Industry News
Dunedin City Council hears both sides of gambling story
Pleas to focus on community harm mixed with warnings of funding cuts for community sports during the debate yesterday on the Dunedin City Council’s (New Zeeland) proposal to gradually reduce the number of gambling venues in the city.
Proposed changes to the council’s gambling and TAB venue policy would extend South Dunedin’s sinking lid policy on poker machines to the rest of the city.
It would also ban new gambling venues and not allow existing ones to relocate.
The new approach attracted 56 submissions, 35 of which supported the change, but yesterday’s hearing was dominated by organisations arguing against the move.
They included gaming trusts and the Class 4 Working Party, which represented 85% of gaming association venues, and also Dunedin sports organisations worried about losing grants. Dunedin Netball volunteer and former general manager Lee-Anne Anderson said her organisation relied on such funding to cover costs, from competitions and equipment to court hire.
Without it, more costs would have to be passed on to members, which “would definitely see a drop in participation numbers”, she said.
Sports organisations themselves could also be under threat, as $40,000 received by Dunedin Netball last year amounted to 15% of its annual income.
“That’s the difference between breaking even and a loss,” she said.
Duane Donovan, the volunteer chairman of ParaFed Otago, which supported members with physical disabilities to take part in sport, also opposed the change.
ParaFed depended on such funding for its very existence, and that was “not an exaggeration”.
The effects of the proposed policy would be felt by sporting and welfare groups across Dunedin, he said.
Karen Shea, of the Southern Trust, said her organisation distributed just over $220,000 in 84 grants to Dunedin groups last year.
About half went to sports groups and the rest to a mix of community organisations, but it was just a slice of the $5.8million in total gaming machine income distributed in the city last year.
Committee chairman Cr Aaron Hawkins questioned dire warnings of the effects on sports groups, pointing out the sinking lid policy would take effect only if a venue closed and did not reopen within six months.
Putting an end to poker machines and community funding was not being proposed, and suggesting otherwise was “a bit of stretch”, he said.
Jarrod True, of the Class 4 Working Party, disagreed, saying a sinking lid policy implied a target of zero, and “that’s where you are heading”.
Nothing had happened since Dunedin’s policy was last reviewed in 2015 to justify the change, Mr True said.
Instead, while gaming machine numbers nationally had dropped in the last 15 years, problem gambling rates had remained static, he said.
Extra restrictions would push more people into online gambling, where “you can lose your home without leaving it” and money was not returned to communities, he said.
Others disagreed, including Eru Loach, of the Problem Gambling Foundation, who said the amount of money spent on poker machines was climbing.
The social problems that resulted — from crime and lost jobs to depression and suicide — meant his organisation was “flat out”.
“We are not talking about something that’s financial harm alone. It’s everything else which comes with it.”
He supported the council’s new approach and said the search for more sustainable sources of income “is the way forward” for community groups.
The hearing was adjourned and will resume for public deliberations on March 6.
Industry News
SKS365 keeps investing in people: GROW People Management Program took the next level
11 experienced people managers from the SKS365 group’s 4 locations gathered last week in Belgrade for the new GROW People Management Program. From 15 th to 19 th of April, through trainings, discussions, and social connections, people had the opportunity to further grow individually and as a team, while enjoying Belgrade’s city center and rivers.
Created in 2023 with the purpose of building foundation people management skills across the organization, GROW initiative evolved this year by including a new, advanced program for experienced people managers to further consolidate their skills and prepare for future opportunities.
Building and fostering connections, sharing experiences, and enjoying team building experiences – all these activities have been part of the GROWpmp agenda for the 11 people managers coming from Commercial, Product and Development, Finance, and Sportsbook departments of the group’s 4 locations – Malta, Italy, Austria, Serbia.
GROWpmp included a variety of topics that people managers in SKS365 recognized as the key areas for management development. Topics such as influence through communication, team effectiveness, DEI, through to presentation skills and business topics like understanding finance and management reporting, were delivered with the support of external professionals and internal experts, while designed and organized by the SKS365 People & Culture team.
Industry News
Kindred’s Share of Revenue from High-risk Players Shows Slight Increase
Kindred Group plc’s (Kindred) share of revenue from high-risk players showed a slight increase to 3.2% (Q4 2023 3.1%) in the first quarter of 2024. Compared to the first quarter of 2023, the high-risk revenue share decreased marginally. The percentage of detected customers who exhibited improved behaviour after interventions came in at 87.1% (compared to 87.4% in Q4 2023 and 83.0% in Q1 2023). This sustained trajectory in the improvement effect after interventions, observed over an extended period, serves as a testament to the strong dedication and collective efforts throughout the company. It reflects Kindred’s ongoing commitment to fostering positive change within the industry.
“We continue to see our share of revenue from high-risk players fluctuate quarter to quarter, and we are working closely with all teams across the company to support customers towards a more sustainable gambling experience. However, it is encouraging to see that our Journey towards Zero data has steadily decreased since 2020. A similar trend can be seen across the healthier gambling behaviour effect after interventions. This tells us two things: our work is paying off, but we need to continue to push ourselves to propel a sustainable progression,” Alexander Westrell, Director of Communications at Kindred Group, said.
“It was very encouraging to witness the open and transparent discussions at the Sustainable Gambling Conference in London on 20 March, where those with lived experience shared their important stories. Also, it is evident that technology is moving forward, and will provide greater opportunities to detect and intervene in the future. We hope to see more regulators engage with the industry and with experts to secure a more sustainable industry for everyone,” Alexander Westrell added.
Industry News
PENN Entertainment Names Aaron LaBerge as Chief Technology Officer
PENN Entertainment announced that Aaron LaBerge has been named Chief Technology Officer (CTO) effective July 1, 2024, subject to customary regulatory approvals. Mr. LaBerge will report directly to PENN CEO & President Jay Snowden.
In his new role, Mr. LaBerge will be responsible for driving the technology strategy and execution for PENN, while leading the multinational team of technologists and serving as the key business leader for the company’s Interactive division.
Mr. LaBerge spent more than 20 years at The Walt Disney Company, in two stints separated by five and a half years as a technology entrepreneur. He was most recently President & Chief Technology Officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN where he was responsible for driving all technology and product development in support of The Walt Disney Company’s two media divisions. In that role, he helped set the vision and strategic leadership for how Disney uses technology to enable storytelling and innovation, drive its business, and create unparalleled consumer experiences with entertainment and sports content.
“We are thrilled to have someone of Aaron’s caliber join our PENN executive team. Having overseen a global organization of thousands of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists, and data scientists that created some of the largest scale and most successful media properties in the world, there is no better candidate to lead our Technology and Interactive division into its future. I know Aaron is looking forward to working with Todd George, our head of operations, and our entire Executive Team to continue growing our position as a leader in online gaming, sports betting, and digital sports media,” Mr. Snowden said.
“I’m excited to join another talented team at PENN Interactive and lead our technology strategy. PENN Entertainment is at the forefront of the fast-changing gaming and sports media industry. I plan to use my experience from Disney and ESPN to help make ESPN BET an essential piece of the sports fan experience. Together, we’ll push the limits and redefine how fans interact with sports and gaming,” Mr. LaBerge said.
Prior to his most recent role at the Walt Disney Company, Mr. LaBerge was Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at ESPN from 2015 to 2018. At ESPN he played an instrumental role in the growth of ESPN’s consumer-facing digital media products and services – leading many of ESPN’s most ambitious and challenging projects and helping establish ESPN’s position as the leader in digital sports and innovative sports technology development. He was a key architect in the design, development, and engineering of ESPN’s state-of-the-art facilities in Bristol, CT; Los Angeles, CA; Charlotte, NC; and Austin, TX, as well as data centers and infrastructure that connect those facilities around the world, as well as the technology design and development to support the launch of the multi-platform SEC Network.
Between 2007 and 2012, LaBerge was co-founder and CEO of Fanzter, Inc. – a venture-funded consumer software and digital product development company. At Fanzter, he directed all day-to-day operations and led the development and launch of a variety of consumer-focused internet and mobile products, ground-breaking social and commerce technologies and more.
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