Press Releases

Phil Silver honoured by MPs for contributions to social responsibility

Published

6 years ago

May 25, 2018

Phil Silver honoured by MPs for contributions to social responsibility

Conservative Party MPs Rt Hon Nick Herbert (L) and Sir Peter Bottomley (R) present the Bacta Community Award to Phil Silver (centre)

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Conservative Party MPs Sir Peter Bottomley and Rt Hon Nick Herbert attended a presentation to honour former Bacta Compliance Officer, Phil Silver and to mark his contribution to the development of a social responsibility culture in Britain’s adult gaming centres, seaside arcades and bingo clubs. Phil Silver received the Bacta Community Award at the presentation hosted by Esther O’Neill and Sarah Clarke of Worthing based Connaught Leisure.

Highlighting his work with social responsibility organisations including GamCare, the national provider of information and support for anyone affected by problem gambling and the Gordon Moody Association, the first charity in the UK dedicated to providing residential treatment to help problem gamblers, Bacta National President Gabi Stergides said: “In a career with Bacta spanning three decades Phil Silver has made what I would argue is the single biggest contribution to social responsibility in the low stake gaming industry. Thanks in no small part to Phil, Bacta was the first gaming industry body to work in partnership with GamCare and his contributions as a Trustee of the Gordon Moody Association have been invaluable. In his role as Bacta’s Compliance Officer he has assisted members implement the social responsibility commitments that are a requirement of being part of the trade association. His contribution to the development of an industry that upholds the highest standards of social responsibility cannot be underestimated.”

Commenting on the industry recognition, Phil Silver said: “I am delighted to receive this award which marks the end of my long career with Bacta. Members of the trade association understand that it’s not enough to simply support social responsibility and customer protection, businesses have to demonstrate it. We have undertaken some pioneering work and I’m extremely proud that I was able to make a small contribution to the massive issue of social responsibility in gaming.”

Reflecting on the presentation Bacta chief executive, John White said: “It was extremely generous of Nick Herbert and his fellow Sussex MP, Sir Peter Bottomley, to present Bacta’s Community Award to Phil Silver. Their attendance acknowledged Phil’s contribution to the amusement machine industry over a thirty year career and his support for problem and at risk gamblers via charities Gamcare and the Gordon Moody Association. I would personally like to thank Nick and Sir Peter for taking time out of their busy schedules in order to present this Award and to Esther and Sarah for hosting us at Connaught Leisure, the business that was created by the late Pat O’Neill who was a great friend to so many Bacta members. The presentation reflected the great importance that Bacta and its members place on social responsibility.”

About bacta:
Bacta represents the amusement and gaming machine industry in the UK, encompassing high-tech and creative manufacturers, machine suppliers for pubs, clubs and bingo halls, as well as operators of Family Entertainment Centres and over 18s Gaming Centres. Bacta members include the whole of the amusement machine supply chain in the UK, which has a collective turnover of nearly £2bn across more than 500 companies, operating in excess of 310,000 machines.

Industry News

SKS365 keeps investing in people: GROW People Management Program took the next level

Published

6 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Peter Tolan

Reading Time: < 1 minute

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.

eSports

North Star Network acquires Um Dois Esportes

Published

6 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Peter Tolan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

North Star Network are delighted to announce the acquisition of umdoisesportes.com.br, which becomes the latest addition to NSN’s global sports media portfolio.

Born from the GRPCOM merger of the editorial teams of Gazeta Do Povo and Tribuna do Paraná in 2020, Um Dois Esportes provides in-depth sports coverage and analysis for the Brazilian state of Paraná and beyond.

North Star Network co-founder Julien Josset said: “Thank you to the team at GRPCOM for their faith in us to take the brand forward. Um Dois Esportes is an established and renowned site in Paraná State, and we’re excited about the challenge of developing this asset.”

“We’re happy to maintain the collaboration with the existing editorial team, and look forward to working with them, bringing our unique NSN approach, to take UDE forward.” NSN’s signing of Um Dois Esportes is the media house’s fourth acquisition of 2024, following the recent deals to purchase UK-based SportsMole and MrFixitsTips, as well as Chilean site AlAireLibre, which was announced in March.

The latest addition to the North Star media portfolio joins existing assets including Top Mercato, Afrik-Foot, and Vringe. The Paris-based company already oversees a significant Brazilian operation, delivering over 6 million sessions per month, from the likes of Trivela, Premier League Brasil and Lakers Brasil.

NSN will retain Curitiba-based journalists from the Um Dois Esportes legacy team to maintain the asset’s unique tone and popular coverage of the Paraná sports scene across site and social.

“We were surprised by the interest, and initially had no intention of selling Um Dois, but as the conversations evolved, we realised this was a serious group with good intentions,” said GRPCOM Director Rafael Mello. “We were very happy to see our project being valued by a large international group and going global, demonstrating the quality of the content we produced.”

“We’re also proud that North Star inherited our journalists, who are truly responsible for the success of the product we offer readers every day.”

partnerships

BNXT League and PepperMill Casino join forces

Published

6 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Peter Tolan

Reading Time: < 1 minute

BNXT League , the professional men’s basketball league played across the Netherlands and Belgium, and PepperMill Casino, the online casino licensed in Belgium, are pleased to announce their partnership centered around the BNXT League’s Belgian Play Offs.

PepperMill Casino will be a naming partner of the Belgian play offs. For the 24-25 season, PepperMill remains a partner of the BNXT League until the restrictions on gambling advertising take legal effect on January 1, 2025.

The partnership between BNXT League and PepperMill Casino aims to create engaging and customized content that engages and captivates fans on multiple fronts while increasing brand awareness.

“The basketball community is growing and buzzing with excitement and energy,” stated Anthony Rus, General Director of PepperMill Casino. “This partnership allows us to create memorable moments that build brand awareness and capture the hearts of fans.”

“Wim Van de Keere, general manager of the BNXT League, adds, “The playoffs are undoubtedly the sporting highlight of the season. We are delighted to still be able to tie a dynamic partner like PepperMill Casino to us despite the restrictions coming up from 2025.”