https://www.paulsculpher.com/blog daily 0.75 2023-11-16 https://www.paulsculpher.com/blog/changinglasvegas monthly 0.5 2021-07-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1574347783134-ZZK6A688W45EFF9L48X2/image-asset.jpeg Blog - The changing face of Las Vegas https://www.paulsculpher.com/blog/vegascosts monthly 0.5 2021-07-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1574347669961-OTH7POH6P419RL0CB3DI/dollar.jpg Blog - Is the Las Vegas Strip starting to re-assess pricing models? https://www.paulsculpher.com/blog/table-gaming-in-the-uk monthly 0.5 2021-07-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1574348122010-TZTG1B0JKCHDCWR51VYW/image-asset.jpeg Blog - Table Gaming in the UK https://www.paulsculpher.com/blog/where-does-the-global-casino-industry-go-from-here- monthly 0.5 2021-07-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1574358423943-4LPSXR3FFVNK04Q5WDI7/image-asset.jpeg Blog - Where does the casino industry go from here ? https://www.paulsculpher.com/blog/global-choppy-waters-for-offline-casinos monthly 0.5 2021-07-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1574358548459-C5G940H7ADILY7MKI4Q3/image-asset.jpeg Blog - Choppy waters for global offline casino industry https://www.paulsculpher.com/blog/short-interview-about-responsible-gambling-published-in-gambling-insider-magazine monthly 0.5 2019-12-09 https://www.paulsculpher.com/blog/paul-sculpher-an-identity-crisis-amid-the-government-review-and-the-coronavirus-pandemic monthly 0.5 2021-07-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1615913780733-FC0RNXFEMROQK8775U3Q/casino-1107736_1920.jpg Blog - Paul Sculpher: An identity crisis amid the government review and the coronavirus pandemic As we moved into the late 90s and the 21st century, operators were trying to open up the perception of casinos into the mainstream, with the oft-quoted stat that only 2% or 3% of the population had visited a casino in the last 12 months, wildly lower than (usually cherry-picked) other countries – conveniently failing to recognise the AWPs in every pub, high street arcades, 9,000 plus betting shops and the imminent arrival of online gambling. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1615915322733-CG3SLOJ9NLZK1FX7TEN7/roulette.jpg Blog - Paul Sculpher: An identity crisis amid the government review and the coronavirus pandemic https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1615914147548-3AX0Q11MT5IMCBAP767J/gambling.jpg Blog - Paul Sculpher: An identity crisis amid the government review and the coronavirus pandemic https://www.paulsculpher.com/blog/return-to-form monthly 0.5 2021-07-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1626862220803-4800X1N07YZE6A25DW78/las-vega-727095_1920.jpg Blog - Return to Form - Silvie Mazacova Veteran casino dealer at Genting Casinos UK https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1626862515102-MT2KVO6XI1DUVXH7K04M/michal-parzuchowski-43274-unsplash.jpg Blog - Return to Form I spoke with a senior industry contact about this looming problem. He told me in no uncertain terms that we don’t know for sure where we stand. “Many of our European staff have successfully achieved settled status, but they may not be in the country, and may not be able to enter easily pending Covid regulations,” he said. That doesn’t sound ideal, and we further discussed the prevailing mindset. “The fact that the pound has lost some of its value against the Euro won’t help either, making for a reduced incentive for staff to return if their objective was to send funds home for their family or future,” he added. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1626862298708-9G6664Z65IKPNKZ1GFDZ/ameer-basheer-1367367-unsplash.jpg Blog - Return to Form - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1626862154293-YKONMA9D1LIVKOH1BTPG/casino-scene.jpg Blog - Return to Form My view is it’s not a secret that progression in a casino means that you are doing more tasks for the same amount of money. Senior croupiers run the floor and dealers inspect. It’s not unusual to earn 22k a year and supervise a game with tens of thousands of pounds at stake. I am afraid that many people will not want extra responsibility for no extra reward. So who would want to commute to the centre of town five times a week and spend all night and weekends at work, with limited chance of meaningful progression, if they can get a job that’s partly remote? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1626861845877-6RVFJS07WMV33VPUR5WE/Return+to+Form.jpg Blog - Return to Form - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.paulsculpher.com/blog/gaming-recruitment-are-we-seeing-the-end-of-the-office monthly 0.5 2021-07-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1626862854716-HT7QN1VQT3Q0H8GUPFXX/corporate.jpg Blog - Gaming recruitment: Are we seeing the end of the office? - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1626863349176-Y1NPD6R0ULB5H72ZURM4/office.jpg Blog - Gaming recruitment: Are we seeing the end of the office? The virus has also pretty much forced us all to learn the basics of online working and meetings. Anyone who has run a quiz (or participated in one) will be familiar with how to work Zoom or Microsoft Teams, for example, and progressed to figuring out etiquette for things like muting their microphone when not speaking. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1626863807571-0ANU8JYTB1GNAXGT3XRE/recuitment.jpg Blog - Gaming recruitment: Are we seeing the end of the office? - Recruitment in a WFH world The gaming industry has historically been something like 60% offline work and 40% online, and we’d be lying if we said the offline element in particular hasn’t taken a hit from the virus situation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1626863985016-6PAXZ4G6F9M5VOYHWKOK/office-space.jpg Blog - Gaming recruitment: Are we seeing the end of the office? - The end of the office? Every element of the supply chain has been affected by the changes, whether by lack of demand or personal struggles with social distancing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1626864344701-JKDMA1ICBLD5X2ZVCLL5/online.jpg Blog - Gaming recruitment: Are we seeing the end of the office? - Offline to online I’ve written elsewhere about the prospect of offline managers migrating to online, but we believe it will be an increasingly common phenomenon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1626863613567-QQZKKR4TPDTXLH4L1VHX/muhammad-faiz-zulkeflee-alw-CwGFmwQ-unsplash.jpg Blog - Gaming recruitment: Are we seeing the end of the office? - The personal approach The fundamentals of our recruitment business have been affected, but not totally turned upside down. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1626864099705-2TRF9B9OOLYEWONH8P5O/process.jpg Blog - Gaming recruitment: Are we seeing the end of the office? - The process It’s worth a very brief word to remind everyone of the basics of online interviewing. https://www.paulsculpher.com/blog/chequemate monthly 0.5 2021-07-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1626864651118-0MJINCSAYJM41JC0PWI0/aidan-howe-dg586BO8UbQ-unsplash.jpg Blog - Chequemate - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1626864837062-15ZT9YLT5ZKF0U9LXSVI/keenan-constance-VTLcvV6UVaI-unsplash.jpg Blog - Chequemate The problem is that the processing of foreign cheques is already beginning to end, and, for example, RBS has closed accounts for some of the high-end casinos. Given that you, I and everyone we know outside casinos don’t use cheques any more, that kind of makes sense. However, this is going to cause an absolute disaster for the Mayfair casinos in terms of access for players to their own funds. You might well ask “So what? Every business has to adapt to the modern world.” And well they should, but the anachronistic legislation does not allow it. https://www.paulsculpher.com/blog/back-to-the-grind monthly 0.5 2021-08-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1629379262544-C6FYKO5ZFT6HPH54P42B/casino.jpg Blog - Back to the Grind The gaming floor yield specialist’s dream is to get bigger players on the livetables; receiving exceptional customer service in a nice, fast, three or four player game while the “I’ve got £50 ($70.62) and I want two hours’ entertainment from it” merchants are happy on the terminals, with a cocktail/coffee valet not too far away. The advantages of offering electronic play are obvious, with far lower annual cost per position, no sick days (well, that’s if your tech team are on the case) and, if you want to insist on it or are obliged to provide it, an easy route to 100% carded play. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1629379691407-NABG919DAULQRIM96SEC/michal-parzuchowski-43274-unsplash.jpg Blog - Back to the Grind The UK has always been relatively timid on pricing for table games. Part of this may be the neighbourhood-type style of many smaller sites. Using my not-particularly-scientific indexing method of comparing minimum Blackjack bet to price of a beer, in most UK casinos outside London you’ve always been able to get a game for around the price of a pint, often less. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1629379870144-9D7BZKO44IS37LSIRU2Y/casino-3319809_1920.jpg Blog - Back to the Grind - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.paulsculpher.com/blog/time-spent-playing monthly 0.5 2023-11-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1631628058469-OBIAA3CMGSPVYPA0PRKA/time-spent.jpg Blog - Time Spent Playing - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1631628308621-R8RZGZB1CHWCLBY4C1X0/table.jpg Blog - Time Spent Playing When I asked Jon for some examples, he described some that will be familiar to anyone who has undergone problem gambling awareness training (as has every customer-facing Genting employee). Behaviours like becoming emotional due to gambling results, spending time around the gaming tables after a playing session has finished, and complaining that equipment is “rigged” are all red flags for responsible operators. He also pointed out that there’s an increasing amount of data available to offline operators – loyalty cards give their team much of the data that online operators can wield, although unless the Gambling Review introduces mandatory carded play this data will always be incomplete. There have certainly been some spectacular failures to act responsibly by operators over the years, and one suspects not too many of them make it into the public domain unless the regulator steps in. If the Australian Daily Mail is to be believed, one of the current licensing challenges facing Crown Melbourne, for example, relates to a baccarat player involved in a 96-hour playing session, along with a host of other unbelievably long sessions. https://www.paulsculpher.com/blog/casinosaurus-rex monthly 0.5 2023-11-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/fb0b65c7-885d-4071-b5ca-96e758474609/Casinosaurus+Rex+hero.jpg Blog - Casinosaurus Rex - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/66e84cb8-014c-4447-82f8-29581025ec9b/casino.jpg Blog - Casinosaurus Rex - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/22aa6e54-91ef-452b-95f4-ae6942a239a9/casino-2.jpg Blog - Casinosaurus Rex The challenges don’t stop there, mind. You can’t have debit cards, just three cheques per person, per day, backed up by a “Cheque Guarantee Card” (ask your parents, kids) unless you set up a complicated facility. ATMs weren’t permitted, and by all means stick your smiling friendly faced receptionist out there on reception, but almost nobody had door security – I’m sure it’ll be okay. That’ll do nicely on a lively Friday night… And one more thing – you’ll be needing to close at 4am, and 2am on a Saturday night, just when it’s getting fun. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/adffc9ac-88a3-480c-a8bb-8e346e8e9989/casino-3.jpg Blog - Casinosaurus Rex - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.paulsculpher.com/blog/affordability monthly 0.5 2023-11-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/22aa6e54-91ef-452b-95f4-ae6942a239a9/casino-2.jpg Blog - Paul Sculpher & Michael Byrne: In the department we trust I also asked Michael about the minimal level of commitment required to download an app – surely that is something of a barrier to some potential players. He told me “not all operators want to have people download the app – some will have a separate re-skinned landing page, developed by us, so the player stays within the comforts of the website they’re used to”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/b4e4f4bd-7a03-44dd-991d-30c7940e355f/online-banking.jpg Blog - Paul Sculpher & Michael Byrne: In the department we trust - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1629379980042-IF64WWIPQ0OXIQV6GXLN/back-to-the-grind.jpg Blog - Paul Sculpher & Michael Byrne: In the department we trust - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.paulsculpher.com/blog/sustainability-in-the-us monthly 0.5 2023-11-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/3abe8269-edaa-4e3b-8d12-a321ae9a6dbc/vegas-strip.jpg Blog - Sustainability In The US - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/29eb51cb-c6f8-478c-b869-42e3d788b6f7/player-gambling.jpg Blog - Sustainability In The US The key question is what happens if it’s all unchecked, and what are legislators and operators doing to keep players safe? Worst case, if it were allowed to be a totally – well – Wild West situation, with everyone making a ton of money and huge numbers of unprotected punters getting into a horrific mess, would be a predictable fallout of crime and suicide; such as arguably has been seen in other jurisdictions when commercial concerns raced ahead of legal controls. There’s a counter argument to controls too, along the lines of “what’s the point when crypto bros and inexperienced stock pickers are leveraging up and taking immense risks, and Daily Fantasy Sports has such an impact.” But I’d argue sports betting is far “harder” gambling in terms of both speed of repeat staking, and core links to something every red-blooded American is supposed to love – sports. https://www.paulsculpher.com/blog/sustainability-in-the-us-crhjg monthly 0.5 2023-11-23 https://www.paulsculpher.com/blog/a-sisyphean-task monthly 0.5 2023-11-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/ed71198b-30eb-41a2-8257-82b6b45d4bd5/lottery-balls.jpg Blog - Paul Sculpher & Melanie Ellis: A Sisyphean task - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/22aa6e54-91ef-452b-95f4-ae6942a239a9/casino-2.jpg Blog - Paul Sculpher & Melanie Ellis: A Sisyphean task Looking ahead to the implementation of the White Paper’s proposals, a key point for the legislators to get right will be the definition of online slots games, for the purposes of applying the stake limit (wherever that ends up falling between £2 and £15). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1615911109387-829AUT7DSRIH6PNJ4E9N/hero.jpg Blog - Paul Sculpher & Melanie Ellis: A Sisyphean task - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.paulsculpher.com/blog/brand-ambassadors-may-not-be-the-answer monthly 0.5 2023-11-23 https://www.paulsculpher.com/new-page-1 daily 0.75 2021-03-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1615911989474-QEUVE1CB3SZ3ZQZEAPHA/Slots+2.jpg Consulting - Familiar with all facets of gaming Five years within the betting shop industry and three in the bingo industry give me an unusual blend of experience, and my time being a partner in industry recruitment company www.grs-recruit.com has given me plenty of insight into all types of betting and gaming. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1615912277997-RGA6JLGPM17U9I1GN3WS/consulting.jpg Consulting https://www.paulsculpher.com/archive daily 1.0 2021-03-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1615911109387-829AUT7DSRIH6PNJ4E9N/hero.jpg Introduction https://www.paulsculpher.com/new-page daily 0.75 2021-03-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1615913013321-0YDCK5KRJ6UQ6HHORBZJ/roulette-2246562_1920.jpg About From here I progressed to a role as Operations Project Manager. This was a dual role, the first part being to take care of all the buying of gaming and gaming related equipment for Grosvenor Casinos. I was also responsible for the operational phase of all new projects, from opening new casinos to rolling out the automated roulette offer across the nation, as well as organising and implementing the first Wide Area Progressive Casino Stud Poker offer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1615912762135-5IL4I2H7Q7UB48LYVICL/Vegas+2.jpg About I have also worked for a number of other institutions using my experience as detailed above. The largest organisations I have worked for have been the Rank Group and London Clubs International, owned by Caesar’s Entertainment, as well as other operators at home and abroad. The work I have undertaken for these operators has varied from mystery shopping trips, to security audits as well as advice on planning new operations and staffing levels. While working as a self-employed consultant I have also added another string to my bow as a freelance writer to the gaming industry. What started as a favour to a friend has become a significant sideline, as I have had pieces printed regularly in the consumer press (Gambling magazine, GX, Bluff) as well as the trade press (International Casino Review, Gambling Insider, Casino Life, G3). The ability to combine a wealth of experience with significant press contacts has proven useful on a number of occasions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1615912511440-GGZZ4THW2NJWP048RUMB/hero+7.jpg About https://www.paulsculpher.com/contact daily 0.75 2021-03-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd84ecfaadd34286cab9d5c/1615913279182-6AU33GSVSGDGTXM2AGOM/casino-2.jpg Contact