighter note I missed Paddy Power’s, ‘Museum of Mischief,’ in Dublin that celebrated their 30th anniversary by also donating a large amount of money to anti-homophobia charities. They also created their own, ‘Department of Complaints’, housing the brand’s most complained about adverts and stunts of all time. On a dark note Paddy Power Betfair were heavily fined and lambasted by the Gambling Commission resulting in a million pound payment to GambleAware, I’m sure that wiped the smile off their faces.

You ain’t nothing but a hound dog……

I travelled to Northern Cyprus last year to visit a friend going through Customs was like something out of a James Bond film going back 20 years.

and size I searched round looking for Social Responsibility leaflets, its second nature to me, however there were none displayed on the gaming floor.

Villages with one set of traffic lights positioned in the center of town and most streets had no name signs. Every casino has to be attached or inside a hotel and of course there is no social responsibility or recognition of problem gamblers, although I was told privately managers would intervene barring a customer if necessary. As a matter of interest the Turkish President Erdogan has never visited Northern Cyprus which I believe speaks volumes.

I checked again and finally went out to the very large Reception area and requested a leaflet the receptionist pulled out drawers opened cupboards finally admitting she couldn’t find them. Then she called out to the cloakroom attendant positioned way across the other side of Reception, “Joan, where’s the problem gambling leaflets?” I squirmed. Thank God I wasn’t a real problem gambler.

On a holiday to Canada I went to the casino in Quebec it was Las Vegas style

Romania and Albania are relatively poor countries in the European Community but not governed when it comes gaming and betting in their

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own countries. Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama is clamping down on gambling by forcibly removing venues out of residential areas and warned against gambling advertising.

This reminds me of President Putin who in the past decided to remove all casino’s out of the centre of Moscow.

Did that help gamblers or more likely gambling continued in Moscow casino’s except it was underground.

Meanwhile Romania is looking for new and innovative responsible gambling products offering customer verification, data collection and retail tools.

It’s a positive step forward for both countries but only if it’s upheld for the safety and good of its people.

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You ain’t nothing but a hound dog……

By the time you read this the UK Gambling Commission will have introduced new regulations making “Protecting the interests of consumers as a priority,” introducing changes that will protect consumers from irresponsible advertising and misleading promotions.

These last two points are the most important that is to ensure that players can withdraw their money more easily, and will mean that firms have to deal with complaints more swiftly.” It’s been a long time coming however now it’s here for the best and only way the for the Commission to go.

Finally, I’m off to one of my favourite, fun town Blackpool visiting relatives.

In the past I many times attended the BACTA exhibition up and always found it to be a bustling enjoyable couple of days, meeting those involved particularly gaming machines, I’m really looking forward to my break away from London’s ‘smoke.’

Now this really is my final piece because I can’t resist my last snippet about the Home Office purchasing spy planes to be used by M15. The nature of their work is expected to

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include scooping up mobile phone conversations and sending them to GCHQ for analysis. Run by former RAF officers 2Excel – the work has been given to this fast growing private aviation group to also run air surveillance flights for the military, no public tender documents exist for this work.

Only a government statement saying, “We do not comment on matter of national security.” I should think not!

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Gambling Addiction in Women: Four Weeks to Freedom A Practical Guide to Recovery

By Liz Karter Liz Karter is considered a leading UK expert in gambling addiction in women. With over eighteen years experience of practice she has worked within all leading UK treatment agencies. Throughout that time, Liz has worked closely with the gambling industry on safer gambling projects and has had the honour of judging the social responsibility category of the IGA for several consecutive years.

You might have come across Liz on national and international TV or radio where she regularly appears as consultant therapist in gambling addiction, or perhaps you have read one od her previous books on gambling addiction. Very much still a practicing therapist Liz continues to see clients at her Harley Street and City of London practice Level Ground Therapy and by video link worldwide.

Week 2 Beginning to Feel Better

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t this stage of recovery, the world of people, conversations and expectations will feel too much a lot of the time. Your inner world of thoughts and feelings equally so, because gambling has functioned to help you to withdraw from the things you found too difficult. Now, after so much time spent lost in the slot machine or computer screen, you have lost your coping skills so that almost everything will feel too difficult. This is a period of adjustment whilst you tune back into your real life. You will need to

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escape now and then into something else whilst you are adjusting to coming back into the real world again. I often think it is a bit like tuning in a television set or analogue radio – the reception is going to be little distorted for a while. It is important however to check that what you are doing to distract yourself does not become another addiction.

Things to be careful of in Early Recovery: * Alcohol

* Dating * Dating websites * Digital devices * Gaming * Over exercising * Prescription medication * Recreational drugs * Smart phones * Social media Digital addiction – beware All the activities above can be very tempting as alternative sources of distraction from day to life at the best of times, let alone when going through early recovery. Every

Second Part of Liz Karter’s Latest Book

single one of them can potentially become addictive in themselves.

Anything in a digital format can so easily perform a very similar function as online or slot machine gambling and quickly absorb you into the virtual world – distraction and absorption from staring at a computer screen or smart phone. Recently, I have had more and more clients seek my help because they are addicted to digital technology.

The psychology of a digital addiction or a social gaming addiction is so very similar to a slot machine addiction or online gambling addiction. Staring at a screen absorbs troublesome thoughts and so supresses distressing feelings. Here are the highs you might be missing from gambling. Now the highs come from a Twitter retweet or a

Facebook photo Liked, providing the validation which we all need to some degree and especially so when we are feeling a little low as you will be now. How often have you found yourself in day to day life doing as we all do, distracting yourself from following through on an troubling thought by flicking through Facebook without really reading anything? Or scrolling through Twitter trying to avoid a troublesome thought? We all do it and these days so many of us are addicted to or at last highly dependent on, our digital devices.

Even though there have been studies showing that there is a very real withdrawal from digital devices if they overuse them there is so much denial that the problem ex-

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ists. I was commissioned to write a newspaper article on the topic and was torn apart by most readers comments. When I write about gambling addiction comments are supportive and encouraging. I was invited to talk about digital addiction at a well-known addiction conference and the talk received little interest. I spoke at the same conference about gambling addiction to a large, engaged audience. I am not alone in thinking that society is uncomfortable with the idea of digital addiction as to some degree we are also dependent and to accept the problem means the next step is to do something about it. And we know just how hard that step can be to take - which is why you are reading this book.

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Second Part of Liz Karter’s Latest Book

Nowadays, so many of my clients, even in strong gambling addiction recovery, talk to me about their worries about concentration.

Their ability to focus at work or tasks at home has been drastically reduced. They find too that they cannot sleep. When we explore the reasons, we find that the problem is overuse of digital devices.

For you, you will find anyway that at this stage of your gambling recovery your concentration will be reduced from what it was before you were gambling. Don’t worry – it will return in time. You can speed things along and help yourself by limiting the time you spend using your smart phone, tablet, laptop or games console.

you from doing the valuable work of self-reflection and developing self-awareness after years of losing your identity in your addiction.

You are much better to spend time working out what you truly think, what your opinions are, rather than wasting your time swallowing whole the opinions of others on your Twitter feed. You are much better off spending time developing your real-world life than wasting hours on Facebook scrolling through airbrushed images of the lives of others. How often do those snap shots of the selected highlights of the lives of others leave you feeling worse than when you stared scrolling because by comparison your life seems lacking?

It can be appealing in early recovery to concentrate on the life of someone you hardly know on Facebook, or the thoughts of thousands of others on Twitter, rather than on your own. This distracts

Feeling ashamed and guilty about your gambling addiction it can feel so tempting to keep friendships in cyber space and to present to them your airbrushed self. Not only taking the flaws out of your photo-

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graph but out of your life – allowing others to see only the aspects of yourself you feel safe to reveal.

Gambling and any other less than perfect parts of your life can stay well hidden behind a glossy profile and smiley face emoticons. Similarly, with social gaming, losing yourself by playing another character in a virtual reality can feel very appealing. Especially when you are learning to deal with the reality of the mess that your gambling addiction created.

You need to develop strong realworld identity to better deal with life and relationships in the real world. Living life free from the bubble of gambling addiction requires learning slowly but surely to live in and deal well with the real world.

In the real world we need to learn to deal with challenge and conflict and by doing so we learn good, strong relational skills.

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Off-Duty Junket Staff to be Banned from Casino Floors in Macau

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unket operators in Macau’s casinos will be prohibited from stepping onto local gaming floors during their off-hours, according to new regulations proposed by legislators in Macau. The Legislative Assembly in Macau presented new rules this summer that would ban casino staff from entering the gaming floor during their non-working hours, effectively prohibiting their participation in gambling activities as a whole.

non-gaming areas, such as food & beverage, cleaning, and security.

Set for Discussion The bill will be discussed in the Legislative Assembly at the end of October. The discussions will also cover the possibility of applying the prohibition to junket subagents as well. Junket subagents are tasked with identifying VIP patrons or high net-worth patrons and directing them towards the junket operators.

When the laws were initially proposed, they did not specifically apply to junket operators. However, earlier this week, Ho Ion Sang, the Chairman of the Legislative Assembly’s first standing committee, told the media that junket operators would also be included as part of the proposed law (Law No. 10/2012). They would be joining the entire list of casino staff, which typically includes gaming machine operators, cashiers, croupiers, and even those employed in

Following his original statement, Ho Ion Sang also mentioned that the representatives from the junket industry were generally supportive of the new rule to ban junket staff from gaming floors. According to the Legislative Assembly official, junket operators were quite pleased that measures were being taken to prevent their staff from being exposed to the gambling environment, which would, otherwise, tempt them to engage.

An Old Problem According to several surveys, from the past and the present, Macau’s casino croupiers have been overrepresented in terms of gambling addiction or problem gambling. Many of the croupiers are currently undergoing treatment for their addiction, with a significant number of them even having to deal with gambling debt. The rise in gambling addiction among casino staff has also spread fear that these vulnerable individuals could easily be persuaded to aid scammers in carrying out their notorious scams.

Several reports have also emerged suggesting that many croupiers were even indulging in workplace theft in order to pay back their debts.

Needless to say, this is a major area of concern for junket staff, especially when significant sums of money have already gone missing from junket accounts in the past.

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Will Brexit will have any impact on affiliate marketing?

By Lee-Ann Johnstone

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rexit has been dominating the news cycle fora while now, and everyone is debating the impact it may have on the UK economy. We’ve seen many sectors beginning to struggle with the aftermath of the leave vote, effectively spelling the end for some companies. As politicians navigate the divorce, there are still many questions left to be answered, including how this will have an impact on the affiliate industry.

In order to understand how this monumental decision will impact affiliates we need to understand the economic impact the rising costs will have on all businesses. Those in retail and manufacturing have been feeling the pinch as the cost of goods and services have been rising. The high street has been hit first, but it will continue to impact other indus-

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tries as time goes on. Services, both online and in person, will become more expensive for affiliates to manage in their business. This means marketing budgets will be managed more stringently and affiliates will start to be more selective with who they work with (fast paying operators being the one’s who get the most attention).

Our currency has been struggling and this will also impact those that buy these goods and services abroad. The iGaming sector has strong links to Europe, with different licensing and financial laws making some countries more attractive than others. If you have agreements in place dealing in Euros or other currencies, then this will impact your bottom line as you could lose out on currency fluctuations on commission payments.

For some affiliates, the UK just won’t

be as lucrative any more and building up a presence elsewhere can be the first step to accessing new market revenue.

Being an early adopter in an emerging market can have a great impact on your business revenue but it comes with a risk as you’ll be testing the waters to pave the way for others and if you enter uneducated it could cost you in the long run. Innovative brands are focussing in Africa and the US as part of the emerging sector and it’s key affiliates look to fill a need in these areas for new revenue opportunity. Affiliate revenue is derived from all over the world and this will continue to be the case but maybe looking at how you derive your’s currently and how it could look in future is a good exercise to have now.

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Granted, each market has its own challenges and affiliates will need to be savvy to drive profit in the shifting market of the UK. For this to be possible, it’s absolutely essential for affiliate managers to keep up with the latest news and trends. If they don’t have a clue what’s going on in terms of compliance, financial impacts and even politics and taxes – they won’t be able to prepare for the shock waves that these can create. Being a good affiliate manager means being aware of your surroundings and building a life long education in the role to make the best decisions for their brand.

There will most likely be some knee jerk exits from the market, probably a few affiliates may sell up and quit while they are ahead which makes for great M+A opportunities for investors. There are some things you can do to protect your affiliate income and you should look to put measures in place to continue to market and

build your programmes compliantly.

Make sure you’re signing longer term commercial deals to prevent this from impacting you all at once. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, spread your commercial risk and use strong negotiation tactics to get the best deals in place for your traffic.

Get out from behind your screen - make yourself seen and heard at various events and network to build stronger relationships. Personal relationships help drive longer term contracts. Committing to working with the operator over a longer period with guarantees on delivery - can be a good bargaining tactic.

While you can’t predict where the market will go, you can prepare content that will bring you in a steady flow of traffic. At this point next year, when you’re scrabbling to make new deals and realigning your strategy, this can continue to bring you in income without requiring as much attention.

Brexit is likely to make an impact in all business and across multiple industries when the full process has been completed. The iGaming industry is no exception to this, so get your ducks in a row now to be able to dedicate your attention to the shifting market place in the future.

Lastly, build up your content base so it’s robust enough to weather the downward trends. Google doesn’t care about Brexit, o good content will always bring in valuable organic traffic regardless of the political climate.

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Chinese Authorities to Impose Stricter Controls on Streamed Casino Games

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pectrum Gaming Group has come out with a report that speculates mainland Chinese law-enforcers will step up its surveillance of online gaming operations along with streamed casino games.

Spectrum annually publishes a list of what it believes will be the Top 10 ruling trends of the gaming industry the coming year. The increased scrutiny over gaming operations will be the second-most crucial influencer that will dictate gaming growth in the year to come.

In a press release on Monday, the research house suggested that the online streaming of casino games from the Philippines and Cambodia to China will begin to be monitored

by Chinese as well as other interna-

tional authorities.

Other trends, according to Spectrum, include changes in the Asian junket industry. Junkets will steadily fall out of business as the dependence on junkets declines in Macau. Some junkets will try to pass themselves off as casino operators to protect against this. Macau, however, will continue to thrive as a mass and premium mass market.

More countries will participate in the development of casino resorts. Jurisdictions across the world will seek to legalize integrated resorts, most probably to be carried out through a competitive bidding procedure. It will allow them to leverage gaming as an economic tool that will enable them to achieve their policy goals.

Japan is slated to appoint itself as a gaming regulatory board which will draw up stipulations with regards to integrated resorts. Prefectures will angle to be chosen by the government for integrated resort sites.

The United States will continue to have newer legislation formulated to control betting on sports. Factors such as the fiscal needs of the state will egg at least nine state governments and lotteries to jump-start the legalization process for sports betting. Asian and European businessto-business sports betting and online gaming resources will try to carve out their place in the active gaming market there.

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Only US Operators Left for Greece’s Casino Plan

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he plans to set up a casino in Elliniko, Greece, had initially attracted attention from six casino operators. However, half of those operators have withdrawn their application, leaving behind just three interested applicants. All three remaining applicants also happen to be from the US.

casino. However, determining who the operator should be has taken a considerable amount of time, and the final decision is expected to be made only in 2019. Though an exact date hasn’t been provided, reports suggest that the decision will be made by April.

Not too long ago, Las Vegas Sands, France’s Group Barriere, and a team of various investment enterprises had vied for a piece of the Greek gambling market. But, only three have chosen to stay, namely, Caesars Entertainment, Hard Rock Café, and Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment.

Clarifications concerning who will finally end up with the permit will be provided in the upcoming days.

The HGC (Hellenic Gaming Commission), which is responsible for handing out gaming licenses in Greece, had started discussions about the casino project with operators in August, this year. Lamda, a property development firm, entered into a contract with the state, all the way back in 2014, to convert over 1000 acres of land at the defunct airport into an integrated resort with casinos, a yachting marina, and hotels.

The casino may open next year The former Athens airport in Elliniko has been chosen as the site for the

The casino was stated to be a major project. In HGC’s own words, it was to be a “world-class integrated

casino resort” and a key location in Elliniko. The primary goal behind the project was to transform this side of Athens and improve the lives of residents, while also providing an attraction for visitors and boosting the country’s prospects in terms of tourism. Tourism is a major source of revenue for Greece.

Coming back from a recession Greece has been struggling to come back from its recession, which had lasted for ages. The country had requested the EU, the IMF (International Monetary Fund), and the European Central Bank for a bailout of $331 million in order to revitalize its economy.

The new resort is expected to help boost the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) by 2.4% and bring in a million more tourists (annually) than the current figure.

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The Battle In Mayfair

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battle between developers and residents is brewing in the exclusive Mayfair location in London, plans have been submitted to the local planning committee to turn an historic building in Charles Street into a casino.

The plans have been submitted by Continuity Capital, a firm that finances development of buildings for businesses and what the residents have seen so far they are not happy with. According to reports neighbours objections have been some of the following: A Mayfair resident who is also a doctor said, “that a casino operation would disrupt their children’s lives.”

The objection went on to say, “It is unacceptable for their childhood to be dominated by looking out of the windows of their rooms and seeing

people gambling.”

Another resident said, “It is not proper for children to become aware of drinking and smoking from a young age by seeing that way of life from their windows. When they are a little older it will be disastrous for them to come into contact with the sort of people who may be in the vicinity of the entrance to a casino.”

Another resident who posted their objection to the plans said, “There are mainly expensive residential houses and flats and the use of the non-residential properties is extremely gentil in character. It would destroy the character of one of London’s best known historical streets.”

in or used for offices. The developer has submitted detailed plans to reduce any noise or disturbance for residents however many are just downright opposed to a casino in their street.

Sadly most of the objections are stereo-typical against a casino, however the most pertinent objection came from one resident who said the area has already 11 casinos and there is no need for another in Mayfair.

Mayfair and Charles Street has some very rich and powerful residents and how the local council handles this application and the objections against it will be very interesting to see.

The development in questions is a Grade 2 listed building and has a rich history but is currently not lived

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From Pastime to Pariah gambling and advertising’s fall from grace

By Christina Thakor-Rankin

In August the Gambling Commission announced changes to the LCCP that would allow it to take tougher action against firms who breach advertising rules or consumer law.

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heUK betting and gambling sector has spent the last decade trying to re-position itself as just another leisure activity - occasionally even as a lifestyle choice. It has used every available means of marketing, advertising, sponsorship and brand awareness possible to ensure the successful delivery of this message - and for the greater part it has succeeded.

Gambling brands can be found quite literally everywhere - from daytime talk-shows to public transport - gambling is mainstream.

But with mainstream activity, comes mainstream scrutiny and in today’s world of enhanced consumer protections and greater social responsibility. As the only adult (18+) activity to continue to enjoy the freedoms of marketing and advertising expression long since denied to tobacco and alcohol, it was really only a mat-

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ter of time before the tide changed.

Against a backdrop of numerous reports highlighting the number of children ‘gambling’ - including one commissioned by the UK Labour party which identified 430,000 gambling addicts in the UK, 25,000 of which are under 16, and the comments of Dr Heather Wardle, a gambling behaviour expert from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine that research indicated ‘that 2% of children (11- to 15-year-olds) said they started to gamble or increased gambling due to advertising’, and the suggestion that gambling companies may have knowingly breached new UK Advertising Standards Agency standards prohibiting ads that ‘unduly pressure the audience to gamble’ during the World Cup have all shone the light on an increasingly embattled sector, increasing calls on both government and industry to do more.

Whilst many may fall shy of agreeing with Tom Watson, Deputy Leader of the Labour party’s view that problem gambling in the UK is a ‘public health emergency’, it would be more difficult to argue against his assertion that ‘Gambling advertising on sports fixtures in particular is out of control.

International research suggests that children and young adults in particular are increasingly targeted and exposed to gambling messages’.

60% of clubs in the EPL and the Championships have the names of gambling companies on their shirts.

Even more perimeter advertising from gambling companies. And all of the televised matches post-match interviews with backboards featuring gambling companies. In such circumstances it would be difficult to see how a young mind would not see gambling is a normal benign activity. Like it or not Mr Watson makes

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a valid point, and he has already said that if in government his party would introduce a set of measures to tackle problem gambling including a “whistle-to-whistle” ban on gambling adverts being shown during a specified time before, during and after a live sporting event as well as action against clubs refusing to end sponsorship deals with football clubs.

And for the greater part, many in the industry agree with him.

Philip Bowcock, CEO, William Hill has indicated that he is ‘sympathetic to some sort of curb or review around the level of advertising’ and concurs that ‘Some sort of change is needed, but that has to be led by government.

It’s incumbent on them to step up to

the plate and have a serious discussion about it.’

GVC Holdings has as part of a wider set of responsible gaming initiatives committed to reducing the number of TV adverts as well as stating its support for a ban on adverts on televised football matches before the watershed (9pm), whilst Paddy Power Betfair are supportive of measures to ‘reduce the volume of pre-watershed TV advertising to protect young children’ but that this needs to be underpinned regulation because ‘Even if progressive operators agree to restrict ads, unless there’s legislation passed, less responsible operators step in and continue advertising’.

expressed concerns that a ‘blanket ban removes a key incentive for operators to get a UK gambling licence and therefore could leave UK customers more vulnerable to disreputable operators’ (a valid point) - all of the main players remain committed to the principle of protection as summed up by the Hippodrome’s Simon Thomas ‘Where children are concerned, we need to set a lower threshold of risk and be more prepared to employ the precautionary principle’, reiterating that ‘There are valid concerns with regard to the exposure of children to a high number of gambling adverts, particularly where they are linked to glamorous activities or high-profile role models such as Premiership footballers or professional cricketers’.

Whilst, Skybet Chairman Richard Flint

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Gambling and advertising’s fall from grace

This however is just the tip of the ice-berg. If government, politicians and industry are really serious about advertising and harm minimisation the scope of measures need to go much further than consigning just sports-betting advertising to the naughty step.

Sports betting alone is not responsible for ‘normalising’ gambling.

The X Factor (a UK talent show) which has contestants as young as 14 carried two separate references made by the judges to ‘betting’ and ‘bookies favourite’ in the 20/10 broadcast, news broadcasts routinely feature bookies odds for elections and weather, with gambling companies sponsoring daytime TV shows and soaps only adds to the perception that gambling is normal and therefore benign.

The worst offender is the lottery. A product which disguises gambling as ‘play’ and uses techniques to incite and solicit that are banned in gambling such as suggesting financial gain and life changing winnings. A product which advertises scratch-cards with a voice-over that emulates the language and tone of sports commentary, with phrases like ‘beautiful scratching’ and

‘well scratched’. A product where the odds of winning the big prize are over 45 million to 1, but the chances of winning (or getting the minimum prize - money back) on a scratch are 1 in 4.

A product where players post videos of themselves scratching on You Tube. A product where the top prize on a scratch-card is anywhere between £1 to £1 million. A product which is sold in newsagents, supermarkets, petrol stations, stationers without any mandatory age checks. A product whose target market starts at 16 - so therefore most likely attractive to under 16s in the same way alcohol is attractive to under 18s.

Research over the last few years has indicated that a percentage of children (under 16s) are gambling or have gambled. That same research often shows that the activity they are most likely to be taking part in is lottery related or private betting between themselves. The latter cannot be stopped - the term ‘I bet you I can’ has been part of the playground experience forever and is just part of the human condition, regulated gambling market or not.

The former is just gambling, albeit

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dressed up as ‘playing’.

And therein lies the problem. In the UK gambling starts at 16 not 18, and unless every lottery retailer is conducting age checks accessible to anyone who looks vaguely aged 16. An older looking 14 year is unlikely to be able to walk into a betting shop and place a bet, but they probably can walk into a newsagent and buy a scratch-card without any asking any questions.

If the powers that be are serious about tacking the issue of children being exposed to gambling then any initiative to protect needs to firstly include all forms of gambling, and secondly target those forms which are most easily accessible. To target the gambling products which are aimed at over 18s whilst ignoring those aimed at under 18s would be akin to closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

The only effective way to stop children from betting and gambling is to stop them from playing first.

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Sports Betting and Online Gambling Topmost on the Gambling Expansion Agenda

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he District of Columbia (DC) and Illinois have been debating to legalize online gambling and sports betting since 2017 when a bill on expanding the domain was proposed, calling for perspectives from stakeholders from all over the realm. Lawmakers from the two House subcommittees met on 17th October (Wednesday) for its second hearing on the proposal.

The first meeting was held in August to create a foundation for a much more detailed analysis of the proposal. Sports betting and online gambling remained at the topmost position on the agenda of the testimony. While daily fantasy sports and new casinos were also brought to the table, these two offerings led the discussion.

The District of Columbia (DC) The District of Columbia (DC) Council met to discuss the proposed piece of legislation that seeks to

revise existing gambling laws in DC to cover the sports betting vertical.

Jack Evans, the sponsor of the bill, has pledged to finalize the draft legislation so that the Council can vote

by November this year.

He pressed the lawmakers to approach the subject swiftly before this year ends. After the Council votes, the draft will be reviewed by the Congress within the next thirty days. The aim is to establish a full-blown wagering system before spring, a time when the new baseball season will be hitting the state.

Lawmakers sitting in the Council supported the proposal but were unsure whether to authorize the DC Lottery to operate the domain, become a technology partner or to issue licenses to local operators.

Illinois follows DC’s footsteps The Illinois House of Representatives met on Wednesday to hear on

a proposal to expand gambling in the state. The Senate approved the bill last year, but the addition of sports betting has garnered enough speculation since June 2017.

While some stakeholders warned of the ills of legalizing sports betting, others supported the economic benefits that this measure could bring to the state. The Senate, however, will meet at some future date to have further discussion on the subject.

New Mexico is not lagging in the race and has already joined the wagering league. The Pueblo of Santa Ana tribe launched a sports betting facility at the Santa Ana Star Casino & Hotel and has made to the list of the US states that are active gambling hubs, which include Mississippi, Delaware, New Jersey, Nevada, and West Virginia.

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China Says No to Horseracing and Gambling

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he island province of Hainan will not be allowed to host horseracing or gambling by the Chinese government, according to the latest reports. Earlier this week, the Hainan Daily, a stateowned newspaper, quoted Liu Cigui, Secretary of the Hainan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, rubbishing rumors of Hainan being turned into a hub for horseracing, gambling, and casinos.

was considering permitting Hainan to set up a horseracing industry.

However, the report did not confirm the possibility of wagering being an option. The report also mentioned that Hainan would be allowed to offer certain types of lotteries (beyond what is currently offered in Mainland China), including sports lotteries.

The province was granted the ‘free trade zone’ status this week. However, this doesn’t allow it to accept foreign investments in favor of gambling businesses. Cigui made it clear that any report indicating otherwise was in direct contrast to the ground reality and there will never be a time when such activities are permitted in the province.

A few years ago, some of the island province’s resorts opened up what was known as “cashless casinos.”

These casinos were quite similar to standard casinos in terms of the table games offered. However, the winnings were paid out in the form of credits that could only be redeemed for non-gaming activities, such as shopping or dining. But, thanks to international media coverage, the “cashless casinos” were soon shut down by the local authorities.

Incorrect reports?

In early 2018, Bloomberg came out with a report stating that Beijing

Around the same time, a Hainan court overturned a lower court ruling that would have sent four Man-

grove Tree Resort staff members to prison for their involvement in the setting up of the cashless casinos.

This move by the Hainan court gave birth to speculations about the government’s willingness to go easy on its longstanding restriction on gambling. In fact, the court ruling even encouraged several of the province’s resorts to open up baccarat tables as part of their entertainment bars.

All hope is lost Unfortunately, the government’s continued prohibition has poured cold water over these plans, much to the delight of licensees in Macau and the anti-gambling crowd in Hainan. But, the restrictions are likely to backfire as well, considering the fact that Beijing has been working hard to turn Hainan into an international tourism hotspot.

With casinos and gambling off the table, things might be harder than imagined.

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Payments Company Snap Up Former CEO of Paddy Power

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nline payment firm WorldRemit has appointed the former CEO of the FTSE 100 company Paddy Power Betfair plc, Breon Corcoran, as its new chief executive.

WorldRemit’s pioneering digital technology has disrupted the remittance industry, driving the industry’s evolution from a traditionally offline and 95% cash-based sector to a safer, more transparent and increasingly cashless industry. The sector is predicted to be 60% digital by 2021.

Founded in 2010 by Ismail Ahmed, an entrepreneur from Somaliland, WorldRemit has become a global leader for international remittances.

Ismail spotted the opportunity that the rapid growth of mobile money accounts and the global communications revolution presented early on and the company currently processes over 50% of all international money transfers into mobile money accounts in emerging economies.

WorldRemit has seen an acceleration of its growth in 2018 with revenues expected to be £95m, up from £60.5m in 2017.

With a global network sending money from 50 countries to around 150,

WorldRemit has focused on supporting migrants sending from developed countries to family and friends in emerging economies.

Corcoran joins as the company dramatically expands its customer base and further diversifies its product offering.

In Q3 this year, WorldRemit launched inter-Africa money transfers opening up new opportunities for product innovations to help consumers to do more with their money.

WorldRemit’s founder and CEO will step up into the role of Executive Chairman.

The company is in a strong position to leverage the increasing demand for cashless payments. Emerging market non-cash transactions are estimated to total $340 billion by 2020, from $139bn in 2015, according to the World Payments Report 2017.

Mr Corcoran, who led the 2016 merger of Betfair and Paddy Power to form the world’s largest online gaming company with operations in over 100 countries, now takes on WorldRemit’s ambitious goals of reaching 10 million customers by 2020.

Ismail Ahmed, Executive Chairman at WorldRemit said: “I set up WorldRemit with the goal of delivering a better and safer experience for people sending money home and our commitment to our customers will always remain the cornerstone of our business.

Breon’s reputation for developing a consumer-first culture makes him an ideal candidate to build on our vision.

Breon’s global outlook and experience of enhancing the standard of service in the market will enable us to realise our ambitions to find new ways to help customers do more with their money as the company scales.”

Breon Corcoran, Chief Executive, said: “Across the world, consumers are turning away from cash, towards digital payments solutions. With tailwinds like the global adoption of new technologies combined with growing remittance flows, there is enormous potential for WorldRemit’s global expansion and I look forward to leading the company through its next evolution.”

Alex O’Shaughnessy the former Group Chief Marketing Officer at William Hill already works for WorldRemit as their Chief Marketing Officer.

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GAMING NEWS

51

Swedish Online Operators Losing Market Share

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survey conducted by Mediavision has found that even though domestic gambling operators in Sweden have a dominant share of locally registered accounts, their market share is quickly decreasing as they are losing great numbers to international operators.

The survey also found that almost 60 percent of Swedes between the age of 18 to 74 had set up a registered gambling account by June 2018. This is a 12-point increase from last year. Out of all these accounts, as much as 58 percent of them were registered with domestic operators in the country.

The main players here include Svenska Spel which offers betting, followed by ATG with its horse racing, and finally, Postkodlotterit which deals with lotteries.

The other 42 percent of accounts were registered with international operators such as LeoVegas, Bet365, and

Unibet. In addition, the survey also found that online gambling operators who did not have a Swedish license claimed as much as 60 percent of the registered accounts.

This decrease in market share of domestic gambling companies, Mediavision suggested, is partly due to the increased investment in “aggressive marketing� by international companies during the past year. As Sweden is expected to start liberalizing its online gambling industry in 2019, operators who wish to apply are fighting to establish their brands in the country by the time this happens.

Unapproved advertising under fire by authorities until liberalization commences.

However, as of now, Swedish authorities are working hard to fight unapproved advertising until the online gambling liberalization process is officially underway. In fact, just a week

ago, an online media outlet called Nyheter24 paid a heavy fine for running banner ads which promoted international online operators.

Offside, a popular football news outlet in Sweden also announced that it would not be accepting gambling ads anymore on any of its platforms including online, print, podcasts, and even jingles. This decision was made despite gambling ads being the most profitable advertising sector, and the company will lose about US$55,800 annually as a result of this decision.

However, it is to be noted that Offside is not banning gambling ads only from international gambling operators but domestic operators as well.

The company will not be accepting any ads related to gambling as a whole as a measure to improve their journalistic credibility and to ensure a fair gameplay examination for signs of match-fixing.

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GAMING NEWS

53

A Flat Tax Rate of 25 Percent Underway in Portugal

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ortugal’s online gambling business is going up the graph, especially after the World Cup, which has generated a revenue of about €20.5 million in three months in the sports betting sector. Licensed online operators saw more than a hundred thousand new registrations from customers in the second quarter, which is an impressive hike from the same period last year.

What’s the new tax proposal all about?

The gambling industry in Portugal seems to head for a significant transformation as legislators in the country mull over the proposal to end the punitive tax on sports betting revenue. A popular local news agency in Portugal, Jornal de Negocios, said that the government has already drafted a preliminary budget plan for the fiscal year 2019 that includes noteworthy changes in the country’s gambling taxation framework.

As per the report, the Portugal gov-

ernment is now putting forward a revised flat tax rate of twenty-five percent on all online gambling turnover, thereby replacing the eight to sixteen percent rate on sports betting and fifteen to thirty percent rate on online casino.

The changes to the Special Online Gambling Tax (IEJO) proposed are only preliminary and the final budget can be modified as required. If at all the new rate gets approved, Portugal could get a jump-start to take its regulated online gambling market a notch higher.

How Portugal reacted to the turnover tax?

The tax on sports betting faced widespread criticism because of the inability of the regulated market to provide sufficient online gambling activities to licensed local operators. It was in May 2016 that the country issued the first online gambling license, but only seven of them have received local regulatory permission till date. The

eight online operators possess a total of thirteen casino, online betting, and poker licenses.

The second quarter of 2018 was indeed very favorable for Portugal’s online gambling market because of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The revenue of €37.3 million earned by eight operators included a forty-five percent (€16.9 million) of government’s share.

This share was relatively smaller than what the government claimed in the preceding quarters.

The Serviço Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos do Turismo de Portugal (SRIJ) is the regulatory body controlling the country’s gambling market. In January, the agency called for inputs from stakeholders to change the regime.

It appears that the country’s government has addressed the complaints of operators after receiving the policy review results. We can only hope that the new taxation framework creates benefits for everyone.

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GAMING NEWS

55

Gambling Ads to be Regulated in Spain

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ambling operators in the nation of Spain will soon have to prepare themselves for tougher regulations targeting gambling advertisements.

It is believed that the new laws will place restrictions similar to the ones targeting the tobacco industry.

The regulations targeting the tobacco industry in Spain were introduced in 2005. These regulations prohibited most tobacco advertisements and promotions. Even sponsorships by tobacco brands were banned. However, a few minor exceptions were included.

Multiple reports have originated from various sources within the Spanish press indicating that the new regulations will be a part of the proposed 2019 budget. The 2019 budget is being presented to the European Union this week.

According to a study by InfoAdex, gambling companies spent around $165.5 million towards advertising in 2017. This was 1.8% more than what they had spent in 2016.

A collaborative effort Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s PM and the leader of the ruling Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), developed the budget in partnership with the Podemos party. The budget apparently introduces restrictions that are similar to the ones being currently applied to the tobacco industry.

The proposed budget mentions that broadcasts of sporting events, such as basketball or football, are littered with gambling ads offering live betting, an activity that is easily accessed by vulnerable individuals, such as minors/adolescents and recovering gambling addicts.

Not welcomed by all Plans to restrict gambling ads from 6 AM to 10 AM were supported by the

CAC (Audiovisual Council of Catalonia). However, this has not been welcomed by all.

The President of the Spanish Association of Advertisers, Begoña Élices, issued a statement that advertisers should be allowed to advertise as they choose in a free, democratic society. Élices added that advertisers must be left to advertise according to their convenience in a free society and those were the rules of a democratic system.

If Spain were to go ahead with the new rules, the domestic gambling market would find itself in a scenario currently being experienced

by Italy’s domestic gambling sector.

Earlier this year, Italy came up with a ban on gambling advertising as a whole. This naturally angered groups such as the European Gaming and Betting Association. Even so, the ban will go into effect from January 2019.

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GAMING NEWS

57

Pennsylvania Casinos Can Now Track Your Phones

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ith Pennsylvania legalizing online gaming, it’s going to become much easier for punters to gamble right from their smartphones and the best part is that they can do it from, pretty much, anywhere. That’s the thing about wireless technology – it breaks down the barriers of time and distance. However, what technology can’t do is fight the legislation.

Despite the new law allowing online gambling, punters will not be able to gamble on their phones from the inside of a licensed casino in Pennsylvania.

The fine print Pennsylvania issued the expanded gaming law only last year, and this law made it possible for gamblers to engage in their favorite pastime in all kinds of ways. However, the law also contains a clause (or rather a loophole) that prevents gamblers from participating in interactive games when inside a casino. The

law allows operators to leverage the same mobile technology to determine whether their patrons are within state borders.

According to certain officials, the exclusion, which does not cover sports betting, was added to the early iterations of the legislation as a measure to protect tax revenue.

At the time, the tax rate for online betting was much lower than the tax rate for casino betting.

However, the tax rate was equalized eventually by the General Assembly, bringing the tax rate to 54% for both, virtual and real slot machines.

However, the new bill did not cover casinos. Tony Ricci, Chief Executive of Greenwood Gaming & Entertainment Inc., believes that legislators might have genuinely missed it.

On the contrary…

Then, there are those who believe that the exclusion for casinos was intentional. They state that it was probably done as a concession to

the state’s horse-racing industry, which receives around 10% of slot machine revenue from the casinos.

Last year, the industry raked in about $239 million. So, under the current law, the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development Trust Fund will continue to get its share of the pie, but will not be collecting a penny from interactive gaming, and that includes online slots.

Lindsay Slader, VP of Regulatory Affairs for GeoComply, a geolocation services vendor that allows online operators to determine the exact position of online punters mentioned that it will be impossible for anyone to place online bets while they are still on the casino floor, which will ensure that the horsemen continue to get their dues.

However, the provision will have an impact only on a handful of casinos.

According to statistics from Slader, just about 1% of New Jersey’s online gambling revenue can be traced to gamblers located within a casino.

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GAMING NEWS

59

City of Dreams Manila Opens Virtual Reality Zone

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elco Resorts and Entertainment (Philippines) Corp, has been a major investor in the City of Dreams property in Manila. They recently made a commitment to the casino market in the Philippines and revealed that the resort opened the doors of a virtual reality gaming zone last Sunday. The company took this decision even though one of its main investors had expressed their desire for the former to buy its public stock back and withdraw its name from Philippines’ bourse.

The aforementioned virtual reality gaming technology that was recently launched at the City of Dreams had been brought into the country by a Japan-based tech giant Bandai Namco Amusement Inc. According to a press release that was filed with the Philippine Stock Exchange, the gaming zone would cover a sizeable 2,714 square meters on the

casino resort facility’s upper ground floor, will have a seating capacity of around 563 people, and will offer a range of food and drink outlets in a dedicated food park.

The chief operating officer at City of Dreams Manila, in an interview with the local press, had remarked that this gaming facility would be a ‘first of its kind’ in the entire country.

One of the most popular games that would be offered at this facility is the Mario Kart Arcade GP VR that is based on the iconic gaming characters the Super Mario Bros that had been developed by the Japan-based entertainment biggie Nintendo and licensed from the company by Bandai Namco.

The general manager at Bandai Namco, Kunihisa Yagisita, revealed in an interview with the press that the venue was going to be the company’s first ever virtual reality

entertainment outlet in the whole of Southeast Asia.

The operator of the City of Dreams in the Manila casino resort, Melco Resorts and Entertainment, Philippines, recently filed a public statement in which it pledged its commitment to the country’s casino industry. The statement came in the wake of the official queries that were being made by the country’s stock exchange regarding the projected delisting of its stocks by its primary investor MCO Philippines Investments Ltd. The MCO Philippines Investments Ltd, which is also a unit of the Melco resorts, Philippines, had made an announcement last month that it intended to offer 1.57 billion shares that were held by the public at a tender offer price of around PHP7.25 a share.

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