The most deprived areas in the UK are said to have the highest concentration of betting shops, according to a recent study commissioned by the Standard Life Foundation independent charity.

The report, which was compiled by academics at the University of Bristol, shows that the nation’s poorest areas are home to 10 times more betting shops than its most affluent parts.

According to the research, “those with the least resources are being targeted more” and venues offering the highly controversial fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) are concentrated in the UK’s poorest parts against the wishes of people who live in those areas.

Scholars found that at 10,000, Great Britain has more brick-and-mortar gaming and sports betting facilities than supermarkets. The aforementioned number includes betting shops, amusement arcades, and bingo sites.

Of the above gambling locations, about 21% of them are located in the most deprived areas of the country, while just around 2% are situated in the wealthiest parts of the country. In comparison, 10% of large supermarket chains’ sites are located in the poorest areas, while 7% are in the most affluent ones.

Glasgow is found to be home to the most betting facilities with one of these for every 3,264 people. Liverpool, London’s poorer areas and Middlesbrough are trailing not far behind.

Bingo Halls Show Strongest Correlation

According to the recent report’s findings, the correlation with deprivation is most prominent for bingo halls, followed by “family entertainment centers” that can typically be found in coastal towns where economic deprivation is statistically more likely, and gaming arcades.

Betting shops show weaker correlation, but the study says it is still “statistically significant.”

The results of the new report have rekindled discussions about the so-called clustering practiced by UK-licensed gambling operators, which have repeatedly been accused of intentionally concentrating a large number of betting shops in an area to operate more FOBTs there.

Gambling companies took a big hit in 2019 when the maximum stake FOBTs can take was slashed from £100 to £2. There have been calls for tighter curbs on the retail sector amid the Government’s ongoing gambling review.

Mubin Haq, Chief Executive of Standard Life Foundation, said that the new study “highlights that those living in poorer areas are more likely to be living next to gambling premises” and that people with limited resources are targeted more by gambling companies with “twice as many gambling venues on their doorstep as supermarkets.”

According to Mr. Haq, the gambling reforms that are currently under consideration by MPs must take into account “the geography of gambling venues and give local authorities more control over licensing”, if they want these reforms to truly level up regulation of the nation’s gambling industry.

Source: UK’s most deprived areas have highest number of gambling outlets – report, The Guardian, August 23, 2021

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Online casino operator Videoslots has recently celebrated a big milestone with the addition of its 6,000th game – Play’n GO’s Agent of Hearts.

The colorful and feature-rich online slot was rolled out only recently to become part of Videoslots’ sprawling games library. The addition of the new game has further strengthened the brand’s offering as it looks to cement its position as the online casino offering the richest selection of titles from the industry’s top content makers.

It should be noted that Videoslots launched its 5000th game this past February, which makes its most recent feat even more impressive and illustrates its ambition to regularly upgrade its games lobby with fresh new content.

Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Agent of Hearts is a vibrant 7-reel cluster pays online slot that is packed with features offering players the chance to win up to 5,262.5x their stake. As mentioned above, the game was crafted by leading iGaming studio Play’n GO, which Videoslots has been working with for a long time.

Launched in 2011, Videoslots boasts a strong brand thanks largely to the wide variety of content it offers to its players and also to its efforts to make its services available in multiple markets.

Providing the Most Comprehensive Games Offering

Commenting on their latest big news, Videoslots Head of Casino Timo Thronicke said that they are thrilled to have reached the 6,000th game milestone which “once again showcases our commitment to providing the most comprehensive games offering for players.”

He went on to note that integrating 1,000 games in such a short period of time “is a remarkable feat from the team” and that this achievement is made even more special by the fact that their 6,000th game “has come courtesy of a title developed by Play’n GO, a trusted partner of Videoslots.”

The operator has really been busy expanding its games offering over the past several months and has made supply deal announcements weekly. It recently teamed up with young EveryMatrix-backed studio Lady Luck Games to add its innovative portfolio to its games library.

It has also been not long ago when content from SYNOT Games, Slotmill, and OneTouch, among a plethora of other game makers, has gone live or has been announced to soon go live with the operator.

Videoslots has also recently expanded its live dealer offering thanks to a partnership with live casino specialist Authentic GamingVideoslots Lauds 6,000th Online Casino Title. As part of that deal, the online casino now offers the provider’s hugely popular auto roulette games, among others.

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Seminole Gaming officials continue to focus on the upcoming launch of statewide sports betting in Florida, a spokesperson told Casino.org Wednesday, even as two other gaming companies have filed their second federal suit seeking to halt the plan.

On Monday, the Magic City Casino and the Bonita Springs Poker Room filed the second suit in the Washington, DC federal district court. This time, the targets of the lawsuit were US Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and the Department of the Interior.

The department has oversight authority on tribal gaming issues.

The gaming operators, both owned by Southwest Florida Enterprises, seek a judge to throw out the federal government’s approval of the gaming compact the Seminole Tribe of Florida reached with the state for several reasons.

They claim the compact is illegal because it allows the Seminoles to operate gaming off tribal lands, which runs counter to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). That 1986 law states Class III gaming, including sports betting, can only take place in the participating tribe’s sovereign territory.

According to the complaint, the compact tries to work around IGRA and the Florida Constitution, which only allows for Class III gaming expansion off tribal lands through a popular vote in a referendum, by saying in the compact and the affiliated implementation law language that deems bets placed anywhere in Florida will be considered to have taken place on a Seminole reservation as long as the server accepting and processing the wagers are located there.

“By incorporating the terms of IGRA within its own constitution, Florida effectively proscribed its ability to impose state law interpretations on the scope of tribal-state compacts,” the complaint states. “Florida is bound by the federal restrictions of IGRA and cannot ‘deem’ that sports betting occurs on Indian lands when it does not.”

In addition, the plaintiffs note that according to Florida law, sports betting remains illegal for anyone else. That puts them and other gaming operators at a competitive disadvantage.

Seminoles, Florida “Moving Forward”

The Interior Department announced the gaming compact was approved on Aug. 6. At the time, Bryan Newland, the principal deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of Indian Affairs told Florida and the Seminoles that after a 45-day review, federal officials took no action.

Under federal law, that means the compact is considered approved. But that’s limited “to the extent that the compact is consistent with” IGRA.

As far as the Seminoles are concerned, according to spokesperson Gary Bitner, federal approval gives them the green light.

The Gaming Compact is now in effect,” said Bitner, a spokesperson for both the Seminole Tribe and Seminole Gaming. “It has been agreed to by the Governor and the Seminole Tribe, approved overwhelmingly by the Florida Legislature and deemed approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior.  It has the support of two-thirds of Floridians.  The State, the Tribe and Seminole Gaming are moving forward.”

Barring any legal intervention, sports betting should go live in Florida in mid-October.

Seminole Gaming operates seven casinos in the state, including two Hard Rock casinos. Hard Rock International was acquired by the Seminole Tribe in 2007.

Besides the sports betting language, the compact also gives the Seminoles the ability to offer dice and roulette games at the casinos, and it also will allow them to build three more gaming venues on its Hollywood reservation, which is located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

In return for those gaming rights, the Seminoles have agreed to contribute $2.5 billion to the state over the next five years and a total of about $6 billion by 2030. The tribe’s contribution would be reduced if it loses exclusive rights.

The Seminoles also face paying a 2 percent higher share (15.75 percent instead of 13.75 percent) if the tribe cannot secure partnerships with at least three parimutuel gaming operators.

Sports Betting Lawsuit Against DeSantis Amended

In addition to filing the new suit in Washington, Magic City and Bonita Springs amended on Tuesday the lawsuit they originally filed last month in a Florida federal court that seeks to keep Gov. Ron DeSantis and Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Julie Imanuel Brown from implementing the newly approved compact.

The initial lawsuit sought to keep Florida officials from working with the Seminoles to get federal approval on the compact. In addition, they also still seek the removal of all off-reservation sports betting elements.

Besides statewide mobile betting, the compact also includes a “hub-and-spoke” plan to involve parimutuel operators, like the plaintiffs, by allowing them to offer retail betting kiosks at their facilities.

Magic City operates a jai-alai fronton and Bonita Springs offers both jai-alai and racing simulcasting.

After the compact was signed by both sides, Magic City said it received a letter from Seminole Gaming CEO Jim Allen asking if it would be interested in being a part of the sports betting network. As part of the partnership, the parimutuels would get 60 percent of the net win its kiosks generate, but that 60-40 split would be determined after the Seminoles already took out a portion for its expenses.

The plaintiffs contend that unless they agree to join as partners, they risk losing customers who bet on races and jai-alai as well as play other games at their venues. Further, they contend that tribal officials have not been willing to work with them to determine how they can accept on-site cash wagers for sportsbooks. Cash betting allows bettors to bet anonymously, but for now cash sports betting would only be available through the tribal casinos.

“These contracts will be uneconomical, but Southwest Pari-mutuels will have no choice but to enter them to avoid losing further business to other parimutuels in addition to the business that they already will lose to the Tribe’s online sports betting operation,” the Florida lawsuit states.

The plaintiffs aren’t the only ones not sold on the parimutuel partnerships. In the decision letter, Newland said federal officials had concerns about the parimutuels involvement as well.

With the suit amended as of Tuesday, Jared Williams, the deputy communications director for DeSantis, told Casino.org on Wednesday that the administration will have 14 days from to file its response.

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MGM Resorts salaried workers who are not working from home have until October 15, 2021, to become fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If they don’t, their jobs are at stake.

Bill Hornbuckle, president and CEO of MGM Resorts, addressed company employees regarding the new vaccination protocols in a later today. The chief executive of Nevada’s largest employer says that COVID-19 vaccination will become a condition of employment for all salaried workers and new salary or hourly employees hired on or after August 30.

The mandate applies to all MGM properties in the United States. However, MGM workers of all types who predominantly work from home are excluded from the vaccination mandate.

I know that for some of you this may be an unwelcome development — a consideration that we did not take lightly when making this decision,” Hornbuckle wrote to employees. “However, as one of the largest and most trusted operators and employers in our industry, MGM Resorts is determined to do our part to curb the spread of the virus and help counter alarming trends in cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

“Vaccination is the most effective tool in doing so,” Hornbuckle declared.

Vaccination Drive

MGM Resorts employees in Southern Nevada have easy access to COVID-19 vaccines, as the company is regularly holding pop-up clinics on-site at its Las Vegas properties. The vaccines are being offered free of charge by MGM. Along with workers, employees’ families, entertainers, and staffers of third-party vendors can receive free COVID-19 shots.

“Our goal is to get as many people vaccinated as possible. We’re continuing to explore a variety of ways to do that, including expanding vaccination requirements among our workforce.

This is an incredibly complex situation and we’re examining how expanded policies would potentially work and be implemented,” Ahern added.

Hourly MGM workers employed before August 30 who choose not to become vaccinated must regularly undergo COVID-19 testing. Such employees can pay $15 for on-site tests, or bring in a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.

Vaccine Mandate Legality

A common question being posed on social media regarding MGM Resorts’ latest vax policy is regarding workers’ rights when it comes to refusing the vaccine. Legal experts say the majority of states would not provide unemployment benefits to a person who was fired from their job for not complying with COVID-19 policies.

“Most states would find the employee is disqualified from benefits if they are fired for refusing a vaccination,” said Anne Paxton of the Unemployment Law Project, a nonprofit that provides free legal representation in Washington State.

“American employment law is very deferential to employers, which are able to exert a lot of control over workers,” Jeffrey Hirsch, a law professor at the University of North Carolina, told USA TODAY. “The COVID vaccine is just one example. While it’s obviously a politically charged one, it’s really no different in substance from a large number of others that have existed for a very long time.”

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Global sports betting and online gambling specialist Entain has entered into an agreement to purchase Seattle-based esports betting startup Unikrn to capitalize on a continued growth in the skill-based wagering sector.

The gambling operator has not provided financial details about the deal, but according to media reports it is set to acquire the esports betting platform provider for around £50 million.

Entain, formerly known as GVC, owns and operates British betting giant Ladbrokes and a number of other well-known gaming and sports betting brands. In the US, the company runs the BetMGM brand in partnership with Las Vegas casino firm MGM Resorts International.

Unikrn was founded in 2014 in Seattle. The company’s primary product is a real-money and token-based betting on competitive video game tournaments. As part of the recently agreed transaction, Entain will acquire Unikrn’s technology platform, products, and team.

The gambling operator has also announced that it has tapped Justin Dellario as Head of Esports. Mr. Dellario, who formerly served as VP of Content and Esports at Twitch, will lead Entain’s newly created esports wagering division.

During its Investor Day on Thursday, August 12, Entain said that esports betting and social casino gaming could add $20 billion in addressable market share by 2025. The company’s CEO, Jette Nygaard-Andersen, further noted that she sees $160 billion in addressable markets for sports betting, iGaming, and interactive gambling.

Building a Scalable Platform

Ms. Nygaard-Andersen further elaborated on Thursday that Entain has built a powerful platform that combines advanced technology, people, and capabilities and drives significant growth in their existing markets, including the US, but also enables them to grow their foothold in new and emerging markets and “opportunities related to our core areas of expertise.”

She named the growing esports skill-based betting market as one such exciting opportunity. Ms. Nygaard-Andersen said that they are “building the first scalable platform to address this market” and that she is delighted “Justin Dellario is joining us to lead our growth in this new area.”

Entain is acquiring Unikrn amid a wave of renewed speculations that the major gambling operator could itself be an acquisition target.

Reports emerged earlier this month that the company’s US joint venture partner, MGM, could renew its effort to acquire Entain and tap the British firm’s sports betting experience to help the BetMGM brand continue to grow in the lucrative and fast-expanding US athletic gambling space.

Earlier this year, MGM approached Entain with an $11 billion offer, which the latter company rebuffed as too low. The casino operator is expected to fetch $4.4 billion in cash from the recently announced VICI Properties and MGM Growth Properties’ $17.2 billion combination, and analysts believe the fresh capital could prompt a new bid for the British gambling expert.

Source: Online gambling company Entain buys esports betting startup Unikrn as it looks to triple its business, August 13, 2021

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