Month: November 2022

The initiative was announced by Ho Iat-Seng, chief executive of Macau, as part of an easing of Covid-19 measures. At the time, Ho projected that the number of daily visitors from China could rise to 40,000 as a result.

From today, smart visa kiosks present at all of Macau’s borders will provide e-visa applications, allowing residents from mainland China to travel to the special administrative region without additional paperwork.

The government of Macau said it hoped that increased footfall will open up opportunities for more trade events and economic recovery in Macau, which has been hit hard by travel restrictions.

Further policies included in the initiative consist of support for infrastructure, businesses and diversification.

Further uncertainty

The e-visas come at a time of further uncertainty for Macau’s economy and public health. On 30 October, authorities in Macau imposed a lockdown on MGM Cotai after a small number of Covid-19 cases were discovered there – after no cases were detected in the region in three months.

Staff and guests at the venue were mandated to stay there until today. But until the cases are contained, all residents in Macau must take a Covid-19 test daily.

Macau is also currently undergoing a public tender licence process, wherein seven operators are battling it out for six concessions to operate in Macau.

The ev-visa policy has an in-built circuit-breaker where the new visas may be stopped in the event of a new outbreak, meaning the policy could come to an end if the current case cluster expands.

‘The Gambling Support University Tour’ will travel to locations across the UK, speaking with students and university staff about the issue of gambling-related harms and the training and support services they provide.

Attendees will also receive specialist information about gambling harm, as well as have the opportunity to speak with trained experts about their own experiences and problems. 

YGAM will provide free harm prevention training to university staff, student union officers and safeguarding leads, as well as promote its Student Hub website that provides students with a range of information, advice and guidance on the topic.

Higher education institutions and colleges that have already taken part in the roadshow include Worcester, Central Lancashire, Northumbria, Bournemouth, Sheffield, Lincoln and Stoke-on-Trent, with a further 18 in Scotland visited by the Scottish Gambling Education Network in a similar initiative.

The launch of the tour comes after research commissioned by GamStop and YGAM earlier this year found of the 2,000 students surveyed by Censuswide, 80% had gambled and 41% admitted that gambling had a negative impact on their university experience.

Some 35% of respondents were using money either from their student loan, overdraft, had borrowed from friends or were taking out payday loans to help fund their gambling, while 19% admitted to using their student loan to gamble.

Mean gambling spend for students was £31.52 per week and 18% said they spent more than £50 per week on gambling. In addition, 38% said they gambled at least once a week and 63% at least once a month.

“The Gambling Support University Tour has been a great success and is an important initiative for all the organisations taking part,” Gamstop chief executive Fiona Palmer said. 

“Gambling-related harm on our campuses is a subject that is rarely addressed, but for any students experiencing problems with their gambling, self-exclusion is one of the most important tools available, giving them valuable breathing space whilst they seek additional help”.

YGAM director of external affairs Daniel Bliss added: “The popularity of the tour so far shows us that gambling harms is clearly an issue that universities are more conscious of. 

“Universities offer support to their students on a variety of issues ranging from alcohol, drugs, and debt. We believe gambling should be given the same level of focus and this tour is helping to increase awareness and understanding.”

SGcertified is a platform through which operators can gain safer gambling and ESG certifications across different jurisdictions. The tool uses a four step process to help companies obtain these certifications and ESG objectives while also putting focus on the overall impact along the way. It is built upon the DigitalRG platform.

Svend Aage has more than two decades of management, sales and marketing and international business development experience across various industries.

“I am really excited to be joining the team at SGcertified.com,” he said. “I’ve been watching what they have been doing over the past few years. It was the simplicity yet effectiveness of the platform and the huge drive for helping to improve the standards in the gaming industry that really drew me in. I see great potential in SGcertificed.com and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together.”

Aage said that ESG certification can often be a difficult process, and that SGcertified has made the process of obtaining ESG certifications easier.

“Many gambling companies who are committed to safer gambling practices are frustrated by the complex, ever-changing safer gambling practices required to achieve the more than 45 certifications that are offered around the world. SG Certified trusted platform takes the guesswork out of the process and arms operators with the tools, information and data required to receive their desired certifications.

“Our staff are experienced and expert at the historic and evolving responsible gambling practices that will help create a safer environment for gamblers, while eliminating much of the bureaucracy and administrative complexity of complying with the certification requirements,” Svend Aage added.