The Judges
Lynda Atkinson, Head of Social Responsibility, Genting Casinos
Lynda Atkinson is Head of Social Responsibility for Genting Casinos. She has been involved with the Casino industry for many years, in a variety of roles including General Manager of various Casinos in the UK before taking a central role mentoring and training prospective managers in gambling law and working with the gambling industry Casino sector in such areas as developing National Occupational Standards and NVQ’s.
Atkinson has vast knowledge and experience in the casino industry and is still actively involved with technical training standards and other projects within Genting. She has also completed with Distinction, a Postgraduate in Gambling Management from The University of Salford.
Atkinson works nationally to ensure Genting offers the highest standards of excellence in social responsibility and player protection.
Stuart Baker, Head of Sportsbook Product, OpenBet
Despite the time spent in and around Yorkshire’s racecourses, Stuart Baker graduated from the University of York with a BSc in Economics and soon adopted the world of betting as a vocation rather than a distraction. He has now worked in the industry for over 17 years. Having spent 8 years as both a Spread Betting and Fixed Odds Trader, Baker moved into Product Development in 2003. He was Head of New Product Development at Ladbrokes and latterly Director Development at Sportradar, before joining OpenBet in 2011. His knowledge and experience have been garnered across multiple products, in both the B2B and B2C sectors. He now heads up the Product Management of the OpenBet Sportsbook, used by some of the most successful operators, including William Hill, Ladbrokes, Paddy Power, Coral, Betfair, Skybet and PMU.
Warwick Bartlett, Chief Executive & Owner, Global Betting & Gaming Consultants
Warwick Bartlett is the Chief Executive and Owner of Global Betting & Gaming Consultants (GBGC), which has established itself as the most credible specialist international gambling consultancy in the world.
The company has worked with, or supplied information to, over 600 clients, the majority of whom are "blue chip." Projects have included market research / assessments, business / facility planning, product evaluations, design / operational reviews, the development / review of corporate strategies, license applications, regulation development for and on behalf of governments, IPOs, M&A and due diligence. Typically, clients include, operators, monopolies/lotteries, suppliers, investment banks, the major consultancies and governments.
In addition to its consultancy, GBGC has produced six reviews of the global gambling market that have been widely acknowledged to be the best available both in terms of detail and accuracy. The latest review extended to over 1500 pages, with over 40 pages of this dedicated to the UK market. The statistics and forecasts that are contained within the Global Gambling Report have become widely recognised within the industry, the financial community and the media, as the industry standard for sizing both the online and offline gambling markets.
Consequently, GBGC are the most widely quoted source of industry data in share prospectuses and analysts' notes as well as on TV / Radio and in publications as diverse as the Financial Times, Forbes, Time Magazine, BBC Radio 4, BBC Breakfast, ITN news, the Economist and Fortune magazine.
Jim Cremin, Racing Post Betting Industry Editor
Part of the paper's founding team in 1986, and has loved every moment since.
Specialises in the betting industry and greyhound racing - where has worked previously for 12 years at Hove and Wembley. Originally trained by Ladbrokes as a betting shop manager, joining Hove as assistant racing manager in 1973, then became Wembley's racing manager before switching careers to the Racing Post.
Been a member of the judging panel in the Racing Post / SIS Betting Shop Manager of the Year since that started in 1988.
Favourite greyhound: Ballyregan Bob (won 32 races in a row for a world record in 1986), he is simply the all-time best.
Favourite horses (Flat): Dayjur (champion sprinter in 1990, only horse that ever seemed as a fast as a greyhound!)
(Jumps): Kauto Star, fell in love with him when he won the Tingle Creek for the first time in 2005 with his spectacular jumping;
Red Rum, a horse with the balance of a cat, hence winning three Grand Nationals, 1973, 74 and 77.
And finally, the horse that really sparked my interest in racing and betting:
Foinavon, 100/1 no-hoper who won the 1967 Grand National. Aintree's 23rd fence still brings a shiver to my spine.
Tim Cullimore, Director, C3 Cullimore Casino Consultancy Ltd
Tim Cullimore is a veteran of the Gaming Industry with more than 30 years’ international experience. Cullimore started his career in the UK before working in the USA in the cruise line gaming business and for Lotto Quebec at the Casino de Montreal.
Cullimore has planned and built multi-million Euro gaming facilities and their attendant amenities in Switzerland and Belgium, as well as managing them after their completion. He also spent 18 months working for the Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police writing new legislation for the Swiss Gaming Board.
Cullimore’s valuable knowledge of casino operations and reputation for integrity has made him highly respected within the industry. He holds a Personal Management License issued by the British Gambling Commission as well as operator’s licenses issued in Belgium, Switzerland and Quebec Province.
Tracy Damestani, Chief Executive, NCiF
Tracy Damestani is the Chief Executive for the National Casino Industry Forum (NCiF) the largest trade association for land based casinos in the UK. Responsible for responding to the UK and EU government departments and regulatory bodies on casino gambling related issues. Damestani represents the sector as a member of the Gambling Commission’s Advisory Panel for social responsibility. She commenced working in the industry with the British Casino Association and the Responsibility in Gambling Trust (RIGT).
Damestani chairs the gambleaware editorial panel and is currently involved with redeveloping the website, supporting the Responsible Gambling Trust (RGT). She is a committee member of the Society for the Study of Gambling (SSG) and a board member of the sector’s charity CHIPS which raises funds to supply bespoke wheelchairs for disabled youngsters.
Damestani previously worked in corporate finance and operations for HSBC. She is a qualified teacher & fluent in Spanish & Farsi.
Conor Grant, Director of Trading & Products, Oddschecker.com
Conor Grant is Director of Products at Sky Bet and Gaming and has been working there since August 2010, developing and leading the product strategy. Having previously worked for Paddy Power, Boylesports and Rank Interactive he has a broad and varied knowledge of the Betting and Gaming industry.
Having started his career with Paddy Power in Ireland in 1998, he spent 7 years working across a number of different business channels, then moving to London in 2005 to head up the Rank Interactive brands of Bluesq.com & Mecca Bingo. In 2007, he moved back to Ireland to work at Boylesports for a number of years. When Sky Bet came calling in 2010 with an opportunity to join a rapidly growing business, it was simply too good to turn down.
Nick Harding, Director and Chief Executive Officer, Praesepe plc
Nick Harding, 54, has over 30 years’ experience in the gambling sector, having worked in a number of senior positions for Coral, Bass Leisure and Rank Group before leading the MBO of the RAL business from Rank in 1996. RAL Limited became the leading operator in the AGC sector, with 129 venues, and in 2004, this was sold to Talarius plc with Harding becoming CEO. Over the next two years, the business grew to over 200 venues together with an integrated and proprietary online business. This was sold to European Gaming Limited in 2007 and subsequently de-listed from AIM.
Harding is also a past president of the trade association BACTA and is currently a trustee of the Responsible Gambling Trust. He is currently a Director of Business in Sport and Leisure, an organisation representing the Leisure and Gaming Industry in the UK where he Chairs the Gaming Group and is a Director of the UK Bingo Association. He was the founding Chairman of iGGBA, the UK’s first interactive gaming association.
In September 2007 he established Praesepe plc as an AIM listed company mandated to acquire going concern businesses in the European low stake high volume “gaming sector” and has since overseen the delisting of Praesepe, establishing it as a Company within the MMP Group. Praesepe operate over 170 venues in the UK with over 7,500 gaming machines sited.
In 2012 he oversaw the sale of Praesepe Plc to Gauselmann AG one of Europes largest gaming companies and is now CEO of Merkur Casino UK Ltd of which Praesepe Gaming is a subsidiary.
Clive Hawkswood, CEO, Remote Gambling Association
Clive Hawkswood has been Chief Executive of the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) since its establishment in August 2005. Before that he was the General Secretary of ARGO. Hawkswood was formerly head of the Betting & Racing Branch at the British Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). Prior to that, he was at the Home Office, spending time in both the Gambling Section and the Horseracing Policy Team.
Earlier in his career he spent several years working in the bookmaking industry.
He is also on the board of the Gambling Research, Education and Treatment (GREaT) Foundation, the British charity that raises funds for problem gambling related research, education, and treatment; and he chairs the Gambling Industry Advertising Code Review Group.
Dietmar Hoscher, Director of the Management Board, Casinos Austria International Holding
Since the beginning of 2007 Dietmar Hoscher has been a board-member of Casinos Austria AG and in this position he is especially responsible for Legal Affairs, Public & European Affairs and Corporate Social Responsibility. Between July 2008 and January 2010 and again since May 2011 he has been also a member of the board of Casinos Austria International Holding.
In addition to that, Hoscher was CEO of Österreichische Sportwetten GmbH (tipp3) and now he is the Chairman of the supervisory board of this betting company.
Before he joined Casinos Austria he had been a member of the Federal Council and between 2002 and 2006 a member of the National Council of the Austrian Parliament.
Ian Ince, Head of Regulatory Affairs, Sportingbet
Ian Ince has worked for Sportingbet for the last four and a half years and has been Head of Regulatory Affairs for nearly three years. He also took over the Compliance function twelve months ago.
Ince developed the regulatory team in Sportingbet leading to Sportingbets strong regulatory position. He works closely with regulators, fellow operators and associations concentrating mainly on Europe but with a global view.
He came to gaming through professional services, spending fours years with Deloitte consulting working at the BBC, HM Treasury and the NHS.
Prior to this Ince's career was spent as an Officer in the British Army.
Unusually for a regulatory position Ince is not a lawyer! He has a degree in Engineering and an MBA.
Per Jaldung, CEO, Casino Cosmopol AB
Since 2008, Per Jaldung has been the CEO of Casino Cosmopol AB.
Casino Cosmopol is a subsidiary company of AB Svenska Spel and is owned by the Swedish Government. Casino Cosmopol operates four casinos in Sweden. After working in law enforcement for the National Criminal Investigation Department in Sweden for seven years, Jaldung joined Casino Cosmopol in 2002 as Security Manager. He has also served as General Manager of the Gothenburg Casino for three years.
During his 9-year period in the casino industry he has had a special focus on the combination of responsible gaming and revenue growth.
Chris Jones, Partner, Scott & Jones
Jan L. Jones, Senior Vice President, Communications & Government Relations, Caesars Entertainment, Corp.
Jan L. Jones is Executive Vice President of Communications and Government Relations for Caesars Entertainment, Corp. In that capacity, she oversees all worldwide government affairs, corporate communications, community relations and corporate-social responsibility programs for the $9 billion corporation. Those programs include Caesars industry-leading responsible-gaming systems and its various initiatives aimed at enhancing diversity and promoting environmental stewardship companywide.
Prior to joining Caesars in November 1999, Jones served two terms as Mayor of the City of Las Vegas. She was the city’s first woman Chief Executive, and among the most popular mayors in its history, having won re-election in 1995 by a 72% margin. While in office, Jones presided over an unprecedented period of economic, social and cultural expansion, one in which the city’s population increased 66%, making Las Vegas the fastest-growing major metropolitan area in America throughout much of the 1990s.
As mayor, Jones spearheaded a massive growth and redevelopment effort in the city’s once-neglected downtown neighborhood. She played a pivotal role in conceiving, and promoting investment in, the $70 million Fremont Street Experience; she also worked to secure a new County and Government Center, a $170 million regional Justice Center, a $90 million Federal Courthouse, and numerous other capital projects. Her focus on building cooperative, mutually beneficial public / private sector partnerships led Inc. magazine to name Las Vegas the No. 1 city in the country for entrepreneurs, while Fortune ranked the city second in the nation on its list of Best Places in America in which to do business.
Jones is the former Chairwoman of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, and former Nevada State National Committeewoman for the Democratic National Committee.
She has also served on the board of directors or board of trustees of several prominent businesses, civic and charitable organizations, including the Nevada Resorts Association, the National Conference for Community and Justice, and the National Judicial College.
Today, she is Regional Vice Chair of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Committee and a member of the Women’s Leadership Board at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She sits on the board of directors of Nevada Public Radio, the Women’s Campaign Fund in Washington, D.C., and the Mexican American Legal Defense & Education Fund. She is also a member of the Human Rights Campaign’s Federal Club and of Nevada Advocates for Planned Parenthood. In 2011, Jones was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award in Gaming Communications by the American Gaming Association.
Jones graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in English.
Derren Maggs, Managing Director, Oddschecker.com
David Mills, Managing Director, Casa Compliance Consultant
David Mills is a highly experienced casino professional with expert casino and gambling industry knowledge.
Mills has held various executive positions within the casino sector for many years and now leads Casa Compliance, a specialist gaming consultancy.
Casa Compliance have an international client base and specialise in project management, licensing, gambling regulation, compliance, security, surveillance, anti-money laundering, risk management, training, on-line gaming, casino games, gaming analytics and game protection.
Mills is a member of the International Compliance Association, former Chairman of the International Association of Casino Security, member of the National Casino Industry Forum, chairman of the NCiF AML sub-committee and holds a post-graduate diploma in anti-money laundering.
Charles Palmer, Partner, CP Consulting
Michael Pollock, Managing Director, Spectrum Gaming Group
Michael Pollock oversees a broad portfolio of Spectrum services, including policy and impact studies for country, state and local governments, and feasibility and market studies for private-sector clients.
Pollock began analyzing the casino industry in 1978 and served as spokesman for the New Jersey Casino Control Commission from 1991 through 1996. He was a close advisor to the chairman, and oversaw the Office of Legislative Liaison. During this period of rapid deregulation, his charge was to maintain public confidence in the integrity of the regulatory system.
He has been examining policy and regulatory issues regarding Internet gaming for nearly a decade, and developed the Spectrum Internet Gaming Heuristics Theorem (SIGHT), and has discussed that theorem at many conferences and hearings around the world. He served as Conference Chairman of the 2010 and 2011 Global i-Gaming Summit & Expo in Montreal and
San Francisco, and chaired the 2010 and 2011 European iGaming Congress & Expo in Copenhagen and Milan.
Pollock is the author of the award-winning book, Hostage to Fortune: Atlantic City and Casino Gambling, published by the Center for Analysis of Public Issues in Princeton. This book examines the impact of casinos on Atlantic City and New Jersey. He has testified before the
International Tribunal at the Hague, the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee and the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Indian Gaming, and has been a featured speaker at the Congressional Gaming Caucus, a group of U.S. House of Representatives members from gaming jurisdictions. He has also testified before several legislative committees in the United States.
Pollock has won 20 journalism awards, and is the former editorial page editor of The Press of Atlantic City. Pollock is often cited by national media outlets, including The New York Times, Star-Ledger, BBC, ABC News and National Public Radio.
He earned his MBA, with high honors, from Rutgers University, and has served as a member of the adjunct faculty of both Rutgers University and Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.
Pieter Remmers, Director, Assissa Consulting Europe
Pieter Remmers is a veteran in the area of responsible
gaming, consultancy and training of gambling industry professionals. He has been involved in projects with the
gambling industry already since 1989.
Remmers started his career as the director of an outpatient clinic for addiction problems. His company Assissa Consultancy Europe works / worked on responsible gaming policies and programmes in a number of countries i.e. South Africa, Germany, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Malaysia, Singapore, Canada, Malta, Sweden and others. Besides Remmers is a consultant world-wide for as well as the industry land based and on line, casinos, slot machine halls and lotteries and for regulators or other governmental bodies.
He is co-chair of the section on gambling of the International Council on Alcohol and other Addictions (ICAA).
He is a member of the Executive Committee and serves as administrator / conference organizer of the European Association for the Study of Gambling (EASG), he is also a shareholder / board member of HANDS (Human Assistance Network for Daily Support (telephone counseling services).
In 2003 he was the initiator of G4 (Global Gambling Guidance Group ) G4 deals with an International Accreditation System on responsible gaming for the gambling and lottery industry. G4 works closely together with NMi. He serves as a member of the Jury of the Totally Gaming Awards and since 2009 he is a member of the Responsible Gaming Committee of IMGL (International Masters of Gaming Law).
He is also freelance correspondent for the magazine European Casinos The Elite.
At present he is also very much involved in the development and carry out of on line education programmes (e-learning) on problem gambling and responsible gaming.
Brigid Simmonds OBE, Chief Executive, British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA)
Brigid Simmonds became Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) in September 2009. The BBPA is the leading body representing Britain's brewers and pub companies with its members accounting for 95 per cent of the beer brewed in the UK and owning 50 per cent of UK pubs.
Simmonds was previously Chief Executive of the umbrella organisation Business In Sport and Leisure (BISL), from 1992 to 2009, and was also Chairman of the Sport and Recreation Alliance (SRA) between 2005 and 2011. She was recently elected a Vice-President of the SRA. She is also a board member of the Tourism Alliance which she recently chaired for the past year. Brigid is married with three children and lives in London. She was awarded an OBE for Services to Sport in the Queen's Birthday Honours list of June 2006.
Simmonds is married with three children and lives in London. She was awarded an OBE for Services to Sport in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list of June 2006.
David Snook, Partner, InterGame Ltd
InterGame Ltd is the publisher of InterGame, InterGaming and InterGamingi, the global publications for the gaming industry. A journalist in the industry for 44 years, Snook was Editor of Coin Slot, the UK publication for the street market, for 26 years and Managing Director of its parent company, The World's Fair, until he left to found InterGame Ltd in 1994.
Snook travels the international industry widely on behalf of his publications and is familiar with all of the sectors, limited payout gaming machines in the street market, all types of equipment in
land-based casinos, and with the eGaming sector.
Friedrich Stickler, Deputy Managing Director, Austrian Lotteries
President European State Lotteries & Toto Associations (EL) - 11/06/2009
Board Member of Austrian Advertising Research Association - 16/06/2009
Chairman of the Board of win2day Ltd - 2008-present
Coopted Member of UEFA Executive-Committee - 02/2007-06/2008
Member of the Board of Austrian Lotteries Ltd - 10/2006
Board Member of Austrian Olympic Committee - 2005-2009
Chairman UEFA Club Competition Committee - 08/2002-02/2009
President of Austrian Soccer Association - 04/2002-11/2008
Chief of the Trade Association of Casinos Austria and Lotteries of the Austrian Chambers of Commerce - 2002-present
Chairman of the Board of the Austrian Sports Betting Company tipp3 - 07/2000-06/2008
Member of the Executive Board of Omnimedia Werbeges.m.b.H. - 1998-present
Member of the Board of Österreichische Sporthilfe - 1987-present
Member of the Board of Directors of Austrian Lotteries Ltd - 1986-2006
President of the European Football Pool (EFP) - 1997-2002
Member of the European State Lotteries & Toto Association
Executive Committees, former AELLE - 1990-present
Member of the Intertoto/WLA executive committee - 1992-1999
Project leader in preparation and implementation of lotto “6 from 45” in Austria - 1985-1986
Head of the office of the Board of Casinos Austria AG - 1984-1985
Foreign Department Casinos Austria AG - 1982-1984
John Sullivan, Director/Partner, GB Media
Richard Wade, Director of Compliance & Responsible Gambling, Rank Group Plc
Richard Wade has over thirty years of experience in the gaming industry, first in casino operations and the last twenty of in Compliance. He started his career as a cashier at the London Playboy Club in 1979, and worked for many years at the Victoria Casino in London before moving into Rank’s Compliance department in 1992.
He moved to Ladbroke Casinos in 1996 to help set up their compliance function, during which time he co-organised the first Poker Million tournament on the Isle of Man, broadcast live on Sky Sports.
He returned to the Rank Group in 2001 and now heads up the Group’s Compliance team. Wade sits on the NCiF Operations Forum and chairs the Casino Games Review Group.
Peter Weir, CEO, IOA Group, Chairman BACTA Division 2 & Joint Regional Chairman BACTA Midland's Region
Peter Weir was educated in Birmingham and went on to study electrical engineering at Mathew Boulton College. His expansive gaming industry career began with MAM Inn Play before becoming National Operations Executive with Chalwest, part of the Ladbroke Group. The business was sold to Bass Leisure in 1986, where he went on to become Operations Director at divisions including Paymaster, Tobysound and LMS Machine services.
In 1998 when Bass Leisure sold its machine operating company, he became Machine Management Director for the newly formed Leisure Link Group before taking early retirement in 2005. He was subsequently invited to join Town and County Leisure as Commercial Director and in April 2011 became the first CEO for the IOA Group, the UK’s largest independent machine operator.
Weir has played football and cricket to a competitive standard and follows both Birmingham City Football Club and Warwickshire County Cricket Club.
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