EMEA
Patrojoc Slams Venue Shutdown Extension
Te Catalan gambling association Patrojoc has slammed the decision to keep bingo halls, casinos and slot halls shut whilst opening shopping centres
Te Catalan gambling association Patrojoc has slammed the decision to keep bingo halls, casinos and slot halls shut whilst opening shopping centres which don't implement a strict access control that allows absolute traceability of customers.
It is considering appealing the decision of the Territorial Plan of Civil Protection of Catalonia and requesting a statement from the Catalan Competition Authority, saying the decision shows 'contempt for the 8,000 people who work in the sector.'
Patrojoc highlights that the move is discriminatory as gambling is the only daytime activity with a ban on opening, without any health justification. Carlos Duelo, President of Patrojoc, said: “Tis unjustifiable and discriminatory decision is totally unacceptable from a health point of view, given that within a shopping centre, the only establishments that
have an effective control of capacity is the game. Bingo halls, casinos and lounges are safe spaces, free of COVID because they implement strict access control that allows absolute traceability of customers, beyond the implementation of health protocols. Tey are places in which there is not a large concentration of people, and safe distances, ventilation and air renewal of the premises, temperature taking, the use of a mask and the disinfection of machines and tables can be guaranteed. after each use.
“No source of contagion has been detected in any of our rooms.
“You cannot despise our sector and its 8,000 workers. We want to continue contributing the €240m in direct taxes that we pay to the Generalitat, but in order to do so the Government cannot leave us on the bench,” concluded Mr. Duelo.
Austria - Malta - Slovakia Greentube seeks to hire over 100 new recruits
Greentube is hiring more than 100 new employees across its offices in Austria, Malta and Slovakia as the company prepares for increased commercial expansion.
Te recruitment drive comes after a strong year for Greentube with substantial growth in all of its business segments. Te company is forecasting continued expansion driven by its entry into the German market and the launch of its new RGS platform in 2021, both of which present massive opportunities for the supplier’s B2B and B2C divisions.
Positions are available in multiple departments, including the Development, Project Management, Key Account Management, Casino Operation and Technical Support teams, and are spread across Greentube’s headquarters in Vienna and other key European offices.
Tirty developers will also be
recruited to the company’s new development centre in Belgrade, which is intended to strengthen the supplier’s proprietary platform development and operations units.
Michael Bauer, Greentube CFO/CGO, said: “2020 was a fantastic year for us with growth in all of our divisions. We expect the trend to accelerate even more in 2021 as additional markets in Europe such as Germany and Netherlands will become regulated and thus enable market entries for us both in the B2C and B2B area. Additionally, we are planning to set foot into the US as a games supplier and have high expectations there as well. For us to benefit from these opportunities, we are committed to investing in our workforce. We are always on the lookout for gaming industry professionals and talents who will help shape our future. I can only recommend to anybody interested in being part of this success story to reach out to our HR.”
Belgium
Te Belgian Gaming Commission is tightening gambling advertising laws by strengthening its partnership with the Jupiler Pro League, the country’s top division of football, Te two will jointly introduce a series of responsible advertising guidelines, including a ban on sponsorship partnerships with operators not licensed by the Commission. Operators must not include an inducement to bet in their messages and advertising betting on certain stages of a match will also not be allowed. Te Belgian Gambling Commission said: “Each new collaboration will be announced to the Gaming Commission. When an operator commits infringements or loses its license, the Gaming Commission will also report this to the Pro League and the club for further action.”
“GERMANY – Georg Stecker, spokesman for the board of directors of the umbrella organisation Die Deutsche Automatenwirtschaft eV (DAW), has spoken out to reject the regulation of commercial slot machine games based on quantitative criteria. He said that no player is protected by the fact that it takes a few minutes more or less to get to the next arcade due to minimum distances. Only qualitative regulatory standards, i.e. standards that concern the protection of the gaming guests in the gaming hall themselves, are suitable for performing this protective function. The channeling goal of the State Treaty on Gambling runs counter to the shortage and displacement of the legal range of games, said the DAW board spokesman.
“The fact that, with the State Treaty on Gaming in 2021, qualitative criteria are now being used for the first time in the regulation of commercial slot machine games is therefore to be welcomed, also and in particular from the point of view of all legal and properly working companies. They would often already, voluntarily and out of conviction, provide a level of youth and player protection that goes beyond the legal regulations. They welcomed a regulation that gives them the chance to convince with the high quality of their offerings, instead of measuring distances with a tape measure,” explained Mr. Stecker. He calls on the federal states to make use of the option when implementing the interstate treaty into state law to obtain association arcades with a maximum of three licenses for a limited period if they meet certain quality criteria. “The federal states should proceed in the same way with regard to the minimum distances, because 'a sufficient stock of high-quality establishments is indispensable if one wants to steer the natural instinct to play in orderly ways and counteract the black market,” added Mr. Stecker.
FRANCE – Neufchâtel-Hardelot, a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region in Northern France, is again interested in hosting a casino with a feasibility study set to be launched in the near future. Paulette Juilien- Peuvion, the mayor of the town on the Opal Coast, said: "Hardelot became a tourist resort in 2014. Jean-Pierre Pont, my predecessor, already had this project in mind."
The idea of a casino was part of a vast renovation project in the south of the town proposed by a Belgian developer. The economic crisis of 2007 to 2012, however, put an end to the development. In search of additional resources to undertake important projects for her city, Ms. Juilien-Peuvion noted that the city council last year in Boulogne sur Mer benefitted for its casino, operated by the Belgian group Golden Palace, which had donated €662,000 to the city.
NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / MARKET DATA P13
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