11 minute read
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
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.
general manager and CEO
California Sports Betting Battle Tops $500 Million
The battle for control over the Golden State’s prospective sports betting market has been a brutal affair. For some months now, the race for the keys to a particular lucrative treasure trove has been between two measures; Proposition 26, backed by 58 of California’s native tribal entities, and Proposition 27, advocated by a number of the U.S’ biggest commercial sportsbook operators.
Such is the scale of the bounty on offer, both sides have thrown millions of dollars into marketing campaigns, desperate to convince the Californian electorate of the merits of their respective proposalsprior to November’s ballot box vote. It’s now been revealed that these colossal efforts have been facilitated by over $500m in funding donations, with support coming through a number of different channels. Make no mistake, this has been an unprecedented level of spending. Indeed, perhaps perfectly illustrating the scale of expenditure, the California Secretary of State’s office commented that a usual measure featuring in a referendum would command around $10m in support payments.
Proposition 26, commissioned by the ‘Coalition for Safe, Responsible Gaming’, which, if passed, would legalize sports betting in retail outlets based in tribal casinos and state racetracks, has received approximately $151.5m in donations so far. The Coalition has concentrated its efforts in challenging the ‘charitable’ claims made by its rival, which are evident in the official title of Proposition 27, ‘Californians for Solutions to Homelessness, Mental Health, and Addiction’. However, the commercial sports betting firms advocating this proposal, such as industry giants FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM, have doubled down on their commitment to the aforementioned causes, and dismissed allegations that their campaign header purely serves as a clever marketing ploy.
Given the financial strength of its sponsors, Proposition 27 campaign messages have found their way onto TV magazine shows and radio advertisements, whilst franchises carry the branding of its funding operators on the front of their jerseys. To press, the measure has been backed with $369,931,682 worth of donations.
New York’s Sports Betting Performance Below Par
Operators in New York have presided over unprecedented handle figures since the inception of the state’s sports betting market in early January. A launch month wagering return of $1.67bn emphatically announced the Empire State’s arrival into the sportsbook sector, and immediately served to solidify its position as the industry’s most lucrative U.S jurisdiction.
However, in terms of its financial performance, New York’s inaugural month remains its strongest to press. Clearly, that astronomical figure would have always been challenging to eclipse, but a concerning pattern began to emerge towards the Spring. Between April and July, New York’s handle numbers steadily declined, resulting in the state dipping below the $1bn threshold for the first time in July. True, the traditional lull in the U.S sporting calendar can partially explain such dwindling returns, but a second consecutive month to register a total south of $1bn has raised one or two early Autumnal alarm bells.
Indeed, in August, New York residents placed $872.2m worth of bets, a 9% uplift on the previous month, but still some way short of previous monthly tallies. Encouragingly however, gross gaming revenue climbed to $99.6m, a significant, 35% improvement on July’s $73.6m. Local sports betting stakeholders will be hoping the onset of the NFL season, which commenced last weekend, will propel more players to wager in September.
New York’s sports wagering theatre is dominated by betting giant FanDuel, who are headquartered in New York City. The operator was accountable for delivering 43% of the state’s total handle volume, generating a staggering $46.6m in gross gaming revenue in the process. BallyBet undertook its first full trading month, after becoming the latest enterprise to gain a New York license in July. The Rhode Island-based outfit took $1m in bets throughout the duration of August, earning just short of 100k in revenue.
CELEBRATING DIVERSITY
CELEBRATING DIVERSITY
Some 40 companies attended the 2022 WIG Diversity Awards, making it the largest gathering so far to celebrate the achievements within the sector.
The WIG Diversity Champagne Reception
A TIME TO MEET OLD AND NEW FRIENDS AND OF COURSE TO NETWORK WITH COMPANIES STRIVING TO ACHIEVE DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
FINALISTS, THEIR COMPANIES AND COLLEAGUES RELAX BEFORE THE AWARDS START
SETTLING IN AT THE SAVOY HOTEL BEFORE THE AWARDS CEREMONY AND ENTERTAINED BY THE SUPERB HOSPITALITY OF THE HOTEL.
The new supreme rulers of your fl oor.
Give your players the experience of nonstop action with four jackpot levels, the player-favourite Hold & Spin feature, player-selectable Multi-Denomination, and stacked wilds. Treat your players like Kings & Queens – add Olympus Link™ multi-level progressives to your fl oor.
Contact your account manager for more information or visit IGT.com
Motivating & Inspiring Mindy Gibbins-Klein Talk
When you have such an inspirational speaker at the WIG Diversity Awards all the audience listens, Welcome Mindy Gibbins-Klein: Mindy has delivered speeches and training on thought leadership to over 50,000 executives, entrepreneurs and experts in 18 countries. She also speaks in schools, colleges and universities to inspire students to become future thought leaders. She can speak and train in English, Spanish and French.
A Global TEDX and keynote speaker, she has written award winning books on Leadership, thoughtful Leadership and Leadership development.
Mindy delivered a very personal talk based on her own experiences in acceptance and understanding, not just in business but in life also.
MAGAZINE
Above Winner Sabine Mueller (right) – GAMOMAT - Industry Pride Award
Below Betsson Group - Best Diverse Place To Work Award
Let The Awards Begin
Above Winner Relax Gaming - B2B Excellence Award
Below Winner Rootz Ltd - Best Use of Technology
Above Company of the Year – (Supplier) went to Just for the Win
Right Best iCommunity Engagement - All-in Diversity with Square in the Air
Winning an award Means Hard Work
Above Company of the Year – (Operator)went to Betsson Group
Right Diverse and Inclusive Team of the Year - Betby
Top: Diversity and Inclusion Award - Light & Wonder
Right Employee of the Year (Operator)- Ciara Nic Liam(Entain)
SECTION TITLE
Above Employee Network of the Year - Eyecon
Above Employee of the Year – (Supplier) - Tatyana Kaminskaya (SOFTSWISS)
Right Winner HR Champion Award - Lorna Evans (Inspired Entertainment)
Above Excellence in Customer Service – (Supplier) - Team in Kyiv (Playtech)
And The Winners Keep On Coming, You are all Amazing
Above Employee Wellbeing Award- Bally’s Interactive
Right Excellence in Customer Service – (Operator) - Amie Foster (right) (LiveScore Group)
Above Industry Achiever Award – (Operator) Lori Peck (Bally’s)
Right Industry Achiever – (Supplier) - Claire McDaid (Pragmatic Play)
Inspiring & Motivating Others
Above Innovator of the Year- Christine Lewis (Yolo Group)
Right Company of the Year – (Operator)- Betsson
We are the Champions!
Every Winner was Applauded by all in the room
Above Kimberley Broad (Games Global) - Inspiration of the Year – (Supplier)
Right Annie Granham (Buzz Bingo) - Leader of the Year (Operator)
Above Left Lisa Martin (William Hill) - Inspiration of the Year – (Supplier)
Far Left Malin Dahlman (ComeOn Group) - Positive Role Model of the Year – (Operator)
Left Linda Strålberg (Bally’s) - Star of the Future (Operator)
Top: Leader of the Year (Supplier) Victoria Dolan (IGT)
Right Positive Role Model of the Year – (Supplier) Oana-Adina Rusu (right) (Greentube)
SECTION TITLE
Above Josephine Hellström (Casumo) - Young Leader of the Year – (Operator)
Above Meri Nersisyan (Digitain) - Star of the Future (Supplier)
Right Winner Nicole Guilmoto (Eyecon) - Young Leader of the Year – Supplier
