Program

5 October 2020, 10:00 – 14:00

Online Conference

Lobby Area / Registrations

Introduction

  • Melanie Steliou, Journalist, Cyprus

Welcome Addressses

  • Ioanna Fiakkou, Chairwoman, National Betting Authority, Cyprus
  • Constantinos Petrides, Minister of Finance, Cyprus

Current trends and developments in RG/SG practices – Regulators’ view

The gaming industry is changing rapidly and the number of different types of gaming is on the rise. Recent trends have increased the necessity and relevance of nurturing a gaming environment that is protective towards players, gaming providers and the regulated entities. Responsible gaming practices will not be successful if they are placed outside the realm of business. What is a responsible gaming framework? What are responsible gaming practices? What are the new regulations and policies supporting and promoting responsible gaming and the stakeholders in the industry?

Moderator:

  • Joerg Hofmann, Partner, Melchers Law Firm, Heidelberg, Germany
 

Panelists:

  • Evangelos Karagrigoriou, Chairman, Hellenic Gaming Commission, Greece
  • Eric Sjöden, PhD, European and International Affairs Advisor, ANJ (The National Gambling Authority), France
  • Marina Yiannikouri, Head of Responsible Gaming, National Gaming and Casino Supervision Commission, Cyprus
  • Spyros Tsakonitis, Senior Legal Advisor, National Betting Authority, Cyprus
  • Yanica Sant, Head of International Affairs and Policy, Malta Gaming Authority, Malta

Gambling participation before and during the Covid-19 pandemic

  • Michael Auer, Founder, neccton, Austria

Pandemic (Covid-19) – effects on responsible participation in gambling

In this session, the speakers will present and discuss the latest trends, news and regulations regarding responsible gaming. The current developments caused by the pandemic, have affected various industries all around the globe. Inevitably, one of the industries affected was the gaming industry. What is the future in safer gambling? Has the pandemic change the course of the industry? Were there any opportunities created for the industry due to covid-19? How have the betting operators and casinos responded to the regulations and changes?

Moderator:

  • Christina Christoforou, Head of Safer Gambling & Business Development, National Betting Authority, Cyprus
 

Panelists:

  • Demetris Aletraris, CEO, OPAP Cyprus
  • Iris den Boer, Responsible Gaming Manager, Kaizen Gaming, Malta
  • Isobel John, Head of Regulatory Compliance, Melco Resorts and Entertainment Cyprus
  • Michaella Pillakouri, Corporate Lawyer, Parimatch
  • Robert Munro, Head of Sports Services – Responsible Gambling, bet365, UK

C2 Responsible Gaming Program

This presentation provides an overview of harm-minimization strategies adopted and implemented by the first regulated Casino operator in the Republic of Cyprus with the purpose to minimize gaming harm and develop and implement programs and policies designed to promote responsible gambling.

  • Pinelope Georgiou, Regulatory Compliance Manager & AMLRO, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Cyprus

AI, Machine learning and new technologies

The role of AI in the gaming industry is by no means limited to just online gaming and betting anymore but extends to every gaming vertical (i.e. casinos, lotteries, betting, bingo) delivered through both the online and offline channels. The use of AI varies widely from predicting more accurately the outcomes of event-based games to better understanding and managing risks associated with sports betting; preventing cheating within casinos; and improving customer services. The big question is whether AI can be used as a reliable tool in detecting and monitoring addictive behaviour, an area that is of concern to both gaming regulators and operators.

Moderator:

  • Menelaos Menelaou, Executive Director, Youth Board of Cyprus
 

Panelists:

  • Michael Auer, Founder, neccton, Austria
  • Simo Dragicevic, CEO, BetBuddy at Playtech

Behavioural insights and safer gambling

Behavioural insights combine knowledge and expertise from psychology, and economics in order to predict and understand how people make everyday choices. A core component of this is recognising how peoples’ choice environments can impact how they make decisions, sometimes without conscious awareness. In applying behavioural insights to safer gambling, our work has focused on how to increase the uptake of safer gambling tools, and improve their effectiveness, in order to reduce risky play. In this talk, the speaker will outline the UK Behavioural Insights Team’s ongoing work in this space involving field trials with real customers of major UK online gambling operators.

  • Simon McNair, Policy Advisor (Consumers & Business), The Behavioural Insights Team, UK

Product design and safer gambling

Effectively managing product risk is an important component of safer gambling strategies. However, the task is not easy in a dynamic market, where there are countless variations in the design of games and their platforms, the subject matter is complex, and there is insufficient evidence to guide confident decision-making. In this presentation, we will consider some of the challenges and opportunities involved in making products safer and more ethical in the gambling industry.

  • Jonathan Parke, Director, Sophro, UK

Responsible Marketing, Advertising and Safe Game Design

Marketing has played a strong role in the normalisation of the gaming industry and it has the potential to increase the risks and subsequent harms associated with gaming products. Operators and gaming companies should consider the marketing culture of the gaming industry and adapting ethical, responsible, sophisticated marketing strategies, and effective policies and practices which aim to reduce and prevent gaming harm.

Moderator:

  • Joerg Hofmann, Partner, Melchers Law Firm, Heidelberg, Germany
 

Panelists:

  • Andy Taylor, Regulatory Policy Executive, Committee of Advertising Practice, United Kingdom
  • Rona Kassapi, President, Cyprus Radio Television Authority
  • Vasiliki Panousi, Manager of EU Affairs, European Gaming and Betting Association, Belgium

Emotions and their regulation in Gambling: The URGAME-C project

  • Dr. Georgia Panayiotou, Professor of Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychology, Founding Member, Center for Applied Neuroscience, University of Cyprus

Gambling disorder and Domestic violence

A growing body of research shows a high correlation between domestic violence and gambling disorder. Domestic abuse may actually lead to a gambling addiction and vice versa. Families of problem gamblers are more likely to experience domestic violence incidents which can threaten the foundations of families. This presentation will introduce the relationship between gambling disorder and domestic violence, what are the consequences and risk factors, and what is the right treatment for these cases.

  • Dr. Andri Andronikou, Scientific Director, Association for the Prevention and Handling of Family Violence

Youth Gambling: A review on the data and research on Adolescent Gambling

Gambling is a popular behaviour among adolescents, which according to research have been reported to exhibit high rates of pathological gambling. This session will review adolescent gambling behaviour and attitudes toward gambling, as well as predictors of problem gambling in youth.

    • Marc N. Potenza, MD, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, Neuroscience and Child Study, Yale University School of Medicine, United States

Youth and Safer Gambling Practices

Research shows that early intervention and prevention strategies have proven to be a deterrent of future addiction amongst youth. Interventions can involve the family, school and community and can provide youth with those environmental and community factors, skills, and personal development necessary for. This session will provide an overview of prevention strategies in engaging young people and increasing participation in community projects in Cyprus and will introduce the innovative prevention programme “Young Cities”.

  • Prodromos Alambritis, Chairman, Youth Board of Cyprus, Cyprus

Loot boxes and beyond: The convergence of video games and gambling

In this presentation, the speaker will give an overview of the contemporary research literature on links between video game loot boxes and gambling, before briefly describing a convergence of video games and gambling that goes far beyond loot boxes.

  • David Zendle, Lecturer, University of York, UK

Closing Remarks