Kim Harris Jones is joining the company’s Board of Directors effective from April 29, but still subject to customary regulatory requirements, and she is touted for her in-depth understanding of leadership and steering businesses towards long-term goals.

Influential Leader Joins as 10^th Caesars Board Member

She brings a deep understanding of finance as well as a robust reputation which will help the company strengthen its leadership team and address challenges while also exploring new opportunities. Caesars Entertainment Executive Chairman of the Board Gary Carano has welcomed her appointment praising her outstanding track record.

Harris Jones has worked with various companies across numerous industries, ensuring that they emerge stronger and more capable after she has been part of their leadership team.

She is also on the list of the “100 Most Influential Black Corporate Directors,” a ranking by BoardProspects Magazine as well as “25 Women to Watch” by CFO Magazine. She also made the list of “The 2021 Most Influential Black Corporate Directors” by Savoy and ended on a similar rank list by Black Enterprise Magazine called “75 Most Powerful Women in Business.”

Harris Jones’ career path has taken her to various roles. She worked for Chrysler for 17 years and was appointed to various leadership positions, including SVP and Corporate Controller. She also served at General Motors for six years. Her most recent stints include Mondelez International where she worked as SVP and Corporate Controller in 2015 and she was also part of Kraft Foods as SVP and Corporate Controller as well.

Strategic Oversight and Overall Direction

“With her extensive experience in finance and a reputation as a thoughtful and engaged leader inside some of the largest consumer-packaged goods and automotive companies, Kim’s addition will give us another lens through which to see stronger, more dynamic future possibilities for Caesars Entertainment,” Carano explained.

Harris Jones is also a graduate of the University of Michigan and she currently serves on several other boards, including True Blue, Fossil Group, and United Rentals, as well as the Ethiopian North American Health Professionals Association’s board.

By joining Caesars Entertainment’s board, Harris Jones is effectively becoming the tenth person on the board. She will look to provide the company with strategic direction as well as bring stronger oversight over its current operations.

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Oddset Sportwetten, a German online and retail sports betting operator, has become a part of the Deutscher Sportwettenverband (DSWV), the German sports betting association. The former party joined the association with immediate effect on December 1 and will work with like-minded companies to promote legal and responsible gambling across the country.

As a member of the DSWV, Oddset will be responsible for protecting players and joining the war on illegal marketing – two very hot topics in Germany at the moment. For reference, the country continues to have serious problems with black market operators and is working hard to channel players toward the legal alternative.

By joining the association, Oddset will become a part of a family that includes companies such as Bet365, Betway, bwin and Tipico, among others. The DSWV is firmly committed to protecting the sector and ensuring its integrity while promoting legal betting across the country.

The DSWV was founded in 2014 to represent the sports betting industry and mediate between the betting sector, the government and the public.

Germany Struggles with the Black Market

Germany continues to struggle with unlicensed operators which continue to occupy a large market share. According to a recent study, a whopping 50% of the gambling in Germany occurs on unlicensed sites.

Commissioned by the German iGaming association (DOCV) and the DSWV, and conducted conducted by economist Gunther Schnabl from the University of Leipzig, the survey raised concerns about the efficacy of Germany’s online gambling regulations.

In addition, a recent Gambling Atlas report revealed that 7.7% of German adults experience gambling-related problems that cause them social and financial stress. In addition, the report showed that 3.3 million Germans are at risk of gambling addiction.

In the meantime, the gambling powerhouse Entain just commented on the results of the former study, critiquing the inefficiency of Germany’s iGaming regulations.

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Greece-based payment provider OKTO has entered into a partnership with the Italian Digital Hub Foundation (IDH) to solidify its presence in the Italian regulated market and cooperate on digital transformation strategies, especially concentrating on progressing e-money services.

New partnership

As an official member of the Italian Digital Hub Foundation, OKTO says it will be an active participant in mutual information exchanges like conventions, conferences and round tables, taking care to stay at the front line of the digital transformation of the Italian digital market and expansion of the payment industry landscape.

Commenting on the partnership, OKTO’s Director of Corporate Development and Regulatory Affairs in Italy, Francesco Crudo, commented: “We’re thrilled to join IDH, a prestigious foundation dedicated to enhancing Italy’s digital landscape. OKTO remains committed to upholding the most stringent regulatory standards and working closely with local authorities to deliver innovative, secure, and efficient payment solutions to our valued merchant partners.”

Also commenting on the partnership, Maurizio Pimpinella, President of Italy’s Digital Hub Foundation, said: “We warmly welcome OKTO to our Foundation. OKTO’s commitment to compliance and innovation is in line with our commitment to promote digital innovation in Italy, in the Paytech and Fintech landscape. We look forward to an increasingly close collaboration of OKTO with all our members to promote the development of the digital ecosystem and payments in the Italian market.”

More about partners

OKTO provides its partners with the opportunity to enhance client experiences and respond to the aforementioned client demands for digital payments. Additionally, the company introduces the newest digital transformation capabilities for gaming, entertainment and leisure clients and millions of people around the world. This is achieved by enabling responsible transactions in real time, taking care to remove the risk and friction connected with traditional payments, at each touch point. Furthermore, it enhances payment interactions for retail and online gaming by blending payment and gaming expertise, local knowledge with global capabilities. This involves backing up clients across a number of regulatory environments and domains with built-in omni-channel access.

The main objective of the Italian Digital Hub Foundation is to provide innovative and technological consulting services to back up central and local public administrations, trade associations and SMEs and firms in order to promote Digital Transformation and the development of entrepreneurship with a powerful culture of competitiveness and the codification of new business models. Moreover, its purpose is to represent its members in Italy and abroad before public bodies and agencies, administrations, economic and social organizations, business associations and public and private entities in order to cooperate in solving problems, making sure the protection of its members and carrying out sector analyzes and studies.

Source: “OKTO Strengthens its Presence in Italy by Joining IDH”, European Gaming, September 29, 2023

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Galera.bet, a Brazilian sports betting brand, has joined the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA). The move highlights the company’s desire to promote legal gambling and oppose gambling-related fraud.

Galera’s admission into the IBIA fulfills a legal obligation outlined in Brazil’s Provisional Measure that requires local operators to join an international sports integrity body. As a result, the Brazilian company will join a family encompassing around 50 companies and 125 betting brands, united against the manipulation of sports and sports betting.

IBIA members represent around 60% of the Brazilian iGaming and online sports betting market. The IBIA forayed into Brazil earlier this year, as the LATAM country started to prepare for the eventual launch of regulated sports betting in the country.

Galera.bet is a brand with a strong desire to support sports, as proven by its sponsorship agreement with the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.

The IBIA, meanwhile, is a non-profit organization that seeks to shield the sports and sports betting sectors from the manipulation of match outcomes and betting markets. The international body leverages various monitoring tools to identify and report suspicious activity.

Galera.bet Wants to Protect Sports Betting from Fraud

Galera.bet’s chief executive officer, Marcos Sabiá, expressed his company’s excitement about the partnership with the IBIA. He said that joining the organization is an honor for his team, which is looking forward to doubling down on integrity.

Sabiá added that the collaboration between IBIA partners would be instrumental in cracking down on fraud in sports and sports betting.

We believe that collaboration between partners is extremely important to protecting the integrity of sport and betting markets from corruption. We hope this is the beginning of a long and successful partnership.

Marcos Sabiá, CEO, galera.bet

Meanwhile, IBIA’s chief executive officer, Khalid Ali, welcomed galera.bet as a member of the IBIA. He said that the move will solidify IBIA’s position in Brazil ahead of its launch of regulated sports betting.

Ali praised Brazil and galera.bet for their recognition of the importance of IBIA’s work.

[Galera.bet] recognizes the unique benefits of IBIA’s operator-run integrity monitoring network and its ability to track members’ individual consumer transactional activity, rather than just analyzing simple odds movements.

Khalid Ali, CEO, IBIA

Ali concluded that the IBIA covers over $137 billion in annual betting turnover, making it the most reliable integrity network in the world.

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While engaged in a captivating game of 88 FORTUNES online via the Caesars Sportsbook & Casino mobile app in New Jersey, Stacy M. from Edgewater, New Jersey, won the progressive jackpot that stopped at $308,914.50.

“This Can’t Be Real!”

It only took Stacy 20 minutes to spin the reels on her $2.64 spin before she managed to land the watermarked Phoenix symbol on all five reels and score the big win. Originally, the shocked Caesars Rewards member was in disbelief, thinking the win was “a mistake” and that it was “only supposed to be a $3,000 win.” 

Besides the monetary win, Caesars also hosted a special celebratory dinner at Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen at Caesars Atlantic City for Stacy and her family. They were also offered a complimentary stay as a means of honoring the “historic win.” Stacy M. said she was planning to pay off all of her debts with the money and also put a down payment on a new house. 

Caesars Digital’s senior vice president of iGaming, Matthew Sunderland, congratulated the winner on behalf of the company for managing to claim “the first big win of the 88 FORTUNES Jackpot Festival.” 

He further explained that the respective jackpot and the overall experience that they offered to their lucky customer in Atlantic City was an example of their ability to turn digital wins into world-class opportunities at all of their destinations. 

Sunderland called Light & Wonder’s Jackpot Festival “an exciting digital complement” to their current offerings provided at their land venues, praising the superior gameplay which can trigger important winnings.

At the start of February, Caesars also introduced an upgraded traveling and rewards experience that would give visitors better prices when planning vacations and trips to Las Vegas and beyond. 

How the 88 FORTUNES Jackpot Festival Works

The wide area progressive jackpot which can be accessed via Light & Wonder’s OPENGAMING platform gives players the opportunity to win larger jackpot rewards with the help of a prize pool generated by several casino operators within the same state. 

In this particular case, the jackpot win was generated via Caesars Digital’s partnership with Light & Wonder which allowed the iconic brick-and-mortar game to online players who are customers of the casino. 

Light & Wonder’s vice president of game development Rob Procter spoke about the importance of progressive jackpots that “are intrinsic to land-based casinos across the United States.”

He further added that Light & Wonder was now turning them into a “must-have product” included in their Jackpot Festival series, calling the first big win that was secured via the wide area progressive Jackpot Festival proof of the big stakes and connected thrills. 

Procter also took the opportunity to wish Stacy “huge congratulations” while expressing pride for having created a tool that can bring next-level engagement to casino operators while letting players enjoy life-changing rewards. 

In February, Caesars announced it would extend its Caesars Rewards program to New York merchants.

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Finn’s departure comes during a tumultuous period for the company as it attempts to consolidate its revenue streams and tackle its rising debt. Such a shift in priorities might be one of the contributing factors to Finn’s decision to leave the gaming group. The former VP remarked fondly on her time with 888 but did not disclose her plans.

The Former VP Was Instrumental in 888’s Rapid Expansion

Finn joined 888 in 2015 as a global marketing director, heading the company’s global branding, advertising, media, and partnership initiatives. By then, she had accumulated substantial leadership experience, managing marketing efforts at high-profile companies like SanDisk, Verix, and Telmap. Her industry-spanning knowledge made her a natural fit for 888’s expansion-minded strategy, and she did not disappoint.

Over the next eight years, Finn more than proved her worth, rising to head of Bingo in February 2019. By that point, she had familiarized herself with the gaming market and effectively guided over 50 UK bingo brands with her engagement, marketing, and monetization strategies. She proved capable of bolstering brand recognition and attracting new players.

Finn’s tenure with 888 culminated in August of the same year when she also became VP of Strategic Marketing. Her prowess contributed to all product verticals as she guided the group’s aggressive expansion across new markets. Finn’s numerous successful campaigns earned her much praise in the industry, and her departure marks a significant loss for 888.

Shifting Priorities May Have Been at Blame

The former VP announced her decision to move on via her LinkedIn account, thanking her colleagues for assisting with her vision. Finn received a warm goodbye from the 888 teams, including former CEO Itai Pazner. She did not disclose her plans, preferring to reflect on her time with the company and the team’s accomplishments.

It’s been an amazing journey, and, hand on heart, I enjoyed every minute.

Sivan Finn, former 888 VP of Strategic Marketing

Finn’s departure from 888 comes during a tumultuous period for the gaming giant. The group’s 2022 financial results showed strong performance in key verticals but also revealed challenges with rising debt and compliance issues in the UK and Middle East. External economic pressures also dampened profits, raising concerns for the future.

888’s plans to deal with its imminent challenges revolve around developing profitable markets with an increased focus on sustainability. These priorities mark a notable shift from the group’s previous expansionist mindset and could have contributed to Finn’s decision to seek new opportunities. The gaming giant will likely have to fill the vacant position with somebody more in-line with the company’s current objectives.

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Gambling “whale” Lester Hui is defending himself against a claim of almost £600,000 by an exclusive Mayfair casino in London. Hui maintains that Aspinall’s Clubs Ltd helped him get “blackout drunk” in order to help him lose more than half a million Pounds playing double chance baccarat at Aspinall’s casino at Curzon Street.

Hui claims the casino kept bringing him drinks of Moutai, a particular style of baijiu, a distilled Chinese liquor that is crafted in the town of Maotai in China’s Guizhou province and often referred to as “firewater”.

Claims Failure of Club’s Social Responsibility

Under Gambling Commission rules, Hui maintains that the casino failed to fulfill its social responsibility to him when staff failed to intervene in his self-destructive behavior by continuing to serve him the potent liquor so that he would be likely to lose large sums of money to the house edge and Aspinall’s financial benefit at his expense.

Aspinall’s is having none of it if they can help it and are demanding he pays up the money it says he owes through the gambling contract. The casino contends he remained sober enough to make clear game decisions and drove himself home when he was done gambling.

Aspinall’s is a members-only club that has entertained celebrities and various royalty over the years since opening in the 1960s. The purported gambling debt dates back to early 2016. Hui has reportedly been a member since 1996.

As is usually the case with a game like baccarat, his winnings reportedly fluctuated throughout his gambling session but he ended up in the hole after spending £600,000 in pursuit of wins. When he was done playing he wrote a check for £589,724, representing his spend minus a smaller amount the club owed him from earlier.

However, the check didn’t clear the bank.

Attempted to Settle Out of Court

According to a report in the Mirror, the club has tried on several occasions to help Hui settle the debt out of court but has been involved in the court process since late 2019.

According to Hui, he planned to get drunk and informed staff while also asking them to limit his losses to £30,000 and then got too drunk to know what he was doing while the club allowed him to lose five times his self-imposed limit he claims he asked the club to help him enforce. Being in a state of “blackout” drunkenness, Hui claims he was not legally capable of entering a gambling contract to lose money.

Club barrister, Alexander Robson doubts Hui’s claim of asking for limits and forcefully defends against the main notions put forward by the gambler.

“If Mr. Hui had made any such formal request to limit his gaming to a particular amount, the request would have been recorded and requested.

“Further, if Mr. Hui had said he was going to get drunk, he would not have been permitted to play at all,” said the barrister.

Providing complimentary drinks, enforcing insufficient breaks from the tables, and continuing to serve drinks after he began gambling are claimed as a breach of Aspinall’s social responsibility to its customer.

Source: High roller claims top Mayfair casino plied him with ‘firewater’ as he gambled away £600k, The Mirror, March 13, 2023

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