AGC Sector Needs Lockdown Exit Strategy
Gauselmann UK has appealed to the UK government for a clear action plan prior to the publication of the lockdown exit strategy, seeking a partnership approach.
“As a business and as an industry we need to plan for a successful re-opening and to be able to hit the ground running as soon as the health data tells us it is safe.”
UK LAND-BASED GAMING
Gauselmann UK, one of the leading low-stake gambling investors on Britain’s high street, has urged government to work with the industry and agree an action plan prior to publication of the government’s exit strategy which is expected later this month.
Sascha Blodau, General Manager, Gauselmann UK (pictured), underlined the importance of using the current period to iron out any issues or misgivings surrounding the re-opening of AGCs and Bingo Clubs. He said: “As a business and as an industry we need to plan for a successful re- opening and to be able to hit the ground running as soon as the health data tells us it is safe to re- open.
“In specific terms we would like to know what the perceived risk hierarchy is for retail premises on the high street and the criteria used in this evaluation; whether the plan is to return to tiering and if so, what will be permitted under each tier as greater numbers are vaccinated; identifying and understanding what conditions have to be met in order to introduce a lighter touch regulatory regime and an insight to the structure if not the precise detail of government
support measures as businesses begin the long journey of commercial recovery.”
“We operate a total of 180 venues in Britain and each week of lockdown is costing the company close to £1m. We have learned a lot about operating during the pandemic, I believe our safety protocols compare favourably with any bricks and mortar retailer and we are committed to supporting local economies and providing employment for people living in the 140+ towns and cities where we have venues.
“It’s of huge importance that we use this time to ensure that we are crystal clear about what’s required to reopen and trade alongside businesses such as Licensed Betting Offices with whom we share key characteristics. As an industry we can use this period to undertake any preparatory work that’s necessary to plan for re-opening and help to kick-start high street economies. Tere’s a huge appetite throughout Gauselmann and the UK industry to play a key role in helping to drive the recovery: so let’s get the details agreed now for when lockdown ends thereby providing the security and confidence that business needs.”
Luxembourg Modulus licenses GALAXIS and SYSTEM2Go
Luxembourg-based systems company, Modulus, has exclusively licensed the intellectual property rights for the GALAXIS and SYSTEM2Go casino products from IGT. Te agreement gives Modulus the sole control of development for the two systems with a commitment to increase investment significantly and ensure a high standard of technical support for their wide base of international customers. Te agreement enables Modulus to commercialise and distribute the products across all territories, except North America.
Te deal creates a significant new player in the systems market, with more than 30,000 machines connected to Modulus systems and more than 240 operator customers.
Modulus is an affiliate of I-magine, a long-term distributor of IGT products. As president of Modulus and I-magine, with over 30 years’ experience in gaming,
entrepreneur Willy de Bruyn has assembled a leadership team with in-depth knowledge of the existing GALAXIS and SYSTEM2Go feature set.
Bruno Ozenda, formerly IGT’s Director of Product Management, will lead development of the systems and services as Customer Experience Director. Te team he leads includes IGT’s full R&D resource. Fivos Polymniou, formerly IGT’s Sales Director for Systems, takes on the role of Director of Sales and Marketing for Modulus.
Te Modulus leadership team also includes Chief Operating Officer Marc Attal, whose 30 years’ experience in the systems industry includes recent roles as COO at Ludi S.F.M. and I- magine, and Chief Financial Officer, Frederic Bonafous, who previously spent 15 years as the CFO of Casino Systems at Artonic Systems and Gtech.
Malta
Spribe has been awarded a licence by the Malta Gaming Authority. Te provider’s Malta licence comes just weeks after it received approval from the Great Britain Gambling Commission to partner with operators in the UK for the first time. David Natroshvili, Managing Partner at Spribe, said: “Tis is a significant moment in our journey to becoming one of the top casino content creators in the market, allowing us to partner with Malta licensees for the first time. Tis will increase the reach of our games, allowing us to work with more operators and to provide their players, and especially those in the Millennial demographic, with a unique, exciting and thrilling online casino experience like no other. Te Spribe team has worked incredibly hard to get to this stage and to secure approval from the Malta Gaming Authority.”
LIECHTENSTEIN – EGT and its regional partner, E-Systems, delivered the majority of machines for the recently launched Casino 96 in Balzers, securing 32 of the total 75 gaming positions. The installed slot cabinets hail from the latest General series from EGT including the G 32-32 VIP model, the G 27-27 Up and eight S32 terminals from the S-Line EGT Multiplayer range, connected to an automated roulette wheel. Each machine is linked to EGT’s Jackpot Cards four-level mystery progressive.
“We have partnered with the operator before, so they were aware of EGT’s slots and their solid performance,” shared Emilia Tomachinska, MD of E- Systems. “So we focused as usual on our service – the thorough initial consultation about the models and their possible arrangement on the floor, the set- up and configuration of the cabinets before and during the installation, the fluent workflow and cooperation on-site between E-Systems and operator’s technical team, the training we provided and the aftersales continuous availability of our specialists for high quality support. ”
UK – SIS has agreed a two-year deal to distribute live pictures and data for the full Saudi Arabian racing schedule, including the principal event of the season, The Saudi Cup. The schedule for the next two years will be made available to SIS’s customers worldwide via the company’s retail and online services, including its 24/7 Live Betting Channels – an end-to-end solution which provides operators with short-form content throughout the day with a betting event every three minutes. As part of the agreement, SIS broadcast The Saudi Cup on February 20 - the world’s most valuable horse race thanks to its $20m prize fund and the $10m cheque handed out to the winner.
AUSTRIA – Luke Alvarez, the CEO of BetVictor and former CEO of Inspired, was elected as the new Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Austrian Lotteries in mid-January, but resigned from his position in less than a week. Austrian Lotteries stated that Mr. Alvarez left for personal reasons, but the resignation followed a campaign by Austria’s Kurier newspaper that claimed he was grossly incompatible to hold the role.
In an article, “The Joker from Gibraltar,” the Kurier claimed that the fact the new chairman of the supervisory board was also the chairman of a direct online competitor, BetVictor, a position Mr. Alvarez has held since 2018, was an extreme conflict of interest. The paper argued that while BetVictor allows players from Austria to use its platform, Win2day, a subsidiary of the casinos and the lotteries, has the sole monopoly licence for Internet gaming in Austria. BetVictor, the paper claimed, is therefore an illegal operator in the Austrian market.
WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS P11
Wire EMEA
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