Latest News
BGC Warns Permanent Industry Damage Following Delay in Casino Reopening
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.”
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AI-Powered Compliance and Player Support
DigerCompanion — Digicode’s AI Solution for Compliance and Player Support in Regulated iGaming
Digicode unveiled DigerCompanion, an advanced AI-powered platform tailored specifically for regulated iGaming settings. DigerCompanion streamlines essential player interactions, maintains top regulatory compliance standards, lowers operational costs, bolsters compliance monitoring, and greatly improves the player experience.
The platform provides adaptable deployment choices, allowing operators to run DigerCompanion on-site or in a private cloud, guaranteeing complete ownership and management of sensitive player information.
Comprehensive Features and Capabilities
- DigerCompanion incorporates six core functions essential to excellence in compliance and player support:
- Responsible Gaming Automation: Enforces strict self-exclusion protocols while minimizing manual compliance efforts.
- Promotion and Terms & Conditions Mapping: Centralizes promotional terms and automates player eligibility verification.
- Game Rules Knowledgebase: Consolidates detailed game mechanics and odds, enabling accurate and regulator-aligned responses to player queries.
- Bet History API Access: Provides players with transparent, self-service access to verify betting outcomes.
- Smart Escalation Engine: Employs behavioral analytics to escalate VIP and high-risk cases to specialized human teams appropriately.
- Multilingual Support: Delivers native-level, context-aware responses across more than 25 languages.
Advantages of Operations
The integration of DigerCompanion leads to significant operational improvements, featuring a decrease in support requests by as much as 40% and a 99% rise in compliance precision. Moreover, the average time taken to handle tickets drops significantly from more than five minutes to less than twenty seconds. Every player interaction is completely traceable, with the platform adjusting in real-time to changing regulatory standards.
The post DigerCompanion — Digicode’s AI Solution for Compliance and Player Support in Regulated iGaming appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Brook Bakery
MIDNITE PARADES GIANT CHIP BUTTY AHEAD OF STEEL CITY DERBY
Midnite, principal partners of Sheffield United, unveiled a giant chip butty ahead of the Steel City derby against Sheffield Wednesday. The display coincided with the Blades’ 2-1 victory, which relegated their city rivals.
To celebrate the club’s iconic chip butty anthem, Midnite collaborated with Brook Bakery to create the oversized butty, which was showcased on the touchline prior to kick-off. In addition, hundreds of chip butties will be donated to local homeless charities and food banks across Sheffield in the coming weeks.
Andrew Mook, Head of Brand at Midnite, said: “We wanted to give something back to Sheffield United fans in a way that is synonymous with the club. The chip butty anthem is instantly recognisable as being something unique to Sheffield United, and by creating a giant chip butty, we wanted to have some fun, while ultimately delivering a strong message.
“Midnite is dedicated to offering value to Sheffield United fans. We aren’t just here to use the club and stick our logo on the shirt. We want to become a part of the club, and our initiatives and activations have all been designed to bring fans closer to the clubs they love.
“It has been great to work alongside local Sheffield businesses to create the chip butty, and then to help give back to the community foodbank and charities.”
Throughout the season, Midnite has supported fans by covering travel for away matches, providing complimentary haircuts to celebrate the new year, and unveiling a 50-square-metre mural honoring Chris Wilder opposite Bramall Lane.
The post MIDNITE PARADES GIANT CHIP BUTTY AHEAD OF STEEL CITY DERBY appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Latest News
Stakelogic goes live with Spanish entertainment giant Luckia
Stakelogic has partnered with Luckia to expand its presence in the regulated online market of Spain.
Through the agreement, a selection of Stakelogic’s slot portfolio will be integrated into Luckia’s online platform via the Light & Wonder aggregation system. The rollout includes both classic and modern video slots featuring a wide range of themes and gameplay styles designed to appeal to diverse player preferences.
Founded in 1972, Luckia has evolved from a traditional slot machine operator into a multi-channel entertainment provider offering sports betting, casino games, bingo, and slots across online and retail channels, supported by more than 2,500 employees.
Roberto Navarrete, Senior Account Manager at Stakelogic, said: “Luckia is one of Spain’s most prominent and long-standing gaming and entertainment groups, with a significant retail heritage and a growing digital presence. Partnering with a brand of this scale and reputation is a major step for Stakelogic in the Spanish market. We are excited to bring our slot portfolio to Luckia’s platform and are confident their players will enjoy the variety, quality and gameplay depth our titles are known for.”
Eloy Fernandez, Head of Product Team at Luckia, added: “Adding Stakelogic’s content allows us to further diversify the entertainment we offer online, with games that combine distinctive design and well-balanced gameplay. Strengthening our slot portfolio in this way is an important part of ensuring our digital platform continues to evolve in line with player expectations and market trends.”
The post Stakelogic goes live with Spanish entertainment giant Luckia appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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