Industry News
The Future of Augmented and Virtual Reality
While augmented reality (AR), and its counterpart virtual reality (VR), are still heavily associated with gaming, they’re both rapidly growing fields with a much wider range of applications. Augmented reality alone is expected to be a market of more than $60 billion by 2023, and part of this growth will be from expansion into new industries. With a renewed focus on developing iOS apps and Android apps for these technologies, customers will be able to access a whole new reality.
There are many important obstacles these technologies will have to deal with as they come to play a greater role in our lives, but the next few years are bright for both AR and VR. They each offer unique opportunities and promise to change the way business is done in a variety of settings.
AR in Marketing
Although VR has an important role to play, augmented reality remains more accessible to consumers for a variety of reasons. In contrast to virtual reality, AR software can be downloaded and used directly on devices like smartphones and computers—one example of this is Pokemon GO, which continues to bring in $2 million daily in player spending.
Augmented reality technology would allow companies to create virtual business cards or provide information in real-time based on a user’s location. It can even simulate the appearance of certain goods, allowing potential customers to visualize an item before purchasing it. This also helps to bring the online shopping experience closer to that of a traditional brick and mortar store.
Improving Manufacturing Efficiency
In addition to its applications for end users, AR can also be utilized within manufacturing industries to improve processes in a number of ways. This is vital in a field that places such a high emphasis on speed, reliability, and efficiency to realize the greatest possible profits.
Providing instructions and other documentation in AR form allows employees to focus on their work without dealing with the inconvenience and distraction of physical copies (not to mention the environmental impact). Paper accounts for 50% of all business waste, so replacing it with digital text is preferable whenever possible.
Applications in Healthcare
Some of the same principles underlying the implementation of augmented reality in manufacturing also contribute to its possibilities in the world of medicine. Surgeons, as an example, can use AR to visualize CT scan results overlaid on the actual patient during an operation, giving them the ability to see both at once.
This also opens up the opportunity for specialists to lead surgery remotely by assisting an onsite doctor through the operation, removing location-based limitations to healthcare access. These applications and others have the potential to improve quality of care while making operations quicker and more efficient.
It’s impossible to imagine all the ways in which augmented reality will affect our lives in the near future and beyond, but the technology is already being used in numerous exciting ways and modifying traditional business practices. Its range of implementations will likely continue to grow as it becomes more affordable and consumers become more accustomed to its presence in everyday life.
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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