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BGC Warns Permanent Industry Damage Following Delay in Casino Reopening

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BGC Warns Permanent Industry Damage Following Delay in Casino Reopening
BGC Warns Permanent Industry Damage Following Delay in Casino ReopeningReading Time: 2 minutes

 

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has warned that the UK Government’s last-minute reversal of plans to allow casinos to reopen on August 1 has dealt a wrecking ball to the industry, from which it may never recover.

The casino sector employs more than 14,000 people across the UK in 125 casinos and a further 4000 in the supply chain. Casinos also paid over £300 million each year in tax before the lockdown.

With casinos across England forced to remain shuttered, the BGC warns that up to 6000 jobs may be permanently lost.

In a letter to Chancellor Rishi Sunak MP on July 31, BGC described the decision to keep casinos closed as “highly illogical, inconsistent and deeply damaging to those businesses and the thousands of staff they employ.”

BGC has also rejected the Prime Minister’s categorisation of casinos as “higher risk” during his Downing Street briefing. Casinos have spent weeks and invested millions of pounds to ensure their premises are covid-secure, with measures such as perspex screens, sanitisation equipment and sophisticated track and trace systems, as well as introducing strict social distancing measures and hygiene protocols.

BGC Chief Executive Michael Dugher said: “The Government are swinging a wrecking ball right through the middle of our industry and large scale job losses, which ought to be unnecessary and avoidable, now look inevitable unless ministers act fast.”

“Casinos are a small but fundamental part of our leisure, hospitality, entertainment and tourism industry. They employ over 14,000 people across the UK and indirectly support another 4,000 jobs in the supply sector, and last year casinos paid over £5.7 million in tax per week.

“The ongoing cost of remaining in a holding pattern to reopen is clearly not sustainable, with more jobs and livelihoods being put at risk with every last minute change and delay to reopening.

“The Job Retention Scheme has helped but our members will now be forced to pay National Insurance and pension contributions on top of salaries in August while they remain closed. As furlough payments are phased out, there will be no flexibility for casinos to adapt to the new working and leisure environment and I now fear that many thousands of jobs could be lost.

“We made the all necessary preparations for safe reopening and we were given the green light by Public Health England on the basis of the significant investment made by operators, and having been told by the Government themselves that casinos posed a ‘negligible’ risk compared with the tens of thousands of other places that they have been reopened.”


Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
This is a Syndicated News piece. Photo credits or photo sources can be found on the source article: BGC Warns Permanent Industry Damage Following Delay in Casino Reopening

George Miller (Gyorgy Molnar) started his career in content marketing and has started working as an Editor/Content Manager for our company in 2016. George has acquired many experiences when it comes to interviews and newsworthy content becoming Head of Content in 2017. He is responsible for the news being shared on multiple websites that are part of the European Gaming Media Network.

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ACR POKER’S NEXT HIGH STAKES ADVENTURE COMES TO STUNNING MONTENEGRO WITH LIFE-CHANGING PAYOUTS

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ACR Poker’s High Stakes Adventures are the richest travel prize packages in poker and now they’ve unveiled the next destination with stunning Montenegro in Southeast Europe.

The High Stakes Adventure: Montenegro is guaranteeing two packages via a Main Satellite on Sunday, April 28th at 2:05pm ET. Each includes $110,000 in tourney buy-ins / entry fees to a Super High Roller Series from May 12th-26th, plus business class airfare and luxury accommodations.

“Our High Stakes Adventures in 2023 included world-class destinations like London and Monte Carlo, and we kicked off this year with exotic Jeju Island in South Korea,” stated ACR Pro Chris Moneymaker. “We predict Montenegro will be just as memorable with its rich history, breathtaking scenery and vibrant culture.”

Package winners can spread their $110,000 in buy-ins over multiple events or use it in one giant shot. Either way, they will compete for life-changing payouts against the world’s most elite players. Also making their way to Montenegro will be separate ACR Pro and Stormer package winners, adding to the VIP experience even more.

The Main Satellite on Sunday, April 28th costs $2,650 but Moneymaker noted that players can qualify for a fraction of the cost via their Super Satellites.

For more on the High Stakes Adventure: Montenegro, visit the promo page at ACRPoker.eu.

 

 

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Barcelona will take ‘extraordinary ICE to another level’ – predicts safer gambling expert

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Art Paikowsky has served as President of the International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG) since October 2021.  During this period, he has helped to more than double the level of resources secured by the organization resulting in over 25 studies currently being conducted. At ICE 2024 the ICRG was one of two safer gambling organisations to share the £41,000 pool raised by brands comprising Light and Wonder, Flutter, Betsson Group, IGT, Novomatic, Neccton and Playtech.

What are your overall impressions of ICE and how much are you looking forward to its relocation to Barcelona?

AP: “ICE itself is an amazing seamless exercise that is so fantastically well planned that it’s almost unbelievable.  With the continued upgrade in content, I believe that Clarion is committed to improvement which I have experienced each year.  Barcelona is one of my personal favorite European cities, the conference center is in an excellent location and the food is to die for. I can only expect that the move will take an already extraordinary event to another level.”

Have you decided how you will be using the £20,500 – is there a specific project or piece of research that it will fund/help fund?

AP: “We were surprised and elated to receive the award and we are very grateful to Clarion for all that it has done on behalf of ICRG.  One of the methods of funding research is that investigators from all over the world apply for grants from our unrestricted funds.  These requests are reviewed independently by the Scientific Advisory Board and are awarded several times throughout the year.  These funds are a significant allocation to our grant pool.”

How important is it for a major b2b gambling event to have a show feature that’s dedicated to safer gambling?

AP: “Even as recently as a couple of years ago at conferences that I attended it was difficult to locate anything featuring safer gambling.  Not only did ICE feature this important topic but the content was of such value that it was difficult to get a seat at the sessions! Thanks should go to Clarion for its leadership here.”

From a safer gambling perspective what were the main talking points at ICE 2024?

AP: “The UK government’s White Paper was very much in the mind’s eye and there was a great deal of attention as to how technology might impact safer gambling.  Our research has identified emerging adults as an at risk market and the accessibility of gambling options on the phone must be examined more closely: we have several studies underway to learn more about this.  Sports betting, regulation and advertising were all top of mind.”

2024 marks your 25th anniversary year – how good was it to celebrate the landmark at ICE?

AP: “One of the things that I noted when I started at ICRG two and a half years ago was that the organization had done terrific work but generally flew under the radar screen.  To launch our 25th anniversary year at ICE with the exposure that we received and the recognition as Charity of the Year was of tremendous value.  This will help stage both our 25th anniversary golf tournament in May in Las Vegas as well as our signature educational conference scheduled in October.”

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Endorphina releases its newest title – Jolly Queen!

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One of the top casino game providers, Endorphina, has announced the release of its brand-new title, Jolly Queen, which will join its portfolio on April 27th. Jolly Queen is a 5-reel, 5-row fruit slot with 50 fixed paylines, introducing players to the lifestyle of the nobles.

On top of the aristocratic ambiance, Jolly Queen provides players with Free Games, allowing them to master the reels. During the Free Games, at least one Expanding Wild Joker is guaranteed to appear on the screen.

Furthermore, Jolly Queen also features the Royal Treasures Pick Game, enabling players to get a taste of the noble lifestyle. In the Bonus Game, players can choose from three gold-filled treasure chests, containing prizes of 10x, 30x, and 50x their total bets.

The post Endorphina releases its newest title – Jolly Queen! appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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