Infinity Gaming Magazine - November 2015 Infinity Gaming Magazine

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35 PROHIBITION Prohibition Solves no Problem

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12 DAILY FANTASY SPORTS Are they legal?

ALICIA GLEESON Crown Melbourne

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

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NOVEMBER 2015

4 EDITOR NOTES Lana welcomes you to the September edition of Infinity Gaming Magazine.

6 OUR WRITERS Meet our feature writers, the superb writers on our rosta.

12 DAILY FANTASY SPORTS Professor I. Nelson Rose

19 NEW CASINO

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Resorts World Birmingham opens

20 MACAU GAMING NEWS Plus news from Australia

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION Paul Swaddle

20 ALICIA GLEESON A look round Crown Melbourne

MACAU GAMING NEWS Plus Australia

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26 DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION Paul Swaddle

35 PROHIBITION Liz Karter

+ ALL THE LATEST NEWS & Opinions

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

Autumn arrives and time to show what you got, make it the best ever

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

Lana Thompson - Editor

Welcome to the November edition of the Infinity Gaming Magazine Well we are certainly into the event

thanks to both Play’n GO and Net Ent for

season with two down and how many

their support and sponsorship of this in-

more to go!?

novative event.

Never fear thou we have all the articles,

Enjoy the magazine and can you believe

interviews and news you need to keep

it will be December next time I write to

you up to date with all that is happen-

you!

ing in the global gaming industry.

Enjoy the issue As ever we have some great articles this month from Liz Karter, Professor I. Nel-

So, “To Infinity and Beyond!”

son Rose and Paul Swaddle.

Regards, Also we are delighted to announce the formation of the Women in Gam-

Lana

ing Networking Event that will take place on the 1st February for lunch at the stunning Savoy Hotel in London.

Details can be found inside and on the website.

While on that note about the Women in Gaming Networking event I want to say on behalf of all the attendees many

INFINITY GAMING

The Editor

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

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

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Infinity Gaming Magazine

A magazine is only as good as the content inside and with some of the leading specialists within th prducts, technology and current affairs with the sector the Infinity Gaming Magazine is delighted t

Paul Swaddle A self-confessed ‘gadget geek, Paul Swaddle has been working at the leading edge of mobile technology for the past 15 years. He co-founded Pocket App in 2011 to bring the creative and technical development elements of mobile technology together under one roof. This unique approach continues to differentiate Pocket App in today’s increasingly competitive landscape.

Working across a range of communications disciplines such as acquisition, loyalty, retention and customer development, Paul understands the importance of a strategic and coordinated marketing approach, particularly between on and off-line communications. In the past decade he has enabled brands as diverse as Kellogg’s Fruit Winders, Barclays and Loaded magazine to get the best out of mobile.

JJ Woods Director of Operations founded and set up Atlantic Casino Consultants which consults Worldwide, He is also an expert on the Irish Gaming Market and the impending Casino Legislation. He was born in Ireland but left in the Seventies to live in London and for a career in Banking that lasted nearly four years after which he joined the Casino Industry in London where he trained and has over the last 30 years been involved in the setting up, design, management, and opening of Casinos Worldwide.

JJ is also an Author on Gaming and has written for several magazines, spoken at gaming conferences was selected as a Judge for the World Gaming Industry awards and has appeared on TV and Radio discussing Gaming issues. He can be contacted through the website... www. atlanticcasinoconsultants.com

With over ten years experience in the industry, David Newstead has seen online casino trends come and go.

Primarily involving himself in the affiliate industry, he has quickly gained an appreciation for the demands of this fast paced marketplace. Today, he refines his efforts into expressing his opinions for numerous industry journals. Read more

about his adventures down at www. slotschoice.com.”

JJ Woods

David Newstead

general manager and CEO

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NOVEMBER 2015

Contributing Writers

he gaming industry. With specialised articles covering customer service, the gaming law, new to showcase our superb line-up of contributing writers.

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

operators and providers, gambling regulators, law enforcement and government agencies, media, and specialist interest groups and associations within the sector, in both established and emerging markets across the world. www.1710gaming.com

Liz Karter – Psychotherapist specializing in women and problem gambling iz Karter is a specialist in gambling and women and has worked as a therapist in gambling addiction since 2001. Liz is also author of the book “Women and Problem Gambling” published in March 2013.

In January 2010 having worked with all leading UK problem gambling treatment agencies, and having successfully established the first UK groups for women with gambling addiction, Liz launched Level Ground Therapy. A treatment service in the City of London, Level Ground

specialises in meeting the individual needs of women with gambling addiction.

Throughout her career Liz has been regularly consulted by the media regarding her specialisation and has made frequent national TV and radio broadcasts including This Morning, Radio 4 You and Yours and Women’s Hour and given numerous national newspaper and magazine interviews.

Would you like to feature here?

Infinity Gaming Magazine is always looking for new feature writers, if you have something to say and feel the global gaming industry would be interested then drop us a line and we can explain the benefits of working with a global reaching industry publication.

Fore more details on becoming a feature writer contact Paul Jordan our Editor at madia@cleverduckmedia.com

general manager and CEO

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THE IGA9 JUDGES 01

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Andrew Cammegh- Sales Director Cammegh Limited

Alison Digges – Brand Director Gala Coral Interactive

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

Prof. Dietmar Hoscher – Deputy Chariman of the Supervisory Board of Casinos Austria International Holding

Emma Loveday – Head of Marketing for Gaming and Betting at The Sun

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Heikki Rinta-Panttila – International Gaming Consultant

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Janet Viipola – Executive Coordinator Interactive Gaming Council

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Liz Karter – Psychotherapist specializing in women and problem gambling

Marek Milewski- Operations Manager Casinos Poland

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Michael SilberlingCEO Affinity Gaming

Ohad NarkisCEO BGO Entertainment

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Onika Russell – Head of Gambling , Airlines & Travel Strategic Services, PayPal

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THE IGA9 JUDGES 13

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Professor I. Nelson RoseSpeaker & Gaming Law expert

Paul Armitage – Operations Director Grosvenor Casinos

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Peter Hoetzinger – CoCEO & President, Vice Chairman Century Casinos

Richard Noble – Chief Operating Officer of the Aspers Group

Roger Marris – CEO at The Ritz Club

Roger Raatgever – CEO Microgaming

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Stella Dalton – Head of Business Development at GamCare

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Sylvia Dietz –Vice President Global Gaming Marketing IGT

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Stephanie Cheung – Chief Legal Officer at Melco Crown Entertainment

22 Tristan Sjoberg –

Vahe Baloulian – CEO BetConstruct

Executive Chairman at TCS John Huxley

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join the

industry’s

celebration excellence!

of

Nominations close soon - visit www.gaming-awards.com

February 1st 2016 - The Savoy, London The International Gaming Awards Are Sponsored By

GAMING NEWS

NOVEMBER 2015

Egyptian wonder as Pyramid: Quest for ImmortalityTM launches with NetEnt

NetEnt is whipping up a sandstorm with its new diamond format slot Pyramid: Quest for Immortality, packed with wild symbols and re-spins.

The leading digital entertainment company, which provides digital gaming solutions to the world’s most successful casino operators, launches the Ancient Egyptthemed video slot for both mobile and desktop, with exciting features that have the ability to gain sequential multiplier build ups.

With its unique layout, Pyramid: Quest for Immortality is an innovative slot that includes NetEnt’s AvalancheTM

re-spin feature. Re-spins occur if there is any win of three symbols and above in any way.

Wild symbol features also offer exciting chances to win big money prizes.

Simon Hammon, Chief Product Officer of NetEnt, comments: “With Pyramid: Quest for Immortality, NetEnt will immerse players in the exotic world of Ancient Egypt.

With so many exciting ways to win, including NetEnt’s popular Avalanche feature, winners could soon be living like pharaohs.”

More ways to win with Yggdrasil’s Doubles Yggdrasil Gaming has today launched Doubles™, a new video slot that uses low poly 3D computer graphics to produce a fun and colourful game with 243 ways to wins.

The game has single and double symbols, which means that the longest possible win is 10 symbols in a row.

When entering the free spin mode, players have the option to choose a symbol that will always appear as double during all free spins.

This gives players the opportunity to choose their volatility level. They can choose a low symbol to win often, or a high one for bigger potential wins.

A player who is feeling lucky can choose the diamond and aim for the amazing reward of 25,000

coins for 10 diamonds in a row.

The simple yet exciting mechanics, and the opportunity to choose your own style, makes Doubles perfect for both new and experienced players.

Fredrik Elmqvist, CEO at Yggdrasil Gaming Ltd, said: “We’re very excited to launch our first ever 243 ways slot game, providing our customers with a totally new slots experience “We’ve used low poly graphics to make it a vibrant, exciting and fun slot, and one that appeals to different types of players. Some are looking for more frequent small wins, while others go for the greater risk and the opportunity to win big prizes. Doubles™ has something for everyone and we’re expecting big things from this game.”

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www.empirecasinorecruitment.com +44(0) 1543 478 889

GAMING NEWS

Japan finally calls time for casinos this year

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t was already assured but the final nail in casino operators dream of Japan legalising casino resorts this year has now been driven home as the hope of an extraordinary session in the Japanese parliament will not be called to discuss casino gambling before the end of the year.

With that now not taking place any discussions by parliament will happen in 2016 and if by any chance those discussions turn into legislation then 2017 will see the second round of legislation on the rules and regulations controlling casinos in Japan.

Given the time frame now the best guess for any casino resort to be built and operational would be 2022, which would miss the hoped for explosion in gambling by the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Estimates had Japan at being worth $40 billion a year in gambling revenues and would be second to Macau in the world of gambling turnover. It is certain that when and if it does happen casino operators will still be very interested but the amounts of investment they previously talked about could be written down given the chance of missing the Olympics date.

NOVEMBER 2015

James Packer not happy with Crown results Crown Resorts posted less than impressive annual results with former chairman James Packer saying he isn’t happy with the returns for investors at present.

Overall the casino firm posted a 17.9% drop in profits to $525.5 million compared to last year with Crown Melbourne performing strongly but Perth dragging down results.

“We have to get better at achieving an acceptable return on the capital expenditure we spend in Australia,” James Packer said at the company’s annual general meeting in Melbourne.

“The capex we’ve spent in Australia hasn’t delivered the returns we budgeted on,” Packer said.

With Macau suffering falling revenues and not being able to prop up results back in Australia Packer said, the Australian operations had previously been sheltered by the good returns from the casino operations in Macau. However, there was nowhere to hide because of what is happening in Macau.

In Macau, Crown’s share profit for the year was down 44.6% to $161.3 million to June 2015.

Overall gross gaming revenue in Macau fell 26.8% in the year.

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GAMING NEWS

Studio City increases table numbers to 250

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oncerns over the amount of tables new casino resort Studio City were being allocated have lessened after reports saying the new resort will get up to 250 on opening night.

The Melco Crown Entertainment owned venue which is part owned by Lawrence Ho and James Packer had initially feared that the government would only allow 150 tables however because the resort focuses more on leisure than others it is being rewarded with an increase to 210 and another 40 tables before the end of the year, totalling 250.

Studio City which cost $3.2 billion and is set to open on the 27th October has borrowed $1.4 billion from investment firms promising that it would have 400 tables, this had made investors very nervous of the returns the new resort would generate, but with the number now at 250 and possibly rising next year further investors will re-negotiate with Melco on the deal.

Rumours also say that Galaxy Entertainment will also receive an increase of gaming table allocation of some 50 tables as what many see as a reward for their efforts in focussing their resorts towards leisure and tourism.

The new Studio City aims to attract a more family-friendly crowd, with a mix of Warner Brothers-themed rides, a Batman flight simulator and Asia’s highest ferris wheel set between two art deco hotel towers.

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Tigre de Cristal casino opens doors in Russia The Tigre de Cristal casino located in the far east of Russia has opened its doors heralding what the owners say is the next Macau. The casino in the Far East’s Primorye special gambling zone is the biggest legal casino in Russia said G1 Entertainment who have developed the casino.

It will help create new jobs and will boost the development of tourism and economic growth in the Primorye region, Eric Landheer, director for corporate finance and strategy at G1 Entertainment, said at the opening, according to the statement.

Gambling taxes for the region per year will bring in an estimated $16 million the regional government said along with creating much needed jobs.

The decision to create the Primorye gambling zone near Vladivostok was made by the Russian government in 2009, when it outlawed gambling in Russia with the exception of six special zones.

Tigre de Cristal soft opening last week was attended by more than a thousand guests, the Primorye regional government said in a statement. The full opening of the casino will take place on the 12th November Tigre de Cristal club cards have already been purchased by 9,000 people, and 300 members of staff have been trained to work in the casino, the statement said.

G1 Entertainment is owned by Macau casino operator Melco International Development Limited.

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Prohibition Solves no

By Liz Karter Problem I was contacted by BBC News London, earlier in October, to give expert comment on the seizing of a total of 38 illegal gambling machines from 7 social clubs. Fruit machines, betting terminals and video poker machine were confiscated by Haringay Council’s licence enforcement team. The team, being comprised of the police and members of the Gambling Commission found that none of the 38 clubs concerned had the correct licence required.

The BBC interviewer asked what I thought about the current regulations and whether they went far enough.

With the steady rise in problem gambling, did I think prohibition be a step to consider? What I do think, is that no matter how far regulation goes it will never be possible to completely prevent problem gambling, because addiction is not just about product, but also about a person, their problems and their attempt to escape their thoughts and feelings by gambling.

History teaches us that prohibition does not work. We only have to look to America’s alcohol prohibition laws of 1920. Where there is a will, there is a way and rather than prevent people from drinking people made Moonshine and bathtub gin by the gallon! And arguably this caused more problems than it solved, including in some cases fatalities through poisoning. Alcohol, like gambling, offers escapism and the need to escape a mundane or stressful life is it is a natural human need. If prohibition has any affect, it drives the activity underground where it is more open to misuse, and those using it vulnerable to exploitation by the provider.

Prohibition also of course makes anything much more exciting and enticing; the thrill of the forbidden. I am sure we all will remember that a part of ado-

lescence, crossing the threshold from childhood into adulthood, is breaking taboos. The rebellion of youth is driven by a desire to hammer out our own identity by doing the opposite to that which authority allows. So if gambling were forbidden then young people would be sure still to give it a go.

Prohibition would prevent the delivery of valuable education programmes in schools and colleges about the dangers of addictive gambling and how to prevent falling into the despair of debt and the destructive cycle of loss chasing. One example being that when I have treated young people from cultures where gambling is forbidden for religious reasons they have used gambling- known as ‘the hidden addiction’- as their hidden rebellion, and in part got into problems with gambling through having no understanding of the fundamentals of the product and risks involved. Ignorance does not necessarily create bliss.

We need to be careful of going to extremes. By saying prohibition would not help to halt problem gambling in its tracks, I am not saying that in my professional opinion the availability of gambling products should be a free for all. We do not need prohibition, but we do need regulation which is informed and regularly updated by facts about what truly helps those in trouble with addiction. Regulated venues are more likely to have staff aware of the vital importance of being socially responsible and as a part of that recognising the signs and symptoms of gambling addiction and acting swiftly and sympathetically on requests for self exclusion.

What about those who already have a pathological gambling problem – would prohibition have helped them to stay free of addiction? In my clinical ex-

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perience, the answer is no. Taking away the ability to gamble does not take away the craving. The craving comes from urges to experience feelings gained from gambling – when playing a slot machine, a feeling of ‘zoning out’. The addicted gambler doe not love gambling, they love the feelings they get from gambling, that lift them out of a difficult reality.

“I don’t even like gambling. Actually I always thought it was boring. But I miss what I got from it; because when I gambled I could just stop thinking” (Slot machine player in recovery) Taking away the ability to gamble but not dealing with the underlying issues means someone is likely to move on to another addiction that gives the feelings they crave. The person quoted above had dealt with an alcohol addiction before their gambling addiction, but had never dealt with the underlying anxieties that created the addictive behaviour, and so used one addiction after another. Their anxieties resolved I am delighted to report that they are now in strong recovery.

I think the words of writer and philosopher, Aldous Huxley, nicely summarise what I have been taught by my extensive work as a therapist in the field of gambling addiction would be the value of prohibition:

“The problems raised by alcohol and tobacco cannot, it goes without saying, be solved by prohibition. The universal and ever-present urge to self-transcendence is not to be abolished by slamming the currently popular Doors in the Wall”. (Aldous Huxley) Let us leave the doors open to regulation and education. Those are what really help.

To find out more about Liz Karter and her work visit these links: www.levelgroundtherapy.uk - www.lizkarter.com & Liz Karters Books INFINITY GAMING

NOVEMBER 2015

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GAMING NEWS

NOVEMBER 2015

AC casinos get hit with fines totalling $33k Deutsche Bank takes a $7 billion hit

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he New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has announced that over the last month it has issued penalties to four Atlantic City casino operators and also to bwin.party for violating their rules.

In total the fines add up to more than $33,000 for various contraventions of the state regulator rules including, The Trump Taj Mahal which must forfeit more than $16,000 it took from three gamblers who had signed up for a self-exclusion list that is supposed to prevent them from gambling in casinos.

For the Taj one gambler who requested back in 2005 to be barred was found in 2011 to be back gambling with some $6,000 plus in gambling chips inside the casino.

Also a second man who asked to be banned for 5 years from the casinos was found near the end of that term playing

INFINITY GAMING

slots, where he won $9,235, and also had a gambling voucher for an additional $1,095 in his possession.

Along with a third man on the self-exclusion list winning $100 playing poker.

The second operator the Borgata must forfeit more than $3,700 it took from gamblers who could not prove they were 21 years old.

Bwin.party were hit with a $10,000 fine for violating the terms of a divestiture agreement by one of its stockholders. At Resorts they were fined $3,000 for cashier rule violations, in which one cashier swapped a stack of $100 bills totaling $3,000 for an equal amount of cash in $10 and $20 bills, leaving the money on a counter along with a records slip while the main bank cashier was away from his work station temporarily but then signing it without checking the amounts.

The major shareholder in Station Casinos and former owner of the Cosmopolitan Casino in Las Vegas, Deutsche Bank, will announce a third quarter loss of $7 billion for the third quarter of 2015 according to reports in Germany.

Germany’s biggest bank has suffered several problems this year and shareholders will forgo their dividends this year for the first time in 60 years to ensure the bank preserves its capital. The major hit came from a fine from both the US and UK governments for the banks involvement in the fixing of libor rates.

But the majority of the loss will come from the writing down of paper assets which are intangible assets. These are assets such as trademarks and copyrights that are “written down” because they’ve been judged to be overvalued.

The purpo se o f devalui ng such asse ts is ult i m at ely t o m ak e a co rpo rat i o n liab le f o r less t ax, ag ai n allo wi ng i t t o pr eser ve capi t al.

Deut sche Bank ’s new co -chi ef executive Jo hn Cryan has been g o i ng o ver t he b anks t radi ng st at em ent s and sees t he m ove to have t he bank anno unce such a huge loss t hi s year as a m o ve t o lo o k f urt her for war d i n t erm s o f t he years t o co m e wi t hout havi ng t o deal wi t h lo sses t hen.

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GAMING NEWS

NOVEMBER 2015

Caesars in court over bankruptcy Macau and Nevada revenues show decline...

In what must be a big pay day for lawyers but no-one else Caesars Entertainment have gone to court to determine exactly when they went bankrupt, a decision that can affect a $468 million claim senior lenders have made on the casino company’s cash.

However the judge presiding over the whole mess and indeed the actual $20 billion bankruptcy of Caesars, Judge A. Benjamin Goldgar said that he’s in no hurry to rule on whether the Chapter 11 case officially began on Jan. 12, when creditors filed to force Caesars into bankruptcy, or Jan. 15, when the company filed a voluntary petition.

ing ends, Goldgar said before the first of more than a dozen witnesses began testifying. A fight over the cancellation of an employee pension is more of a priority to him, the judge said.

The whole dispute shows how long winded and drawn out the whole process will be with many claims and counter claims still yet to come before any judgement will be made.

Observers originally forecast that a decision would be made on the bankruptcy in early 2016, that has now changed and it could

Macau gambling revenues for September suffered their 16th consecutive monthly decline with a fall of 33% for the period compared to last year. As customers stayed away from the world’s largest gambling hub casino operators announced that total revenues for September were in line with analysts’ expectations of $2.15 billion.

Many observers and forecasters along with operators expect the current downturn to last well into 2017, but look at turning revenues upward with a focus on leisure and tourism while gaming continues to decline in the current atmosphere in China due to the anti-corruption crack down.

This comes as The Nevada Gaming Control Board reported that August revenues were down 15 compared to the same period last year, with baccarat gambling down due to the economic downturn in China.

According to the figures the state’s casinos kept $908 million of the money gamblers wagered in August, which is down 1.4% from August last year.

South Lake Tahoe revenue tumbled the most with a drop of 34% to $19 million, Las Vegas Strip casinos fell 5% compared to last year to $527 million, with Reno casinos down 4% to $51 million, however downtown Las Vegas was up 15% to $40 million.

In total taxes collected for the state amounted to $52 million which is actually 2% higher than August 2014.

be into the summer of 2016 before a decision is made.

“I don’t think this is a matter I will decide 24 hours after” the hear-

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GAMING NEWS

NOVEMBER 2015

Protestors welcome G2E attendees

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he opening of G2E in Las Vegas on Tuesday morning was welcome by activists campaigning for a smoke

free state, the Smoke-Free Gaming of America, along with Transport Workers Union Local 721, were just outside the convention centre as it opened to protest that Nevada still allows gamblers to smoke inside casinos.

Advocate Stephanie Steinberg said she believes 80% of gamblers are non-smokers, and that more people would gamble if smoking was banned in casinos. “The issue we’re having as gamblers is we’re kinda fed up with all the second-hand smoke,” she said. “Every time I go into a casino I’m a smoker. I leave as a smoker.

I smell like a smoker. So the fact of the matter is that gambling and smoking don’t go hand in hand.”

“If the state goes non-smoking, there’s no competition,” said Cynthia Falls, president of the Transport Workers Union Local 721, which represents table-game dealers. “More than that, we deserve better. Why are we the last bastion for smokers?”

That’s what the protestors were asking those going to the G2E on Sands Avenue, outside the Sands Expo and Convention Centre. Sadly not many that were headed to the G2E had anything to say to the protestors or indeed recognised the signs in front of them.

Currently in Nevada there is only one City that has a no smoking policy in casinos, that of Fernley and all those protesting said that the rest of Nevada casino operators should follow this example.

Vietnam poor relation to Cambodia in gambling revenues Vietnam casino brought in just over $61 million in revenues for 2014 compared to the $2 billion plus that Cambodia saw in revenues, which is some 3% of the total from its neighbour.

The country which only allows foreign overseas gamblers to play in the casinos and has 8 licensed casinos and 64 lottery companies along with two sports betting firms, saw that 40%

However Lottery sales were at $2.86 billion, the problem for casinos is that all Vietnamese gamblers travel to Cambodia to gamble and so help boost revenues there but not in Vietnam. Also there are many illegal casinos in Vietnam allowing residents to gamble and are not counted in official figures.

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GAMING NEWS

NOVEMBER 2015

Asia’s leading developer coming to London Clever Duck Media welcomes Galaxy Entertainment Group as a Sponsor for the 9th International Gaming Awards Ceremony, the biggest and the best industry charity event. The ceremony will take place at The London Savoy Hotel on 1 February 2016 and will be judged by 25 global industry experts Colin Thompson organizer of International Gaming Awards commented: “We are thrilled that Galaxy Entertainment Group, one of the most luxurious Resort operators, will sponsor IGA for another year. To be aligned with a brand as well regarded and worldrenowned as Galaxy Entertainment highlights the global influence and reach of The IGA and its charitable causes.”

The 9th International Gaming Awards annual chic event is taking place in London’s historic venue, the Savoy Hotel in London, on the 1 February 2016. It will unite industry professionals from across the world and allow them to network with talented insiders from across the industry. The 9th IGA, once again, promises an exquisite line up of sponsors, judges, guests and industry achievers. Following in the footsteps of its previous successful awards, it will be hosting the biggest and best charity event within the gaming industry.

The 9TH IGA as always will provide first opportunity to showcase your product to the receptive audience of industry connoisseurs.

International Gaming Awards as always welcomes the most successful operators from around the globe, out-

standing leaders and philanthropists.

To book tickets to the 9th IGA please visit www.gaming-awards.com.

Galaxy Entertainment Group Limited (“GEG” or the “Group”) is one of the world’s leading hospitality and gaming companies. It primarily develops and operates hotels, gaming and integrated resort facilities in Macau.

The Group is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (27.HK) and is a member of the Hang Seng Index.

GEG is one of six gaming concessionaires in Macau with an exceptional track record of delivering innovative, spectacular and industry leading properties, products and services, underpinned by a “World Class, Asian Heart” service philosophy, that has enabled it to consistently outperform the wider market.

on a 2.7 square kilometer land parcel on Hengqin adjacent to Macau. This resort will complement GEG’s offer in Macau, differentiate it from its peers and support Macau in its vision to become a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. Additionally, we continue to explore international development opportunities.

GEG is committed to delivering unique ‘World Class, Asian Heart’ holiday experiences to its guests and building a sustainable future for Macau.

GEG also operates a Construction Materials Division.

GEG operates three flagship venues in Macau: on Cotai, Galaxy Macau™, one of the world’s largest integrated destination resorts, and the adjoining Broadway Macau™, a new hotel, entertainment and retail landmark destination; and on the Peninsula, StarWorld Macau, an award winning high end boutique property.

The Group has the largest development pipeline of any concessionaire in Macau. When Phases 3 & 4 of its Cotai landbank are completed, GEG’s footprint on Cotai will double to more than 2 million square meters. GEG has also entered into a framework agreement to develop a low rise, low density world class destination resort

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GREAT PLACE TO PLAY GREAT PLACE TO WORK If you have a passion for excellence, there could well be a place for you on The Rational Group team. The Rational Group employs industry-leading practices in customer service, product development, payment security, game integrity and player fund protection, and also holds more online poker licenses than any other e-gaming company. We apply the same high standards to looking after our people: The Rational Group is currently ranked the 14th best large company to work at in the UK by the Great Place to Work Institute.

The Rational Group operates gaming and related businesses and brands including PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and the European Poker Tour. These brands collectively form the largest poker business in the world comprising online poker games and tournaments, live poker competitions and poker programming created for television and online audiences.

NO AGENCIES – DIRECT APPLICATIONS ONLY For full details of our vacancies and details on how to apply, please visit www.rationalgroup.com/about-us/careers Rational Services Ltd, Douglas Bay Complex, King Edward Road, Onchan, IM3 1DZ

GAMING NEWS

NOVEMBER 2015

William Hill could miss full year expectations

William Hill’s announcement that their full year results would be on the lower side of analyst’s expectations saw their share price slide by 6%, the news came as the UK bookmaker revealed their third quarter results with profits down 39% compared to the same period last year along with revenues falling by 9% also for the companies Q3.

The fall in profits and revenues were down to a bumper third quarter last year, which was bolstered by huge gambling activity during the football

World Cup, said James Henderson William Hills Chief Executive.

Along with the UK government new gambling duty costing William Hill £23 million extra James Henderson said, “Q3 was always going to be a tough quarter given last year’s World Cup and very strong gross win margin, allied to £23 million of additional gambling duties this year.”

“The quarter also featured weakerthan-expected sporting results impacting retail, the US and Australia,

and the drag effect of the non-core market decline in online. The growth in online’s core markets – the UK, Italy and Spain – remains strong for both betting and gaming.

“Whilst good operating cost discipline has partially offset the weaker-thanexpected results and non-core market impacts, the board now expects full-year operating profit to be around the bottom of the analyst consensus range.”

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The Ritz Club 150 Piccadilly, London W1J 9BS +44 (0)20 7499 1818 www.theritzclub.com @TheRitzClub

GAMING APP NEWS

NOVEMBER 2015

Israel to open a casino in Eilat

Eilat in Israel could be the first to have a land based casino as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has started discussions on opening a casino in the southern resort city.

Netanyahu during his campaign election promised that he would look at the possibility of legalizing casinos to check the effects it would possibly have on the socioeconomic impact to the country and at the same time helping to boost the economy along with creating jobs.

The city of Eilat has for many years been the location

where Israeli’s go to gamble on ships as they go out to neutral waters and offer gambling on board, so for a casino to be located there would make sense. Also with the continued accusations that these ships offer money laundering and rigged games would remove that problem with a legalised casino resort.

A casino did open in Jericho back in 1998 for some six years before closing in 2004, the casino was allowed as it stood on Palestinian Authority-controlled territory, however with the onslaught of the Second Intifada it never really was the success it had been hoped for.

Affinity Gaming announce new chairman Affinity Gaming has announced that current Board Chairman Richard Parisi is to step down with immediate effect and be replaced by David Reganato.

The Las Vegas based Casino Company which has properties in the Midwest, Colorado and Navada said in a statement that Richard Parisi has been replaced by David Reganato with immediate effect.

Both Parisi and Reganato are excellent investment analysts for the Silver Point Capital LP which is the investment advisor and owns 25.1 % of Affinity Gaming stock.

No reason for the departure of Richard Parisi had been given by the company.

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