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ALL CHANGE AS THE GAMBLING AND GAMING INDUSTRY RESHUFFLES ITS CARDS!
Amidst major changes, a flurry of mergers & acquisitions, gambling
arrests and legal turmoil, the gaming and gambling industry asks… what’s
next?
London, UK (Press Release) 7 November 2006 - Gaming companies have
switched their focus from the huge US market to concentrate more on
Europe and Asia; speculation is mounting regarding mergers between 888
and PartyGaming and /or Ladbrokes; London casinos are becoming important
strategic assets for foreign gaming companies; new legislation in
Britain next year will clear the way for super casinos and an influx of
online gaming businesses and Ryanair have reportedly formed a gaming
partnership with Internet bingo group… When W. Edwards Deming wrote “It
is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory” sometime between
1900 and 1993, he definitely was not referencing the gaming and gambling
industry’s reaction to major upheavals.
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The arrests of iGaming executives by The Department of Justice in the
US had thrust the legality of gaming and gambling into the spotlight and
put many a company on its back foot. Generation of gamers in the
lucrative North American market were immediately off limits. But this
did not sound the death knell for gaming and gambling
“In a rapidly changing environment [for the gambling industry] it is
more and more of an importance to generate games-content precisely
fitted to the target group addressed” comments Eberhard Duerrschmid CEO
of Greentube, a leading developer and provider of Gaming Solutions for
the Internet, mobile devices and iTV. Eberhard is just one of over 70
speakers taking part at an on- and offline gambling summit in London on
6th – 7th December, Bullet Business Europe ‘06. “A whole generation of
gamers is out there and just waiting to be collected and sorted into the
value-chains of entertainment setups that are prepared to specifically
adopt to their needs” continues Eberhard.
Following the money, and building a community around your gaming
brand to ensure a major slice of the action, may seem a simple enough
challenge, but rising up to it is a whole new ball game, especially when
partnerships are springing up in the most unlikely of places… take Bingo
for example, which is no longer an exclusive pursuit of the blue-rinse
brigade.
Ryanair passengers are now able to play bingo on the Ryanair website
as part of their partnership deal with Jackpotjoy.com. After scrapping
last year’s plans to introduce portable entertainment units, the move is
seen as an attempt to add another new revenue stream as Ryanair seeks to
boost cash flow from areas other than ticket sales. The second phase in
mid-2007 will reportedly see the airline hopes offering online gambling
on board planes.
Online Bingo has indeed experienced unprecedented growth in the last
18 months and this partnership between Ryanair and Jackpot joy may be
the beginning of a new turning point. CEOs of Bingo.com, Bingos.co.uk,
ThinkBingo and Which Bingo are just some of the executives confirmed to
speak at the Online Bingo conference co-located with Bullet Business
Europe ‘06 summit which will address how to get traction for your Bingo
brand.
Hosted by independent Gaming consultants, Bullet Business Europe ‘06
in London, 6-7 December confirms 6 industry specific conferences,
workshops and a large networking calendar that includes a Poker
Tournament, Charity Auction and the Industry Xmas Party.
Addressing the business of Poker, land-based Casinos, Online Bingo
and New Product Development in 4 individual conferences, the summit also
confirms separate Legal and Marketing workshops. Bullet Business Europe
‘06 brings together key companies in gaming and gambling to address how
sustainable advantage can be secured in a climate of regulatory yo-yoing
and unprecedented growth.
“We all know that the gaming and gambling industry has changed
considerably over the last few months,” says Mike Setters, Summit
Director of Bullet Business Europe ’06, “we wanted to deliver a series
of conferences that tackle the challenges faced by individuals with core
responsibilities across the changing gaming and gambling market.”
Despite all this change in the market poker has continued to be the
star pupil of the gaming industry. It’s often quoted that an incredible
$60 billion was gambled on poker sites in 2005 alone – so capturing
market share in an area of intense competition is no easy feat. Lee
Richardson, CEO of Chartwell Games, and speaker at the Poker summit
co-located with Bullet Business Europe ‘06 has an eye on an emerging
trend which will differentiate poker winners from poker losers,
“[Chartwell believes that] European players are increasingly looking for
poker variants which they readily recognise and already enjoy playing
off-line; tailoring games which suit this demand will be key for the
successful on-line operator”
John Parsonage, Internet Product Manager of Skybet and speaker at the
New Product Development conference at Bullet Business Europe ‘06 agrees
with this sentiment and adds “The future of gaming product development
lies within the operator’s ability to offer a thrilling and compelling
gaming experience in a usable and entertaining format that is available
at the player’s convenience. Central to this is the ability to utilise
the convergence of technologies allowing players to use one account and
play a multitude of products across numerous platforms.”
Convergence of technologies is also no stranger to the more
traditional land-based casino market. Casino properties are now rolling
out server-based gaming which is set to revolutionise the casino floor
as well as player experience. But the radicalisation of the casino
market is not limited to the games on offer.
Harrah’s now owns nearly 83 per cent of the shares in UK-casino
company London Clubs International, clear indication of how lucrative
international casino groups believe Britain will become as the 2005
Gambling Act slowly unwinds many of the regulatory constraints that have
so tightly bound the industry over the past 40 years. Proof that
European casinos are becoming important strategic asset for foreign
gaming companies? It would definitely appear that way. Yet with this
comes a note of caution.
"The rapidly changing Casino industry of today is not about making
money, it is about creating value,” says Steve Karoul, a veteran of
casino marketing and former VP Casino Marketing at Foxwoods Casinos, the
largest casino in the world. He continues, “that 'value' will translate
into longer term profits." Steve is also a keynote speaker at the Casino
Summit, co-located with Bullet Business Europe ‘06 and will talk about
the Foxwoods Formula for Success model which outlines how casino
properties can create value and tweak bottom line profitability.
“With individual conference on topics such as Poker, Casino, Bingo,
New Product Development, Legal issues and Marketing, Bullet Business
Europe ’06 allows companies across the entire gaming and gambling
segment a chance to understand how they boost bottom line profitability
and ensure player retention and acquisition,“ says Anita Yaa Agyeman,
co-Summit Director. “With the entire industry meeting under the one roof
at Bullet Business Europe ‘06 [www.bulletbusiness.com/europe06]
the whole team can come along and share networking opportunities at
individual conferences specifically targeted to them.”
Lee W. Richardson, Chief Executive, Chartwell Games adds “Bullet
Business Europe 06 is an ideal event to conclude a fascinating 2006, and
help get ahead of the challenges for 2007”.
2006 may have proved a difficult year for gaming and gambling with
leading operators forced out of the lucrative US market, coupled with
uncertainly about how changes to gambling laws will impact on the
land-based casino and general gambling markets. But there is still a lot
to play for in a market that continues to make great gains by confirming
new sign-ups from outside the US, and continues to attract new customers
from less traditional player markets.
The impact of the continuing US legislation may have left gaming
down, but certainly not out. Surprising? Maybe not for a market that has
grown into a multi-billion dollar global industry in the teeth of all
the opposition authorise try to throw at it. And after all, according to
Okakura Kakuzo, “The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our
surroundings”
Bullet Business Europe ‘06 runs in London on December 6 and 7. Full
information can be found at
www.bulletbusiness.com/europe066
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FC Group [First Conferences Ltd] is a UK based publisher, event
origination and marketing company. Operating internationally in multiple
vertical industries the company is known for its high-level summits and
industry news services.
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