Latest News
UK Casinos Urge Chancellor to Let Them Re-open This Month
Casinos in the UK have urged Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer, to allow them to reopen this month to help kick-start the local economy and contribute tax revenue.
The venues were dealt a huge blow last month when ministers ruled that they could not open their doors again on July 4, having been closed since the start of lockdown in March.
It meant that thousands of casino staff remained on furlough – costing the Exchequer around £5m a week. The closures mean the Treasury is also missing out on vast revenues, with casinos last year paying £5.7m each week in tax and duties.
Casinos have invested heavily to ensure their premises are covid-secure, with measures such as perspex screens, santisation equipment and sophisticated track and trace systems, as well as introducing other changes and strict social distancing measures.
In an open letter to the Chancellor, Betting and Gaming Council chief executive Michael Dugher says the sector is ready to help get the UK economy back on its feet again as soon as it gets the green light from the Government.
Mr. Dugher says: “The UK casino sector were sorely disappointed not to be included in the list of industries allowed to reopen on 4 July.
“The support from HM Treasury, such as the Job Retention Scheme, has been extremely welcome, however support for casinos is costing the Exchequer around £5 million per week while they are closed.
“Casinos want to get back in business and once again contributing to the economy, not costing the Exchequer money. Last year, casinos paid over £5.7m million in tax per week.
“With phased reductions in wage support kicking in soon, there is however a real fear that if reopening doesn’t happen in July there will be severe damage caused to the casino industry.
“To our knowledge, casinos have met all Covid safety requirements and yet they are still not permitted to open. We urgently ask for your help to get casinos reopened and back to contributing to the UK economy.”
The letter adds: “The cost of remaining in a reopening ‘holding pattern’ is significantly higher as it means businesses are kept in a state of preparedness, including maintaining the premises for reopening, cleaning, restocking supplies and staffing.
“Having made the necessary preparations for a July reopening, casinos are ready and able to open at the earliest opportunity. We would greatly appreciate any help you can give to get our businesses back open and contributing to the UK economy.”
Powered by WPeMatico
Latest News
TENTENSEVEN MARKETING AGENCY LAUNCHES WITH €500K INVESTMENT FROM THE UNIT
As part of The Unit’s company restructure, its highly successful in-house marketing division will be launched as an agency serving iGaming and sports betting industries
The Unit, a leader in product design and development for sports betting and iGaming, has invested €500,000 to launch marketing agency tentenseven. This exciting transformation of The Unit’s in-house marketing division marks the latest step in its growth strategy and expansion roadmap.
Following an expansion in The Unit’s marketing offering, the marketing team will now operate as tentenseven, which will stand as its own entity. On top of paid search and marketing planning, tentenseven will offer SEO, PPC, social media, brand strategy, editorial content, influencer marketing services and social media production among its many areas of expertise.
Feargal Byrne, Director of Strategic Marketing at The Unit, will head up the new phase of growth at tentenseven as Director of iGaming, Ecommerce and Fintech.
In January, The Unit announced a refresh of its visual brand identity, including a new company logo and redesigned website, which reflected the company’s recent growth and ambitious expansion plans. These expansion plans were signified by the recent opening of The Unit’s North American hub in New York City. As part of the brand refresh, the company is focusing on product design and development, with the marketing side of the business now operating as a standalone agency.
Paddy Casey, Co-founder at The Unit, said: “After kicking off 2025 with our brand refresh, we are redefining our structure as a business. With additional funding in place, we think now is the right time for tentenseven to stand in its own right as a marketing leader in the industry. With this investment, tentenseven has the means to grow and maximise its potential in the coming years. We expect to see tentenseven expand in the short and long-term, just as we expect with The Unit.
“In his time with The Unit, Feargal has demonstrated his ability to help clients develop their marketing strategies, establishing channel-level approaches across PPC, social and SEO. Feargal is perfectly positioned to run tentenseven and steward the company into this new and exciting era.”
Feargal Byrne added: “I am delighted to be given the opportunity to lead tentenseven as Director of iGaming, Ecommerce and Fintech.
“This is an exciting period for The Unit as a company, and with this significant investment, tentenseven will have the capability to expand and make further headway in the market. That’s great news not just for us, but also for our clients. I can’t wait to get started on this project with the team and I look forward to putting our plans for tentenseven into action as quickly as possible.”
The post TENTENSEVEN MARKETING AGENCY LAUNCHES WITH €500K INVESTMENT FROM THE UNIT appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Compliance Updates
UKGC Launches Latest Consultation on Gaming Machine Technical Standards
The Gambling Commission has launched a new consultation aimed at making gambling in Britain safer and fairer.
This is the Commission’s third consultation to implement proposals from the 2023 Gambling Act Review White Paper High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age.
The consultation, which will run for 16 weeks (from 29 January 2025 to 20 May 2025), is focussed on the gaming machine technical standards and the related testing strategy. It includes proposals to:
• introduce five new standards, a licence condition and a social responsibility code provision designed to support and empower consumers to use gaming machines safely at every stage of the customer journey – this includes proposals on time and monetary limit setting functionality and information provision such as safer gambling messaging and the display of net position and session time
• amend three existing standards having considered industry proposals to improve customer enjoyment and gameplay
• consolidate the existing 12 gaming machine technical standards into a single standard, whilst amending the format to be more consistent with our Remote gambling and software technical standards for greater clarity
• update the gaming machine technical standards and the related testing strategy to remove obsolete material.
Tim Miller, Gambling Commission Executive Director for research and policy, said: “The White Paper sets out that a top priority is ensuring that gambling happens safely. We share this commitment and today’s consultation proposes how we could implement gaming machine changes in the land-based sector.
“We recognise that regulatory changes that impact the design of machines can come with considerable costs. We are encouraging consumers, gambling businesses and other interested groups to share evidence that will assist us in measuring both the likely regulatory impacts of the proposed changes and the likely costs of implementing them. This evidence will be invaluable to helping make a robust assessment on whether the benefits to consumers are proportionate to the costs involved.”
The post UKGC Launches Latest Consultation on Gaming Machine Technical Standards appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Compliance Updates
Permanent Secretary for the Economy Visits MGA Offices
On Tuesday, 28 January 2025, the newly appointed Permanent Secretary within the Ministry for the Economy, Enterprise, and Strategic Projects, Mr Godwin Mifsud, paid an official visit to the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA/Authority) offices at SmartCity. He was greeted by MGA CEO Charles Mizzi, alongside members of the MGA Executive Committee and staff.
During his visit, Mr Mifsud was given a tour of the Authority’s offices and had the opportunity to engage directly with team members from various departments. These interactions provided him with a deeper understanding of their responsibilities, the core functions of each department and the challenges they face in their day-to-day work.
The MGA CEO outlined the Authority’s strategic direction to Mr Mifsud and shared details of key projects currently underway, as well as those planned for the future.
The post Permanent Secretary for the Economy Visits MGA Offices appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
Golden Nugget Atlantic City7 days ago
Golden Nugget Atlantic City Announces Re-opening of Sportsbook with New, Innovative Technology and Expanded Betting Markets
-
Compliance Updates7 days ago
MGCB Executive Director Applauds Reappointment of Board Member Deidre A. Lambert-Bounds by Governor
-
Latest News7 days ago
BetConstruct Introduces The Last Battle Universe B2B Reward Feature for Partners
-
Gambling in the USA7 days ago
Spinomenal makes US debut with New Jersey market entry
-
Hard Rock International7 days ago
Hard Rock Bet, Unity by Hard Rock Loyalty Programs Come Together for Unprecedented Rewards
-
eSports7 days ago
NIP Group Partners with Abu Dhabi Investment Office to Accelerate Abu Dhabi’s Esports Industry
-
Latest News7 days ago
New GambleAware-commissioned Research Warns of High Risks from Gaming Machines, Online Casino Games and Loot Boxes
-
Gambling in the USA7 days ago
Gila River Resorts & Casinos hosts $5.9 million Big Game prop play contest