Esports

UK GAMBLING BLACK MARKET DEBATE INTENSIFIES AS BGC RETURNS FIRE

Published

6 years ago

January 19, 2021

The black market argument is intensifying in the UK, with the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) returning fire in the form of a new information video.

With the 2005 Gambling Act currently under review, the UK’s legal gambling industry has been accused of exaggerating the scale of the black market in an effort to counter calls for even tougher restrictions.

A recent report by respected consultancy PwC, cited by the industry, estimates that 200,000 Brits spend £1.4B GBP each year at unlicensed black market online gambling sites, suggesting tougher restrictions on licensed operators would push even more people to use such sites – where they have absolutely no protection.

However, the UK Gambling Commission’s chief executive, Neil McArthur, dismissed the PwC report as “not consistent with the intelligence picture.” In a letter to MPs currently investigating gambling-related harm, McArthur accused the gambling industry of exaggerating the threat posed by the illegal, unlicensed market, adding:

“In any event, we are not convinced by the argument that suggests raising standards in the licensed market will prompt consumers to gamble with illegal operators.”

The campaign for tougher restrictions on the UK gambling industry is being fueled by special interest groups like Gambling with Lives – a problem gambling charity that has slammed current standards and accused licensed operators of offering “totally inadequate consumer protection.”

In response, the BGC has released a new animation to further explain its concerns about the black market, highlighting other issues too, such as the way unlicensed operators don’t contribute to tax revenues.

AYO.NEWS says:

This is a seemingly intractable problem. On the one hand, the UK gambling industry as a whole did itself no favours for many years, and even now there are still actors who don’t take things seriously and are in it for short-term opportunism rather than long-term sustainability.

On the other hand, many UK licensed operators have made significant progress in raising standards, are now world leaders in social responsibility, employ a lot of people and contribute plenty of tax. Many would argue that to further tighten restrictions would be like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, and that the UKGC should actually concentrate on properly enforcing current standards.

When it comes to the scale of the threat from the black market, all sides seem to be missing two fairly obvious points. Firstly, the very nature of the black market means it’s unlikely anyone, either the UKGC and anti-gambling lobby, or the BGC and industry, will ever be able to get an accurate picture of its scale.

Secondly, logic dictates that the scale of the threat is constantly variable. Even supposing the threat is relatively low right now, that could be because operators are able to offer competitive, attractive products under the current regulatory framework. However, as Swedish operators have found out over the past year, if regulations become overly restrictive, the relative appeal of black market operators could quickly increase.

At the end of the day, we come down to the elephant in the room – that regulators and gambling pressure groups are evidently still determined to ignore. That is that it is patently ludicrous and unrealistic to think you can truly divide online markets into national jurisdictions. Of course, you can legislate, of course you can waste resources on a cat and mouse game of blocking and enforcement, but in today’s globalised, digital world, the simple fact is that people will compare their local offering to international offerings – licensed or unlicensed. And, that is what will shape consumer expectations.

The entire situation reminds me of when, during the Cold War, it was prohibited to watch western television channels in parts of Eastern Europe. But, we know what happened when people simply turned their TV antennas around…

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates.

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2019-2021.

Esports

LEXUS SUPPORTS ESPORTS AWARDS FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR

Published

5 years ago

October 29, 2021

AYO News Staff

Luxury carmaker Lexus is returning to support the Esports Awards for a third year running

As Official Auto Partner of the awards, the company will be working with the Esports Awards on a number of activations that incorporate their vehicles. Lexus will also sponsor both the Esports Organisation of the Year and Streamer of the Year awards.

Lexus made its esports debut with the Esports Awards in 2019, when it provided several supercars from blockbuster movies, which took centre stage at the Esports Stadium Arlington. Last year, the carmaker collaborated on exclusive content as part of the highly successful virtual ceremony.

“It’s an honour to be able to welcome Lexus as a partner for the third year in a row. After supporting us through a successful virtual ceremony last year, it speaks volumes that Lexus has once again committed to going all-in and driving the esports ecosystem forward. Both of our brands focus on prestige and excellence, and I look forward to showcases our joint values as we return to a physical event in November,” said Michael Ashford, Managing Director, Esports Awards.

Esports

REKTGLOBAL BRINGS TOP GAMING TALENT TO INFINITY FESTIVAL 2021

Published

5 years ago

October 29, 2021

AYO News Staff

ReKTGlobal, the digital entertainment and esports organization, has been named one of the official presenters of gaming content at the 2021 Infinity Festival.

On 3 November, superstar gaming creators Ally Battaggia (a.k.a TheGeekEntry) and Gabby Murray will join Stove’s Kitchen and Paul Shaw in a panel exploring the content creator economy. In addition, ReKTGlobal CCO Kevin Knocke will share his unique expertise in a panel on esports.

Battaggia, who has a growing following across social media, took on streaming during lockdown, joining the fan-favorite NoPIxel GTA RP server. Since then, she’s become a mainstay participant, even crafting a NFT/TCG collection from her beloved GTA RP character. With 9.6M social media followers, Murray has built a fanbase as a multi-talented lifestyle and gaming content creator, with a Discord community that is expanding by the day.

Top gaming creator Stove’s Kitchen (whose real name is Steven Cho), part of the Team RAR (Rare and Ridiculous) internet group, has a devout fan following on his YouTube channel, where he posts gaming and challenge videos. Meanwhile, Shaw oversees Special Projects at TalentX Entertainment, a subsidiary of ReKTGlobal. The four will join forces for Making a Living as a Content Creator: Much More Than Gaming — a panel that explores what sets livestream content monetization and strategy apart from pre-produced content.

Also on 3 November, Knocke will take part in an esports panel with Darin Kwilinski, Lead Content Producer at IGN Entertainment, and Amanda Solomon, CEO at Tyrus Talent Management. The panel, Esports or Esports? Does It Matter? will break down misconceptions about esports to separate the hype from actual substance.

Knocke, who has been competitively gaming since he was a kid, has years of involvement with high profile companies and events in the esports business – specifically Blizzard Entertainment, IGN, SiriusXM, Sony, South by Southwest, E3, PAX, and Ubisoft — giving him a broad perspective on the industry. Before joining IGN, Kwilinski, a lifelong gamer, was a senior editor for esports at ESPN, establishing its vision and voice. Solomon is an executive with a well of expertise in the strategic sales and partnerships realm, specializing in esports, gaming, and talent.

Now in its exciting fourth year, the forward-focused Infinity Festival is the place where Hollywood meets Silicon Valley. The multi-day annual event, held in Los Angeles, brings together Hollywood’s finest storytelling talent with the innovative creators of cutting-edge technology. For 2021, Infinity Festival will blend in-person and virtual events for a unique hybrid experience.

The in-person portion will be held in several adjacent Hollywood locations with most events happening at Goya Studios and the Dream Hotel; the online component will be presented through the easy-to-use FNvirtual event platform. The festival will continue its theme of “Story Enabled by Technology” with an entirely new slate of innovative programming, including industry-leading speakers, panel discussions, an exhibition hall, innovation labs, and a fine art gallery, each with an emerging-tech focus.

For tickets and additional information, visit infinityfestival.com.

Esports

TEAM SINGULARITY TO LAUNCH FAN TOKENS VIA BLOCKSPORT

Published

5 years ago

October 29, 2021

AYO News Staff

Danish esports organisation Team Singularity has extended its partnership with Swiss fan engagement platform Blocksport.

The multi-year agreement will see the launch of the $SNG Fan Token, giving holders access to unique opportunities to influence team-related decisions, enter the fast-track at SNG Academy, access exclusive content, train with professional esports athletes and more.

$SNG Fan Tokens are expected to launch in December 2021 with a supply of 3M, and will be priced at €1 each in the initial sale.

Commenting on the news, Atle S. Stehouwer, CEO and Founder of Team Singularity, said: “I am happy that our partnership with Blocksport is officially extended and we can finally announce the next step in our collaboration.”

Vladimir Liulka, CEO and Co-Founder of Blocksport, added: “We are happy to extend our exclusive partnership with Team Singularity and launch $SNG Fan Token for their fans. Singularity has a global and awesome fan community. The Token opens up a new world – an environment in which they have the chance to be very close to their favorites players and team”.

Team Singularity currently fields rosters in CS:GO, Fortnite, Rocket League, League of Legends, FIFA, Apex Legends, Rainbow Six, VALORANT, Free Fire, Teamfight Tactics, Hearthstone, Quake, League of Legends Wild Rift, Call of Duty, Call of Duty Mobile, Call of Duty Warzone, PUBG, PUBG Mobile, DOTA 2, Overwatch, Heroes of the Storm, Battalion 1944, H1Z1, Tekken7, Rogue Company, Brawlhalla, and Clash Royale. In addition to Blocksport, the organisation has commercial partnerships with PWC, Pluck GG, Raven, SCUF, KontrolFreek, Randers FC, Esportal, Challengermode, MYESPORTSCARD, and MYFUTCARD.

Staying with esports and Blocksport.io, just yesterday we reported the platform had partnered with Jordanian sim motorsports organisation Desert Fox Racing.