Catching up on the Gambling Files Podcast
As we figure out how to use substack, here is a quick executive summary of the key bits from the Gambling Files Podcast in the last month
The King of Mischief
Founder and CEO at The Tenth Man and former head of mischief at PaddyPower, Ken Robertson is a legend in the gambling industry. He recounts stories from his PaddyPower days that include the vatican, the popemobile breaking down in the alps, Dennis Rodman, Kim Jong-Un and a complaint from the United Nations.
His agency the Tenth Man are also pushing boundaries including taking a PSNI land rover to Sundance and getting the daily mail upset (for those not in the weeds on Northern Ireland rap, the group do not glorify either side of the sectarian divide)
How to save Atlantic city
Industry writer David Danzis talks through his article on how to save Atlantic City as well as a history lesson on New Jersey laws which make current day solutions possible. Everyone agreed Jons idea from a previous episode was rubbish
When is RG not RG
Next up is Professor Sally Gainsbury Director of the Gambling Treatment and Research Clinic at the University of Sydney, and for those that don’t move in RG circles, the professor is a big deal.
First off, the Prof discusses the importance of language, so a gambling disorder or gambling problems as a behaviour rather than a static can’t be changed “problem gambler”, which can become self-fulling and lead to more harm. Also the use of “safer gambling” shifts the focus from the indivdiual that “responsible gambling” does and makes it a broader task to be shared between operator and individual.
The Prof then discussed the Australian gambling market and its accessibility particularly “pokies” (video poker machines to the rest of us)
Discussion moves onto the lack of perception around the true cost of gambling and why “Net” spend is important metric as people are bad at keeping track on how much they are really spending, then the discussion moves onto the perception around lotteries and the pipe dreams when you buy a ticket
Very casually the professor mentions she appear on the Jim Jeffries show (only video we could find here)
Another “news” episode
Jon digs into the de-unionisation of Station Casino in Las Vegas and some absolutely wild theory on how to save Atlantic city which gets utterly debunked in a later episode with an actual NJ expert
Up and comer
The lads speak with Brett Smiley who is chief content officer behind CasinoReports.com and LotteryGeeks.com. It only take 2 minutes to look at these website to see that the lads will be a power house in the next two years, Fintan is a big fan.
Crypto scams and Football Sponsorships
Returning guest author and football expert Martin Calladine (well worth a follow on Twitter), returns to discuss his new book “No Questions Asked” which is an excellent romp through the world of crypto sponsorship and (attempted) management in the UK football industry.
Martin has also written the excellent books “Fit and Proper People” which follows the rise and fall of OWNA FC but more importantly explains the financial structures of the football UK leagues and exposes why the “rich billionaire owner regardless of human rights records” is practically required for success.
Paying the Bills
as always big thank you to iGB Live Amsterdam (16th to the 19th of July, see you there!) and Optimove, which is used by 56% of the EGR Power50 to personalize player experiences. Visit Optimove here for more info (book the demo it’s awesome!)