Public Gaming Magazine January/February 2016

January/February 2016 // PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL //

taxes on the revenues. The EL opposed

this proposal because the framework of

low taxation, higher prize-payouts, and

expansion of gambling has negative col-

lateral effects that are not good for so-

ciety. The reality is that the markets did

expand but so did problem gambling.

And revenues to the government did not

increase. They decreased in spite of the

fact that gambling increased. So the regu-

latory framework of multiple operators

competing for the business just results in

the worst of both worlds. More problem

gambling and lower revenues to the state.

The only ones who benefit by that open-

market model are the shareholders of the

private companies. Those are the facts and

we are gathering the data to prove it to

lawmakers and shapers of public policy.

Our focus, though, is less about gather-

ing copious amounts of numbers and

more about identifying the relevant data

and presenting it in the most compelling,

persuasive, easily comprehended way. Our

goal is to position the EL Association as

valued partners for politicians and regula-

tors. Our goal is to serve our membership

by using facts and data to gain the sup-

port of our political constituents for the

Lottery-Principles that we hold dear.

What other regulatory issues are European

Lotteries facing right now? Or emerging

trends that will impact Lottery?

H. Höltkemeier:

The ones we have

discussed are formidable enough!

There is an important emerging regula-

tory trend that is based on technological

developments. Technology has enabled

operators to personalize their marketing

and promotional efforts. Presently, this

capability is typically being applied for

the purpose of increasing player-ship and

GGR. These same tools, though, can be

applied for the purpose of guiding and

helping the consumer understand and

manage her behavior as relates to gam-

bling. Technology that is augmenting the

industry’s ability to increase sales will be

applied to augment and drive the adop-

tion of our “Lottery-Principles.”

What do you see as the most important trends

when it comes to the game-styles that consum-

ers are drawn to?

H. Höltkemeier:

There will be a con-

vergence between the commercial and

the Lottery sides of the sector in some

very important respects. On the Lottery

side, we will see the development of more

entertaining games that deliver a much

more fun, engaging, and variety of player-

experiences. On the commercial side, we

will see the application of Lottery-Princi-

ples (Integrity, Solidarity, Precaution) on

the sports-betting and casinos side.

Lottery needs to be open to the reali-

ties of how the markets are changing. We

need to embrace those realities in order to

make them work for us and for the ben-

efit of the state and good causes that Lot-

tery supports.

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Hansjörg Höltkemeier Interview

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staying aligned with our Responsible

Gaming Policy. Responsible Gaming is a

mission-critical value for SELAE. That is

key for sustainable growth of this indus-

try as well as protection of the consumer.

As Chair of the Public Order and Security

Committee for the EL, what do you see as the

top priorities for member lotteries to be ad-

dressing at this time as regards the most cru-

cial issue of Public Order and Security?

I. García Martínez:

We first must

properly frame the Public Order and Se-

curity Committee activities: its mission

is to support the EL strategy. Within that

remit, the Committee’s concrete activi-

ties focus on delivering tools that allow

EL Members to strive to create the best

benefits and outcomes for society. Those

tools include enterprise practices and

management standards that contribute to

always moving our perfomance and be-

haviour towards excellence, protecting our

citizens, and maximizing our efficiency.

Focusing on specific elements, there

are two big, somewhat overlapping ar-

eas: one is more focused on ensuring

compliance, and the other more focused

on Continuous Improvement. In rela-

tion to the compliance area, as Chair of

the Public Order and Security Commit-

tee, I consider that anti-money-launder-

ing and privacy are currently top priori-

ties—especially in light of the recently

approved 4th AML Directive, and the

next directive to be issued General Data

Protection Regulation. Pursuing further

improvement, we will continue to work

on security and integrity, covering both

information and operations. This is a

very wide range, as it includes measures

to ensure the integrity of the games,

to prevent match-fixing, and to ensure

game fairness and business continuity

and stability. In any case, finally the or-

dering of priorities and updating of EL

strategy lies within the Excecutive Com-

mittee remit.

The best way for EL Members to opti-

mize their value to society is to fulfill our

role as operators of the games on behalf of

the state and ensuring that all aspects of

operations meet the highest standards of

excellence, integrity, security, and Respon-

sible Gaming. These are the values that are

central to the EL’s Public Order and Secu-

rity Committee and EL Members.

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Inmaculada Garcia Martinez Interview

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