Australia
Exclusive Q & A with Marc Edwards, CEO of ORDER
Q. Congratulations on joining ORDER as the new CEO! What are your early reactions to the job?
A. It is an exciting time to join the organisation. I had been working for ORDER in a consultancy capacity for 6 months prior to joining as CEO, so the transition has been relatively seamless. My early impressions are full of opportunity and growth. The industry is forging ahead and receiving a lot of attention from mainstream media and non-endemic brands looking to be involved in the space, and with ORDER being a first mover in esports and now 4 years later is well established, we are looking forward to this next stage of our evolution.
Q. Do you find heading an Esports team much different than leading an organization in traditional sports or motor sports, where you had spent most of your career?
A. There are a lot of similarities with the support structure of esports and traditional sports, especially when it comes to fostering a culture of high performance and professionalism. And now as we look ahead, player welfare and grass roots programs are firmly on the agenda to ensure we are both looking after our professional players, but also playing a role as a leader in the industry to provide pathways for the next generation of talent. If we look at the commercial side of the industry there are certainly some parallels to draw with sponsorship, brand activations and fan engagement and how these are delivered to offer the best value to brands. The real difference in this area of the business is the ability to innovate and execute on new ideas without the constraint of governing or league bodies. Further, we also see the customer facing area of our business as a far more creative than traditional sports – more along the lines of a music label. Essentially our talent, who are professional gamers and content creators, are at the core and the support crew we build around them to bring this to life are creatives, e.g. content managers, creative directors, digital marketers and brand builders.
Q. For the outside world, Australia, where ORDER is based, is known for its outdoor sports. How is esports catching up in the country? How does its popularity compare with that of traditional sports?
A. Traditional sports are fed by generations of participation and ultimately viewership. Right now the esports industry in Australia is no more than 5 years old, yet despite the lack of history and level of unfamiliarity the fan base has more than doubled in the past 2 years alone. With the majority of esports fans being in the 18 to 34 age bracket and skewing male, there has been a natural migration of fans from traditional sport into esports, which is a sign of how Australia’s deep passion for sport is changing. Esports provides this generation an alternative outlet for entertainment and it’s being supported big time. While the current audience base skews male there is a ground swell of engagement coming from the female audience and is being driven by women gamers increasingly turning professional.
Q. ORDER has recently raised a $5.3 million funding? What are the immediate plans to drive the growth?
A. We will solidify our position in Oceania esports while continuing to look at opportunities in other esports titles. The real growth for ORDER though will be in content creation and production and building an audience around our brand. To do that we are looking for content creators across multiple platforms and gaming influencers who will become part of the ORDER crew and benefit from our administrative support and enabled to continue to grow their current activities. Also, in a first for an esports organisation the region, earlier this year ORDER took residency at our new facility in Collingwood Melbourne, which will feature the Alienware esports high performance room, Logitech streaming room, production studio and administrative offices.
Q. Could you talk about the new diversification initiatives that are in pipeline?
A. Outside of what I have mentioned above, ORDER will continue to evolve our gaming production capabilities, with a bespoke offering across events and licensed content. We are also looking towards collaborations with creatives and artists across music, fashion, and art. We see gaming as aligning strongly with the future of pop culture and these pursuits have paved the way for gaming to move from a subculture to pop culture in its own right.
Q. It appears that the lock down forced by the Covid 19 pandemic has turned out to be a turning point for esports in general. How did it affect the growth of ORDER?
A. For ORDER, and most esports organisations, the events of the last year or so have put greater emphasis on the need for online event capability, content production and building a mass audience. While much of this growth is still in it’s infancy, the realignment of strategy in the early stage of 2020 provided us a long enough runway to start executing and importantly secure significant funding to accelerate our growth ambitions.
The NSW Independent Casino Commission has found Crown Sydney suitable to retain its casino licence after nearly three years of intensive remediation.
Chief Commissioner, Philip Crawford, said Crown has come a long way and must now demonstrate its long-term commitment to maintaining suitability.
“The NICC is confident the Crown we deemed suitable today has a strong model to keep operating into the future,” Mr Crawford said.
The NICC’s suitability assessment established that Crown Sydney has fundamentally reformed its business and is operating the casino within the objects of the Act, the requirements of the suitability deed, and in compliance with its regulatory obligations.
In addition to proving it can run the casino lawfully, Crown has remediated its business in other meaningful ways such as building a culture of transparency and accountability across its integrated resort.
“Hard work and transformation aside, the NICC has not forgotten the level of misconduct exposed in 2021 when Crown was found unsuitable,” said Mr Crawford.
“Crown Sydney has ongoing work to reach steady state and it must continue to lift standards and maintain its cultural transformation.
“There is and will always be room for improvement, but Crown is a changed business that is looking toward the future.
“Likewise, the NICC is a changed regulator with enhanced powers, a singular focus on casinos, and a mandate to address the risks of harm.
“This decision is a positive outcome for Crown Sydney, its staff, and the community – who can be sure the NICC will use all of its powers to keep the casino in check.”
In addition to the implementation of hundreds of new internal controls, the Bergin-based reforms have been reflected in a new licence and new regulatory agreement between Crown Sydney, the NSW Government and the NICC.
These agreements include updated settings, such as the removal of fetters to the NICC’s powers, as well as previous compensation trigger clauses that are no longer part of the casino legislation.
Mr Crawford said: “Crown cannot disregard the responsibility and privilege that comes with holding a casino licence. Crown Sydney’s ability to provide a destination hospitality and entertainment venue underpinned by the restricted gaming facility is contingent on its steadfast commitment to continuing suitability, accountability and compliance.”
The post Crown Reinstated at Sydney Casino appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Australia
Tabcorp Partners with OpenBet’s Sportsbook Technology to Propel Growth and Enhance User Experience
OpenBet’s robust betting engine and sophisticated trading system to enhance Australian operator’s user experience and operational efficiencies
OpenBet, a leading content, platform and service provider to the sports betting industry, has been selected to supply its scalable betting engine and advanced trading system to Australian wagering giant Tabcorp as the tier-one operator pursues ambitious growth plans.
OpenBet will integrate a series of online and retail products including its fixed-odds betting platform and trading system for its world-class content portfolio to help amplify the offering for Tabcorp’s flagship brand, TAB.
Underpinned by a dedicated excellence team working with TAB for continuous development and innovation, OpenBet’s pioneering technology and services will provide improved agility, scalability and speed-to-market for new and differentiated products that will redefine the TAB user experience. Tabcorp will also benefit from enhanced operational efficiency and streamlined processes through OpenBet’s proven solutions.
As Australia’s largest gaming and betting operator, Tabcorp has a rich history of providing market-leading products to its customers. With more than 3,000 employees, the company continues to grow and aims to further increase its market share over the coming years.
OpenBet’s expertise in operating within some of the world’s strictest regulated markets was a major factor in Tabcorp’s decision in selecting the company as its latest technology provider. Integrating OpenBet’s globally respected platform and products within Tabcorp’s technology ecosystem comprising of proprietary capabilities across trading, digital experience and data is a perfect fit for market leading innovation, enhanced operational capability and delivering an unparalleled user experience to Tabcorp’s customers.
This deal strengthens OpenBet’s reputation as a trusted provider to the global sports betting industry. It currently processes almost half of all digital sports bets placed in the Australian market and with this deal will significantly increase that and, for the first time, bring our retail sports betting capability to Australia. Coupled with Tabcorp’s clear progress on accelerating its transformation and innovation with a focus on agility, product delivery and customer experience, this has the ingredients for a great partnership.
“Being selected by Tabcorp to augment its user experience is an exciting move for us and further cements our position as a trusted provider of robust, hybrid products that drive growth,” the Chief Commercial Officer for OpenBet, Cathryn Lai, said. “We’re looking forward to working alongside the TAB team and providing it with tailored products and services that will usher in a new era for its sportsbook offering. We have no doubt that the operator’s customer base will benefit from an enhanced experience through our unbeatable technology and trading services.”
“We’re thrilled to be strategically partnering with OpenBet to enable our growth ambitions and beyond,” the Trading General Manager for Tabcorp, David Beirne, said. “The combined strengths of Tabcorp’s category expertise and internal capabilities and OpenBet’s advanced core creates a market leading relationship that will lead to increased customer engagement, market share and sustainable profitability.
“This partnership will propel Tabcorp’s trading capabilities to the top of the market as it will allow Tabcorp to utilise OpenBet’s cutting-edge technology to deliver a first-class digital and retail experience for our customers at pace in exciting and innovative ways.
“This partnership is a significant step forward in modernising and supporting our ambitious plans to deliver the next generation sports betting user journey.”
The post Tabcorp Partners with OpenBet’s Sportsbook Technology to Propel Growth and Enhance User Experience appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Liquor & Gaming NSW is urging licensed venues across the state to plan ahead and have proper measures in place to ensure safe and responsible ANZAC Day commemorations.
Pubs and clubs can face additional challenges on April 25 that come with managing larger than normal crowds and the playing of two-up.
Two-up was a popular game among World War I veterans and, while illegal as an unregulated form of gambling most of the year, is legally played every ANZAC Day, Remembrance Day and Victory in the Pacific Day in their memory.
Liquor & Gaming NSW Executive Director Regulatory Operations, Jane Lin, said inspectors would carry out checks of licensed premises in Sydney and regional areas on ANZAC Day to ensure compliance with the state’s liquor and gaming laws.
“Two-up is a great Australian tradition and a way for people to come together at pubs and clubs to enjoy the ANZAC spirit,” Lin said. “While venues do not need a permit to host two-up, they are encouraged to fully understand and observe the traditional rules of the coin-tossing game.
“Licensed venues are reminded to properly manage potential risks linked to larger crowds, increased rates of intoxication, gambling disputes, extended high volume trading and special ANZAC Day liquor promotions.”
Venues’ advertising and promotions must align with liquor promotion guidelines.
More information about ANZAC Day in New South Wales is available at https:/ /www.NSM.gov. au/about-nsw/anzac-day-nsw. Two-up rules can be found at https:/ /www.LiquorAndGaming.nsw. gov. au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/858562/fs3098-two-up-factsheet. pdf.
The post Venues Warned to Play by the Rules on ANZAC Day appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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