The Donald, Citeh, not my fault... | My week in iGaming #10
Comments, blether, sarcasm and the odd insightful remark about the world of iGaming, gambling, betting and related (and not-so related) stuff.
So what’s been happening?
The Donald
Trump got in. Against the odds perhaps, but no one paying attention to the prevailing mood could’ve been that surprised, really. His opponent didn’t seem to be up to much. Some of her statements and ramblings were borderline incomprehensible. Some weren’t even borderline. Of course the world is now going to collapse – particularly for London Mayor Sadiq Khant who, apparently now feels for his children and family’s safety after Trump’s win. Digest that one for a moment.
Manchester City
Digest also that as of writing this on 12 December Man Citeh have won only 1 of their last 10 games (7 defeats, 2 draws). What odds would you have got on that pre-season? Hopefully that bubble has burst now and that giant kid from Village Of The Damned they have up front can move onto pastures new, somewhere outside the UK preferably.
Australia
I just got back from a couple of action-packed weeks in Australia visiting family and friends. Thank goodness the exchange rate was a little bit more in our favour because that country is well expensive these days. I lived there from 2000 until 2019 and things seemed relatively normal, comparable to other places. But now… even the essentials you need just to get by: Timtams, a slab of VB, some smokes and a Chicken Parmigiana counter meal a couple of nights a week are a bit of a stretch for the regular bloke or his Sheila.
Gambling culture
Despite the financial squeeze they’re still big gamblers, the Aussies. I went to a midweek afternoon meeting at the Bendigo Jockey Club in central Victoria. Despite being a pretty low key meeting there was no lack of traffic between trackside and the bookies under the main stand. Gambling seems more embedded in the Australian culture and psyche than it does here. My ex-in-laws were well acquainted with the different jockeys and trainers’ recent form as we scanned the race book before each race.
Physical slot machines (the pokies) are a massive thing over there as well. You’ll find pubs with dedicated rooms with upwards of 40 machines.
The numbers prove it
And the numbers show it as well. Average gambling spend/loss per UK citizen per year is around £280. In Australia it’s AU$1,300 – the equivalent of £670. Including lottery spend around 80% of Australian adults gamble each year compared with 48% of Brits.
Academic research, really?
I’m still reeling from something we covered a few weeks ago – the University of Bristol’s recent ‘study’ on gambling advertising on TV and through social media channels during the first weekend of the Premier League season. Academia and universities in general have been getting a bit of a bad rap of late with all their hissy fit protests, cancelling and absurd wokery. The whole image of tertiary education will not have been helped by the Bristol study. Read our article, read the university’s media release and read the actual study.
Agenda
They could have written it before they conducted the research. It was only ever going to come to one conclusion. There’s no meaningful data to compare it against (except their own from last year) and as for the language used in the press release – well, it leaves you in no doubt that this is an agenda, not a scientific study.
An important industry topic handled very badly.
Not my fault I stole from you
Back in August I regurgitated the story of Amit Patel an accountant at the Jacksonville Jaguars who embezzled a tidy US$22m out of his employers before they got wind of it. He spunked most of it but they managed to recover US$261k and he’s paying the rest back at US$250 a month. Until he’s 763 years old, or something. Or maybe the debt gets passed on to his kids, grandkids, great-grandkids and so on? Mr Patel was initially contrite. “I stand before you embarrassed, ashamed and disappointed by my actions,” he said.
Well, he’s changed his tune a bit. Because, after all, nicking all that dough wasn’t his fault. Patel is suing FanDuel for $250m, because the betting company ‘preyed on his gambling addiction’ apparently. It remains to be seen how far he’ll get with this but the question comes up as to where the US$250m figure comes from – it’s more than 11 times more than he stole. We can only guess that a lawyer of the ambulance-chasing variety got in his ear, It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Safer Gambling Week
Safer Gambling Week took place 18-24 November. This initiative from the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) in conjunction with several other organisations is now in its 8th year. This year's 3-pronged focus looked at:
- Let's Talk About Safer Gambling
- Take Action: Safer Gambling Tools
- Get Gambling Support: Advice and Helplines
Each year the BGC reports on the reach of this coordinated campaign, with impressive growth year on year. There is no data available yet from this year’s initiative but in 2023 overall exposure was up 70% against 2022. Some level of extensive growth can be expected again.
A great job
Safer Gambling Week does a great job of raising awareness and providing tips and advice and pointing potentially vulnerable players in the direction of support. Yet, for some reason Safer Gambling Week attracts the naysayers – whose general complaint (other than there shouldn’t be any gambling) is that it’s only for one week a year, where in fact, responsible gambling should get attention all year round.
I have 2 responses to that: 1) Any government that bans gambling does so at its peril. Like boxing, what is managed and controlled and regulated largely satisfactorily is much better than the underground, illicit alternative. Gambling won’t simply go away if it’s banned. And 2) There are a number of support agencies and not-for-profit organisations supporting vulnerable and problem gamblers. Everyone who wants to access these can. And anyone who can see a gambling habit or problem developing in a loved one can access support and guidance.
It's that time of year
If you're doing the excess thing – food, drink, decorations, maxing-out the credit card, gaming, gambling, arguing with family members etc, make sure you have a good time. Happy Christmas from us at Slot Gods!