Twenty years of EGR

It’s a landmark moment for us as EGR celebrates its 20th anniversary this month. Starting off its humble beginnings as eGaming Review in 2002, industry veterans and EGR alumni reminisce on their highlights from the online gambling sector over the last 20 years.

Ian Chuter
Independent consultant
(Ex-Ladbrokes COO – digital 2016-2018)

My journey with William Hill started 21 years ago, and over these past years the industry went through enormous positive change. Profound memories of the FOBT code of conduct and the consultation process for what was the planned Gambling Act 2005 review. Like most regulation, this was delayed and finally launched in 2007. The transformational deal between William Hill and Playtech in 2008 is one of my fondest memories.

Warm memories of the many EGR awards both as a judge and entrant were all great experiences, particularly as a judge trying to objectively score the entrants which was always an intellectual challenge.

Happy 20th birthday EGR and I look forward to many more to come.

Simon Collins
Executive chairman, Backstageplay Inc
(Co-founder, Gaming Realms 2018-2019)

I have fond memories of the last 20 years; they were very formative years for me. I fondly remember one particular EGR Power 50 event held at an expensive hotel; I sat in a lovely hot tub with Jens von Bahr and Fredrik Österberg [co-founders of Evolution AB] the morning after an evening of poker, nursing our collective losses. I think Mark Blandford had taken all our spare money at the side table we set up, thinking we would clean up.

I also remember Think Bingo sponsoring an EGR drinks event. Dylan Schlosberg only did it as he had some spare funds on an affiliate business; he greeted me and said he was selling out to one of the many poker-themed companies. I suggested it would make more sense to work with a fellow bingo group, and that’s how we combined their brands with Foxy to build the most significant footprint on the global-dotcom bingo network. Two powerful instances, both powered by EGR.

Chris Welch
CCO, LeoVegas Group (Ex-PKR CEO 2015-2017)

Faces tell the stories of the ups and downs of the past 20 years – some I saw, some I imagined.

In 2006, Jim Ryan’s ashen face in Aruba telling me and other executives of Bush Jnr’s passing of UIGEA, killing our business in a stroke and helping make PokerStars a global monster. That was a dark day for most.

But it was a golden 2013 – Jim’s beaming face as PartyGaming launched in New Jersey, signalling the start of the US gold rush and better days ahead.

And in 2020, Isai Scheinberg’s poker face (I imagine) on receiving a $30k fine for running Stars during UIGEA. Three faces that truly reflect the seismic changes of this great industry and one very smart guy.

Peter Nolan
Group R&D director, Digitain
(Customer operations director, Sky Betting and Gaming 2003-2009)

I remember the excitement of seeing the very first sports bet placed at Ladbrokes.com in February 2000, sitting in an office in Gibraltar after spending nine months in a small team developing this new idea. Placed by a lady in Somerset – we had no idea how she knew we’d just gone live!

Involvement in that special project had a massive effect on my work life.

Over the years, I’ve worked for some fantastic organisations, including Ladbrokes, Sky Bet, Betfair, Codere and Digitain, and have been lucky to meet some exceptional people along the way. Whether in Rayners Lane in London, Harrogate, Madrid, Sao Paulo, Yerevan, or other places I’ve been fortunate to work in, it’s been a pleasure to have been part of such a dynamic, exciting industry, developing high-performing teams and innovative products, and making some lifelong friends along the way.

Congratulations to EGR on the anniversary – and thanks for being a good companion along this journey.

Mark Blandford
Board observer, FSB Technology
(Executive director, Sportingbet 1997-2007)

My personal highs and industry lows of my time in the digital gambling sector:

Highs

• going live on 15 October 1998 as the very first British bookmaker to accept online bets
• listing Sportingbet PLC on AIM in January 2001, which then moved up to the Official List of the London Stock Exchange on 14 May 2010
• the excitement of new markets and new products
• M&A activity including buying Paradise Poker and Sportsbook.com
• winning a variety of awards – very humbling
• as a sector investor working with young, motivated founders and management teams
• the people – both within Sportingbet and the wider industry – many of whom I count as friends.

Lows

• not much, it’s been an incredible journey!
• the enactment of UIGEA in 2006 and the corresponding collapse in our share price
• overregulation by the UK Gambling Commission which is having a detrimental effect on the vulnerable by potentially forcing them into the hands of offshore operators.

James Bennett
PR director, Receptional
(Former editor and head of content, EGR 2010-2013)

I spent more than three years as editor of EGR from 2010 to 2013 and like to think we created a team that set EGR on its path to becoming a great source of exclusive daily industry news.

Building up a great contacts book meant we had sources in many places, including well-positioned ‘moles’ at major operators who sent us inside information such as the infamous Hills walkout and memos from the founders of PokerStars. It may have upset a handful of people along the way but equally got the industry talking, and crucially for us, talking about EGR and its editorial strengths.

My favourite exclusives ranged from being the first site to break ‘Black Friday’ and being quoted by sources from major national newspapers to high-ranking regulators, publishing an exclusive on Facebook launching real-money gambling on the day of the EGR Operator Awards, being threatened by one rather precious CEO who called me a “rogue journalist” for quoting that he’d kept me on hold for 20 minutes, and being one of the few people to ever meet, interview and get to know reclusive bet365 founder Denise Coates and splashing the story on the front cover.

Happy birthday EGR! Here’s to another 20 years of shining a spotlight on our great industry!

Jake Pollard
Freelance editor/writer, Earnings + More (Former EGR editor 2008-2010)

Working on EGR during one of the industry’s earliest incarnations was a fantastic experience. As a journalist covering the space, the news flow, both good and bad, was constant. With regard to the business, two words spring to mind: growth and regulation.

The pace of growth at the time was astounding in many ways. At the same time, legislators were zeroing in on operators with regulations and, in some cases, dramatic arrests of senior industry executives. Luckily those tumultuous days are over and in 2022 it’s particularly satisfying to see the broad regulation of the industry in North America.