Sports Betting Operator Issue 07 Volume 4

WHERE THE GLOBAL GAM ING

COMES TOGETHER

We welcome our readers to the 7th issue of Sports Betting Operator magazine. As we send this issue to print, we are preparing for G2E Las Vegas, where the latest in gaming and sports betting are discussed on American soil.

In a discussion with Stuart Hunter, Managing Director Gaming, Clarion Events, we highlight the upcoming ICE London 2023, a super-sized exhibition highlighting the best from across the gaming world. The conference slated for 7-9 February, at ExCeL London covers all issues in sports betting, gambling and the ever expanding esports sector.

David McKee starts out our 7th issue with a captivating analysis of the American sports betting market, highlighting the significant impact it has on the country’s economy. Projections are that legalized sports betting will contribute as much as $22.4 billion to US GDP. Though a few online sportsbooks dominate the market, the article points out there is still room for the smaller books who’s savvy efforts can carve out a niche in the market.

Victor H. Royer connects with Tim Kennedy, Vice President of Sales Europe at SUZOHAPP to discuss their unique approach in the sports betting ecosystem. They’re solutions help operators maximize returns by automating the complete bet cycle, aligning products with the same hardware foundation for futureproofing, and by creating an encouraging environment for lucrative in-play betting. One lesson SUZOHAPP had learned from the pandemic, is that in order to succeed you have to be flexible and adaptable, which is available through their unique ecosystem.

Damien Connelly’s conversation with Christopher Justice, President of Global Payments Gaming Solutions covers their

RIGHT: Bill Healey, Editor, Sports Betting Operator

innovative solutions that enable quick and seamless payments for any gaming institution, including online sports betting providers.

Peter White brings us an interesting discussion with Bill Ordine, National Gaming Reporter and Writer for FloridaBet.com where they cover his background in sports and gaming as well as other issues on responsible gaming.

We are fortunate to connect with former professional basketball player and new IBIA Education Ambassador Jean-François Reymond. He outlines the case for athlete-focused integrity actions. Though corruption and matchfixing is not common, they remain issues that must always be monitored and addressed.

In our discussion with Marvin Sanderson, CEO and Co-Founder of Xpoint, we discuss their geolocation technology, and how it meets the needs of the sports betting, iGaming and DFS industries. Their advanced technology has led to rapid growth within the multibillion dollar geolocation industry.

We welcome you to browse through our advertisers and give consideration to the Balken and European gaming summits coming up in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Connect with us at the leading Sports Betting and Gaming conferences, including the upcoming ICE London. Also follow us on our YouTube channel and other social media platforms for the latest industry news.

CONTENTS

VOLUME 004

CONTACTS

Publisher – Peter White peter@outsourcedigitalmedia.com

Editor in Chief – David McKee david@outsourcedigitalmedia.com

Managing Editor – Bill Healey bill@outsourcedigitalmedia.com

Editor EMEA – Damien Connelly damien@outsourcedigitalmedia.com

International Editor – Victor H Royer victor@outsourcedigitalmedia.com

Designer – Stewart Hyde www.de5ign.co.uk

Tel: 44 (0) 1892 740869

www.sportsbettingoperator.com

Editorial Policy: The views and opinions expressed in Sports Betting Operator 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 Ltd.

6 ANY NUMBER CAN’T PLAY

As sports betting proliferates in the U.S., competitors must become ,savvier.

By: David McKee

10 INNOVATIVE OPTION

Bill Healey chats with Marvin Sanderson, CEO and Co-Founder of Xpoint

14 ICE LONDON 2023

Stuart Hunter, Managing Director Gaming, Clarion Events chats to Bill Healey. A super-sized ICE London 2023 will showcase the very best from every gaming vertical

20 PARTNER COLLABORATION

Tim Kennedy Vice President of Sales Europe SUZOHAPP chats to Victor H. Royer

25 PUTTING PLAYER EDUCATION AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE FIGHT AGAINST MATCH-FIXING

Former professional basketball player and new IBIA Education Ambassador Jean-François Reymond outlines the case for athlete-focused integrity actions

31 PAYMENT SOLUTIONS

Christopher Justice, President of Global Payments Gaming Solutions chats to Damien Connelly

34 FLORIDA BETS

Peter White chats to Bill Ordine, National Gaming Reporter and Writer for FloridaBet.com

36 MATCH MAKING

Parimatch enters the 22/23 season with 4 EPL club partnerships.

39 CHANNELIZATION AND RESPONSIBLE GAMING

Channelization and industry-led responsible gaming standards signpost the best routes forward for all jurisdictions.

By: Damien Connelly

ANY NUMBER CAN’T PLAY

As sports betting proliferates in the U.S., competitors must become savvier. By David McKee

Although the United States sports betting market is far from settled in terms of size and composition, dominance by a few first-mover companies is hardening into place. In order to find a niche within this ecosystem, new entrants must have ever-wiser strategies or innovative products with which to do it.

Alex Windsor, CEO of Gamble USA, vouches for the increasing size and economic importance of the sports betting industry, which is dominated by online sports betting (OSB). He contends that “legal sports betting brings a massive boost to the economy. According to the latest research, legal sports wagering operations, including salaries, benefits and tips are likely to support $11 billion of total labor income. Legal sports betting in the U.S. is expected to

ABOVE: Enteractive CEO Mikael Hansson

contribute $22.4 billion to U.S. gross domestic product.”

As mentioned, “Mobile betting has become the preferred method of sports bettors throughout the country. The significant change to the wagering environment in the U.S. is that you no longer have to physically be in a casino to gamble.” Windsor continues, “Operators now design games and bet types with mobile apps in mind, as they know most people prefer to gamble remotely. This accessibility of gambling appeals to people in modern times as everyone is busy.”

That kind of tech stack is easily affordable for heavily capitalized firms like OSB-dominating FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM. But what of the smaller operators? “Smaller books must adapt and ‘pick up the pieces’ much larger operators might have missed. As they don’t have the resources to compete with major

bookmakers, they can plan a strategy that targets specific sports or events, rather than the full calendar year,” Windsor says, although he warns that the small operator may be an endangered species: “Smaller books can survive if they have a savvy strategy and don’t directly compete with bigger rivals. However, this is becoming increasingly difficult.”

Beauty and brains

One of those books that believes it has a winning strategy is MaximBet. Presently it is licensed only in Colorado, although it is pursuing legitimacy in 10 other states. Says MaximBet Vice President of Brand Marketing Doug Terfehr, “Our model is set out to have in the first 18 months roughly three percent of a market, growing from there to have five percent, at maturation potentially up to 10 percent. Even at that five percent of any market, once the U.S. matures you’re a $2 billion to $5 billion company.”

To do that, you have to grab eyeballs, as MaximBet recently did quite successfully with its signing of bearded Colorado Rockies slugger Charlie Blackmon to be its brand ambassador—the first such signing of a Major League Baseball player (in a league that famously frowns on gamblers). The Blackmon pact generated copious headlines, ensuring MaximBet of the scope of publicity that money can’t buy.

Like notorious Barstool Sports, MaximBet is also leveraging its media parenthood: the celebrated “laddie” magazine Maxim. The argument goes— and early evidence is persuasive—that media-generated brand identity is worth any amount of expensive promotions and obviates the need to engage in them.

“We recognize we can’t outspend

this category,” acknowledges Terfehr. “What is our differentiator certainly is our brand and the familiarity that a younger audience has with Maxim. That’s certainly a lifestyle that the sports audience has with the Maxim brand. Age 25 to 55, there’s some connection to that brand.”

Of course, for readers of a certain vintage, Maxim is synonymous with the male gaze, so how does MaximBet draw the fast-growing female sportsbetting coterie? Terfehr says times have changed: “Maxim has evolved over the last 10 or 15 years. It’s as much beauty-in-business as it is traditional beauty that was the magazine days of the publisher. They spotlight as many women entrepreneurs and women in business as they do models and other things that we traditionally look at.”

He adds that his company was the first to sign endorsement deals with 21-and-older female athletes in Colorado, the first sports book to recruit college athletes. “And we specifically made it available only to female student athletes. So a lot of our activation, our partnerships, the personalities and influencers that we have or will align with will match up with that [female] audience.”

Coming unstuck OK, so you’ve drawn the customers. How do you keep them? Bettors in the U.S. are notoriously fickle, shopping around for the best promotional offer rather than pledging loyalty to a single ‘skin’ (the much-soughtafter, oft-cited ‘stickiness’). “There’s certainly recognition amongst the category overall that having customers is just step one. Keeping customers is step two, three and four,” says Terfehr. “Keeping a customer is a lot less expensive than re-acquiring that customer … we built the brand as much on the retention of customers as bringing them in, you’re seeing an overall shift there.”

Recapturing punters who have deserted one’s brand or simply lapsed entirely is the business model of Maltabased Enteractive, which is presently being licensed in New Jersey, the second-largest sports betting market in the U.S. (New York State is tops.) The idea is to team with one or more large operators and beat the bushes for vanished customers.

ABOVE: Gamble USA CEO Alex Windsor

“We are currently talking to three or four big U.S. operators and since we haven’t gone live with anything I really don’t want to say anything either at this point,” remarks Enteractive’s Mikael Hansson. “Basically we work with operators and create loyalty through a phone call, which is orchestrated by our reactivation software, and then we create revenues for the operators and we share a piece of revenue.”

Companies like MaximBet need not apply. Explains Hansson, “For us it really doesn’t make sense to make an integration or put a lot of effort into a small operator. We’d rather invest a lot of time and effort into connecting to a larger operator because that’s where we can get full use of the scale of our software and our staff.”

The way the Interactive process works, “It’s a long call [to potential customers]. It’s not … we don’t even need a bonus in that call. It can be, ‘Hi David, we haven’t seen you in a while at the site. What can we do to get you back? What did you like playing when you were playing here?’ Our service is there to take away the focus from bonus offerings, definitely, but of course there is a problem. There’s always a problem of people just jumping around, trying to get the bonus.

“Historically and today as well that is a problem that you’d rather give away something to a new customer than to the loyal customer. That’s basically why the industry incentivizes people to jump between brands, because that’s how,” Hansson elaborates, “maybe ‘always been’ is a harsh saying but it’s been like that in the past. You get always when you sign up with a new operator you get a bonus. That’s how it works.

“So I guess that is a kind of problem and in some markets they have limited that problem by only being able to offer one bonus on signup. But, on the other

hand, you only get only one bonus at one site and then you have to shop around. It has had the opposite effect: People jump around to get bonuses.”

Interjects Windsor, “Bookmakers must collaborate to come up with an idea that will see only seasonal offers provided to ensure a more sustainable model. The current promotional offers are too commonplace and ultimately make a poor return on investment for operators.”

Proceed with caution

Critics of Enteractive’s business model would doubtless argue that Hansson is going to be harvesting problem gamblers by pursuing lapsed bettors. “There’s always that problem and obviously we’re working hard with our management to have education around problem gambling,” he responds. “So we are certifying our staff, having responsible-gambling training and also obviously if anyone is an irresponsible gambling customer, it is stopped in our system. So we will never call a problem player. If the customer says he has an issue we close down that phone call and we report back to the operator that this customer has voiced that he has issues with gambling. And it’s up to the operator to incorporate that into their structure.”

If there is one thing on which Hansson, Terfehr and Windsor would all agree, it is the necessity for greater responsible-gambling awareness. “You’re seeing that more and more, coming out of every operator that one of your lead messages needs to be around education around what is responsible gaming in the U.S.,” Terfehr says, likening the nascent sportsbetting industry to a baseball player who’s just stepped into the batter’s box and is yet to get his first hit.

“We have to take lessons from around the world where maybe that got a little

RIGHT: MaximBet Vice President of Brand Marketing Doug Terfehr

out of hand at some point. You can’t have brands on jerseys anymore, kind of taking that step back,” he elaborates, alluding to some of the anti-advertising backlash currently unfolding in Europe, England and Australia. “I believe we are uniting around this need to make sure people understand this is a recreational activity.”

Windsor, for his part, thinks the domestication of sports betting is a good thing indeed. In language that echoes the sentiments of American Gaming Association President Bill Miller, he says, “using an offshore sports book leaves you vulnerable. These sites can’t be trusted as there is no recourse if something goes wrong. The people who run offshore sites don’t have to answer to anyone, unlike regulated sportsbooks.”

He concludes, “It is vital that any online gambling market is regulated for player safety. The purpose of online betting can be to ensure revenue is generated for the public, and to prevent gambling problems and crime. Regulation is there to protect you, the bettor. Whenever you play at a regulated online sports book or casino, your financial details and personal information are protected. There is no risk you will be the subject of fraud, so you can gamble without fear.”

INNOVATIVE OPTION

Bill Healey chats with Marvin Sanderson, CEO and Co-Founder of Xpoint

Could we start with a brief description of XPoint?

Xpoint is a geolocation technology business, specializing in the sports betting, iGaming and DFS industries. We bring innovative new thinking to a market that has, to date, been dominated by one company, so we are being warmly welcomed as a transformative alternative that brings better value, a partner-focused approach, and real innovation at the heart of our business.

What have been the key milestones achieved so far?

That’s a question that we have to update almost every day now as we are growing so rapidly. We first unveiled Xpoint formally at

G2E in 2021, an event we will be back at in 2022 with more exciting news to share.

Since then we have grown rapidly. In the last three months we have announced that we have partners live in Ontario, in New Jersey (where we are one of only two geolocation providers to be licensed), and across the United States.

We have announced major funding investments – from Bettor Capital and Courtside Ventures, and recently with Acies Investments, The Raine Group and SuRo Capital.

Those are the really big milestones – being licensed to operate in key locations and states in North America, and being live with partners, helping them engage safely securely and free from fraud with their consumers.

We also just hit our first millionlocation checks mark, another piece of big news for us, and one that spurs us on to hit our first 10 million, 100 million and so on.

What plans and aspirations do you have for XPoint?

We have incredibly ambitious growth plans for Xpoint. As I mentioned earlier, there has been one main player in the geolocation technology industry in North America, and we know that the market wants an alternative. Our industry has a multi-billion dollar growth potential, and we want to be the geolocation technology partner of choice for both established brands, and those coming into the market as new players. We know that’s achievable, because the reception has been so positive to our business model, so we believe we can achieve our goals.

How efficient and Versatile is the XPoint Platform?

We currently offer two geolocation products – Xpoint Verify and Xpoint Lite.

Xpoint Verify is our real-money gaming platform, for sports betting and iGaming operators. Verify is a Software Development Kit (SDK) that operates on web or app platforms, and is incredibly versatile. It is highly efficient, offers enhanced value for money, and provides peace of mind for our partners that their consumers can use their products safely and securely.

Xpoint Lite is our DFS product, similar to Xpoint Verify in that it’s an SDK that works on both web or apps, but specifically designed for fantasy sports operators. It too is highly efficient, sharing the same technical traits as Verify, and is proving highly popular with the DFS market which, as we all know, is expanding rapidly throughout the country.

ABOVE: Marvin Sanderson, CEO and Co-Founder of Xpoint

Can you explain XPoint’s Fraud protection with checks and detection?

Both Xpoint Verify and Xpoint Lite offer our partners the knowledge that they and their consumers are protected from fraud. Our technology is specifically tailored to arm providers with the tools needed to verify player locations accurately within their applications, using GPS, IP, and cellular data points to prevent a wide range of non-compliant location and other fraudulent activities. For example, we check location jumping, account sharing, and device sharing - if any of these three rules fail, they are denied access.

Can you tell us about the recent news that Xpoint has been appointed as the official geolocation partner for GridRival whom are the only multiseries sports betting and fantasy gaming brand catering to the global motorsport market.

GridRival is an exciting brand, one of many we are very proud to work with. Ross (Fruin, CEO and Founder), has a unique product, tailored specifically for the motorsport audience which, as we know well, is growing rapidly, in particular in the USA. We’re their geolocation tech partners, and will soon be live with them as they bring their awesome product to market.

Tell us about some of XPoint’s other project’s and what they have involved?

In addition to GridRival, our focus has been helping our other partners launch, as well as starting work with a number of already established brands, about which we’ll be announcing more news soon.

As I mentioned earlier, we’re now live with SkillOnNet in Canada, and SportTrade in the USA. Both companies are highly innovative, game-changing brands, bringing new concepts and ideas to the market – we see that very much as a mirror to us, so we’re working with like-minded

people with whom we have shared goals.

We’ve also been working on a brand refresh, more of which we’ll unveil at G2E, and our 2023 plans, which are incredibly exciting.

Where do you see the future of Sport Betting Operators based on this current level business particularly in the US?

I think it’s safe to say that the market will continue to grow. There are some very large numbers predicted for that growth, and while that’s exciting, I think we always have to temper the “what is possible” with “what is realistic”. The fact is that there is demand for high quality sports betting, iGaming and DFS options for consumers. The operators of those platforms are finding more innovative, better value ways to integrate with the sports and entertainment products their consumers want to engage with, and the number of states across the USA that are licensed and legalized is growing, so I think the future is very positive.

Will XPoint be exhibiting at G2E Las Vegas, ICE London and any other events over the next 6 months?

We will be at G2E where we are proud sponsors of the G2E Platinum Lounge, presented by Xpoint. We will have team members at ICE, and at SBC, iGamingNext, and other events throughout the year.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Only to say thank you for the opportunity to talk about Xpoint, and to encourage anyone who wants to find out more about us and how we can help you unlock the true potential of geolocation technology to get in touch via contact@xpoint.tech

ICE LONDON 2023

Stuart Hunter, Managing Director Clarion Gaming, chats to Bill Healey. A super-sized ICE London 2023 will showcase the very best from every gaming vertical

For those visitors that chose not to attend ICE 2022 how would you convince them to return in ’23?

The first point to make and something that the team and the entire industry is relishing is that ICE 2023 will be of the same magnitude and size of the last pre-pandemic event held in February 2020. It’s been a long three years but it has been a period in which we have been in constant contact with our stakeholders to ensure the smooth return of suppliers to the land-based industry. The prospect of a full-scale ICE London on its traditional February dates will be a fantastic opportunity

for world gaming to re-connect and embrace the unparalleled business opportunities that ICE London delivers. 2022 was memorable for many reasons, including the great feedback that we received from visitors and exhibitors alike. However, 2023 is a mammoth step forward with a super-sized, fullscale edition of ICE showcasing the very best from every sector of the global gaming neighborhood. ICE is here to serve the industry and we stand by ready to support and enhance the experience for all of our visitors from every corner of the globe. It will be the first full edition of ICE for three-long years and it’s simply not to be missed!

How do you ensure that ICE remains relevant to the needs of the industry?

If an exhibition or live event fails to be relevant then it’s only a matter of time before it falls off the radar and ceases to be of value. Reputations take a long-time to build but can disappear very swiftly. The ICE brand has a number of core values which include a commitment to work alongside the industry, advance the interests of the industry and to maximise stakeholder ROI. This involves a continuous programme of learning, listening and engaging with stakeholders and industry professionals. We do this in a number of different ways including working alongside our ICE Ambassador group that comprises thought leaders who are active across the gambling landscape and who serve as critical friends and a source of knowledge and insight. In terms of specific initiatives, we have undertaken a research programme conducted with an invited sample of first-time visitors to the 2022 edition of ICE London. Over 200 first time ICE attendees agreed to share their insight and experiences in the moderated 60-minute sessions. Each focus group had its own dedicated topic with participants selected based on a range of criteria including geography and specialist interest. The eight topics comprised: Gambling’s Emerging Markets, Content and Game Development, Payments, Mature Markets, North America, Gambling Industry Start-Ups, Sports Betting and Adtech/Martech.

Industry professionals attend inperson events for a number of reasons but the events that are regarded as ‘must attend’ are those that deliver business solutions and help enterprises of every size from start-ups to global brands to plan for the future. This was about listening to and learning from our stakeholders posing questions such

ABOVE: Stuart Hunter, Managing Director Clarion Gaming

as what markets should ICE focus on next in terms of bringing regulators and policy-makers to London. We are constantly exploring additional ways in which we can deploy the ICE brand to help solve challenges in both new and mature markets, how we can help further support start-ups on their journey, what we should be showcasing in areas such as payments technology, cashless solutions, game content, sports betting, advertising, marketing and much more. It’s only by asking the industry and acting on their insight that we can help ensure that ICE remains a world class event for the world industry.

ICE led the way in terms of the platform it provided for Esports – is that something you are proud of and something the industry values?

I believe Clarion was way ahead of the game when we launched the esports feature at ICE London 2020

and we continue to make important progress helping operators deepen their knowledge of esports betting. The investment that’s been made and the insight provided by our Head of esports Will Harding and Jamie Coles has helped demystify the esports phenomenon and enabled us to reflect the authenticity of the esports experience. Our role is to help deliver opportunity to our international stakeholders and the creation of an esports arena on the show floor has helped inform the gaming and betting market about the scale of the esports betting and wagering opportunity and how it can be harnessed by the industry. Industry feedback has been really positive with large numbers attending the Arena at ICE 2022. We will be making further announcements regarding the Arena very shortly but needless to say it will be an important part of the ICE23 experience and is not to be missed.

Issues such as safer gambling and diversity continue to grow in importance – how is ICE London responding?

Every single discussion with every gambling regulator in the world is quite rightly punctuated by references to safer gambling: DEI is also extremely relevant for progressive businesses. I’m

pleased to say that ICE London and the broader Clarion Gaming portfolio of brands are very much in-tune with these issues and topics. The Consumer Protection Zone (CPZ) will be at ICE for the fifth occasion and will serve as the focal point for discussions and product demonstrations that advance the industry’s safer gambling undertakings. Hosting not for profit safer gambling groups and suppliers whose main product centres around responsible gambling, the CPZ will also include a series of talks and demonstrations by experts who are at the forefront of consumer protection, research and practice. At the last three editions of ICE London gambling industry sponsors have raised a total of £146,000 which have been distributed to charities. The CPZ has grown in size and now occupies a high-profile presence close to the main boulevard at ExCeL London. The ICE Consumer Protection Zone has been shortlisted for the Vixio Global Regulatory Awards in two categories: Innovation of the Year and Responsible Approach to Advertising and Marketing which represents a powerful recognition of the work that’s been ongoing since 2018 to grow the CPZ in terms of both physical size and importance to the industry. KPMG and the Clarion Gaming team behind the iGB Most Influential Women in Gaming joined forces to deliver a day of education, networking, and mentorship at ICE London 2022 which focussed on ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) topics including Diversity and Inclusion. We have been long-time supporters of progressive organisations including AllIn Diversity and Global Gaming Women. ICE has never and will never operate in isolation and has an obligation and a duty to leverage the power of the brand in reference to big social issues which impact the gaming space.

Can you explain what impact the newly opened Elizabeth Line will impact visitors and exhibitors?

The travel experience for both domestic and international visitors attending ICE London and the co-located iGB Affiliate London will be transformed following the opening of the new £18.7bn high-speed train line. The Elizabeth line, which officially opened in May 2022, has reduced journey times from central London to ExCeL to just a 16-minute journey without the need to change trains. The door-to-door travel time from London Heathrow, a major international hub used by many of our international show visitors, comprise a single uninterrupted train journey of 43 minutes. The new line will feature 24 trains per hour giving it a capacity to carry more than half a million passengers a day. The Elizabeth Line, whose colour scheme just happens to be the ICE purple, has made ExCeL London the world’s most connected event venue boasting two Docklands Light Railway stops, the Elizabeth Line station, an airport, water taxis and even a cable car! The ease and speed of the journey will improve the visitor experience with the significant time savings leading to an increase in opportunities for networking, learning and business. Giving buyers more time to be in the venue will undoubtedly deliver enhanced ROI and I expect an even higher percentage of C-Suite delegates to attend. The opening of the Elizabeth Line is a game changer on so many different levels not least the access it provides to many hundreds of central London hotels which are now a short journey from ExCeL courtesy of state of the art, high-speed trains. This is a major development and I’m delighted that it coincides with the return of the entire gaming industry to ICE in 2023 ensuring that next February’s edition will be amongst the

most memorable in the history of this major international event.

What are your expectations for ICE 2023 and how do you and your team manage it all?

I don’t want to be a hostage to fortune attempting to predict the future, but my experience travelling and meeting with our customers is there’s a real passion surrounding ICE. Its importance to the entire industry is humbling as is the excitement regarding the return of all the land-based brands that were not present earlier this year. The team’s first challenge was to get ICE 2022 over the line: the show was a huge success and represented the biggest gaming expo since the last pre-pandemic edition of ICE held in February 2020. From 2022 the team moved almost without pausing onto implementing the programme for 2023. Putting together an event the size of ICE London is a huge collective effort and one which can only be delivered by having a really skilled team of professionals bringing their experience and expertise to the task. As every day passes the sense of expectation increases as we focus on delivering what many people view as the greatest gaming show on earth.

ICE 2023 takes place across 7-9 February, ExCeL London. https://www.icelondon.uk.com

CUSTOMIZED WITH INNOVATION

Tim Kennedy Vice President of Sales Europe SUZOHAPP chats to Victor H. Royer

What are the most important features and benefits of SUZOHAPP Sports Betting

Ecosystem?

The SUZOHAPP Sports Betting Ecosystem is truly unique in the market and extremely beneficial in helping operators maximize their returns by automating the complete bet cycle, aligning products with the same hardware foundation for futureproofing, and by creating an encouraging environment for lucrative

in-play betting. Our sleek designs and high-quality components and hardware make for a perfect combination of products to outfit your operation that are platform agnostic.

We start the ecosystem with an over-the-counter terminal with dual facing monitors to allow your cashiers to place bets or create betting vouchers for your customers. This unit sets the precedent for the entire ecosystem with an i3 Intel 4-Core processor reflected in all the other models. Like many others in the industry, we SUZOHAPP offers a

podium kiosk terminal with a small footprint, and standout customizations including metal cut custom back-lit logo plates supported with RGB LEDs customizable to reflect your branding also built from the i3 Intel 4-Core processor so any updates can easily be made across all models.

We then move to the bar top models, named the SBT-500 and SBT-500+. These cashless and bill accepting models, respectively are designed to take the betting to where the customers want to be, at the bar watching the game. By allowing customers to be in the seat of the game rather than queuing at a kiosk or at a teller, operators have the opportunity to allow customers to continue betting in the moment during live events while also contributing to Food & Beverage revenue streams.

New to this years’ line up include the SBT-750, seated stadium style unit to truly immerse your customers in the full sports betting experience and turn your sports book seat into a revenue generating spot to compete with the slot machine. The last newcomer is the new SBT-Handheld allowing operators to collect bets throughout the casino or in the stands of a sports stadium with secure payments and printed tickets through a smart handheld POS terminal.

Closing the ecosystem loop now that bets are placed is payout. In smaller operations, the last thing you want is your cashier or bartender, at the end of a game, stuck with a queue of customers waiting to cash out. Allow your staff to continue with revenue generating efforts and instead shift your customers to our Cash Redemption Terminals by CountR. These CRT’s have a minimal footprint but tremendous flexibility including jackpot payouts, transfer to TITO ticket, ewallet payouts and donations.

ABOVE: Tim Kennedy Vice President of Sales Europe SUZOHAPP

What has been the reaction so far from the US Sports Betting Operators to the SUZOHAPP Sports Betting Ecosystem and can you tell us which other regions the company plans to expand into with this Sports Betting System?

As the industry has really exploded in America in the past couple years, a lot of our attention has been focused there. But our we’ve serviced the European sports betting market from as a trusted hardware supplier for over a decade. We will likely look to bring our knowledge and customization capabilities from the Americas back to Europe to further support terminal development for our customers there. Additionally, as we’ve begun to see the rise of the legalization of sports betting in Latin America, it seems like a natural progression to follow where these markets emerge.

What exciting new information about upcoming products are you able to share with us that could excite the company’s customers?

We are very excited to premier our seated SBT-750 unit at G2E this year so be sure to stop by booth #4233 to see it live for yourself! There really is nothing else like it in the market. It truly is a great reflection of our efforts to continue thinking outside the box and keep pushing the limits of creativity and function. Our team is comprised of industry experts that have done their homework and have years of experience and understand how to find that perfect combination of what customers want and what operators need. Our team is seeing beyond the paradigm of the current infrastructure of sports betting beyond the kiosk to see a market on the precipice of exploding with all it’s potential for casinos, bars, restaurants and so much more. We are constantly on the search to find ways to seamlessly integrate sports betting in retail settings with where and how customers want to watch sports. Watching sports is inherently social and we believe that sports betting can and should be that way too.

What do you think the secret of good collaboration is with both

your customers and your partner organisations such as ELO and Custom?

If we’ve learned anything from the pandemic, it’s that in order to succeed you have to be flexible and adaptable and the same is true with partner collaboration. We are extremely fortunate in our partnerships with Elo and Custom that we share similar viewpoints, understand our joint visions and goals and are willing to change as we go in order to create the best product for our customers. We have worked with both Elo and Custom for many years and there is also a lot of trust built there. Elo trusts in our knowledge and expertise in the industry to provide the insight of what’s needed and where demand might be and they provide innovative, versatile, products of the highest quality. Custom trusts in our network and understanding of customers to expand their reach and SUZOHAPP trusts in the creativity in design and footprint of Custom’s printers and the quality and dependability to sustain the industry use. This mutual trust allows us all to move forward with great products that we believe will shape what sports betting looks like in the future.

A busy schedule of exhibitions is ahead, can you tell us how you and your team prepare for these shows and the events SUZOHAPP will be participating from September to the end of the year?

SUZOHAPP is a supplier for both OEMs and operators in Gaming, Amusement and Sports Betting markets, so for us, it is always tradeshow season! We will be participating in SBC Barcelona taking place in just a few weeks where we will be speaking as part of a panel discussing omnichannel sports betting. Additionally we will have a significant presence at G2E in Las Vegas where we will be premiering our latest products. Then we plan to finish the year with SBC LatinoAmerica for sports betting and IAAPA Expo for Amusement in November. We are currently all hands on deck getting ready for all of these shows and are very excited to be back in the full swing of shows and events. Be sure to visit our teams if you plan on attending the show and we’d love to give you a demo of our ecosystem.

Has their been a change in SUZOHAPP’s strategy with exhibitions post Covid-19 and what can visitors to your booths expect to see?

Post Covid-19 we’ve found a lot more success in streamlining our booths to be specific to that show and audience and what we’re focusing on in that moment. We’ve been in the industry as a hardware supplier for decades now. Although we might not bring every product (which would be thousands!) now to every show, we believe that our customers understand that we are of course, first and foremost a trusted hardware supplier to the industry, but shows are an opportunity for us to educate our customers on new sections of our business that they may not have known existed. In this past year as we’ve launched our sports betting ecosystem, we’ve focused heavily on sports betting. You’ll see that reflected in what shows we’re exhibiting at and in our booth design. We are really excited to show you what we’ve had brewing and we think you’re in for a treat.

PUTTING PLAYER EDUCATION AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE

MATCH-FIXING

Former professional basketball player and new IBIA Education Ambassador Jean-François Reymond outlines the case for athlete-focused integrity actions

To Mark Twain’s quote that “the only two certainties in life are death and taxes” should be added that, whatever rules are created to ensure fair competition people will try to game them. This is as true of sport as it is of any other area of economic activity. So as we approach the start of the new football season we must put the education of athletes at the forefront of the fight against match-fixing.

Fixing the result of sports events has been an unfortunate source of income for some athletes throughout the history of commercial sport, and the US is no exception. Most famously, Chicago White Sox players were banned for life for attempting to throw the 1919 World Series.

Thankfully, match-fixing in sport is not common, but it is persistent. And given the amount of money and opportunity in US sports the stakes are higher than ever; for the sports, the sports betting industry (that is defrauded by corrupters), the fans and, very importantly, the players themselves.

US sports are the most commercially successful in the world, and one of the primary reasons for this is the value they place on sporting integrity. Anything that challenges the perception of fairness and sporting integrity undermines their relationship with the fans, damages their brands and negatively impacts their bottom lines.

Sports integrity is also absolutely essential to the sports betting industry. If its customers get any sense that they are being cheated they will understandably withdraw their business. It is an existential issue for the industry, and as the US sports betting market continues to grow so does the industry’s vulnerability. This

is why it commits so much resource to the fight against match-fixing and corruption in sport.

For the athlete, whether professional or amateur, the stakes are extremely high. Fixing, or trying to fix a match, or inadvertently breaking the rules to prevent match-fixing can mean suspension and fines, and can be career ending. The case of Calvin Ridley confirms that even for a relatively low-end offense – a total of $1,500 bet on football matches –the costs are high; a minimum 1-year suspension and millions of dollars in lost salary.

For a player of his ability there is a way back. For others, the conveyer belt of talent coming out of the US college system means there is no need for any coach to risk employing somebody with a compromised reputation.

There is no magic bullet for ensuring sports integrity. It requires coordinated action from multiple

stakeholders, including the leagues, teams, policy makers, regulators and law enforcement. We need to raise the standards of sports governance and have policies and regulation that fully support the fight against match-fixing and corruption.

Regulators and law enforcement also need access to the most advanced tools, such as the International Betting Integrity Association’s (IBIA) international monitoring and alert network, to identify suspicious betting activities and support their investigations.

It is an unfortunate truth, however, that corrupting sporting events and betting is very difficult without the active involvement of players. And today’s athletes, whether they are unpaid high-profile college sports players, albeit potentially receiving compensation at the margin through name, image and likeness (NIL) activities, or low-ranking tennis players, they are still vulnerable to corruptors. While the immediate financial rewards may be tempting, most athletes do not fully understand the significant risks of being caught, and the damage to their reputations and careers they are risking. Other times players make mistakes themselves.

That is why player education has to be central to the fight against matchfixing, and the starting point for doing this successfully is to understand the challenges they face.

In their day-to-day lives, athletes are constantly solicited by family members, by fans, by clubs, by agents. They often come from challenging socio-economic backgrounds. They have to deal with a lot, and at a very young age. It’s not always about their sport. It can be very hard to understand what’s important and what is not, and who has their best interests at heart.

The importance of sports betting education is increased by the complexity and particular challenges faced in many of these markets. In the US, for example, the fragmented state-by-state regulatory environment means that it is very easy for a travelling athlete to inadvertently violate betting regulations whilst playing in another state.

The risks for athletes are also compounded by the rise of social media and the smartphone, which makes it easier to bet from anywhere, and also provides match-fixers with an additional channel through which they can approach and cultivate athletes.

For organisations like IBIA, protecting the integrity of sport means protecting the integrity of athletes. That is why it has been so heavily involved - first in Europe, and more recently in the US - in player education. My experience, working with IBIA, but also independently, suggests that there are number of factors that are absolutely fundamental to successful player education.

Firstly, the messenger is crucial. Anybody who has spent time in a sports locker room knows that the usual corporate talking head with

their power point presentation is not the way to go. Athletes need to be able to relate to and trust the person they are talking to. Ex-athletes, player association staff, people who have been there and done it, and have direct access to the players, are the best educators.

Secondly, the messages themselves need to be simple and clear. This is why IBIA’s education programme is now built around the three R’s: rules, responsibility and reporting. And these messages must be illustrated with real life examples. To convey the reality of the risks that they face as individuals and the methods adopted by corrupters to try and draw sportspeople into this illicit activity.

Protecting the integrity of sport means protecting the integrity of athletes. That is why, at a minimum, sports betting integrity education should be a standard element of every sport’s training for athletes.

Biography

Jean-François Reymond

IBIA Education Ambassador

After a sporting career in professional basketball, JeanFrançois joined the sport trade union movement where he started his second professional career.

For more than 10 years he worked for the French basketball player association (SNB), then was hired in 2017 by the French rugby player association (PROVALE) to become their CEO. After 24 months, he decided to leave the organization and had the opportunity to work for the French employment administration in France in charge of the sport projects.

In 2021 he started his own company “HURDLER” a concierge services for athletes on administrative and legal issues. At the same time, he is consulting for different organization working in the field of sport and on sport betting in particular.

In January 2022 he became IBIA “Education Ambassador” to the organization create and implement their education strategy on the risks of matchfixing amongst different stakeholders in US and Canada.

Jean-François’s experience in the field of sport integrity is well known in Europe since he was the coordinator of 3 European Commission funded project aiming to educate professional athletes on the risks of match-fixing and helping player associations to create programs to protect whistleblowers. He was also a member of the French National integrity and sports betting platform from 2016 to 2019.

Personal Information

Full Name: Jean-François Reymond Hometown: Alès, France

Education:

High School: Lycée Bellevue, Alès, France, 1998

Graduate: University of Lyon, 2005 • Licence in Sport Management

Graduate: Sorbonne University, 2009 • Bachelor in Sports Law

Graduate: University of Lyon, 2019 • Master in Sport Management Graduate: Sorbonne University, 2020 • Master in Sports Law

Professional basketball player (1998 – 2010)

• Spacer’s Toulouse

• Montpellier Paillade Basket

• Southwest Missouri State University

• Feurs • Toulouges

• Calais basket

• Caen

PAYMENT SOLUTIONS

Christopher Justice, President of Global Payments Gaming Solutions chats to Damien Connelly

As our industry comes together again to meet in person at G2E Las Vegas 2022, we take time to discover more about a rising star in the gaming payments industry that is making its mark with high profile client wins and partnerships. Christopher Justice is a 25-plus-year career veteran from the world’s payment and commerce industry. Justice joined Global Payments to lead the company’s Gaming Solutions division.

You have been at the helm of Global Payments Gaming Solutions for over 5 years. How do you reflect on this?

Leading the team at Global Payments Gaming Solutions has been an incredible opportunity. This organization has been such a huge part of the broader gaming industry, and it’s been unbelievable to see how the industry has grown. I have also served as a board member of the American Gaming Association, which has given me a greater insight into how our organization can improve the entire industry.

What are the main advantages that Global Payments Gaming Solutions provides online operators? Global Payments Gaming Solutions provides top-of-the-line iGaming solutions for gaming institutions of all shapes and sizes. Namely, Global Payments offers payments solutions that enable, quick and seamless payments. It is vitally important for any gaming institution, especially online sports betting providers, to make funding wagers simple and easy.

Is Global Payments Gaming Solutions exhibiting at G2E Las Vegas, and if so, what have you planned for visitors?

Yes, Global Payments Gaming Solutions will exhibit at G2E in Las Vegas this year. We are so excited to show off all our innovative solutions

on the gaming industry’s biggest stage. For starters we will show off VIP Mobility™, the gaming industry’s mobile solution for cashless gaming. VIP Mobility allows patrons to complete all their transactions on their mobile device, providing a fun, engaging, convenient experience. For patrons who prefer playing with cash, Global Payments will demo VIP Financial Center™, Global Payments’ self-service solution. VIP Financial Center offers patrons a wide array of services including self-service TITO ticket redemption, bill breaking, VIP Preferred e-check, ATM and cash advance capabilities, so patrons do not have to wait in line at the cage.

ABOVE: Christopher Justice, President of Global Payments Gaming Solutions

We will exhibit our industry-standard e-check network, VIP Preferred®, which is our most important solution for iGaming providers. VIP Preferred links patrons’ wagering accounts directly to their checking accounts, enabling fast and easy payments. VIP Preferred connects to more than 400 in-person and online gaming institutions, which allows patrons to use their same account whether at the casino or playing online.

What have been your prime objectives for Global Payments over the last two to three years?

We have experienced tremendous growth over the past few years. Once the pandemic began nearly three years ago, the need for cashless, contactless payments became paramount. Global Payments was perfectly positioned to provide payments solutions that both keep people safe and enhance the overall gaming experience.

How do you see merchants’ needs regarding payments evolving?

As far as iGaming is concerned, gaming institutions need to provide seamless funding. No matter how

intuitive the user interface is or how engaging the games themselves are, a cumbersome payments process can break the overall experience. Easy deposits and withdrawals are essential for an enjoyable gaming experience.

What has been Global Payments Gaming Solutions reaction to the tighter requirements for gambling sites? How have the organization assisted with operator’s compliance and is there more that can be done?

We value the safety and security of our patrons above all else, so we support any measures to improve security. VIP Preferred utilizes bank-grade security in order to protect the patrons’ and casinos’ data.

Global Payments Gaming Solutions also has offerings that assist with compliance. In the U.S., Title 31 of the Bank Secrecy Act, which enumerates anti-money laundering (AML) regulations for the gaming industry, is vitally important for casino operators. Failure to comply with Title 31 can result in costly fines for casinos, so operators must be completely sure of their AML practices. VIP Shield is Global Payments’ comprehensive Title 31 compliance solution. VIP Shield provides complete Title 31 compliance by automation of all relevant reporting and payments, ensuring total adherence to Title 31.

How does Global Payments Gaming Solutions promote responsible gaming with regards to sports betting?

While sports betting is fun and exciting, we want to make sure our patrons are aware of the potential risks and have access to tools to better control their spending. Global Payments incorporates responsible gaming features in all its products. Global Payments implements coolingoff periods, configurable pre-set

spending limits and voluntary selfexclusion, so patrons have complete control over how they want to play.

Investment in technology and innovation is essential in the growth of the organisation, wouldn’t you agree? Of course! In a real sense, our company is our technology and vice versa. We are nothing without our innovative technology and the amazing technicians that make it possible. At the same time, we never settle, and we are constantly seeking ways to improve our solutions and enhance the gaming experience.

What are amongst your prime objectives over the next 18 months? Of course, we are excited to show off our solutions at G2E this year, but beyond that, we will continue to grow our iGaming offerings. As sports betting continues to grow, we here at Global Payments will strive to offer the best payments solutions in iGaming.

FLORIDA BETS

Peter White chats to Bill Ordine, National Gaming Reporter and Writer for FloridaBet.com

What is your role at FloridaBet.com and what does it involve?

I’m a national gaming reporter and writer for FloridaBet.com and its parent company Gambling.com Group’s other statespecific websites.. Largely, I write about legislative, legal and business issues regarding the online gaming industry.

Are you from a Sports Betting background?

My background is as a journalist in both

ABOVE: Bill Ordine, National Gaming Reporter and Writer for FloridaBet.com

sports and news, including 25 years combined at the Philadelphia Inquirer and Baltimore Sun. I’ve written about a broad range of gaming issues from casinos to sports wagering to poker to horse racing.

What was the inspiration behind the creation of FloridaBet.com?

As a company we cover legal and responsible gambling in states that have already legalized sports betting and in ones we anticipate legalizing. Florida, by virtue of the compact signed between the state and Seminole

Tribe of Florida, briefly had legal sports betting before it was struck down by a Florida court. Along with California and Texas, Florida will be one of the largest sports betting states when it re-launches, so from legislative and sports betting coverage standpoints, we launched FloridaBet.com.

Can you explain the purpose and function of FloridaBet.com?

FloridaBet.com aims to keep Floridians and others informed about the trajectory of legal and responsible sports wagering in that state with authoritative news updates. And while sports betting is not currently legal in the state, FloridaBet.com tracks interesting sports developments and odds as they impact on Florida’s professional and college teams and athletes.

What is the current situation as regards legislation in the Sunshine State regarding Sports Betting?

Florida has become one of the more convoluted jurisdictions in America regarding the legalization of sports wagering. By now, most observers are familiar with the development that an agreement, known as a compact, hammered out between the Seminole Tribe of Florida and Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2021 – which would have given control of sports wagering to the Seminoles – was derailed in a federal court. Other gaming-related businesses had challenged the compact. Currently, the Biden Administration is arguing in favor of the Seminole-DeSantis compact in a federal appeals court. As the third largest state in the U.S., Florida would have an outsized impact on the sports wagering industry, so gambling companies have a lot riding on the outcome.

Have you any front running teams you think are in the mix to win this coming season’s Super Bowl?

Quarterbacks are usually the key to winning Super Bowls and the favorites are the defending champion Los Angeles Rams, the Buffalo Bills, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Green Bay Packers because each has an MVP-caliber QB. Of that group, Buffalo is the team on the rise.

What are your aims and ambitions for the site in the coming years?

We will continue to cover the progression of the appeals in the Florida sports betting case as the state continues to look to legalize sports betting. The legislature should also take another look at what can be done to create a competitive sports betting market in Florida. Most states allow more than one operator to give consumers options on where they want to place their bets. We would hope Florida would find a way to do that, creating one of the largest wagering markets in the world.

Have you anything else you would like to add?

Florida has the potential to produce tax revenue for the state through sports betting. It really should look at every single option to capitalize on that potential.

FloridaBet.com is dedicated to helping sports betting customers find the most rewarding gaming experiences and generous bonuses. Our team of industry experts help consumers understand the current legislation, updates on sportsbook launches and latest sports betting news and developments throughout Florida.

MATCH MAKING

Parimatch enters the 22/23 season with 4 EPL club partnerships. Leicester City, Chelsea, and Aston Villa will be joined by Newcastle United

The international betting brand Parimatch is adding another club to its English Premier League partnerships roster: Newcastle United. It will join the company of Leicester City, Chelsea, and Aston Villa. The contract with the latter was recently extended for another season.

“Each partnership within the Premier League, one of the strongest and most popular football leagues in the world, boosts our expansion into global sports and gives a powerful reason for pride. The Parimatch brand is currently an official partner of the significant share of EPL clubs and they all share our values and aspirations for reaching new heights.

We are honoured by this fact and excited about all the activities that the Parimatch brand will implement with our partners during the upcoming season.” — Evgen Belousov, Deputy CEO at Parimatch Tech.

“We’re thrilled to be working with Parimatch again this season, in what is an exciting period of change for the club. We look forward to engaging closely with our fans through a number of competitions throughout the season.” — Tom Glick, President of Business at Chelsea FC.

“It is fantastic that we have extended

our partnership with Parimatch into the 22/23 season. We greatly value the support of our partners and look forward to what we can achieve together this year.” — Nicola Ibbetson, Chief Commercial Officer at Aston Villa.

“Parimatch is one of the fastest growing online sports betting brands and we are pleased to welcome it to our growing family of commercial partners.

We are growing our partnership portfolio across new areas and markets and we are delighted to work with those who are so passionate about our common values and look forward to working with Parimatch throughout the season.” — Dale Aitchison, Head of Commercial at Newcastle.

CHANNELIZATION AND RESPONSIBLE GAMING

Channelization and industry-led responsible gaming standards signpost the best routes forward for all jurisdictions. By: Damien Connelly

Channelization in mature online European gaming markets can be higher than 90% – the UK is estimated to have the highest levels of channelization, with at least 95% of online gaming revenues estimated to be channelled into legally licensed operators.

Jurisdictions such as Finland have attempted to compete against the market but, as any economist will tell you, trying to go against any competitive market almost always ends in defeat – such defeat can even be evidenced in monopoly situations, such as the market conditions Veikkaus currently operates under; especially so when we’re talking about online, which provides the situation of what economists define as an almost

perfect, geographically borderless, market… which is impossible to compete against. In my opinion, trying to do that is as effective a strategy as standing in Pamplona and not running when they release the bulls… it’s a sure bet which of the ‘bull runners’ are going to be receiving medical attention!

The strengths of the open market are, for example, seeing a potential removal in Finland of the government’s sole license on gaming activities, which has seen the state-owned Veikkaus’ share of the digital gaming wallet decline to approximately 50%. In Sweden, the state-owned Svenska Spel moved to an open market position, and now sees about 90% channelization of national gaming revenues routing to Swedish-licensed, and therefore legal,

entities. Ditto in Denmark, where the channelization level went from the 30s to now being at least 90%. The Netherlands is also making progress on channelization after that jurisdiction recently legalised online sports betting and gaming.

If you want to direct patrons and monies to legally licensed operators in each jurisdiction, channel them. Do that effectively, and everybody wins, not least patrons because they will be the customers of operators who are following best practices with respect to responsible gaming.

The 12-Point Pledge

This has an integration with the American Gaming Association’s Responsible Gaming Education programs, ongoing across America since 1998 – although one could probably also draw comparisons to the ’12 Steps’, I guess. From the perspective of addiction, it is only relatively recently that gambling addiction was recognised as being similar to the major addictions that have been studied more widely and in greater depth.

A recent survey considered why patrons choose gambling sites that are or are not licensed. For licensed sites, the most important reasons were found to be safety, security and control. As to why patrons would chose to play on unlicensed sites, the most important reason was found to be bonus offers, as well as being able to receive better odds and winning opportunities. Importantly, such points are heavily dependent upon taxation levels, because if a jurisdiction has too high a level of online gaming tax, operators cannot provide competitive and attractive products for their target cohorts, meaning everyone then loses.

The largest online gaming operators across America have partnered to deliver the first industry-led responsible gaming standards. The announcement of the 12-Points coincided with September 2022’s designation as Responsible Gaming Education Month by the American Gaming Association – readers can discover more about that in an RG article in our sister publication, Casino Life.

The partnership on the 12-Point Pledge includes Bally’s Corporation, BetMGM, DraftKings, Entain, FanDuel, and MGM Resorts International. These operators endorse the following 12 principles for responsible online gaming:

1. We take active steps to prevent underage and excluded individuals from participating in any form of gaming within our products;

2. We help patrons make informed choices about their gaming. We provide easy to read information about how to play, provide responsible gaming tools including information on how to access and use such tools; and provide other related information, including information about a toll-free helpline, as well as resources for those who are seeking support related to their gaming;

3. We support the adoption and effective promotion of a unified nationwide responsible gaming tollfree helpline;

4. We abide by applicable standards of socially responsible advertising, including compliance with all applicable state and federal laws and standards, and we avoid using minors in marketing content. We only use actors and company representatives in advertising and social media relating to gaming who reasonably appear to be above the legal age to gamble;

5. We provide our customers with tools to play responsibly, including but not to limited to self-exclusion tools, financial and other account limits, as well as customer betting histories;

6. We abide by all self-exclusion rules and regulations, and provide resources to individuals who make the choice to self-exclude;

7. We encourage patrons to set a budget that they can afford, to

never play beyond their means, and to not view gaming as a means to financial success;

8. We encourage patrons to set time and financial limits on their gaming and stick to them, and not to chase losses;

9. We believe in a shared responsibility approach to addressing problem gaming and are committed to working with policy makers, academic experts and researchers, problem gaming treatment organizations, advocacy groups, and our partners – as well as with our customers – to promote responsible gaming and address problem gaming;

10. We support funding for evidencebased problem and responsible gaming research;

11. We provide all applicable employees with responsible gaming

IMAGE: M. C. ESCHER

training upon hire and regularly thereafter, in order to embed responsible gaming culture in our businesses; and

12. We are committed to evaluating and continuously monitoring our respective responsible gaming programs and initiatives.

For the signatories, the above 12 principles are derived from the following four core attributes:

1. We participate only in legal markets that provide consumer protections;

2. We strive to instil responsible gaming culture throughout our respective businesses;

3. All forms of online gaming should be a fun activity and enjoyed as a form of entertainment; and

4. While the vast majority of individuals can enjoy online gaming in a responsible way, some individuals need additional tools and support related to their gaming activities.

As the RG article in Casino Life notes, in our service-based industry, it’s the people who make the difference. Engaged and empowered employees are the front line in ensuring our industry delivers a sustainable, patronand community-centred product.

Based on the above numbers, and depending on where you are in the world and how you interpret dates, I’d say either 4/12 or 12/4 should become RG Patron Day in gaming properties worldwide.

IMAGE: STEPHEN DORMER

IMAGE: M. C. ESCHER

IMAGE: PEDRO RIBEIRO SIMÕES

IMAGE: ALAMY.COM