As senior vice president and director of research and development at Panasonic Hollywood Labs, Martin has been responsible for creating experiences that take users on a ski trip, bring Mickey Mouse to life, and add new levels of interaction to attractions worldwide.
Having worked on attractions such as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and even taken Walt Disney World visitors inside an animated cartoon, he explains how this technology can be used for integrated resorts.
It has taken years for the Netherlands to negotiate then finalise igaming regulations, but 2021 looks set to be the year that the first online bets are placed.
This casts the country’s land-based monopoly Holland Casino into uncharted territory.
Its CEO Van Lambaart discusses what the business has been doing to prepare for launch, while GiG CEO Brown shares his experience of taking brick-and-mortar businesses into new channels.
In this presentation, Turbatu explains how Playtech looks to constantly develop and enhance the product and services it provides through the Innovation Lab.
She also discusses the importance of gender diversity in bringing in fresh ideas, experiences and insights, as the Girls in Tech Gibraltar chapter looks to elevate more female executives to technology leadership roles.
Demand for specialist technology skills is high, and gaming has to compete with a host of other industries when searching for candidates.
This is reflected in rising salaries, as evidenced by the 2020 edition of the iGB-Pentasia Salary Survey. This revealed that despite the disruption caused by the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the employment market for tech specialists was more competitive than ever.
In this video, Pentasia managing director Alistair Cleland runs through the key findings of the Salary Survey. Head of technology recruitment Robert Gray then offers the industry some advice on identifying and onboarding the best candidates available.
Entain has grown and evolved rapidly in recent years, and COO Tiku is the man tasked with ensuring it continues to innovate and enhance its offering.
Here he offers exclusive insights into both the operator’s technology strategy, and the broader industry uptake of new technologies.
This video sees Velo Partners’ Evan Hoff and contributors from Gamepro, Hook Nation and EQ-Connect discuss how industry newcomers can drive change in gambling.
The pandemic hasn’t put a stop to innovation, and the number of start-up submissions Clarion Gaming received for Pitch ICE is testament to this.
Here you can see the longlist selected for Pitch ICE Tech Futures.
So take a look at their video pitches and vote on your favourite, which will be crowned the Pitch ICE Tech Futures winner. The winning entry will be given significant exposure throughout 2021.
This is only the start of Clarion Gaming’s startup content for the coming year. We will have many more opportunities for startups throughout 2021.
To be featured, submit your startup for future initiatives via the link above.
This year’s predictions series is the broadest and most comprehensive put together by the iGB team.
It features established industry names, such as Betsson, La Française des Jeux and Novomatic, alongside up-and-comers including Bally’s Corporation and Eyas Gaming.
Part one – igaming operators and suppliers
Anthony Evans, VP of product strategy, Playtech
Ciara Nic Liam, commercial director – gaming, Betsson
Stéphane Pallez, chairwoman and CEO, FDJ Group
Joe Saumarez Smith, chairman, Eyas Gaming
Part two – land-based operators and suppliers
Brendan Bussmann, partner, Global Market Advisors
Johannes Gratzl and Ryszard Presch, members of the executive management board, Novomatic
Frank Kennedy, senior VP of casino operations, Four Winds Casino
George Papanier, president and CEO, Bally’s Corporation
Julian Buhagiar, co-founder, RB Capital
Simon Holliday, founder, H2 Gambling Capital
Christian Tirabassi, senior partner, Ficom Leisure
Michael Daly, vice president North America, Catena Media
Clive Hawkswood, industry consultant and former CEO, Remote Gambling Association
Anika Howard, vice president brand marketing and digital, Foxwoods Resort Casino
Harry Lang, marketing director, Buzz Bingo
Camilla Bille, vice president people and culture, Better Collective
Andrew Bulloss, partner and head of the gaming practice, Odgers Berndtson
Marwa Mitchell, vice president recruitment North America, Pentasia
Part six – technology and innovation
Mohit Kansal, partner, Clairvest
Nikos Konstakis, VP sportsbook, SG Digital
Cristina Turbatu, head of innovation lab and marketplace, Playtech
Mattias Wedar, chief product and technology officer, LeoVegas
Mark Balestra, partner, Segev LLP
Melanie Ellis, partner, Northridge Law
Gustaf Hoffstedt, chief executive, Branscheforenigen för Onlinespel (BOS)
David McLeish, partner, Wiggin
Part eight – social responsibility
Maris Catania, head of responsible gaming and research, Kindred
Grainne Hurst, group corporate affairs director, Entain
Daniela Johansson, deputy CEO and chief responsibility officer, PAF
Matt Zarb-Cousin, founder, Clean Up Gambling
Revenue for the 12 months to December 31 amounted to $125.6m, down 25.1% from $165.4m in the previous year.
Full House saw revenue fall in almost all areas of its business as casinos had to close in line with state Covid-19 regulations, and since reopening, have been limited to the number of customers they can permit inside.
Casino revenue fell 19.9% to $90.8m, while food and beverage revenue dropped 43.6% to $19.8m and hotel revenue 35.7% to $7.4m.
Breaking down the performance of each property, the Silver Slipper Casino and Hotel in Mississippi saw revenue fall 14.6% to $62.5m, after being closed for two months in the spring.
Revenue at the Rising Star Casino Resort in Indiana was down 32.0% to $45.6m, due to a three-month period of closure, while Bronco Billy’s Casino and Hotel in Colorado, which also closed for three months, saw revenue fall 26.2% to $20.3m.
BettHouse has secured market access in Iowa and is scheduled to debut in the state next month, with plans in place to also go live in a number of other states before the end of the year.
Headquartered in Las Vegas, BettHouse will operate on the Bet.Works platform and also utilise the Simplebet micro-betting pricing engine.
BettHouse’s senior team includes chief executive Steve Berman, who has spent 25 years working in US sports betting and igaming, as well as president and founder Nitin Jain.
Michael Blocksberg is serving as chief operating officer of BettHouse, with Matt Birnbach as chief strategy officer, and George Burkhardt as chief financial officer.
The Lottery of the City of Buenos Aires (LOTBA), the local regulatory body for the Argentinean capital, granted the approval for Grupo Slots’ Jugadon.bet site to go live in the city.
GiG agreed a deal in August last year to provide a technical igaming platform, sportsbook and front-end development, as well as its data platform and GiG Logic operating system, to Grupo Slots in the city.
“It gives us enormous satisfaction and motivation to be able to contribute our 35 years of experience and operational capacity to continue generating opportunities for our team of collaborators and to continue building the future of our company,” Grupo Slots general manager Juan Ignacio Torres said.
“We have put together an excellent team, combining the technology and strength of GiG’s platform with Grupo Slots’ deep knowledge of the local market.”
GiG chief commercial officer Ben Clemes added: “The opportunity to implement our platform in the city of Buenos Aires, a fresh and dynamic market, is a challenge that marks a milestone for our companies.
“LOTBA is setting a great precedent for the strengthening of online gaming throughout the region and we are proud to be one of the early movers into the market.”
Argentina is in the process of regulating online gambling on a province-by-province basis. Last year, the city of Buenos Aires approved regulations to set criteria for igaming licensees, expecting a Q4 2020 launch at the time.
