During its recent online General Assembly, Global Lottery Monitoring System (GLMS) has elected a new Executive Committee for the 2021-2023 period and re-appointed Ludovico Calvi as its President.

According to GLMS Statutes, the Executive Committee forms one of the four governing bodies of GLMS, together with the General Secretariat, headquartered in Lausanne, the General Meeting (membership) and the Auditors. The Executive Committee is made up of 8 members, including a Chair, acting as President, and a Vice Chair. Committee Members have to each represent a different country lottery.

Ludovico Calvi (Board member, Lottomatica – Italy) has been re-appointed President of the Association for his 3rd mandate. Gilles Maillet, (Sport Integrity Director, La Française des Jeux- France) has been appointed as Vice-Chair for his 1st mandate, replacing Rupert Bolingbroke (Hong Kong Jockey Club), who did not stand for election this time.

While 4 members are elected directly by the GLMS Membership, 4 are nominated by GLMS’ collective co-founding members, World Lottery Association and European Lotteries, each of whom present 2 nominees for validation by the Membership base.

The elected members of the Executive Committee of The Global Lottery Monitoring System – GLMS for the term 2021-2023 are (in alphabetical order)

• Ludovico Calvi , Lottomatica, Italy (Chair/President)
• Lat Diop, LONASE, Senegal
• Younès EL Mechrafi, MDJS, Morocco
• Lori Sullivan, OLG, Canada

Ludovico Calvi takes on the reigns for a third mandate in an exciting period for GLMS in full growth and shared, “I am delighted and privileged to have been appointed President of GLMS for a 3rd consecutive term. I would like to thank all members of GLMS for the renewed trust.

During the last 2 terms, as President of the Executive Committee, we have been able to:

• Review GLMS organization effectively
• Invest in competent human and technical resources
• Draw new, transparent and more effective processes and governance
• Implement new and more efficient Statutes, which will allow GLMS to grow a diversified membership base  involving new strategic Sport Integrity Stakeholders
• Strengthen Relations with key public and private stakeholders worldwide
• Define and implement new communication strategy
• Engage and increase membership base effectively

We have set very solid foundations to drive the success of our Association in the titanic fight against Match Fixing and to protect Sports Integrity worldwide.

I am honored to have been re-elected since this would allow me to carry on the mission of growing GLMS network worldwide and disseminating its core values while guaranteeing continuity and strengthening the association.

I am fully convinced that GLMS represents a tremendous vehicle not only for our Association and its members but also for all other key interested stakeholders, our communities, and our society as a whole”.

Online gaming operator Kindred Group has partnered with the Malta-based gaming supplier Relax Gaming and created the industry-first LGBTQ+ avatars, available exclusively for Kindred customers.

The idea of designing unique LGBTQ+ avatars was developed in Kindred’s LGBTQ+ Network meetings. Following a discussion between Kindred and Relax Gaming, an avatar design like the exclusive HexaBingo/HexaPro avatars was developed. The LGBTQ+ avatars blend in with current avatar options but provide an alternative option for customers to present themselves online.

“The accumulative impact over time of these adjustments and inclusion is important for minority-identifying individuals and I am glad that we, as a company, can be a part of that. Internally it means Kindred employees can be proud to work for a diverse and inclusive company, whatever their gender or sexual identity. This is not a tick-box exercise for Kindred, this is aligned with our corporate values and our broader Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy. It might be seen as a small thing for many but we know it brings reassurance that most LGBTQ+ people don’t often see,” Gavin Hayward, Chief Human Resources Officer at Kindred Group, said.

“It’s amazing to work for a company that is open to suggestions like this. It’s a big world, and there are a lot of different people out there. I have been part of the LGBTQ+ community for many years, and I’m thrilled to see these acknowledgements of inclusion from the mainstream. The difference is vast from when I started in this industry 20 years ago, and it’s thanks to individuals and companies like Kindred driving change,” Katharine Arnsby, Poker and Bingo Team Lead and a member of Kindred’s LGBTQ+ Network, said.

Playtech has announced that it has signed up to the All-In Diversity project – an industry-driven initiative to benchmark diversity, equality and inclusion for the global betting and gaming sector. The move comes as part of Playtech’s global sustainability strategy, Sustainable Success.

Sustainable Success is Playtech’s strategy for growing the business in a way that has a positive impact on its people, its communities, the environment and the industry.

“We are delighted to partner with All-In Diversity to help champion diversity and inclusion at Playtech, as well as within our sector. As the leading technology supplier in the industry, it is imperative to our success that we are able to lead the industry in building a sustainable, commercially viable, entertainment first industry — for the benefit of all. Partnering with the All-In Diversity Project will play an important role in supporting our efforts to promote an inclusive culture and accelerate progress on every aspect of diversity within the organisation,” Shimon Akad, Chief Operating Offer at Playtech, said.

“Playtech’s timing could not be better. As we continue to grow and align our work with the needs of the industry, having the support of established industry leaders is key to driving impactful change. This together with their commitment to the Project we are very much looking forward to their commitment and good work we can accomplish with their support,” Kelly Kehn, Co-Founder of All-in Diversity Project, said.