Despite hopes that the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines would facilitate a quick return to normality, and some in the gaming industry scheduling in-person international conferences for the coming months, the crisis appears to be deepening again. 

Lockdowns return and borders close

In Asia, Hong Kong has cancelled plans to reopen its border with Macau, meaning more pain for the region’s casinos. Meanwhile the Philippines has again closed its borders to foreigners, and even most Philippine nationals, after a surge in infections and the detection of worrying new variants. Cambodia has also banned outgoing travel and Japan has introduced stricter quarantine rules. 

In Europe, all Italian regions except for Sardinia, are moving back into ‘red zone’ status, while Poland has announced a new national lockdown, and the gaming hub of Malta also recently re-entered lockdown after record infections, driven again by new variants. Elsewhere, France, Germany and other countries are seeing a new wave of infections, though so far have resisted draconian new measures. 

Although the UK is seeing infection rates fall dramatically, attributing it to the vaccination program may be premature. Indeed, it is more likely that the lockdown measures, natural wave dynamics, and fact that schools have been closed, is what caused infections to drop. 

In South America, Brazil is buckling under the pressure of a massive new wave, driven by the variant that has devastated the Amazonian city of Manaus. 

This shows how available space in ICUs across Brazil has rapidly collapsed over the past few months. Right now all but one Brazilian state is at or above 80 percent ICU capacity. A true crisis and it’s getting worse. https://t.co/Qy5GMJyFns

— Matt Rivers (@MattRiversCNN) March 17, 2021

Don’t count on vaccines solving this

Though early studies suggested the current crop of vaccines would offer decent protection against the so-called UK, South African, and Brazilian variants, more recent studies indicate the vaccines will provide little to no protection against the Brazilian variant after just a few months. 

More ominously, several experts, including Geert Vanden Bossche DVM, PhD, (GSK Biologicals, Novartis Vaccines, Solvay Biologicals, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global Health Discovery Team, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, German Center for Infection Research), are desperately warning that the current combination of restrictions and mass vaccination is risking ‘viral immune escape’, which is likely to result in the rapid emergence of severe variants, to which most people, especially the vaccinated and those who have recovered from infections, will have no defence. 

Very bluntly, Bossche and others are categorically saying that the misguided attempts to contain the original pandemic have made it very likely that we will turn a relatively mild virus into a truly apocalyptic monster that could kill a significant part of the world’s population. 

While at this point we can only hope these dire warnings are overblown paranoia, the way the pandemic is playing out on the ground, with new variants being discovered almost daily (including one recently found in Brittany, France, which evades all common tests), does suggest Bossche and co. could be correct. 

VACCINE ESCAPE OF VARIANTS vs Pfizer-BioNTech & NIH-Moderna: Troubling new peer-reviewed paper shows even 2-dose recipients have serious trouble neutralizing the #B1351 🇿🇦 variant—as little as vs old SARS & bat coronavirus. #P1 is poor too. 1-dose worse. Lots of graphs🧵 #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/glXBOqMU4l

— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) March 14, 2021

So, what happens next?

However the crisis pans out from this point, several things are now very clear. First, the measures taken so far have categorically failed to prevent the spread of the virus. Second, we are now effectively dealing with multiple pandemics of increasingly divergent variants. Third, the longer this goes on, the more chance of a truly horrific variant evolving. Given these facts, it is extremely naive to assume that the current vaccination program, no matter how logistically impressive it has been in places like the UK and Israel, will provide a long term solution. Indeed, it may well be making things considerably worse in the long-term. 

The idea that new vaccine versions can address these issues is, frankly, ludicrous. At the current rate, the 70-80% vaccination rate, widely believed to be required to achieve so-called ‘herd immunity’ will not be reached in most developed countries, let alone poorer countries, until the end of summer. By that time, the versions the vaccines were designed to counter will probably be all but gone anyway. And this is with countries basically on unsustainable war footings, devoting huge proportions of their resources to the vaccination campaign. There is simply no realistic way vaccinations campaigns can ever even hope to keep up with the virus, let alone get ahead of the curve. 

Obviously, this situation means that, no matter how advanced the technology is, the much vaunted ‘COVID passports’ or vaccination certificates, will be of no help. Because someone has been vaccinated against one variant does not mean they won’t catch or be unknowingly spreading another variant. Simply put, if mass travel is allowed to restart, we will all be back to square one, except this time, we won’t be starting with one relatively mild virus, but with multiple much more dangerous versions. No matter how much countries like Malta and Greece clamour for the restart of mass tourism, to do so now will be catastrophic for the entire world. 

Right now, despite the overly optimistic reports on mainstream news, we are probably at the most dangerous point of the pandemic. As we’ve said before, 2021 will be another digital year, and though there are sure to be spluttery experiments in opening things up in various countries, there will not be a sustained return to mass travel, tourism, large scale international sporting events, industry shows and exhibitions etc. for the foreseeable future. 

Plan accordingly. 

Disclaimer: This article features the opinion of the author only, and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

The Gambling Related Harm All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), has written to multiple British TV channels, urging them to halt daytime gambling advertising. 

In a letter, sent to major broadcasters including ITV and Channel 5, the group said: “Gambling companies are sponsoring programmes which seek to glamorise gambling with the aim of targeting women and young people and encouraging them to gamble.”

As a “particularly prominent example”, the APPG pointed to the fact that iconic Aussie soap Neighbours, which is broadcast in the early afternoon when children could be watching, is currently sponsored by Gala Bingo. 

To reinforce their message, the APPG cited disputed and highly questionable Gambling Commission figures suggesting 55,000 11-16 year old’s in the UK are suffering from a gambling disorder. 

AYO.NEWS says:

The APPG, chaired by the fanatical Carolyn Harris MP, lost any shred of credibility a long time ago. As with the anti-gambling mobs’ dismissal of the black market threat if regulations are tightened yet again, their arguments are blinkered, immune to evidence, entirely emotionally-driven, and formulated around immovable ideology – characteristic of the wave of “wokeism” and “cancel culture” (or, to quote Steve Donoughue, who recently resigned from his position as secretariat of the APPG, the forces of “prohibition and populism”), that is now steering the west into dangerous waters. 

The fundamental truth of the matter is that, if we want to live in a free, market-driven society, then businesses must be allowed to market their products and services, and most crucially, consumers must be free to choose how they spend their money and time. Inevitably, this will always lead to some people going too far, and won’t be to everyone’s liking. But, the alternative is that we live in a society where a few pressure groups and the minority impose their will on the majority – which is exactly what the APPG and their ilk are attempting to do. 

By their logic, we should embark on a never-ending crusade to ban everything that causes any perceived harm, which can only lead to a totalitarian dystopia. Because, everything in this world has both positive and negative effects – and whether they are negative or positive will always be subjective. 

Yes, social responsibility and integrity should be high on the list of priorities for all businesses, but it’s time the gambling and media industry stopped kowtowing to what are, regardless of their own inflated self-perceptions, minority, emotionally-driven pressure groups.

“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, 2021

Love online slots? But ever wonder how it all started? Grab a coffee and get comfy. 

So, even though online “slots” don’t actually have a coin slot, they still keep the name, and in the UK they are still referred to as “fruit machines” and in Australia as “pokies” – keeping their long heritage alive and well. 

Mechanical Affairs In 19th Century New York Bars

Okay, to find the very first “slot machine” we need to journey back to Victorian New York, where the locally-based company Sittman and Pitt created a purely mechanical machine featuring 5 drums and 50 playing cards – yes, actual playing cards. It could be found at the less salubrious bars across the rapidly growing city, costing a nickel to play. However, being a 100% mechanical device, it was possible for patient players to identify patterns and work out effective strategies for winning. Needless to say, they weren’t welcome at the bars. 

To address this rather pressing issue, the manufacturers tinkered with the machine to give the house a bigger edge – namely by removing the jack of hearts and ten of spades, which reduced the odds of getting a royal flush by 50%. All things considered, these machines were really more of a kind of poker machine than today’s slot games, but they were where it all began. 

Gaming With An American Icon: The Liberty Bell

Indeed, slot machines really came of age courtesy of an American inventor named Charles Augustus Fey. Sometime between 1887 and 1895, Fey constructed the first automatic slot machine. Unlike the Sittman and Pitt devices, Fey’s investigation uses only three reels, considerably simplifying things. In fact, it replaced the pack of playing cards with just five symbols – symbols that are still with us today, namely the hearts, diamonds, spades, horseshoes and liberty bell (named after the iconic symbol of American independence located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). 

In fact, Fey’s machine was actually named The Liberty Bell, after that iconic symbol – which also formed the highest payout combination. Of course, in the spirit of enterprise, other manufacturers soon came out with their own versions of the machine, and because Fey hadn’t patented his invention, he lost a potential fortune. But, from our point of view, the competition it kicked off was crucial – with companies striving to innovate and outdo each other. 

Mill’s Sweet Solution To A Real-money Ban 

But, boom! Just like that, the entire evolution of the slot machine nearly came to a grinding halt, when in 1902 machines paying out cash were banned across the United States at the federal level. 

Though that could have been the end of the humble slot machine, a certain Herbert Mills, from Chicago, saved the day using candy. Yep. While machines paying out money were illegal, there was no law against sweet winnings, and in 1907 he set up his factory to produce the “Operator Bell” machine, which paid winnings in candy instead of hard cash. Mill’s machine is why we have the BAR symbol on slots today. The symbol was a reference to the Bell-Fruit company logo, which supplied chewing gum prizes for the machines. 

Within a few years, Operator Bell slots machines were installed all over the Windy City, at tobacconists, salons, bowling alleys, and crucially, at the gas stations which were popping up everywhere as car ownership exploded. 

The Swinging 60’s: Time For Money Honey Baby, Yeah!

Despite this progress, the slot machines of early 20th century America were still very different in many ways from the even the land-based slots found in casinos today – the games from which every online slot evolved. In fact, the next truly major breakthrough regarding slots would have to wait until the 1960s. 

In 1964, ‘Money Honey’ was launched, and changed everything. Until that point all slots had been 100% mechanical contraptions. This meant that, given enough patience and brains, it was theoretically possible to predict outcomes. In practice, it was almost impossible, but the key thing was that people believed it to be possible. However, Money Honey introduced electromechanical technology to the field, instantly raising the level of sophistication. 

Despite the technological advances, the manufacturer opted to retain the traditional side handle – from which slots derived their “one armed bandits” moniker. This helped smooth the transition for players, and let them retain their sense of personal, physical control – and, critically, it helped perpetuate the feeling that players could exercise some degree of direct influence over the results. Again, within a few years, the innovations that Money Honey trailblazer were commonplace in the casino of Las Vegas and beyond. 

From The Space Race To The Internet

Less than ten years after Money Honey’s launch, at the height of the Cold War and the Space Race, Las Vegas-based manufacturer Fortune Coin debuted its Fortune Coin machine at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel. Equipped with a “huge” 19 inch Sony television set, it coincided almost exactly with the birth of the video game industry. Indeed, Fortune Coin was so revolutionary and inspired so many people that just a couple of years later, international gambling tech giant IGT acquired the manufacturer, and proceeded to invest in the machine’s development. In 1986 this resulted in Megabucks – the world’s very first progressive slot machine. But, although there was continual innovation, the pace of change was somewhat lethargic, until the mid 1990s. 

In 1994, when the internet was just starting to become widely known in the western countries, and dial-up modems were started to be installed widely in schools, colleges and large businesses, the tiny Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda became the world’s first jurisdiction to formally legalise online slots. Two years later, in 1996, InterCasino became the world’s very first online casino. In the same year, WMS Industries Inc. released “Reel’Em”, the first video slot with a second screen bonus round. The scene was now set for the rise of the video slot and online casino we know and love today – which evolved rapidly as personal computers and internet access proliferated. 

So, next time you’re enjoying a session at your favourite online casino, pay a thought to the pioneers like Sittman and Pitt, Charles Augustus Fey, and Herbert Mills. 

Staying with online gambling history, in early February 2021, Intertops marked the 25th anniversary of accepting the world’s first online sports wager.

Millions of people love Fantasy Sports, but did you know you can get very real customised fantasy football, baseball, basketball, and soccer trophies, along with championship belts and lots of other bling, to show your friends just how much of a winner (or loser) you are?

Simona chats with entrepreneurs Matt Walsh and Dax Holt about their awesome startup TrophySmack. Find our what inspired them, what their plans are for the future, and more about their recent appearance on Shark Tank, which resulted in them securing investment from American billionaire entrepreneur, television personality, media proprietor, and investor, Mark Cuban. Don’t miss this masterclass in fantasy sports merchandising.

Check out all the amazing winner and loser trophies right here.

Steve Donoughue has resigned from his position as secretariat of the Parliamentary All Party Betting & Gaming Group (APBGG), after a move to remove the gambling industry’s voice from the debate by new chair Laurence Robertson MP. 

In yet another sign of how the gambling debate in Britain is being hijacked by ideologically driven anti-gambling pressure groups and interests, it seems Robertson has decided to terminate industry seminars and close down the APBGG website. 

Explaining his resignation to Gambling Insider, Donoughue said that after discussions with Robertson it had become clear his services were no longer needed. He further expressed concern that the APBGG was now going to lack the a plurality of voices it needed to be objective, and would go the same was a the All Party Group on Gambling Harms – ie. “just being a mouthpiece of its funders.” 

He went on to warn that the forces of “prohibition and populism have never been stronger in their emotive and evidence-light attacks” on the gambling industry, and there was a real danger of over-regulation leading to a massive growth of the black market – highlighting the “fatally flawed concept of affordability” as of particular concern.

Last week the Betting & Gaming Council (BGC) published research, commissioned from PwC, showing black market gaming activity is a growing problem in the UK. The findings, which showed the money staked with unlicensed operators had surged from £1.4B GBP to £2.8B year-on-year, appeared at odds with the UK Gambling Commission’s insistence that the problem of competition from unlicensed gaming operators is being exaggerated by the industry, and that introducing even tighter restrictions won’t push more customers to black market operators. 

Meanwhile, there are increasing concerns about the objectivity of the Gambling Commission itself, which has appointed a so-called “lived experience” advisory group – made up of recovering gambling addicts, family members, and those who have lost children to gambling related suicides. 

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

Simona catches up with Quentin Martin, CEO of Real Luck Group Ltd, operator of esports-first betting platform Luckbox, to find out whats been happening since the company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange in Toronto.

AYO.NEWS first interviewed Quentin back in August 2020, when Luckbox was seeing business boom and preparing for its TSX listing. Since then, the platform has added even more features, seen the growth of esports betting continue, and launched traditional sports betting too.

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