Latest News
BGC Members Donate Record £172.5M to Tackle Problem Gambling and Gambling-related Harm
The Betting and Gaming Council’s largest members have donated £122.5m over four years to tackle problem gambling and gambling-related harm, new figures reveal.
This record funding increase is £22.5m more than the £100m the BGC’s four largest members pledged to contribute between 2020 and March 2024.
Around a further £10m has also been donated annually from other BGC members and UK-regulated licensees, taking the contribution over the last four years to approximately £172.5m.
This year alone, BGC members expect to provide RPT funding of around £50m to a host of vital charities.
For over 20 years, the regulated betting and gaming industry has contributed millions to fund Research, Prevention and Treatment services to tackle problem gambling and gambling-related harm, via a unique voluntary levy on all operators.
This record contribution helps sustain a network of entirely independent third-sector RPT providers, which currently treat around 85% of all problem gamblers receiving treatment in Britain.
All RPT donations only go to charities accredited by the independent regulator the Gambling Commission to deliver these services, and BGC members have no say on how the money is spent.
The BGC called for the current voluntary model to be replaced with a statutory levy, as long as it is independent, protects longstanding, expert providers of RPT in the third sector and is tiered to protect land-based operators.
Those expert providers include GamCare, with over 200 staff members, who have delivered over 38,000 structured treatment sessions between 2022/23. And Gordon Moody which operates the country’s only residential care centre for women problem gamblers.
In September last year, Stephanie Peacock MP, the newly appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at DCMS got to see Gordon Moody’s world-class support and treatment services firsthand when she visited their Residential Centre in Dudley.
She praised the safe environment they provide and thanked service users and staff for sharing their experiences and providing a tour of the centre.
In addition to RPT donations, BGC members have raised millions more for a host of other charity initiatives. The BGC alone has raised more than £6m for veterans, sports and health charities through the Grand National Charity Bet Campaign and Britania Stakes Charity Bet campaign.
Wes Himes, BGC Executive Director of Standards and Innovation, said: “Around 22.5 million people in this country enjoy a regular flutter, and the overwhelming majority do so perfectly safely and responsibly.
“Our mission to raise standards carries on strong and these figures demonstrate our actions are backed by significant financial contributions which are making a real difference.
“Our members have no say on how these funds are spent and RPT donations only go to independent organisations accredited by the Gambling Commission to deliver these critical services.
“For the BGC and our members, the priority is ensuring the money reaches these charities doing exceptional work in Prevention and Treatment and funds truly independent, evidence led research.
“While this voluntary levy has delivered record funding, the BGC supports the replacement of the current levy scheme with a mandatory one, but the delivery of this new scheme must ensure future funding security for the third sector which is delivering such excellent work.
“As we go forward, this huge investment will continue, underlining this sector’s unrivalled commitment to responsible betting and gaming.”
The previous Government had launched a consultation into the creation of a new Levy, but the consultation response has been delayed by the General Election.
Despite this, BGC members have pledged to maintain voluntary contributions to ensure charities have funding security.
However, the BGC remains concerned about current proposals outlined by the previous Government, which would negatively impact independent bookmakers, who face being charged disproportionately high Levy costs of 0.4% on Gross Gambling Yield.
If enforced, this could threaten shop closures and job losses, because of the smaller margins for independent bookmakers and other financial overheads, like energy costs.
There were nearly 696 independent betting shops at the start of 2019, 160 have since closed, a reduction of around 23%.
The BGC estimates that 492 bookies, across 38 businesses, will be negatively impacted by a 0.4% Levy.
eSports
Akhil Sarin CMO at Easygo named as key note at ICE Esports Conference
Clarion Gaming has confirmed that Akhil Sarin CMO at Easygo, the technology powerhouse behind the success of global brands Stake and Kick will headline the Esports & Games Conference (EGC) taking place on 21 January as part of the ICE Barcelona experience. As a key member of the executive team, Akhil Sarin has been instrumental in securing the high-profile partnerships that have accelerated Stake’s growth, including the Stake F1 team, UFC, Drake, and Premier League Everton FC.
Through these strategic alliances he has amplified Stake’s brand presence at the same time as creating unique, immersive player experiences, in the process setting new industry benchmarks.
Announcing the high profile speaker Will Harding, Head of Esports at Clarion Gaming said: “Securing Akhil Sarin as EGC key note at ICE Barcelona represents a remarkable opportunity for our attendees to gain invaluable insight into cutting-edge strategies in digital and influencer marketing .
“Akhil’s expertise with Stake and Kick.com embodies the forward-thinking, innovative approach that defines the digital marketing landscapes. His participation underscores the calibre of knowledge-sharing that we are committed to delivering at ICE and he is sure to both inspire our attendees and elevate their strategic perspective.”
Looking ahead to ICE Barcelona, Akhil Sarin stated: “Collaborating with Clarion Gaming at ICE Barcelona is an exciting opportunity to showcase Stake’s journey and continued focus on bold partnerships and creative marketing strategies that resonate with audiences.”
He added “The EGC is a vital platform for exchanging transformative ideas and shaping the future of gaming and entertainment. I look forward to discussing Stake’s vision and collaborating with industry leaders to inspire growth and innovation across the sector.”
Latest News
Lucky Jane returns to explore ancient Egypt in 1spin4win’s Lucky Jane in Egypt Win Spins
This game invites players to join the fearless explorer, Lucky Jane, as she guides them through the rich and mysterious world of ancient Egypt in search of big rewards.
In Lucky Jane in Egypt Win Spins, Lucky Jane, the highest-paying symbol in the game, leads players on a treasure-filled journey across the iconic symbols of Egyptian mythology, including the protective eye of Horus, a powerful scarab, the legendary pyramids, and golden Coins. Just three golden Coins are enough to trigger the Bonus Spins round, which is at the heart of the Win Spins mechanic.
During the Bonus Spins, players receive ten free spins where Coins with values ranging from x1 to x100 appear on the 5×3 reels, paying out on any position. The more Coins a player collects, the bigger the potential payout! Players can also uncover the Minipot Coin to win the x100 Minipot or gather 15 Coins to unlock the coveted x1,000 Megapot.
Olga Bogdanova, Art Director at 1spin4win, commented, “With Lucky Jane in Egypt Win Spins, we’ve combined the richness of Egyptian mythology with a new gameplay mechanic that allows players to gather rewards as they go. The Win Spins mechanic works hand in hand with the theme, ensuring that every spin brings players closer to unlocking larger payouts and deeper adventure.”
Latest News
From Entry-Level Candidates to Team Leads in a Year — How We Trained and Developed Affiliate Managers at Betmen Affiliates
My name is Margarita, and I am the Director of the Betmen Affiliates program. We launched 1.5 years ago with just 10 active partners. Finding the perfect candidate for an affiliate manager role proved challenging—being such a specialised area, I reasoned that it was much better to train on the job. Therefore, after a short while running interviews, we hired two affiliate managers one of whom had no sales experience and the other who had no experience in traffic arbitrage. It was imperative to us that we hire driven, resourceful, hard-workers; it’s people like these who can launch a new brand almost from scratch and who easily understand that hitting targets sometimes means putting in more than the standard nine-to-six effort—sometimes working longer, sometimes harder.
How We Developed Two Entry-Level Affiliate Managers into Team Leads
How to Train Affiliate Managers: My Case Study
At first, both of my employees brought in very few partners, so I had to transfer some of my own over to them. At the same time, I demonstrated all the steps of partner contact. We began attending events together. Both Alex and Michael quickly took on all my recommendations, improved their skills, and eventually closed many successful deals.
An affiliate manager worth his or her salt must be able to sell the product and influence affiliates to promote it at our offered rate, promote our many payment options, and talk about conversions.
From Affiliate Managers to Team Leads
By the time we needed a team lead, we had formed a close-knit team. Even though I interviewed several candidates for the position, hiring externally did not feel right. The ideal person for the role needed to have strong managerial skills as well as be able to connect with myself and my team. Michael and Alex both recommended each other for the role. I took both their recommendations on and promoted them both to the position. Both Alex and Michael had already proven themselves, were loyal, trust-worthy and hard-working, and always driven to meet their goals
Conclusion: Why Should You Take a Chance on Newcomers?
I hired employees with almost no experience and I have no regrets. I now have a unique team that can deliver amazing results: in just a year and a half, we’ve increased the number of FTDs by 70 times and are steadily moving towards 80,000 monthly deposits. Here are the key takeaways from their stories:
→ A candidate’s enthusiasm is more important than relevant experience. You can teach anyone anything but you can’t spark passion in them. A future manager must be passionate about the work and strive for growth.
→ An employee who grows within the company is highly loyal to their lead and the project. Having moved from a regular manager to a team lead, they are able to train new hires because they know the role inside out. The team will respect leaders who were once in their position.
→ People who love their work drive the brand forward and achieve the best results. They focus not on working hours or weekdays but on the goals they need to accomplish.
I love my employees and am proud of them. I believe we are one of the strongest, most united, and professional teams in the industry.
To learn more about our organization and the remarkable growth of our team, we invite you to read the full article available here. It provides detailed insights into our journey, values, and achievements.
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