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Peter Scudamore: What John Francome did has to be one of the greatest sporting gestures of all time
Former eight-time Champion Jockey Peter Scudamore vocalises the meaning of Mark Boylan’s ‘A Song For Campbell’ on the latest episode of new podcast Disc Jockeys, produced by creative marketing agency Square in the Air.
The new weekly show sees host Chris Barnett chat to some of the biggest names in racing as they look back on the key moments in their careers through five carefully selected musical tracks, all in aid of the Injured Jockeys Fund.
Square in the Air will donate £250 per episode to the Injured Jockeys Fund on behalf of each guest and are encouraging listeners to also pledge support. Each show will also be available on Spotify.
Listen via Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2iQCJc7OpdX9ETe0BrT5ar?si=8e3a71b9858349c8
Donate via JustGiving: https://www.justgiving.com/page/sitadiscjockeys
EPISODE 4: PETER SCUDAMORE
This episode brought back some memories for Peter Scudamore, including what was and still is a tough and saddening moment in his life, losing stable jockey and friend Campbell Gillies. Furthermore, how Mark Boylan’s “extraordinary” ‘A Song For Campbell’ has brought some sort of joy from such a dark point.
“If Cheltenham Festival was a song, it would be Mark Boylan, A Song for Campbell,” said Scudamore. “It was a song written about someone and something that happened in my life that I will never get over – young Campbell Gillies.
“He can’t have been much older than 18 when Mark wrote the song, and it’s such an extraordinary song. Although it is about this boy, this moment in time, it has key connotations to Cheltenham Festival and what the emotion of Cheltenham is. It’s what we admire in people, it’s the honesty and bravery that Campbell also possessed.
“It is such a superbly-written song, I don’t think Mark knew Campbell, but he must have spoken to a lot of people he mentions. It’s an emotional song and it reflects the bravery of the jockeys and horses, I love it.”
Francome stopping riding to share record was a very poignant moment
Having ridden over 1,600 winners, including 13 Cheltenham Festival victories and having won the Champion Jockey title eight times, Scudamore revealed that the most poignant moment in his career was when becoming joint Champion Jockey for the first time when John Francome decided to stop riding to ensure they would finish level for the tally of wins.
“A very poignant moment is my career is when I was joint Champion Jockey in 1981/82 with John Francome. I broke my arm at Southwell which forced me to the sidelines in the closing stages of the season.
“John actually called my father and he expressed how, if he were to draw level with me on the tally of wins, then he was going to stop riding to share this title with me. I was 15 to 20 winners in front of him at the time and he had no reason to do what he did. It has to be considered one of the greatest sporting gestures of all time.
“He’s a great man and, funnily enough, he did say to me in years to come that he thought that was my one chance at Champion Jockey. He didn’t think I’d go on to win as many as I did!”
Injured Jockeys Fund very close to my heart
With the release of each episode of Disc Jockeys, Square in the Air will donate £250 to the Injured Jockeys Fund and it’s a charity that Scudamore and his family are a big part of.
“I’m immensely proud to be a part of the Injured Jockeys Fund as it goes back in my family a long way. My father used to collect donations in a blanket at the cricket for the injured jockeys.
“Lord John Oaksey had a massive influence on the growth of the charity, he’s probably one of the greatest men ever in National Hunt racing. I had the privilege of sitting as a director of the Injured Jockeys fund. It’s a truly magnificent charity – it’s the best sporting charity with the things they do and the aid they give.”
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SOFTSWISS Wraps Up SiGMA Europe 2024 with Key Achievements
SOFTSWISS has successfully wrapped up its participation in SiGMA Europe 2024. This final major event of the year highlighted the achievements and progress of the iGaming industry over the past months. With a dynamic presence and the award-winning concept ‘Grab Success in iGaming’, SOFTSWISS made a lasting impact over the three action-packed days of the conference.
The SOFTSWISS booth became a nexus for clients, partners, and industry professionals, sparking new connections and fueling discussions on the latest trends. Among the highlights was the unveiling of the iGaming Trends Report 2025, offering a forward-looking analysis of the industry’s trajectory. Positioned as the ‘mother of all conferences’, SiGMA Europe proved the ideal stage for the report’s launch, with all 27,000 attendees able to grant complimentary access to this vital resource.
“iGaming is growing at a rapid pace, and for many, the main challenge is to keep up with this growth. SOFTSWISS takes a much broader view in this regard: it is important for us to understand where iGaming is heading and anticipate trends in order to strengthen our leadership positions,” said Vitali Matsukevich, COO at SOFTSWISS.
Before the expo officially opened, SOFTSWISS was honoured as the Best Platform Provider at the SiGMA Europe Awards 2024. This accolade is a testament to the company’s commitment to delivering robust, innovative technology solutions that empower iGaming operators worldwide.
One of the event’s most highly anticipated discussions, “How to Choose a Secure and Safe Crypto Casino,” featured Vitali Matsukevich among its expert panellists. The session drew a full house, reflecting the high interest in the future of crypto casinos amidst the evolving global economic and political landscape.
During the discussion, Matsukevich shared his deep knowledge and insights on leveraging blockchain technology to ensure smarter, safer choices for consumers in the crypto casino space. His expertise underscored SOFTSWISS’ position at the forefront of innovation in this fast-growing market segment.
SiGMA Europe 2024 provided a platform not only to showcase SOFTSWISS’ accomplishments but also to reaffirm its role as an industry leader. Already preparing for the next major event, ICE Barcelona 2025 in January, SOFTSWISS will once again present its cutting-edge tools and insights to operators worldwide.
About SOFTSWISS
SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience in developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS holds a number of gaming licences and provides comprehensive software for managing iGaming projects. The company’s product portfolio includes the Online Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with over 23,500 casino games, the Affilka Affiliate Platform, the Sportsbook software and the Jackpot Aggregator. In 2013, SOFTSWISS revolutionised the industry by introducing the world’s first Bitcoin-optimised online casino solution. The expert team, based in Malta, Poland, and Georgia, counts over 2,000 employees.
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Casino Guru and Mindway AI advance RG self-test game in time for SGW24
Casino Guru, the leading online casino database and a champion of informed play in the gambling industry, continues to build upon its responsible gambling partnership with Mindway AI, a prominent RG tech and solutions provider focusing on offering actionable real-time insight into consumer gambling behavior, by launching the revised campaign focused on the Gamalyze self-assessment game, in time for Safer Gambling Week 2024 (SGW24).
The game, a reinvention of the self-test, is a card game that allows players to analyze their own gambling habits through engaging and anonymous play. Thanks to a dedicated widget that welcomes players on the home page, the game is available directly on Casino Guru’s website and is also featured as “Game of the Week.”
To help further improve this year’s reach, Casino Guru has teamed up with several casino partners, including CasinoFriday, Shotz, Roman Casino, giving players the opportunity to explore the game while gaining deeper insights into their own gambling habits.
Casino Guru has reached out to subscribers with additional details about the campaign, aiming to significantly expand its impact and raise awareness among a larger audience.
Previous campaign iterations received 1,800 gameplays each, and Casino Guru is now determined to improve on this milestone.
Šimon Vincze, Casino Guru’s Head of Sustainable & Safer Gambling, shared the following: “I am excited about this year’s upgrade to the campaign and can’t wait to see the results. Together with Niamh from Mindway AI, we were looking for ways to attract more people to play the game and learn more about the risks involved as a natural part of their gambling experience. The upgrades we introduced are promising, and we are confident we can increase the numbers significantly.”
Once the self-test game is completed, Mindway AI provides players with detailed feedback on their gameplay, and analyze certain behavioral markers, such as how players respond to rewards and losses, the frequency of their wins and how risky their gambling behavior is.
Ultimately, the assessment seeks to improve people’s understanding of their own risk-taking behavior, and what they can learn from it. Both companies are dedicated to bringing the concept of safer gambling to the forefront of players’ awareness, and this innovative collaboration allows them to achieve this goal in a creative and enjoyable manner.
To access the widget and test your gambling style, head over to Casino Guru’s home page and click on the widget in the upper right corner of the screen, or check the “Game of the Week,” which will feature Gamalyze throughout SGW24.
Casino Guru and Mindway AI first introduced the campaign several years ago, boosting its reach in a player-centric way in time for SGW24.
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Expert comment: Safer Gambling Week 2024
Safer Gambling Week commentary
As a company focused on generating high-quality, responsible gambling traffic to our operator partner sites, safer gambling is a daily consideration for QiH Group. We recognise Safer Gambling Week as a valuable opportunity to stay engaged with the broader industry conversations and to hear from the community on responsible gambling.
As affiliates are often an initial touchpoint for customers, our priority is maintaining a safe, compliant environment that benefits our partners and, ultimately, their customers.
We believe in supporting a balanced approach where gambling remains what it should be: safe, enjoyable entertainment.
– Andrew Lee, COO, QiH Group
Being a firm of licensing solicitors, one of our principal roles is helping our clients stay compliant with the Licensing Conditions and Codes of Practice, and the licensing objectives, so responsible gambling is something we focus on every day for clients.
It is important that we raise awareness of safer gambling and signpost the professional help and support services that are available to those who need it – ensuring the millions of people who enjoy gambling responsibly continue to do so in a safe environment.
– Nick Arron, Lead Solicitor, Poppleston Allen
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