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The Betting and Gaming Council Appoints Entain’s Simon Clare to the Horserace Betting Levy Board

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The Betting and Gaming Council has aappointed Entain’s Simon Clare to the Horserace Betting Levy Board.

The HBLB administers a proportion of profits from bookmakers to improve breeding, advance veterinary science in the sport and contribute to the wider improvement of horseracing. It is administered by a board of seven members, including one appointment from the BGC, to represent bookmakers.

Entain Customer Communications Director Simon Clare formally replaced Mike O’Kane on October 7.

BGC members are expected to contribute to £105m in Levy payments to the HBLB for last year, according to figures released in May. The contribution, provided by the independent HBLB, is an increase of £5m on the previous year. As a result of this additional funding, the HBLB announced an increase of £3.2m in its prize money contribution for 2024 versus 2023, from £67.3m to £70.5m.

It is the third year in a row that Levy contributions have increased, from £97m in 2021/22, to £100m in 2022/2023 and now £105m in 2023/2024.

Grainne Hurst, CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council, said: “We’re delighted Simon is joining the HBLB.

“He brings an unrivalled wealth of experience from his many years with Ladbrokes and Coral, where he has become respected as a vocal and passionate champion of the sport.

“I know his wisdom and knowledge will be crucial assets to the HBLB over the coming years. I would also like to pay tribute to Mike O’Kane who has been an excellent representative to the HBLB on behalf of BGC members.

“Over his time with the HBLB Mike has brought a strong voice for the sector to the Board at a time of significant change for racing and also record Levy contributions. We wish Mike well in the future and are delighted to welcome Simon to the HBLB.”

Simon has spent close to three decades in the betting and horseracing sectors. After graduating with a Degree in Politics at Liverpool University in 1992, he was accepted on The Jockey Club Graduate Scheme, where he had a placement with the Horserace Betting Levy Board.

After a spell at the Jockey Club, and then the newly formed British Horseracing Board in an Executive Assistant role, Simon then joined Ladbrokes as a PR Manager in 1996, before joining Coral in 1997 to become their Racing PR Manager.

Following the merger with Ladbrokes in 2016, Simon became responsible for PR, Sponsorship and Social Media for both brands, and is now the Customer Communications Director for Entain UK Brands – responsible for PR, Sponsorship and Social Media for Ladbrokes, Coral, Gala, Foxy and Partypoker.

He has been a longtime, passionate supporter of horse racing, and even learned to ride in 2014 before taking part in a charity race at the 2015 Cheltenham Festival.

Entain Customer Communications Director Simon Clare, said: “I am extremely honoured to be joining the Horserace Betting Levy Board as the betting representative.

“Mike O’Kane will be a hard act to follow, and I would like to thank him for the great contribution he has made in his time in the role.

“I have been fortunate to have enjoyed a long and varied career within the betting industry with Coral, now Entain, alongside a lifelong passion for horse racing and all major sports, so will hopefully be able to make a valuable contribution to the Board.”

eSports

Akhil Sarin CMO at Easygo named as key note at ICE Esports Conference

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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.”

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Lucky Jane returns to explore ancient Egypt in 1spin4win’s Lucky Jane in Egypt Win Spins

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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.”

 

 

 

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From Entry-Level Candidates to Team Leads in a Year — How We Trained and Developed Affiliate Managers at Betmen Affiliates

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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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