CASINO Media for owners and management of international casinos
Issue 08
UKRAINE INTERNATIONAL EDITION
EIFER GROUP BETS ON UKRAINE
Editor’s Note
Published by Outsource Digital Media Ltd
Editorial: Editor Lyudmyla Kyrychenko lyudmyla.kyrychenko@outsourcedigitalmedia.com Associate Editor Eastern Europe: Aydin Guney aydin.guney@outsourcedigitalmedia.com International Editor: Victor Royer victor.royer@outsourcedigitalmedia.com Associate Editor Asia: Bill Healey bill@outsourcedigitalmedia.com Associate Editor North America: David McKee david@outsourcedigitalmedia.com
Production: Designer: Stewart Hyde stewart@totaldesignworks.com www.totaldesignworks.com Subscriptions: Helen Holmes accounts@outsourcedigitalmedia.com IT Director: Pasha Kuzminskiy pasha@outsourcedigitalmedia.com Publisher: Peter White Tel: +44 (0) 1892 740869 Mob: +44 (0) 7973 273714 peter@outsourcedigitalmedia.com Випуск 08
Welcome to Casino Life Ukraine!
Hope all of you had a lovely time over Christmas and the New Year, and after a little break are back to work full of energy! New Year means new planning for interesting projects with potential growth. The Casino Life Ukraine team had some thoughtprovoking meetings: For example I had an opportunity to interview Eifer Group Director Dmytro Lizenko. Read the article about the Golden Gate, the only casino with domestic, homely comfort in Poltava. The region where Peter 1st beat the Swedish army, and named a lively local river “Vorskla” for “stealing glass,” his fashionable back-in-time monocle – it`s Poltava! I visited Aspers, a beautiful casino in a busy part of East London, adjacent to the Olympic Park. It is famous for having the largest poker room in London! I enjoyed the hospitality of the managing director, Tony Gibbons and his staff and you can read about it in my interview, where he shares his advice on re-opening after lockdown. Restrictions are easing and lots of businesses are successfully going back to pre-quarantine level. It should be great news for the gambling industry but unfortunately in Ukraine there is a new “trend,” an increase in negative news in online and paper publications. Anton Kuchukhidze, head of UGC, is concerned about the growing level of negative press towards the Ukrainian Casino industry by invisible organisations whose motivations are clearly political. There has been a high percentage of untruths, exaggerations and/or altered facts in a negative way. I am sure the process of legalisation of casinos could never go easily and always needed some effort. The Ukrainian government has successfully taken many important steps. However, the most important step left to do is clarification of the tax law. Everyone can see the progress achieved last year: responsible game procedures, legalisation, investments in the Ukrainian economy, etc., and this will hopefully end misunderstandings! Anyway, I wish you good luck with your projects! Enjoy reading and if you have any questions, ideas or even a story to share with us, please feel free to contact me directly by e-mail: lyudmyla.kyrychenko@outsourcedigitalmedia.com
Lyudmyla
Editor, Lyudmyla Kyrychenko
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CASINO UKRAINE
Media for owners and management of international casinos
INTERNATIONAL EDITION
Contents 3
Editor’s Note
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Home away from home
Lyudmyla Kyrychenko chats with Either group director Dmytro Lysenko 15 Feature: Anton Kuchukhidze Why does the criticism of legal gambling continue despite
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all the success of the reform? 17 Feature: IGT New Content and Staff Help Drive IGT Clients’ Success in 2022 22 Vision and Values Tony Gibbons, Managing Director at Aspers Casino Group speaks with Lyudmyla Kyrychenko 30 Update Report on Gaming Legislation in Montenegro, Romania and Moldova 36 Feature: Talengrator Casino Recruitment in Ukraine
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Editorial Policy: The views and opinions expressed in Casino Life Ukraine remain principally the views of contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or publishers. The publishers wish to avoid inaccuracies and, whilst every precaution has been taken to ensure that information contained in this publication is accurate, no liability is accepted by the editor or publishers for errors or omissions, however caused. Unless otherwise stated, articles appearing in this publication remain the copyright of the publishers and may not be reproduced in any form without the publisher’s written consent. Printed in the UK by Severn Print.
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Feature: Golden Gate
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Feature: Golden Gate
Home away from home
Eifer Group’s newest casino promises domestic comfort. Lyudmyla Kyrychenko chats with Eifer group director Dmytro Lizenko before opening the third establishment in Ukraine
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Feature: Golden Gate
P
oltava is known to have existed for 1,200 years—perhaps longer. Traces of Scythian and Paleolithic inhabitants have been found within its borders. It had already been greatly fought over by the time it gained its present name in 1430. Perhaps it is most famous as the site of Peter the Great’s decisive victory over the Swedes in 1709. All of this conflict has caused Poltava to be ravaged several times over, but the
sturdy city keeps coming back from the ashes. It is in this burg, with a rich and cosmopolitan mix of history, that Eifer Group has chosen to plant the flag of its newest casino. And, as Eifer Group Director Dmytro Lizenko freely admits, “Residents can stay cozy and warm inside the new casino during winter and enjoy the cool casino halls during a hot summer.” It’s not a vast facility, having fewer than 70 slot machines and a modest complement of table games. But Eifer Group knows its market and will undoubtedly prosper. In his talk with Casino Life, Dmytro Lizenko elaborates on the importance of the DR Gaming Technology operating system, how he chooses slots and tables, and what makes the Poltava casino unique. He also addresses the subject of responsible gaming and Eifer Group’s commitment to it, making the company part of a wave of operators who are bringing this crucial issue to the forefront of casino operations. 8
Poltava is halfway between Kyiv and Kharkiv. Can you tell readers about the city? Yes, you are quite correct, Lyudmyla. Poltava is about three and a half hours drive from Kyiv, and is situated on the banks of the Vorskla River in what I guess one could call the ‘east middle’ part of Ukraine. Whilst it is home to about 300,000 people it remains quite a hub for tourists due to its proximity to a vast number of local museums, amazing architecture, and a number
of historical battlefield and other heritage sites. In fact, archaeologists say the ancient parts of the city have existed since before the eighth century. From a climate perspective we enjoy a pleasant summer with temperatures in the mid-twenties, whereas in winter I’d estimate that the range from lows of about minus-five to maximum temperatures of probably around 12 or 13. What were the main reasons for the choice of DR Gaming Technology to provide your casino’s operating system? I personally worked with DRGT™ in 2007 at River Palace in Kyiv. I say DRGT™, but at the time it was SiP, a company that DRGT™ acquired in the early 2010s as I recall. Nonetheless, our relationship goes back some time, and when re-introduced to JeanMichel (De Busscher, MD: DRGT™ Online) by Kubilay Özer (Vice President: Global Sales and Marketing, www.casinolifemagazine.com.ua
Feature: Golden Gate Apex Gaming) it was more of a “hello, old friend” than an introduction. Notwithstanding our prior history, the systems’ functionality, ease of use and stability were the core drivers of our decision. We needed a system that was cost effective as well and one that we could install quickly, and DRGT™ ticked those boxes. We also wanted to offer wide-area (linked) jackpots as soon as we opened a second location and DRGT™‘s systemdriven jackpot solution afforded us that functionality at the outset. So far the installation has gone well and we are operating without any glitches. That said, any service provider that promises an operator no glitches or problems during an installation is being unrealistic. Luckily for us though it all went relatively smoothly – we are happy, and managed to resolve the niggles we had quickly and without too much hassle. When did the casino open and how many slots and tables does it have? Golden Gate Poltava officially opened on 17 October 2021 with 69 slots, as well as three live American roulette tables and seven live poker and blackjack tables. So far players appear to be enjoying our mix of games, and footfall has been steady; we can’t complain. I’d estimate that our regular tables players are here twice a week, and our regular slots players around three times a week. With local gaming legislation requiring us to have a four-star hotel associated with our casino, we obviously enjoy custom on an ad-hoc basis from these guests too. If this casino had been in Kyiv, we would have had to been associated with a five-star establishment. In addition to our gaming floor mix, we have also received many compliments related to our design and décor which is always nice to hear; you hope you’ve gotten it right and when that is validated it is very satisfying. All in all we are very proud of the product we have here in Poltava.
How do you choose slot machine manufacturers and how many slots do you have in total? At present we operate 156 slots across our Golden Gate Casino in Poltava and our Golden Gate Slots Hall in Dnipro. The manufacturers we presently utilise were chosen based on their historical success in Ukraine. As you Issue 08
Either group director Dmytro Lizenko
know all gaming was halted in the country in 2008 and things have only just re-opened. As such, we initially went for the tried and tested games from CT Gaming, EGT, IGT and Novomatic; we’ll be testing out some Apex EGMs during the first quarter of 2022. In order to ‘hit the ground running’ we felt that historically popular themes and games were the way to go – players know them and it made sense to us to follow this plan as our opening strategy. To date the strategy seems to be working, but as I said we will be trying out some new Apex machines and games soon, and will need to do the same with some other manufacturers too. We are very aware that in order to remain relevant we need to ensure that we keep providing players with what they want. The above said, we are hoping that the addition of the aforementioned wide-area progressive jackpots will also assist us in remaining relevant to our players. 9
Feature: Golden Gate
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So far the installation has gone well and we are operating without any glitches. That said, any service provider that promises an operator no glitches or problems during an installation is being unrealistic, luckily for us though it all did go relatively smoothly – we are happy, and managed to resolve the niggles we had quickly and without too much hassle.”
What other aspects of the casino have involvement from DR Gaming Technology? As you know cashless gaming is legislated in Ukraine so this module from DRGT™ was a non-negotiable, and in fact in relation to your earlier question was probably one of the other key reasons we selected DRGT™ as our systems supplier. They are worldrenowned for their cashless functionality. In addition to cashless, our intention was always to offer linked player loyalty across all our casinos and slots halls, as well as linked jackpots, so the company’s jackpot and player tracking are also part of our systems bouquet along with player registration and cage functionality. 10
Would you recommend DR Gaming Technology to other Ukrainian casino operators and if yes why? I have already proposed DRGT™ to a number of other local operators in Ukraine. As I said earlier I have found the system to be easy to install and easy to use too; with both the front and back quite intuitive, which makes things easier for our staff and our players. We will also soon be adding the promotions module to our offering, something that again should prove beneficial to us in respect of player retention and game play levels, whilst offering players a further opportunity to be rewarded for their loyalty and to have some additional fun. www.casinolifemagazine.com.ua
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Feature: Golden Gate
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The manufacturers we presently utilise were chosen based on their historical success in Ukraine. As you know all gaming was halted in the country in 2008 and things have only just re-opened, as such we initially went for the tried and tested games from CT Gaming, EGT, IGT and Novomatic. We’ll be testing our some Apex EGMs during the first quarter of 2022.”
What are some of the unique aspects of the casino? I think the homeliness of it all. Poltava is not a massive city, and as a result of us being the only casino here, we really are a home away from home for many of our players. They come here to have fun, relax and to be with their friends. With our tables offering on the ground floor, and our slots area downstairs it all is quite cosy and separated; most of our players are local, with many of them visiting a couple of times a week, so notwithstanding the gaming itself, as I said, they are often here spending time with their friends. 12
How is the casino dealing with the Gambling Commission’s compliance requirement for responsible gaming I think what is easy for us is the fact that the Commission already manages and mediates on exclusions, and self-exclusions. They are also responsible for maintaining that database, which we as operators have access to, and are required to reference each time anyone enters our establishments. Whilst players are not required to join our loyalty programme, they are required to register each time they enter any gambling facility and it is here, when www.casinolifemagazine.com.ua
Feature: Golden Gate
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With our tables offering on the ground floor, and our slots area downstairs it all is quite cosy and separated; most of our players are local, with many of them visiting a couple of times a week, so notwithstanding the gaming itself, as I said, they are often here spending time with their friends.” they present their ID or passport that we verify them against the Commission’s database. The Eifer Group is a proud supporter of responsible gaming and we will do our best to ensure that at all times our players are playing in a safe environment, and one that has their interests and the interests of their friends and families at heart. What difficulties is the casino experiencing now? We pay too much gaming tax, ha ha – isn’t that the biggest challenge of any casino operator anywhere in the world, Lyudmyla? Seriously though, what we do find challenging is the current tax that we are required to levy on players when paying out winnings. The legislation itself is rather old and quite ambiguous. Whilst we are not opposed to the tax, we believe that the way it is presently implemented needs to be re-looked at and updated. Whilst the intent is clear and sensible, Issue 08
exactly how and when it should be levied presently remains, in my view, punitive to players. Is this the only casino of Eifer Group or are there others, and if so where are they located and are there plans for more? Golden Gate Casino Poltava is the only casino of Eifer Group. However, we do presently operate the Golden Gate Dnipro Slots Hall in Central Ukraine. It opened in December and I am sure by the time you go to print we would have opened our second slots hall: Golden Gate Kharkiv, which is situated in the east of the country. Casino licenses in Ukraine are limited to one location with no limit to the number of slots and tables a licensee may operate, whereas a slots hall license is limited to 250 slots with no limit to the number of locations, other than the fact that any single slots hall must operate a minimum of 50 EGMs. 13
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Feature: Anton Kuchukhidze
Ukrainian Gambling Council
Why does the criticism of legal gambling continue despite all the success of the reform? Anton Kuchukhidze, Chairman of the Ukrainian Gambling Council
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ven though the gambling sector had a substantial positive effect on the Ukrainian economy after its legalization at the end of 2020, we still come across dozens of media publications and “analytical” pieces criticizing the industry. Opponents of the reform claim that legalization of gambling failed to bring planned revenues to the state budget, the profile draft law Issue 08
on taxation 2713-д will decrease the taxation of the gambling business and numerous technical issues remain unsolved. Why do these manipulations take place? Let’s take a closer look. Since the issuance of the first gambling license at the beginning of 2021, the state budget received over 1.7 billion hryvnias in license payments only. Experts estimate the overall cumulative effect for 15
Feature: Anton Kuchukhidze 1. The success of the reform bothers representatives of the political opposition. Some politicians, members of Verkhovna Rada and lobbyists of the lottery business just cannot accept that the authorities in power managed to conduct a complicated reform that brought billions of hryvnias to the national economy. Thus, they initiate media campaigns criticizing gambling legalization and compromising the efforts of the government in this regard. Their main aim is to abolish the achievements of the legal market and make licensed operators close their business or resort to the gray gray-market operations.
UGC Chairman Anton Kuchukhidze
the Ukrainian economy from the interaction of legal gambling operators with other businesses at 30 billion hryvnias. Furthermore, licensed gambling companies created thousands of new jobs and invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the development of their and related businesses. The state started actively combating illegal gambling operators,
and promoting the implementation of responsible gambling principles. Hundreds of illegal gambling halls have been closed and thousands of websites were blocked. Considering the abovementioned, there is no need to be an expert in economics, state management or gambling to understand that the reform has brought significant positive results to the state budget and overall business environment within just one year. Furthermore, if you consider the conditions under which the formation of the legal gambling market took place, these results can be even regarded as outstanding. Still, we see much criticism of the reform in the media. Numerous publications and experts are spreading provocations that the reform has failed and that gambling should be banned again. From my point of view, there are two main reasons for these, and both of them are purely political. 16
2. The second reason lies within the legislative domain and concerns the adoption of the profile draft law 2713-д on gambling taxation. The thing is that in the process of gambling legalization the state authorities took all necessary steps except for one – balancing the tax burden on the legal gambling business. This step turned out to be critical for the complete success of the reform. Until it’s taken, the reform opponents will continue to claim that it failed since the market can’t operate properly without clear taxation rules. Opponents of gambling legalization don’t consider the risks that the abolition of the reform may have. It seems that the increase in the number of illegal gambling halls and platforms, absence of player identification and non-observance of responsible gambling principles, cutting of license, tax, and other allocations to the state budget, decrease of the overall economic activity is considered a “fair price” for the reform’s abolition by its opponents. It’s more than clear that to complete the reform and enable the full-fledged development of the gambling market it’s crucial to adopt 2713-д as soon as possible. It will not only stimulate legal gambling operators to develop their business but will significantly decrease the options of the reform opponents to conduct media attacks on it.
www.casinolifemagazine.com.ua
Feature: IGT
New Content and Staff Help Drive IGT Clients’ Success in 2022 IGT has launched into 2022 in Ukraine with a powerful addition to its account team and an enhanced focus on delivering top-performing, market-attuned games and hardware
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ased at IGT’s new Kyiv offices and showroom, newly appointed Account Manager Volodymyr (Vlad) Zaporozhets is drawing on his vast experience in the gaming industry to help his customers grow their businesses. A native Ukrainian with a diploma in electronics from the National Technical University of Ukraine Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, he quickly advanced from his earliest role as a slot technician all the way up to senior leadership positions Issue 08
with Ukrainian gaming operators prior to joining IGT. “Thanks to his extensive background and skills, Vlad has a deep understanding of his customers’ points of view when it comes to choosing the right mix of games and cabinets to suit the unique needs of Ukrainian players,” said Petko Ivanov, IGT’s director of sales, EMEA. “He can offer an informed, seasoned view of the market and share valuable insights on how IGT’s offering can sustain our clients’ long-term growth.” 17
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Feature: IGT Few understand the 24-7 demands of the gaming business better than Zaporozhets, Ivanov said, and IGT customers will also benefit from his commitment to superior service. IGT has armed Zaporozhets with a full arsenal of award-winning products to help propel his clients’ successes. With a strong pipeline of market-attuned content and an emphasis on heightening player engagement, the company is ensuring its customers are ready for the demands that the new year presents in the newly revived Ukrainian gaming market. As a result of the company’s extensive player research, it is releasing its latest USwitch™ multi-game pack, Clover Edition Purple, to the Ukraine market. The latest evolution in IGT’s goal of creating the ideal game pack for players in this region, the Clover Edition Purple offers no less than 18 fruit games — more than ever offered in previous multi-games — with many
of the remaining 22 also tailored specifically to the region’s play styles and preferences. As part of IGT’s commitment to maintaining a strong pipeline of fresh titles, 14 of the games are new to the market. A new, user-friendly game selector offers an at-aglance overview of all games across just four pages, as well as newly reworked game groupings to ensure players find their titles of choice. These features can attract players from across the floor and enable them to easily pinpoint their favorite content. The chooser background is illustrated with clovers to symbolize an extra dose of good luck. Highlights from the Clover Edition Purple pack include Glorious Roulette Deluxe™, which offers a unique play experience through the opportunity to place side bets. The pack also includes the Issue 08
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Feature: IGT
Thanks to his extensive background and skills, Vlad has a deep understanding of his customers’ points of view when it comes to choosing the right mix of games and cabinets to suit the unique needs of Ukrainian players,” said Petko Ivanov, IGT Director of Sales, EMEA available on the Cobalt™ 27 and PeakSlant32™ cabinets. As a special incentive, the Company is offering an eye-catching Black Edition design on the game chooser for the Clover Edition Purple multi-pack exclusively on the PeakSlant32 form factor. IGT’s PeakSlant32 cabinet features three seamlessly integrated, 32-inch, full-HD displays that deliver an immersive player experience. The cabinet includes IGT’s most advanced lighting and audio technology, offering dynamic attract-and-celebration sequences, as well as synchronization to the game experience through music and sounds. It incorporates a standard
introduction of two poker games, which some players might recognize from IGT’s renowned poker collection: Game King™ Double Double Bonus Poker and Jacks or Better Video Poker. A new and exciting twist on a classic fruit game, 40 Hyper Hot™ is another featured title in the pack tailored for the local market. High-frequency Wild Crown feature action keeps players engaged and attracts those with many different play styles. Power Coins™ Leprechaun Edition is the first game of its kind offering a coin-on-reels system in this market. It features high win potential with its Pot of Gold Prize, Pot of Gold Prize Boost and many Pot of Gold symbols in the free game spins – all of which result in thrilling ffree-game bonus sessions. The Clover Edition Purple multigame pack is Issue 08
inductive wireless charger and USB charging port for player convenience, and features an ergonomic design for the ultimate in comfort. Thanks to its locally attuned content, robust cabinets and an unrelenting focus on player engagement, IGT is helping its clients meet the opportunities that the new year presents in Ukraine. To learn more about IGT’s innovations for Ukraine, contact Account Manager Vlad Zaporozhets by phone at +380 (99) 3180665, by email at volodymyr. zaporozhets@igt.com, or by visiting www.igt.com
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Feature: Aspers
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Feature: Aspers
Vision and Values Tony Gibbons, Managing Director at Aspers Casino Group chats with Lyudmyla Kyrychenko
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Feature: Aspers
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ince our interview in 2019, what do you think have been the biggest changes to Aspers Casino Westfield? How is developing? Life has been strange since your last visit, mainly due to the impact of Covid restrictions and the impact of Brexit. We saw a large drop in overseas staff and customers following the re-opening in 2020. Many staff working in the UK went back to their native countries and did not return because of the new
controls on immigration. Westfield Shopping Centre is still not back to pre-Covid levels, but we are gradually growing the business back to previous levels. We have invested in a new bar which has been well received by guests and plan several new investments 24
in 2022 which we will be delighted to show you once they are up and running. Now lockdown restrictions are easing. Do you have a different dynamic of customers? We are aware that guests were initially nervous about socialising, and this was particularly apparent on weekends where the usual social gamblers were in a majority. This still remains the biggest challenge, but we are confident that as infection rates continue to decline we will see a growth in this type of player. Regular guests came back in larger numbers, and we spent a lot of time, and some capital re-organising the floor to maximise individual players’ personal space. We have had tremendously positive feedback about new machine and ER layouts, and keeping www.casinolifemagazine.com.ua
Feature: Aspers
Tony Gibbons, Managing Director of Aspers Casino Group and Lyudmyla Kyrychenko, Editor of Casino Life Ukraine
drink prior to home games as options are limited in Westfield for such large numbers. There is little
gaming benefit but many of these fans are also regular players so are happy to accommodate them. player numbers, on tables to lower than previously. You were proactive and started online services way before quarantine. What do you do to keep the online casino up to date and to maintain interest? Our online business remains popular with guests. We have plans to add new products to the mix in 2022 and are confident we will be even more competitive as time goes on. You are lucky enough to have Aspers Casino near a Premium League Football Stadium and Olympic Park! How does it support business? Is it affected by home or away games? We do see a large number of fans coming for a Issue 08
Does the 2012 Olympic games legacy continue? Absolutely. The rail and tube connections at Stratford are among the best in London, and this continues to attract companies to operate here and guests to use the ever-improving facilities. The BBC, Royal Ballet and Victoria & Albert museums are all opening facilities in the Olympic Park, and in 2022 the area hosts the new ABBA show, featuring avatars of the band in a purpose-built arena within walking distance of the casino. Subject to planning permission we will also see the new Madison Square Garden arena being built close to our casino. They have the original one in New York, one opening in Las Vegas in 2022 and we could be next door to this most iconic attraction in 2025. Watch this space! 25
Feature: Aspers
How does your company provide natural career progression and staff training? We are adopting a ‘grow your own’ approach where each member of the team will have a clear path to a more senior role and the chance to develop their careers with us. We have recently employed a learning-anddevelopment manager who is tasked with making
sure we have the right materials, communications and people where required, as well as external support to meet all our colleagues’ needs. By offering a defined route and telling people the stories of those who have already trodden that path we believe we can self-support our future development plans. Can you provide details on latest responsible gambling initiatives taken by Aspers Casinos? At Aspers we pride ourselves in doing the right thing, which is central to our vision and values, with safer gambling at the heart of what we do. In each of our venues, we have highly trained colleagues operating to policies designed to help identify guests who may display concerning behaviours and to regularly interact with them. Prevention and education are key to our guests enjoying their experience with us and staying in Issue 08
control. We encourage guests to think about how much they spend, how long they play for and how frequently they gamble. We provide them with tips on safer gambling and sources of self-help that can assist them to stay in control. Monitoring, observing and carrying out interactions to prompt our guests to 27
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Feature: Aspers
think more about gambling responsibly are essential measures that also provide us with the opportunity to offer safer gambling information and support where necessary. The key to helping protect our guests from gambling harm is to know them better. We achieve this through proactively engaging with our guests, monitoring their behaviour, and constantly looking at ways to improve on how this can be done. This includes working with other likeminded operators and trade associations on the development and sharing of best practices in this area.
In what charitable causes is Aspers involved? The Aspers Good Causes Fund was set up by the casino based in Westfield Stratford City in 2011. The programme was set up with Stratford and Newham Council to help improve community life in Newham where the casino is located. All grants that we support have demonstrated how they benefit the borough’s residents. It is open to any not-for-profit organisation working in the fields of education, art, dance, music, sport and the environment. More than 100 projects have so far received awards totalling over £1m. We are also proud of the work of the Aspinal Issue 08
Foundation, and share their work with our employees and guests. A number of our guests have also visited the parks and had a wonderful experience. As you probably know the Ukrainian gambling market is reopening now after 11 years. What advice would you give to professionals starting or
restarting their gambling business? Make customer service part of your culture from day one. Most of our guests are going to lose some money so what are you offering in return? The chance to win is not enough therefore make them feel they were welcome and valued, and that you care about them. When they do win do not worry, they will almost always come back. When they lose you have to makes sure they had a good time, or they might not! Good luck to you all.
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Feature: Legislation
Update Report on Gaming Legislation in Montenegro, Romania and Moldova
Montenegro
The current legislation in force in Montenegro dates back to 2004. There there was an initiative from the Ministry of Finance in 2018 and 2019 for the adoption of a new act which would be aligned with most recent trends in the gaming industry and best EU practices. Based on publicly available information, no progress occurred in respect to this matter to this date. As this initiative has seen a lot of pushbacks coming from the industry, whereas the publication of the final draft of the act was postponed several times. It was recently announced by the authorities that the final draft of the new act is nearly finished and should soon be published and submitted to the national government for the initiation of the legislative procedure . Regulatory authority for the gambling industry in Montenegro is the Games of Chance Administration, which is an independent entity under 30
the supervision of the Ministry of Finance. Also, as a curiosity, it is worth mentioning that gambling winnings in Montenegro are not taxable, regardless of the type of game or the amount of a win. Based on publicly available information, the new draft regulation concerning games of chance was published in the beginning of 2021 and received numerous comments from the industry. Thus, the final proposal will most probably introduce increased concession fees for all types of games and more extensive rules on online gambling, including measures for blocking offshore gambling operators. Offshore gambling operators are already deemed as illegal and banned from providing their services in the territory of Montenegro. Such existing bans should be enforced by maintaining an IP address blacklist containing internet domains of illegal operators. Also, www.casinolifemagazine.com.ua
Feature: Legislation according to the previous drafts of the new regulation, the lottery sector is set to be moving in direction of a state-owned monopolistic lottery, meaning that it will most probably not be open for private operators anymore, as all the previously issued lottery licenses have expired back in 2016. This means that currently there is no lottery operator in the country. In the period from 2013 to 2017, operators were also allowed to install betting terminals in restaurants, bars, etc. That possibility was annulled by the Montenegrin Constitutional Court as it was found non-compliant with the existing laws. The licenses for these operators expired in 2020. The current regulation prescribes licenses for operating a gambling business on land-based premises or online. Organizing games of chance without entering into a concession agreement with the Games of Chance Administration is a criminal offence punishable by a monetary fine or imprisonment for up to five years in cases where an operator or player used deception. The issued licensees are non-transferable and they can be granted only to companies incorporated in Montenegro, meaning that in Montenegro, games of chance cannot be organized by foreign companies. Licensable games of chance are generally divided into two groups: namely, lottery games of chance (lottery, bingo, lotto, keno and other similar draw games) and special games
of chance (casino games, betting and games on gaming machines). Licenses for most of the games of chance are issued upon a request from the operator who meets the prescribed conditions (except for casino and lottery concessions which are subject a competitive tender procedure), while the lottery concession is restricted to a one single operator. Licenses are rendered for a fixed period of time of up to 10 years and can be prolonged for up to five years, depending on the license. Licenses are primarily issued for land-based gambling, while online-gambling licenses are issued in addition to the forementioned land-based ones, being considered as an upgrade to such. This online gaming license does not differentiate between types of online games, so it allows its holders to organize any type of game of chance (both lottery and special games of chance) irrespective of the underlying type of land-based license. The awarded casino operator is obliged to pay a one-off fee of EUR 2 million, whereby no similar award fee exists for other types of concessions for games of chance. This casino fee is observed in the industry as too high and will most likely be addressed in the new legislation in a way that the same is reduced. Bearing in mind the obsolete legislative framework of games of chance in Montenegro it is to be expected for the new act to address all current deficiencies.
Moldova
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Feature: Legislation Organization of games of chance in Moldova is regulated and done under the Law No. 291 on the organization and conduct of games of chance from 2016, as amended in 2017. Games of chance (casinos, slot machines, lotteries, betting and bookmaking offices) as well as games of skill are allowed in Moldova. Under the respective act, organization of games of chance in Moldova, apart from casinos, is monopolized and in the hands of the National Lottery of Moldova, whereby gambling and lotteries in Moldova have been organized under a public-private partnership since 2019, mostly with large operators from the EU. The regulatory authority is the Ministry of Finance, which deals with licensing and taxation of gambling establishments and determines their location (keeping a distance from educational, religious and similar
institutions). The minimum legal age for participating in games of chance in Moldova is 18 years old for lotteries and bets, and 21 years old for all other types of games of chance. When it comes to online gambling, it is not regulated in Moldova. Even though the amendments to the gambling laws done in 2017 declared online gambling legal, they did not create any legal framework to regulate it. The National Lottery of Moldova is the only online gambling operator that has a license to operate in the country. No other regulation or licensing structure exists. Furthermore, unlicensed foreign gambling websites are blocked but due to the fact that there are no domestic online casinos, lotteries, bookmakers, bingo or poker websites, players gamble online on unlicensed websites without being penalized.
Romania
Gambling and games of chance in general in Romania are regulated through the Government Emergency Ordinance 77/2009 on the organization 32
and operation of games of chance as a main governing act, along with subsequent ordinances, instructions and decisions issued mainly by the www.casinolifemagazine.com.ua
Feature: Legislation National Gambling Office as the competent authority and part of the central public administration, subordinated to the Romanian government. The legal gambling age in Romania is 18. This framework sets up a licensing regime for all games of chance, defined as activities with a potential win reward; in which there is a public offer for participation in game for which the participant pays a certain entry fee; whose rules have been approved by the National Gambling Office; and where winnings are decided after random selection of the event results. In addition to the forementioned, activities where the beneficiaries of the awards are decided based on the results of events or competitions produced without the involvement of the organizers also fall within the scope of the definition of games of chance. On the other hand, skill games and “social gaming” do not fall under this category and are therefore generally outside the scope of the gambling regulation. Gambling operators who perform any kind of activities that fall within the scope of a definition of the games of chance as laid out above must obtain a gambling license as well as the appropriate gambling authorization. Only operators based within the EU, EEA or Swiss Confederation can apply for these licenses and there are no limits on the number of gambling licenses that can be issued. This means that in Romania there is no legal requirement for the organizer to be domestic company. Once a license is issued it is valid for 10 years (except for temporary games of chance licenses, which are valid for three months), the mentioned gambling authorization must be renewed annually, with the same exception being made for temporary games of chance. The license costs include annual contributions to the Public Foundation for Responsible Gaming, licensing fees and authorization fees. The forementioned fees vary depending on the type of game and whether they are issued for the Bucharest city area or that of some other Romanian city. Licensing fees are determined as fixed annual fees ranging from EUR 5,000 for tombola or poker clubs to EUR 95,000 for land-based casinos, while authorizations fees are generally linked to an operator’s revenue (along with setting the fee minimum, e.g. EUR 90,000 for betting) or number of locations/gaming means (e.g. EUR 3,600 for each slot machine with unlimited winnings). An operator of online gambling must also pay a fixed annual fee Issue 08
which ranges from EUR 6,000 (when the turnover of the operator is less than EUR 500,000) to EUR 120,000 (when the turnover of the operator exceeds EUR 10 mio) with authorization tax also being tied to an operator’s revenue. Moreover, the regulation differentiates the B2C licenses (Class 1 license) apart from B2B licenses (Class 2 license), whereas Class 2 licenses are needed in relation to the following service categories being provided in relation to games of chance operations: • Manufacturers, producers and distributors of gaming equipment; • Gambling software developers (which also include live-casino streaming operators); • Platform hosting providers; • Data centers; • Payment processors; • Marketing affiliates; and Certifiers, auditors, and conformity assessment bodies Romania legalized online gambling activities in 2010. The National Gambling Office issued its first online
gambling licenses in 2015 and immediately published a blacklist of the sites that violate the country’s online gambling regulations and organized a blockage of such ISP addresses. On the other hand, it is a general rule that Romanian licensed online gambling sites remain accessible to foreigners. In view of the new developments in the established legal framework and expected changes, it should be noted that there are several proposals concerning a series of restrictions on gambling advertising (e.g. advertising prohibited during the day) as well as other social gambling responsibility obligations (e.g. prohibiting slot machines being located within less than a 200m distance from educational institutions and the obligatory display of informative banners on the risks of gambling addiction) as well as in respect of players well-being (e.g. systems for organization of self-exclusion, etc).
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Feature: Talengrator
Maryna Zapolska, General Manager of Talentgrator 36
www.casinolifemagazine.com.ua
Feature: Talengrator
Casino Recruitment in Ukraine U
krainian gambling recruitment is experiencing a real boom from the end of 2020. Legalization in Ukraine is of interest to both national and foreign investors. The capacity of the market and its prospects are impressive, and investors are not deterred by the cost of specialists and the price of a license to enter. The Ukrainian labor market is now attractive for European job seekers as well as for Ukrainians who have worked abroad and have the opportunity to compare the levels of market development. Ukrainian salaries are higher than all other CIS countries and even higher than some European markets’ salaries. For example, the average salary of a chief marketing officer on the market is $6,500, a specialist in the middle developer position - from $4,000, and a chief technology officer on average earns $7,000.
What is the reason for this cost of candidates? • High competition for heads among large, stable companies • Lack of interested candidates (people don’t know enough about the industry and, as a consequence, have doubts) • Conservative companies are sceptical about crossindustry recruitment • A ban on gambling in 2009 forced specialists to change the country or industry Online projects are remarkably understaffed as online casinos and betting become more accessible, and more employees are demanded, especially with the pandemic. Digital marketers, developers, DevOps, product specialists - and this is not a full list of the most indemand specialists according to internal Talentgrator
Gambling industry salaries in 2021, Talentgrator statistics
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Feature: Talengrator
Statistics on open jobs in the gambling market today
query statistics and vacancies we post on our Telegram channel. The legalization of new markets, the development of gambling products, and the digitization of land-based businesses during the pandemic have inevitably led to the growth of new iGaming projects. And with it, the need for managers in different areas, namely top managers, is also growing. The problem of “narrow professionals” is that there are strong experts in marketing, finance, and compliance in the market, but few leaders and experienced managers.
Pay attention to experts from related industries: Offer opportunities, a technologically innovative sector, the chance to implement ideas that current companies do not allow to be realized, and work in foreign offices.
Tips if you are recruiting people in Ukraine for a
gambling project: • Be prepared that even living, for example, in Kyiv not more than 40 percent of candidates are willing to travel to the office. You may have a serious competitive advantage if you provide a complete remote or hybrid work format. • If you’re recruiting from established players and industry gurus - offer them less bureaucracy and simplicity of decision-making process. • Bonuses, stability, and opportunity to participate in international events attract professionals from small teams and start-ups just like everywhere else. • Feel free to move your people or people from other countries and hire teams remotely. The gambling industry communicates in English as a rule. • Your recruiters must be professional. Candidates are overloaded with inquiries and usually don’t respond if a salary range and project description are not provided. 38
Donor industries that have performed well in gambling 2021
Talentgrator, work.ua, dou.ua and Linkedln (a network used by recruiters and job seekers alike) remain popular sources for finding people for the industry in Ukraine. Also, you can always contact a specialized agency to find candidates in the gambling industry - Talentgrator agency. It must be said that the Ukrainian market is well known for its IT specialists and has long been an inexhaustible source of talents for foreign employers (candidates willingly moved abroad for work). The situation is changing now. Local employers can offer interesting terms, and the Ukrainian candidates are more often reluctant to migrate, preferring to work at home. www.casinolifemagazine.com.ua
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