YGAM

The Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust has announced the appointment of four student employees to continue its ongoing university engagement programme.

The charity employs students in living wage part-time jobs to deliver awareness campaigns to their contemporaries at university about the risks associated with gaming and gambling.

The new salaried positions are student design manager, student user experience manager, student research manager, and student journalism manager.

These roles will focus their activities on campaigns targeting universities during the coming year, this includes the launch of the new Student Hub website.

Pete Woodward, YGAM’s head of delivery for university and student engagement, stated: “It’s incredibly important for the team at YGAM to have students working with us. They understand the current context of life in higher-education and our organisation reaps the benefits every day of producing resources for students, by students.”

DraftKings

DraftKings has confirmed the appointment of Jocelyn Moore and Valerie Mosley to the company’s board of directors effective immediately.

The pair will fill two newly created on the board, which will now consists of 15 members, and follows the group’s recent announcement that Michael Jordan will serve as a special advisor.

“I am very much looking forward to working closely with both Valerie and Jocelyn as we continue to grow DraftKings,” said Jason Robins, DraftKings co-founder, CEO and chairman of the board. “They each bring a unique skill set that will complement those of our existing members while simultaneously bringing new perspectives and ideas to the table.”

Tropicana Atlantic City

Caesars Entertainment has unveiled Jacqueline Grace as senior vice president and general manager for Tropicana Atlantic City, one of four resorts the company owns and operates in the local gaming market.

The appointment is pending regulatory approval, and will see Grace bring more than 20 years of experience within the financial and gaming industries to the Atlantic City market, most recently having served as vice president and assistant general manager at Caesars’ Horseshoe Baltimore property.

“I started my gaming career in Atlantic City and I’m thrilled to return and join one of the top destinations in the market,” commented Grace. “This is an exciting time for our company, and I’m looking forward to working with the team to further position Tropicana for continued growth and success.

“As I watched our company evolve into the new Caesars Entertainment, I was impressed by the Carano family’s mantra of ‘family-style service’ and their commitment to establishing a workplace culture that emphasises engagement, while empowering team members to deliver exceptional service to our customers. I look forward to continuing this leadership style at Tropicana and I’m excited to work with the exceptional team there.

Soft2Bet

Casino and sportsbook platform provider Soft2Bet has hired Max Portelli as its new chief financial officer, bringing years of experience in accounting and auditing roles.

Portelli began his career with KPMG Malta before becoming the financial reporting accountant for the airline of the Maltese islands. Prior to joining Soft2bet, he spent more than five years working as CFO for payment services provider Entercash.

Boris Chaikin, Soft2Bet CEO, commented:“We are thrilled to name Max Portelli as our new Chief Financial Officer, and have no doubt that he will be a fantastic asset for our company going forward.

“Max’s extensive experience and skills speak for themselves, and on behalf of the entire team I’d like to welcome him warmly into the Soft2Bet family.”

Champion Sports

Champions Sports has named Simon Noble as head of sportsbook product, bringing a wealth of knowledge built up during a 20-year career in roles at Pinnacle Sports, Intertops, Full Tilt Poker and The Workshop

In the role, Noble will be responsible for defining, articulating and executing the product vision to deliver “best in class solutions” with the aim of increasing market share and driving growth.

Mark Robson, CEO of Champions Sports, said: “I am thrilled to welcome Simon to the team and for Champions Sports to leverage his incredible skills and unique understanding of the industry.

“These are challenging and uncertain times for sports betting operators and Simon’s experience will prove vital in helping our partners adapt and capitalise.”

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Group CEO Dr Jane Rigbye stressed the importance of keeping young people protected from irresponsible gambling as they are already impacted by a number of disadvantages, namely the fallout from the pandemic and the increased cost of living.

In a speech to the Reception, she said: “Recent years have brought significant challenges to families still feeling the ripple effects of the impact of the pandemic. Young people have faced disruption to their education and their social development, and this disruption is likely to continue to affect their mental and physical health as they enter adulthood.

“Families are being further impacted by the increased cost of living, no doubt most significantly affecting those who feel the greatest burden due to inequalities in our society. Therefore, the prevention of future harm is more important now than ever.”

The charity’s strategy for the new year was launched on January 17, entitled ‘Safeguarding Our Digital Generation’, with Rigbye stating that it will acknowledge the similarities between gaming and gambling to better protect this generation. 

“We are in a rapidly advancing digital world,” said Rigbye. “The two issues are intrinsically linked, and the evidence suggests we are more likely to prevent children from harmful engagement with these products if we discuss their similarities, acknowledge their differences, and equip those with influence over the lives of young people with the information and skills to have effective prevention conversations about both activities.”

Rigbye continued to outline the organisation’s revised strategy, stating that YGAM aims to “deliver robust evidence-based services designed to equip people with the knowledge and tools to implement effective prevention interventions through their work or their conversations with young people.”

The CEO’s speech also touched upon YGA’s previous operations, explaining that: “For too long, YGAM have reported outputs, rather than understanding the change that happens because of our work.” 

Despite this statement, the firm will be publishing its 2022 impact report before the end of the month, with Rigbye stating that this document will “still have an output-heavy slant”. However, the charity will hope to amend this in coming months as the CEO suggested future reports will “be reporting much more on the change we’ve made.” 

Unsurprisingly, the speech acknowledged the insecurities surrounding the Gambling Act white paper review. Rigbye noted that YGAM “will work within whatever framework the government establishes for the funding of gambling harm prevention” and “ensure that universal education and prevention is seen as an essential part of the public health response.” 

Due to the very nature of the charity and similar organisations, player safety is believed to be most essential when it comes to the government revising its gambling laws, yet a number of sources have warned that stricter regulation could turn players to potentially dangerous illicit services. 

For example, the Betting and Gaming Council recently warned legislators that they risk driving customers towards unregulated operators with measures such as blanket affordability checks. 

Last month, a study conducted by the EY suggested that 70 per cent of bettors would be unwilling to allow regulated operators to conduct said checks to prove they can afford to wager.

Rigbye’s sentiment was echoed by Shadow Education Minister Jeff Smith, who also spoke at the Parliamentary Reception last week. The Labour MP for Manchester Withington stated that any changes to the funding model should not focus on “treatment alone”, while arguing that lawmakers need to be “preventing harm as well as tackling it”. 

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Announcing five new hirings to the Board of Trustees at YGAM, the new additions include Anna Greaves, Clive Reeves, Paul Morris, David Miller and Glen Fendle, who will now lead the charity through its sustained growth and develop the organisation’s strategy for the coming years.

“I’m thrilled to welcome our new trustees to the charity and delighted we continue to attract professionals with such ability, experience, and knowledge,” commented Mike Wojcik, Chair of YGAM.

“They are joining the board at a crucial time as we build on our reputation as a sector leading education charity and develop our ambitious new strategy which will be launched at the start of 2023. 

“It’s already apparent that the newly revitalised board will achieve great things in supporting the excellent staff team to achieve impact on our social purpose.”

Greaves, who is currently part of the fundraising team at the national homelessness charity, Crisis UK, hopes to contribute both her “extensive experience”. 

She stated: “YGAM is an exciting organisation doing vital, ground-breaking work and I’m delighted to have been appointed to the trustee board. I hope to contribute both my extensive experience as a fundraiser and lived experience of the gaming sector to their work. 

“I’m passionate about ensuring that gaming spaces are safe for everyone – especially women and girls and the LGBTQ+ community.” 

Reeves joins the charity following his career in the sports industry, which includes roles within English football. Currently, his current position at PwC sees him work with international governing bodies, leagues, teams, investors, sports media and tech businesses, providing strategy and M&A advisory services. 

On his appointment, Reeves noted: “I am excited to become a trustee at YGAM as I believe in our social purpose to educate and safeguard young people against gaming and gambling harms. 

“I look forward to sharing my sports and esports industry experience with the team and helping shape the future direction of YGAM.”

Currently the Vice President Business Risk Management at State Street Corporation, Morris emphasised that researching, understanding and educating people on gambling related risks is “incredibly valuable”. 

“YGAM’s work is very important in a world where young people are increasingly surrounded by gambling and gaming related risks which can cause serious harm to themselves and their loved ones,” stated Morris.  

“Researching, understanding, and educating people about these risks and harm prevention is incredibly valuable. I am very proud to have an opportunity to use my business and professional experience to support YGAM in its mission in the years to come.”

The fourth appointee, Miller, who has 25-years in the video games industry, which includes EA Sports, and a spell at ITV Studios, expressed his “honour to be invited” to YGAM’s board and hopes to advise organisations with a “clear eye on issues of gaming harms”. 

Another with 25-years experience, but this time as a charity director, Fendley also boasts experience with the NSPCC, WWF and The Children’s Society. 

YGAM highlighted that it “encouraged” applications from people at “all stages of their career, from all backgrounds, communities and industries”. 

The charity also stressed that all members of the board are independent of the gambling industry, while providing their time voluntarily.

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Currently a pilot initiative, the Mindful Resilience Programme is designed to support health care workers in gaining access to training on gambling and gaming harm in people under 25-years of age. 

The vision for the initiative, following the pilot, is to roll-out the programme more widely after extensive evaluation.

“We are delighted to be able to play a small part in helping to fund an initiative that directs resources into helping to address such an important part of the safer gambling narrative,” explained Sascha Blodau, General Manager, Merkur UK. 

“Our 360 programme, which we launched in September 2020 is dedicated to ensuring that all of our 2,500 UK staff understand what we mean by safer gambling and equipping our consumer-facing colleagues with the information and practical skills required to turn a philosophy into a deliverable.”

Designed by psychologists and informed by academics, health professionals, and individuals with lived experience, Mindful Resilience has been endorsed by the Shadow Minister for Mental Health, Dr Rosena Alin-Khan MP, who labelled the initiative as “pioneering”. 

The initiative’s aim is to ensure that risks surrounding gaming and gambling harm are identified and given increased priority by training health care professionals who are able to engage with young people and encourage them to get the help they might need. 

Blodau added: “We have a strong working relationship with YGAM not least through the City and Guilds assured training of our 250 venue managers which they delivered. As a business we feel strongly that Safer Gambling goes beyond just the connection that we have with our customers. Our view is that it should be a commitment that gambling entertainment businesses have with society at large. 

“This training connects with the hearts and minds of health professionals, who have a powerful role to play in protecting young people and the vulnerable. We are delighted to play a small part in helping deliver this pilot programme.”

Ian Shanahan, YGAM’s Director Of Business Development and Fundraising, expressed his delight at Merkur’s support.

He stated: “We’re delighted to receive this fantastic support and commitment from Merkur for the Mindful Resilience Programme. It is a crucially important programme in our portfolio and one that is attracting interest from the health sector. 

“This support will help us continue to grow the initiative to increase its reach, profile and impact.”

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The initiative will see the three organisations visit university campuses throughout the UK to speak to students, as well as university staff, about gambling-related harms and the training and support services they provide. 

Katie Reynolds-Jones, head of marketing and communications at Gamstop, explained: “Over 58 per cent of those signing up to Gamstop are between the ages of 18 and 34; it is therefore important that we understand students and ensure that we are reaching them effectively. 

“Students need to be aware of the free tools and support available to them, and we are delighted to be taking part in this important initiative.”

Furthermore, YGAM will also provide free harm prevention training to university staff, student union officers and safeguarding leads. 

This is aimed at equipping individuals with the knowledge, skills and confidence to identify signs of gambling-related harms, and also signpost students who may be struggling.

Jimmy Parkin, university and student engagement at YGAM, commented: “Students are a key group for us, and the recent survey findings reiterate the importance of educating our young adults on the risks and harms associated with gambling. 

“This university tour is the first of its kind. We hope by collaborating with Gamstop and RecoverMe, we can utilise our knowledge and services to ensure students have access to the information, resources and support they need to enjoy a university experience free from gambling-related harms.” 

The tour will kick off this month with visits to university campuses in Birmingham, Exeter and Plymouth.

Dr Adil Nayeem, co-founder of RecoverMe, added: “The recent survey findings highlight how the student population can be a high-risk group for gambling-related harm. 

“We created RecoverMe after one of our close friends at university struggled with a gambling addiction and did not know where to turn. 

“We are excited to visit university campuses throughout the UK to speak to students and engage with staff. By collaborating with these great organisations, we can support students and help reduce gambling-related harm.”

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The appointment is lauded as signaling the start of a new chapter for the charity, as it looks to develop “an ambitious strategy for the coming years”.

Helen Martin will continue in her new role as chief operating officer after taking on additional responsibilities during the recruitment process, ahead of Rigbye officially starting the new role on Monday 17 January.

Rigbye explained: “I’m incredibly proud to be joining YGAM during an exciting period of growth. For many years, I have observed and admired the important work the organisation delivers, so I’m honoured to be given the opportunity to lead the team into the next strategic cycle. Prevention of gambling and gaming harm is more important than ever.  

“I look forward to working collaboratively to deliver the impact that can be achieved through education.”

Rigbye, a chartered psychologist and fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health, is praised as bringing a wealth of experience to the role following fifteen years working in this professional field. 

This includes nine years working in several senior leadership roles at GambleAware, which comprises her most recent position as prevention director.

Mike Wojcik, chair of YGAM, commented: “I am delighted to announce this exciting appointment and welcome Dr Jane Rigbye to the charity. Her knowledge of the fields of harm prevention is exceptional and her achievements in this sector are outstanding. 

“Dr Rigbye has the leadership qualities and vision to take YGAM to the next level. The board of trustees is looking forward to seeing what our new chief executive and our talented team can accomplish together in our mission to educate and safeguard future generations.”

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Invited by Chesterfield FC for its match against Altrincham FC, YGAM, along with GamCare, Mentell, British Red Cross and Derbyshire County Council Public Health, attended the Technique Stadium to talk to fans inside and outside the ground before kick-off. 

Furthermore, the teams also distributed leaflets with information on how to keep fans safe when gambling. 

“This was a really important matchday initiative from the club and we were delighted to be part of it,” explained Daniel Bliss, director of external affairs at YGAM. “It is crucial we all work together to raise awareness of the clear links between gambling harms and poor mental health. 

“There will be many people struggling in silence so highlighting the support that is available is vital. If last night’s match inspires someone to reach out to talk about their mental health and access the support they need, it will be a good result.”

The initiative aimed to engage fans and highlight the links between poor mental health and gambling addiction.

Additionally, the TalkBanStop campaign was also promoted at the game, a partnership that combines practical tools with support to help players to stop gambling and “kick-start” their recovery journey.

“I’d like to extend a huge thank you to the Spireite Trust for working with us on the gambling awareness initiative,” added Greg Stenson, public health service development officer at Derbyshire County Council. “Gambling is often termed as the ‘hidden’ addiction, therefore it makes identifying and having a conversation with a close friend or relative extremely difficult. 

“Engaging with supporters of all ages and backgrounds before the game, and promoting support services, is integral to our public health approach in minimising gambling-related harm.”

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This, says that sports betting and gaming group, will be achieved via a multi-million-pound global initiative to increase access to technology and improve diversity, titled EnTrain.

The programme, launched at the ‘Entain Sustain’ event, marks “the first global, strategic commitment from the Entain Foundation to contribute to the international communities in which it operates, with a single initiative supporting people across all under-represented groups”.

The EnTrain initiative is comprised of the four core pillars of:

• Entain Academy: supplying transformative technology training for the next generation.
• Entain Scholarships: providing the platform for a diverse selection of candidates to become digital pioneers.
• Entain Apprenticeships: upskilling and developing  existing employees, and expanding external apprenticeship schemes with new and existing partners.
• Entain Partnerships: partnering and collaborating with organisations around the world who amplify and support diversity in technology.

“Entain is an ambitious business and sustainability is one of our two core strategic pillars. It benefits our customers and is also good for our business and the wider communities we are part of,” said Jette Nygarrd-Andersen, chief executive of Entain.

“I believe passionately that we have a vital role to play in inspiring the next generation to pursue careers in technology. 

“As we re-shape the future of interactive entertainment, we also want to help many more people become involved. Our new EnTrain initiative provides the building blocks to help them, through access to academic and vocational courses and the technological expertise and equipment they need to succeed.”

Among the partnerships rolled-out by the group is an intention to fund nine apprentices with the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust in the UK.

Commencing before the end of the current year, and ranging from one to four years, these aim to provide employees at YGAM opportunities to develop new skills in coaching, leadership, and project management.

Daniel Bliss, director of external affairs at YGAM, stated: “We are extremely grateful for this support from Entain. This initiative will support our ambitious people strategy and help develop the expertise of our staff team. As a result, our charity will be better equipped to continue our growth and increase our social impact.”

Further global collaborations have been detailed alongside Berlin University of Technology and the Nexus Institute in Europe, the US’ University of Nevada Las Vegas and non-profit Tiempo de Juego in the Americas.

In Australia, Entain is also said to be finalising a multi-faceted strategy to deliver improved outcomes for under-represented groups in technology.

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Marking its contribution to Safer Gambling Week, the company noted that through its Microgaming PlayItForward social responsibility programme, it has widened its reach to Betknowmore UK, which received a donation to cover the cost of a year-long trial for weekly peer-led group therapy specifically for women. 

“The collaboration between Microgaming PlayItForward and Betknowmore UK has enabled the development and delivery of new research and support activities that address the theme of women and gambling harms,” noted Frankie Graham, founder and CEO at Betknowmore UK. “It is an under-resourced area and, quite rightly, now the recipient of increased investment.”

Following a donation last year, Microgaming again assisted Gordon Moody, as well as offering support to the families impacted by gambling. The latest contribution was earmarked for providing a comfort fund for the families of those under the charity’s watch, as well as to assist with the purchase of furniture for its women’s outreach project.

Furthermore, having previously assisted Isle of Man-based Motiv8 IOM, Microgaming has this year sponsored its gaming and gambling project set up specifically for young people.

Alongside the support schemes, Microgaming has also backed various digital projects, such as covering the promotional costs for a month-long social campaign for GamCare’s National Helpline. 

Meanwhile, mental health charity the Beacon Counselling Trust and the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust received funding towards the creation of educational videos.

“We’re proudly standing in solidarity with all areas of our industry to support the Safer Gambling Week initiative, with a calendar of events to promote the Responsible Gambling  message across our business,” explained John Coleman, CEO at Microgaming. 

“Of course, it’s a conversation our industry should be having all year around, and one which we are committed to being a part of. I’m proud we have been able to support the invaluable work of a range of gambling-related research, education and treatment charities throughout 2021.”

Now in its seventh year, Microgaming PlayItForward continues to invest in a wide range of local and international community projects, under the three pillars of people, place and planet.

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In collaboration with the Premier League club and its Wolves Foundation, the link-up aims to educate and safeguard young people in the region about gaming and gambling-related harm. 

In partnership with GamCare, YGAM are set to deliver the Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Programme and have trained Wolves and Foundation staff over the last year, providing tools and information to safeguard young people they work with and care for.

“Working with the teams at Wolves has been fantastic,” stated Wolves season ticket holder and head of delivery at YGAM, Sam Starsmore.

“Raising awareness and delivering education on the potential harms associated with gambling is something that Wolves have been fully supportive of. 

“Our work together will continue so we can appropriately armour young people with the knowledge for them to make more informed choices.”

In addition, YGAM also provides free awareness workshops for parents and foster carers on topics of gaming and gambling, which the charity claims empowers parents with the knowledge and understanding around safeguarding children.

Lisa Carter, head of safeguarding at Wolves, added: “YGAM have delivered training to our staff several times and the feedback is always extremely positive. It’s such an emotive subject but part of everyday life for many children, young people and adults.”

The link-up with Wolverhampton Wanderers FC follows on from YGAM and Betknowmore launching its Safer Gambling Training Pledge, which will see leaders within the industry complete specialist training programmes every day during the campaign week.

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