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BGC Warns Permanent Industry Damage Following Delay in Casino Reopening

Published

6 years ago

August 4, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has warned that the UK Government’s last-minute reversal of plans to allow casinos to reopen on August 1 has dealt a wrecking ball to the industry, from which it may never recover.

The casino sector employs more than 14,000 people across the UK in 125 casinos and a further 4000 in the supply chain. Casinos also paid over £300 million each year in tax before the lockdown.

With casinos across England forced to remain shuttered, the BGC warns that up to 6000 jobs may be permanently lost.

In a letter to Chancellor Rishi Sunak MP on July 31, BGC described the decision to keep casinos closed as “highly illogical, inconsistent and deeply damaging to those businesses and the thousands of staff they employ.”

BGC has also rejected the Prime Minister’s categorisation of casinos as “higher risk” during his Downing Street briefing. Casinos have spent weeks and invested millions of pounds to ensure their premises are covid-secure, with measures such as perspex screens, sanitisation equipment and sophisticated track and trace systems, as well as introducing strict social distancing measures and hygiene protocols.

BGC Chief Executive Michael Dugher said: “The Government are swinging a wrecking ball right through the middle of our industry and large scale job losses, which ought to be unnecessary and avoidable, now look inevitable unless ministers act fast.”

“Casinos are a small but fundamental part of our leisure, hospitality, entertainment and tourism industry. They employ over 14,000 people across the UK and indirectly support another 4,000 jobs in the supply sector, and last year casinos paid over £5.7 million in tax per week.

“The ongoing cost of remaining in a holding pattern to reopen is clearly not sustainable, with more jobs and livelihoods being put at risk with every last minute change and delay to reopening.

“The Job Retention Scheme has helped but our members will now be forced to pay National Insurance and pension contributions on top of salaries in August while they remain closed. As furlough payments are phased out, there will be no flexibility for casinos to adapt to the new working and leisure environment and I now fear that many thousands of jobs could be lost.

“We made the all necessary preparations for safe reopening and we were given the green light by Public Health England on the basis of the significant investment made by operators, and having been told by the Government themselves that casinos posed a ‘negligible’ risk compared with the tens of thousands of other places that they have been reopened.”

cfo

Scientific Games CFO Nick Negro to depart May 15; Ray Anderson named interim

Published

3 hours ago

May 13, 2026

Wladimir P.

scientific-games-cfo-nick-negro-to-depart-may-15;-ray-anderson-named-interim

Anderson has served as interim CFO since May 4 as Scientific Games begins a search for a permanent finance chief.

Scientific Games said May 12 that Chief Financial Officer Nick Negro will leave the company on May 15, ending a three-year tenure. The company said Negro is departing for an opportunity based in Chicago to be closer to family.

Scientific Games has appointed Ray Anderson as interim Chief Financial Officer, effective May 4, while it searches for a permanent CFO.

“Nick has been a strong member of our leadership team and an advocate for the potential of Scientific Games,” said Pat McHugh, Chief Executive Officer for Scientific Games. “During his time with the company, he significantly strengthened our financial and procurement organizations and helped position Scientific Games for continued growth. We thank Nick for his contributions and wish him all the best.”

Anderson is a CPA with more than 30 years of global experience, including senior roles at KPMG across the U.S., Europe and Asia. Most recently, he served as a Global Lead Partner advising Fortune 500 companies on audit, capital markets and regulatory strategy, and previously led KPMG’s Pacific Southwest audit practice for six years.

“Ray is a highly respected finance leader with extensive global experience advising large, complex organizations,” said McHugh. “We are confident in his ability to support the business and our Finance organization during this transition.”

The post Scientific Games CFO Nick Negro to depart May 15; Ray Anderson named interim appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Scientific Games Announces CFO Transition

Published

3 hours ago

May 13, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

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Scientific Games announced today that Chief Financial Officer Nick Negro will be leaving the company on May 15 after three years of success in the role leading the company through three years of growth.

Negro is departing for an opportunity based in Chicago that allows him to be closer to family.

To ensure continuity during the transition, Scientific Games has appointed Ray Anderson as interim Chief Financial Officer, effective May 4, as the company begins the search for a permanent CFO.

Anderson is a seasoned finance leader and CPA with more than 30 years of global experience, including senior leadership roles at KPMG across the U.S., Europe and Asia. Most recently, he served as a Global Lead Partner, advising Fortune 500 companies on audit, capital markets and regulatory strategy, and working closely with boards and executive teams. Immediately prior to this role, he led KPMG’s Pacific Southwest audit practice for six years.

Serving 150 lotteries in 50 countries, Scientific Games is the world’s largest lottery games company, fastest growing lottery systems provider and a leading provider of digital lottery solutions.

The post Scientific Games Announces CFO Transition appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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Scientific Games completes systems conversion for New Mexico Lottery

Published

4 hours ago

May 13, 2026

Wladimir P.

scientific-games-completes-systems-conversion-for-new-mexico-lottery

Modernization adds Momentum ecosystem tools and rolls out new terminals and self-service machines to 1,000+ retailers statewide.

Scientific Games has completed a technology systems conversion for the New Mexico Lottery, modernizing lottery operations with a new gaming system and rolling out retail technology to more than 1,000 locations across the state. The update went live May 11, 2026, according to the company.

Scientific Games said the new system now powers the Lottery’s draw-based and Scratchers’ sales and is designed to simplify product management for retailers. The conversion also includes the launch of the Scientific Games Enhanced Partnership (SGEP) instant game management program, which the company said combines analytics, logistics, retail optimization and product strategy.

“The New Mexico Lottery is officially live with new, modern technology systems that work together to enhance all aspects of our operations and ensure we are well-positioned for our next era of growth,” said David Barden, CEO of the New Mexico Lottery. “We’ve strategically planned every step of this holistic modernization effort with Scientific Games to intelligently operate our retail network, making our Scratchers games easier for retailers to manage in their stores and easily accessible to our valued players.”

Scientific Games said the conversion was developed over the past year and is built on its Momentum ecosystem. Components cited include an advanced central gaming system, the SciTrak instant game distribution system, the gem | intelligence retailer licensing and management portal and the INFUSE business intelligence platform. The company said WAVE clerk-operated terminals and PlayCentral self-service machines will be deployed to retailers in planned phases.

“Congratulations to the New Mexico Lottery for building upon our long-standing instant scratch game partnership, embracing innovation for the future,” said John Schulz, President of Americas & Global Instant Products for Scientific Games. “We are proud to serve as the Lottery’s full-line partner and help drive maximum proceeds for New Mexico college students.”

The post Scientific Games completes systems conversion for New Mexico Lottery appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.