SMP eGaming

SMP eGaming has strengthened its board of directors with the appointment of three new members, with Jade Zorab, Matthew Robins, and Karen Yates joining Ted Pepper.

Each is to be individually responsible for driving improvements and efficiencies in complementary areas of the business, with Zorab responsible for business development and strategy, Robins for licensing, risk and compliance services and Yates for corporate governance and managed services.

“I am delighted to welcome Jade, Matthew, and Karen to the SMP eGaming Board and congratulate each on being appointed as directors,” stated Ted Pepper, managing director of SMP eGaming.

“Each brings a wealth of experience, talent and skill to the board, and they will be key in driving SMP eGaming forward as we look to improve our products and services. I look forward to working closely with each of them as we continue to grow the business.”

Kindred Group

Albin de Beauregard is to step down from the role as chief financial officer at Kindred Group, with the process to find a new permanent replacement currently underway.

Beauregard is to depart the role during the first quarter of 2020 following eight years with the group, but will continue to oversee the closing of the current financial year.

Graham Stretch, former CFO at Kindred, is to provide support during the transition period and assist in the recruitment of a new permanent CFO.

“It is with regret that Albin has informed me of his intention to step down from his role as CFO to pursue new challenges outside of the industry, stated Henrik Tjärnström, CEO of Kindred Group. 

“Albin leaves Kindred in a strong position for future growth, and a professional team that provides a solid platform to support the group’s continued development.”

Games Inc

Online slots developer, aggregator and platform provider Games Inc has strengthened its team, after announcing the appointment of Jason O’Shea as commercial director.

Bringing over ten years experience, O’Shea will be responsible for the recruitment of new game studios and the distribution of Games Inc’s proprietary and studio partner content.

Furthermore, he is to also seek new strategic partnerships with operators,suppliers and small startups, and oversee a planned period of expansion as the company looks to its increase its footprint and distribution.

Lee Moore, co-founder of Games Inc, said: “We’ve always prided ourselves on hiring creative and dynamic individuals and Jason ticks those boxes. He has the experience and the skills to help take Games Inc into a new phase of expansion. We’re thrilled to have him on board.”   

Rank Group

Karen Whitworth has been appointed to the Rank Group board with immediate effect as a non-executive director, as well as serving on its audit, safer gambling and remuneration committees.

A qualified chartered accountant, Whitworth boasts 17 years of board level experience at both private and publicly listed entities, with responsibilities spanning commercial, operations and governance.

Alex Thursby, Rank’s chairman, noted: “We are delighted to welcome Karen to the Rank board. Her extensive background in finance and governance, together with significant broad business acumen, will be a real asset to the group.  The board and I are very much look forward to working with her over the coming years.”

Gambling.com Group 

Gambling.com Group, has bolstered its US growth strategy after appointing Max Bichsel to lead the company’s expansion into the sports betting market in the US. 

Before joining Gambling.com Group, Bischel served as the director of US sales for Kambi. His new role will include the development and expansion of Gambling.com’s partnerships with brands in the US market.

“With Max on board to lead our US efforts, the group will expand partnerships, marketing and sales efforts in America and continue to grow market share,” Charles Gillespie, Gambling.com Group CEO, said.

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The courses, which will be delivered via the SMP Compliance Academy platform, will include anti-money laundering (AML), responsible gambling (RG), gambling licensing, gambling advertising, compliance culture, and the regulatory framework and environment in Australia and New Zealand.

Julian Hoskins, principal at Senet, stated: “Regulation of the gambling sector in Australia and New Zealand is constantly changing and it is essential that clients and other participants keep up to date in order to encourage and maintain the highest compliance standards.

“By offering our expertise in an online course format, powered by SMP’s software, we will be able to help our clients embed a strong culture of compliance amongst all their staff, reducing organisational risk and improving outcomes.”

Senet, who is currently developing the content, is the region’s leading multidisciplinary law firm specialising in gambling law and regulations, related advisory services, and compliance training, and will now combine its specialist market knowledge with that of SMP eGaming.

Alexandra Hoskins, chief operating officer at Senet, added: “We are really excited to be developing sector-specific content for these key jurisdictions as there is currently very little out there in the way of detailed, bespoke content for Australian and New Zealand legislation.

“Compliance training forms a vital part of every gaming organisation and this partnership with SMP allows us to provide learning solutions that is in-depth yet scalable and that meet the region’s evolving regulatory requirements. 

“This is an exciting development for Australia and New Zealand, and we look forward to working closely with SMP to create a tailored learning environment for the gambling industry in this region”.

The courses are set to be made available later this year on a subscription pricing model. Moreover, in contrast to the traditional pay-as-you-go model used by other providers, the SMP Compliance Academy will grant permanent access to all the courses and provides regular content updates, as well as deep learning analytics and regulatory reporting per-user-per-year. 

As well as this, users will also be able to undertake refresher training online in place of one-off in-house annual training, which is set to enable greater compliance awareness and allow users to learn at their own pace.  

Jade Zorab, director at SMP eGaming, concluded: “We’re extremely pleased to partner with the immensely talented team at Senet to deliver these courses. 

“We’ve seen the positive impact that eLearning can have for operators and the players that put their trust in them and we are committed to expanding our already extensive suite of courses into new jurisdictions. 

“Australia and New Zealand will join the UK, Isle of Man, Malta, Gibraltar, and Sweden in the list of jurisdictions we have tailored content for, with more to come on the horizon.”

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As part of its own plans for the week the online gaming compliance division of SMP Group is unlocking its responsible gambling courses for the entire seven days, as it encourages a global and long lasting impact.

Lauding responsible gambling as “the most important factor for online gambling operators to get right,” the courses cover key jurisdictions such as the Isle of Man, UK, Malta and Sweden.

Addressing the RG Week initiative and briefly touching upon the groups own support, Jade Zorab, director of SMP eGaming, explained: “As an industry, we need to take steps to improve standards and encourage greater player protection measures. Responsible Gambling Week plays a huge part in achieving this as the whole industry comes together to share ideas, promote safer gambling and encourage socially responsible gaming practices.

“At SMP, player protection is of paramount importance to us, so we are keen to support RG week and play a part in spreading the message. We want to raise awareness for our clients, their staff, and the wider public too. By taking these courses, we can educate our clients so that they can spread the message far and wide as well.”

Courses unlocked during the week will provide organisations with training for their entire workforce across areas such as social responsibility, protecting minors and gambling management tools.

“We have unlocked our courses to make them accessible to everyone as we want to encourage to operators to learn best practices and roll them out across their organisation in the easiest way possible,” she says.

“Our overarching aim was to encourage conversations about responsible gambling and best practices within the industry”

“We are committed to helping improve industry standards and encouraging a more proactive approach to player protection worldwide. To achieve this, responsible gambling needs to be embraced by all members of the industry no matter their size, scale or sector. 

“We believe eLearning solutions are one of the most effective ways to spread this vital message and deliver it to whole organisations so that everyone can learn and play their part.”

Furthermore, SMP eGaming is to also provide guidance on how operators should assist problem gamblers, as well as the various jurisdictional authority requirements which can help them take steps towards a more robust responsible gambling framework.

Zorab added on what operators and suppliers can expect upon accessing the courses: “Our courses are written by experts and are based on the latest legislation and social responsibility guidelines for the most up-to-date information.

“The courses are delivered via our SMPCA platform, so users can expect engaging and informative courses, in-depth reviews, plus real-world examples to demonstrate how these measures can be applied to their own organisation.

“From a content perspective, the courses cover the vital skills required to protect consumers and operate a compliant and socially responsible gaming business in this day and age.

“We also provide multi-jurisdictional courses as we understand that different countries have different requirements when it comes to responsible gambling measures, so our content will help educate users on what is required in each market. 

“The UK, Isle of Man, Malta, and Sweden are all covered, with our Swedish content written by Nordic Gambling to cater to the Swedish market in light of the Swedish Gambling Act 2018 coming into force this year. The courses include guidance on different gambler profiles, responsible gambling policies to implement, and advice on protecting minors. 

“We want people to share ideas about best practices they have found that meet regulations”

“The training also teaches them how to recognise the signs of problem gambling, why operators should assist problem gamblers, and the various social responsibility requirements which can help users take steps towards developing a more robust responsible gambling framework.”

Concluding: “These courses were created because we believe that these practices need to be embedded within an organisation’s day-to-day activities, and eLearning is the best way to do this at scale. 

“We wanted to provide something that is comprehensive and in-depth so that users can find out more about the vital requirements. The courses themselves have been designed to provide all the information and support that users need while still being easy to access and digest.

“Our overarching aim was to encourage conversations about responsible gambling and best practices within the industry. We want people to be able to feel comfortable knowing how to identify problem gamblers and measures they can take to assist them. 

“We want people to share ideas about best practices they have found that meet regulations. Above all, we want to create a discussion about safer and fairer gambling across the industry to make it a more accepted topic of conversation.”

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Taking place November 7-13, the online gaming compliance division of SMP Group is unlocking its responsible gambling courses for the entire seven days, as it encourages operators globally to make a long lasting impact.

Undertaken through the SMP Compliance Academy, the courses will cover key jurisdictions such as the Isle of Man, UK, Malta and Sweden and will provide organisations with training for their entire workforce across areas such as social responsibility, protecting minors and gambling management tools. 

“Responsible gambling is absolutely the most important factor for online gambling operators to get right,” noted Ted Pepper, managing director of SMP eGaming. 

“We are fully committed to helping the industry improve standards and better protect players and we are unlocking our courses to make these vital learnings accessible to all.”

Through these courses, it is hoped that companies will learn fundamental skills such as how to recognise the signs of problem gambling. 

Furthermore, guidance will also be provided on how operators should assist problem gamblers, as well as the various jurisdictional authority requirements which can help them take steps towards a more robust responsible gambling framework.

Gemma Jones, business development manager, explained: “I am looking forward to meeting both our current and prospective clients to raise awareness of responsible gambling and demonstrating how important it is to both organisations and operators. 

“They need to embed this in their daily practices, in order to protect their players and through our courses, we hope to demonstrate how easily this can be achieved.

“Responsible gambling is a global commitment and we know that different jurisdictions have different requirements and guidelines that operators should adhere to.

“By unlocking our courses for this week, we aim to educate operators and suppliers as to what is required in each market and help them to develop an international culture of responsible gambling.”

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Delivered via the online gaming division of the SMP Group’s compliance academy platform, three new courses have been launched, including anti-money laundering, responsible gambling and the regulatory framework and environment in Sweden.

Maria McDonald, partner at Nordic Gambling, explained: “As the regulated Nordic gambling markets continue to grow, it’s essential that operators encourage and maintain high compliance standards.

‘’By offering our expertise in an online course format, powered by SMP’s software, we’re able to help operators instil a culture of compliance amongst all their staff, reducing organisational risk and improving outcomes for players.”

Content featured has been developed by the legal and regulatory experts at Nordic Gambling, a legal firm across the region which specialises in gambling related law, such as licensing, compliance advice and public affairs.

Their specialist market knowledge has been combined with that of SMP eGaming, which has been offering tailored learning to the sector via its compliance academy product for several years.

Jade Zorab, head of corporate development at SMP eGaming, stated: “We’re extremely pleased to partner with the immensely talented team at Nordic Gambling to deliver these courses.

‘’We’ve seen the positive impact that eLearning can have for operators and the players that put their trust in them and we are committed to expanding our already extensive suite of courses into new jurisdictions. 

“Sweden now joins the UK, Isle of Man, Malta and Gibraltar in the list of jurisdictions we have tailored content for, with more on the horizon.”

The courses are available from both companies on the same subscription pricing model, and grants permanent access to all, as well as deep learning analytics, regulatory reporting and regular content updates.

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Through the link-up SMP eGaming, the Isle of Man based multi-jurisdictional licensing and regulatory compliance provider, and affiliate compliance specialist Rightlander aim to deliver a comprehensive affiliate compliance training program and tool.

It is detailed that the course, which will be delivered through SMP’s online compliance academy, is to integrate Rightlander’s depth of knowledge on the subject with SMP’s training platform.

As a result, both parties aim to provide an all round program that is suitable for compliance officers and staff accountable for ensuring marketing campaigns stay on the right side of the regulators.

In terms of content encapsulated within the course, users will be taken through a number of real-world examples of affiliate marketing, to demonstrate methods used by affiliates to deliver content.

Through this approach, individuals will be shown methods that can be used to identify non-compliant content, as well as how to save time by quickly focusing in on relevant content.

Ian Sims, founder of Rightlander, said of the new partnership alongside SMP eGaming: “With the inevitable shift of accountability for compliance moving away from affiliate managers and into the hands of dedicated compliance officers, we’ve become acutely aware of a need to help the latter better understand the methods that affiliates use to market brands. SMP’s highly regarded compliance academy is the perfect platform to help us achieve this.”

Ted Pepper, managing director of SMP eGaming, commented:“Recent enforcement actions have highlighted the importance of the affiliate relationship to an operator’s overall culture of compliance. 

“The specialists at Rightlander are experts in this space, and so we are immensely pleased to be giving the wider market access to their knowledge in an accessible and reportable format.”

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Guided by the SMP eGaming licensing team, upon securing the licence BetConstruct will have its gaming and betting solutions added to the Isle of Man GSC game register.

Tony Ure, head of egaming at the Isle of Man’s Department for Enterprise, commented: ‘The Isle of Man has continued to have a proactive response to the industries demands, and the software licence has been very well received. We welcome BetConstruct to the Isle of Man.’

As a result of being awarded this latest green-light, BetConstruct products will require no more additional testing, with this capability and speed also set to “facilitate greater cooperation with operators on a global scale”.

“We are delighted to have supported BetConstruct through the software licensing process,” stated Jade Zorab, head of corporate development at SMP Partners. “It is a testament to the advantages of the Isle of Man software licence to have attracted an applicant of this calibre.”

The company details that this change will see a broadening of its jurisdictional reach, as well as working alongside payment platform FastShift to provide software and gaming solutions “faster and better to various markets”.  

Edgar Mkrtchyan, gaming group product manager of BetConstruct, added: “Being granted this licence once again proves BetConstruct’s commitment to delivering excellence in the provision of gambling products and services.

“The unparalleled benefits of the Isle of Man software suppliers licence will enhance our ability to deliver the full-service spring platform, and complete suite of products in the shortest possible time.”

BetConstruct recently announced an expansion of its casino suite after Vivo Gaming joined its family of partners; agreeing a deal to provide its multi-lingual live casino and exciting slot games.

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