Simmonds staunchly defended Safer Gambling Week, denouncing critics who she claims attacked the campaign due to their general aversion towards betting and gaming activities. The yearly campaign has enjoyed resounding success, uniting the UK gambling industry in support of gambling harm prevention and awareness. Simmonds was adamant that regulated operators adhered to strict guidelines and prioritized customer safety.

Last Year’s Event Was a Resounding Success

Simmonds highlighted the overwhelming success of Safer Gambling Week 2023, which extended beyond physical gambling venues such as betting shops, casinos, and bingo clubs, aiming to encourage conversations around responsible gambling. Simmonds noted a substantial positive impact from last year’s campaign, with around 200,000 accounts setting deposit limits and a remarkable 300% increase in players actively using reality checks.

Last year’s campaign also achieved impressive success online, garnering over 50 million impressions across major platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, marking a 70% increase from the previous year. Additionally, the Safer Gambling Week website witnessed half a million visits, indicating a significant uptake in accessing advice and support resources.

This truly was a whole industry endeavor; online, in betting shops, in bingo halls and casinos.

Bridgid Simmonds, BGC Chair

Simmonds reiterated the industry’s commitment to promoting responsible gambling, noting that the vast majority of participants engaged in gambling safely. She acknowledged the significance of addressing problem gambling while emphasizing the need to raise standards and promote responsible gaming practices, contributing to a sustainable, player-oriented market.

Simmonds Attempted to Deflect Rising Criticisms

Speaking for Politics Home, Simmonds expressed dismay at persistent criticism from certain quarters despite robust support from the government, independent regulators, and cross-party parliamentary backing. She accused detractors of merely disliking the gambling and gaming industry, thus undermining efforts to enhance industry standards.

They are not interested in genuine attempts to drive up standards – they simply dislike betting and gaming – and by extension, dislike those who enjoy it.

Bridgid Simmonds, BGC Chair

The BGC Chair highlighted the organization’s ongoing efforts beyond Safer Gambling Week, asserting the continuation of responsible gambling initiatives throughout the year. Simmonds confirmed that the BGC would continue dedicating time and resources to amplifying safer gambling tools and broadening support avenues for those in need.

Simmonds’s statements come during a tumultuous time for the UK gambling sector as the government finalizes consultations on its gambling white paper. Recent revelations regarding politicians receiving donations from the BGC raised lobbying concerns, while a proposed gambling tax increase caused further friction. While the industry’s safe gambling efforts are commendable, it should not so easily dismiss valid criticisms.

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Amid campaign finance disclosures, a donation of $500 from NOVABizPAC to Delegate Wren Williams (R-Stuart), a staunch advocate of January’s casino bill, has brought attention to potential links between the political arena and casino development. These revelations have prompted significant public scrutiny as industry stakeholders employ all possible measures to secure an advantage in the competitive gambling landscape.

A Successful Casino Bill Can Be a Goldmine for Developers

The contribution from NOVABizPAC, the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s political action committee, to Williams’ campaign surfaced in finance reports filed with the State Board of Elections. Nick Clemente, the lobbyist who authorized the donation, has ties to Christopher Clemente, CEO of Comstock Companies. This connection raises eyebrows as Comstock Companies expressed interest in erecting a casino near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station.

For Comstock to proceed with their plans, the Virginia General Assembly needed to approve legislation enabling the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to initiate a referendum for voters to decide on the casino’s fate. In January, Delegate Williams and State Senator Dave Marsden (D-Burke) introduced almost identical bills (HB 2499/SB 1523) to grant the Board of Supervisors extended authority.

Campaign finance records also revealed that Williams received $500 from the chamber and a $2,500 contribution from Christopher Clemente, with the total sum from Clemente’s donations amounting to $12,500 for Williams’ 2023 campaign. Furthermore, former and current Comstock employees contributed $29,525 to Williams between 1 January and 30 May.

Lobbying Efforts Remain a Staple Industry Tool

Questions persist regarding Williams’ motivations for introducing the casino-related legislation. Marsden had earlier mentioned being approached by developers with relevant properties, although he later claimed ignorance about the specific referendum bill presented by Williams. However, piling coincidences cast doubt on these statements, especially given Williams’ proactive approach.

The politician has been a vocal supporter of Nick Clemente, urging voters to rally behind his lobbying efforts. A video on Williams’ Facebook page shows the delegate position Williams as an advocate for critical issues within the community, emphasizing the other man’s dedication to safety and protection. Williams also praised Clemente on X (formerly Twitter), dispelling doubts about their affiliation.

It was fun knocking on doors yesterday in the beautiful fall weather for Nick Clemente in Northern Virginia.

Delegate Wren Williams on X

The interconnectedness between campaign donations, lobbying, and legislative actions concerning casino-related bills has raised concerns regarding the integrity and transparency of political processes surrounding large-scale development projects. The implications of these financial connections have raised substantial public scrutiny, particularly concerning their influence on legislative decisions and the interests they represent.

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Scientific Games has once again expressed its commitment to responsible gaming education by backing the National Council on Problem Gambling’s annual Gift Responsibly campaign. This is notably the sixth holiday season the digital games, technology and analytics company has promoted the initiative.

The campaign advocates against the gifting of lottery cards to minors during the holidays, alleging that such gifts can lead to gambling harm. Exposure to such content from a young age risks normalizing gambling to kids and teaching them to associate gambling with festivities.

Scientific Games prides itself on being an exemplary company when it comes to responsible gambling. The company’s Healthy Play program, for example, provides a number of reliable science-based tools and practices that lottery operators can use to protect their players and prevent minors from participating in games of chance. The program was recently awarded a 2023 Communitas Award for Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility.

In addition, Scientific Games’ Responsible Gaming Study and toolkit provides further insights into the sector, increasing lottery literacy and encouraging healthy play. The company is one of the first lottery providers to ever receive global certification as a Responsible Gaming Supplier from the World Lottery Association.

Minors Should Never Play the Lottery

Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, praised Scientific Games’ commitment to promoting the Gift Responsibly campaign. He said that the company’s participation in the initiative will help to reduce youth problem gambling.

Whyte added that minors should not play lotteries, not even during the holidays.

Lottery games should never be given to minors, during the holidays or at any other time. Childhood exposure to lottery products can lead to lifelong problems, and youth problem gambling is a public health issue.

Keith Whyte, exec director, NCPG

Carla Schaefer, Scientific Games’ vice president of responsible gaming, also commented on the matter, praising the Gift Responsibly campaign. She said that the initiative aligns with her company’s desire to prevent youth problem gambling and promote responsible lottery participation.

Increasing lottery literacy gives players the knowledge they need to play responsibly and keep lottery games out of minors’ hands.

Carla Schaefer, VP of responsible gaming, Scientific Games

In other news, Scientific Games recently confirmed its plans to accelerate investment in its iLottery Content Hub. Several days earlier, the company released a Monopoly-inspired lottery game.

The post Scientific Games Backs NCPG’s Gift Responsibly Campaign for Sixth Year in a Row appeared first on Keno Wizard.

In July, we informed you of three upcoming network promotions from Wazdan, all set to round off the final months of 2023. The list included the HalloWIN Drop network campaign ready for launch on October 23. Now, the day has come for the innovative provider of casino games to officially kickstart the eerie campaign backed by its award-winning promotional tool Mystery Drop. 

Prize Pool of €2.5 Million 

The promotion, which will end on November 19, comes with a mouth-watering prize pool of €2.5 million ($2.65 million) provided by the provider in full.

Speaking about HalloWIN, which is the studios’ “penultimate network promotion of the year,” chief commercial officer, Andrzej Hyla, said it would add to the excitement of the Day of the Dead celebrations by giving away cash prizes to lucky players across all of their slots. 

Hyla also mentioned the use of their award-winning Mystery Drop tool which is expected to give back to their partners by increasing their rates of engagement and driving revenue.

Iconic Games Revamped

Wazdan has also hit the refresh button and revamped some of its most iconic titles to further support the exciting campaign. 

The list includes top-performing games like Hot Slot: 777 Cash Out with Cash Out, Chance Level, and a Grand Jackpot prize, Sizzling Eggs with the Collect to Infinity feature, and 9 Coins with Cash Infinity and Hold the Jackpot bonus rounds. At the end of last month, Wazdan released the eco-friendly version of Hot Slot: 777 Cash Out.  

The games have been given a Halloween makeover and they are ready to give players more “spine-tingling, special spooky” scares in their new editions.

The studio’s freshest batch of Halloween-themed games comes to once again prove Wazdan’s ongoing efforts to offer more heart-racing content for players while generating top results for their partners.

New Halloween Slot Released

Moreover, the studio that counts over 180 employees “passionate about games and fuelled by innovation and creativity” has also announced the launch of a sequel to one of its most haunting Hallowed-themed games, Los Muertos. 

By embracing the iconic horror theme and embedding the Unique Gamble Feature that offers extended player sessions by doubling the rewards up to seven times in a row in Los Muertos II, Wazdan hopes to attract an even larger number of steady players. 

The slot with three reels and five paylines comes with straightforward and engaging gameplay. It incorporates the Special symbol that exclusively pops up on low-value symbols for even more generous wins. 

The available Volatility Levels let players customize their gameplay and choose from larger wins scored on occasion to smaller wins scored more frequently. 

In May, Wazdan announced the three-month Breaks the Rules Mystery Drop campaign with a prize pool going over the $1 million mark.

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France’s National Gaming Authority (ANJ), an independent administrative body in charge of regulating the betting and gambling sector in the country, announced the launch of a new responsible gambling awareness campaign just in time for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. On Thursday, details regarding the new campaign emerged, revealing that the regulator will seek to promote it via digital outdoor displays and Snapchat.

The new campaign, labeled “Rugby has its codes, so does betting,” seeks to encourage new and seasoned bettors to set limits when engaging in sports wagering. Ultimately, the ANJ calls for good practices that seek to ensure that betting remains a recreational activity.

The campaign encourages bettors to set specific budgets, as well as time and stakes limits and adhere to them. Additionally, the responsible gambling awareness campaign asks bettors not to overestimate their expertise and warns that there’s always chance present in sports.

The betting and gambling regulator confirmed that the images for the new campaign were created by the Rosbeef agency. Previously, the ANJ collaborated with the same agency for the 2022 Football World Cup. Overall, the “Rugby has its codes, so does betting,” seeks to present a simple message: don’t start wagering if you do not know the rules.

Majority of Bettors Plan to Wager on the RWC

The 2023 Rugby World Cup (RWC) officially kicked off on Friday and is scheduled to run through October 28, 2023. The news about the campaign came just in time for the start of the RWC, considering that an increase in betting activities is expected. The ANJ asked the agency Toluna – Harris Interactive to probe the views and intentions of French bettors for the RWC.

Interestingly, close to half of the interviewed sports fans in France confirmed they intend to place a wager on the 2023 RWC, an estimate of 47%. This share of punters marked an increase when compared to the bettors who confirmed their intention to wager on the recent FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

A breakdown of the collected data revealed that some 45% plan to engage in friendly bets with their family, relatives and friends. On the other hand, a solid 25% of the bettors confirmed they plan to wager real money on the RWC. Among the bettors within the age group between 25 and 34 years old, this percentage increased to 44%. In contrast, only 13% of the French said they do not plan to wager on the RWC.

In 2022, an estimate of €176 million ($189 million) was wagered on rugby, making the sport the fourth most popular in France. Sports that were ahead in the amount wagered include basketball and tennis, while soccer proved to be the sport with the most wagers last year, a total of €4.6 billion ($4.9 billion) or 56% of the stakes.

The post France’s ANJ Rolls Out Responsible Gambling Campaign for RWC appeared first on Keno Wizard.

The Philippines-based resort will now promote itself through the “Okada Manila Go” initiative launched to coincide with surging financial performance across the group. Universal Entertainment Corp, the company that owns Okada Manila, saw H1 2023 sales go up by 40.8% to $548 million.

Okada Manila Beckons to Local and International Players

Okada Manila itself hit a 68% increase in sales, reaching $331 million and adjusted EBITDA of $104 million, up 96.2%. This is much better than the results reported at the end of 2022. Okada Manila is not just banking on its casino to bring in crowds, however. The resort is also seeking its food and beverage business pick up with its restaurants proving to be particularly popular in the Philippines and pulling in crowds.

The Okada Manila Go campaign, though, is more geographically focused as it will seek to first incentivize local audiences and focus on gaming, promising members various prizes such as round-trip tickets to Manila, bus tickets, free hotel stays, and more. Commenting on this opportunity, the company said in a press statement that the campaign wants to also raise awareness for the resort beyond its own borders.

This campaign is currently only in the Philippines but is expected to be expanded to include gaming members in other countries too. To bring in more foreign tourists, we will also increase marketing activities in several Asian countries.

Okada Manila is seeking to strengthen its landscape on the one hand while also outlining plans for further digital growth on the other. PIGO, Okada Manila’s online gambling offering, will also be growing over the next years, with the company seeking to grow in this vertical as well.

Growing Beyond the Land-Based Sector

“These activities are steadily increasing gaming demand in areas of the Philippines other than Luzon Island, where Manila is located,” Okada Manila said in a statement. The next steps towards securing stronger business performance will equally focus on expanding the available online casino games.

Okada Manila is not the only business that is interested in exploring online gambling, on top of strengthening its land-based performance. The Philippines as a whole has suggested that it will seek to host a national online casino, Casino Filipino, that will be licensed to operate globally, in what is a first move for a country worldwide.

The post Okada Manilla Launches Marketing Campaign to Promote Destination appeared first on Keno Wizard.

The “It’s Alive!” global marketing campaign is finally available on TV and digitally in the United Kingdom at a time of fast-evolving rules on gambling advertisement in the first place. The TV spot is set around the idea of mad scientists trying to bring Frankenstein-like monsters to life and is designed to boost awareness for SkillOnNet’s live casino and gameshow products that are available at PlayOJO.

It’s Alive! – PlayOJO’s Latest Marketing Campaign Hits the UK

The spot sees the monster come to life once they experience the PlayOJO live casino, which runs current through it and brings it back. All of this is done in beautiful CGI that does the brand credit. The advertisement is developed by Isobel, a creative agency based in London and kicking off on June 30 in the United Kingdom. More markets are set to follow this summer.

In the meantime, PlayOJO has been maintaining a robust reputation for being a fair and worthwhile casino all across. Among its many advertisement campaigns, PlayOJO has not just promoted fairness, but its own signature phrases such as “feel the fun,” which has become synonymous with the brand.

Feel the Fun was actually launched last July 2022 and became one of the company’s signature marketing initiatives worldwide. PlayOJO CMO Peter Bennett said commenting on this new opportunity and campaign:

We want PlayOJO to be the first choice for players looking to enjoy the thrill and excitement of a live casino experience online and are therefore very excited to launch our new integrated campaign showcasing the fun and vibrancy of our live casino product.

PlayOJO CMO Peter Bennett

PlayOJO has been building its reputation as one of the leaders in entertainment, delivering impeccable gaming products. One of the brand’s strengths has been the deployment of excellent live casino games, such as Mega Wheel, Crazy Time, and Monopoly Live. PlayOJO has been awarded as one of the most innovative casinos when it comes to the use of social media to promote its branding and products.

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