1392 – Mr. Wally Matskofski
As you will all be aware by now, Mr. Wally Matskofski recently passed away in Germany, undergoing treatment for an illness. Naturally, this was upsetting for his family and friends. His service was last Monday and numerous Directors and Members (CGAO) were in attendance to support the family and pay their respects to Wally.
Wally, who managed and operated the Meadowvale Bingo Centre for many years, provided numerous charities and non-profit organizations valuable funds to undertake various projects that benefitted the residents of Mississauga. As the industry was evolving he was wise enough to know and position himself for the next phase of his career by selling the business to the Rama Gaming Group,to undertake the investment of the c-Gaming initiative that was in the beginning phase. He returned back to the restaurant business [Wally’s Burger Bar] while undertaking a little more travel with his family.
As you will know, Peter Howard, who worked closely with Wally for many years, led the members in paying our respects and send best wishes to the family, which was tremendous. We have written directly to Ms. Tina Matskofski on behalf of the Board. |
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1393 – Golf Day - 2017
The Golf Day, held last Thursday down in Guelph, was another tremendous success. As always the weather was great and the atmosphere among the golfers ensured we had an enjoyable and relaxing day.
It looks like we achieved more players and greater yield in sponsorship but we feel this may be counter balanced by increased cost in prizes and food. Thus, our initial projection will be in-line with 2016 returns. A full report will be prepared and released shortly.
I want to thank our Golf Committee for all their hard work and efforts. Without it we would not have achieved such a successful day. |
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1394 – European Trip
As you may be aware, I recently made a visit to Europe to see firsthand how the Spanish deliver a bingo experience and then to talk to senior executives in the UK on how they are adapting to a very flat market (retail) while seeing an on-line presence grow.
At our next General Meeting I will do a report of the visit to the members. |
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1395 – Registrar's Standards (AGCO) - Update
As you are likely to be aware, the AGCO recently updated their Registrar’s Standards document. I have enclosed a copy for your information and would strongly suggest that each of your Gaming Centre Managers receive a copy for information. |
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1396 – Joint Training Project (AGCO/CGAO)
This project continues to be developed. We are in the final stages of launching the first user interface at the upcoming Vancouver gaming conference. This will allow us to test the content and receive feedback prior to launching among our members in the fall.
The project has been managed through our Policy Advisor,Mr. Don Bourgeois, who has been co-ordinating between the AGCO, OLG and Sault College. There has been a tremendous amount of work that has already been placed in the initiative and both Don & I are comfortable with the current status. We remain on course for delivery later in the year. |
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1397 – NAGRA Conference - USA
Last week I made a presentation with Mr. Tom Mungham (AGCO) at the North American Regulators Gaming Conference in Orlando (USA). The theme of our joint presentation was on Stakeholder Management & c-Gaming. Both Tom & I were surprised at the level of interest our session attracted and how advanced Ontario actually is in North America.
This was the first time the CGAO was presenting along with the AGCO and both Tony Rosa and I believe this, in itself, was an achievement for our Association. I know that Tom Mungham was pleased that the CGAO would deploy resources in this fashion. |
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1398 – Canadian Gaming Conference - Vancouver
This is a final reminder that the Canadian Gaming Conference is fast approaching, starting Monday, 19th June to 22nd June 2017, in Vancouver. If you have not booked yet and wish to go, remember to book for the ‘Charitable Gaming Sector’ portion of the show. |
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1399 – G2E Conference - Las Vegas
Hot on the heels of Vancouver will be the conference in Las Vegas – G2E. This is one of the world’s major gaming conferences and clearly the largest in North America. Our Chair [Mr. Tony Rosa] will be leading a delegation down to Las Vegas. If you intend to be there, please let my office know so we can keep you in the loop on events, etc. This is certainly a conference that is worth attending, to see the developing trends of gaming sectors. |
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1400 – Timmins Gaming Centre
Last Friday, the 9th June 2017, Timmins Gaming Centre (Timmins) hosted a media event to celebrate the Centre raising $C2.3 million for 67 Charitable & Non-Profit Groups who are aligned to the Centre. It was pointed out by Ms. Lynn Cassidy (OCGA) that, in fact, the real impact is double that in terms of the efficient delivery of services by the groups in the community.
This has been a remarkable achievement and you could see firsthand the tremendous and immediate impact this is having within the Timmins Region. The Charities & Volunteers were out in force and truly excited to be a part of this collective achievement.
The OLG c-Gaming team was represented by Ms. Valerie Braun – Director c-Gaming, who spoke to the importance and impact of c-Gaming and the partners engaging in delivering this new social experience that resulted in this net benefit back to the community.
I wanted to acknowledge and thank the Gaming Centre Management & Staff on preparing and hosting a very positive and enjoyable event last Friday, Well Done – Team Timmins. |
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1401 – Mr. Bill Rutsey - CEO - Canadian Gaming Association
It has been announced that after numerous years as the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Bill Rutsey will be retiring from the Canadian Gaming Association. As the founding CEO, Bill was the centre of creating this Canadian Focused Association, to highlight and bring positive awareness to the value of the Canadian Gaming Sector.
It is not easy creating an Association from scratch but with the assistance of Paul Burns the two of them have worked tirelessly to forge this organization into the DNA of the Canadian scene and together that has been achieved.
I wanted to publicly acknowledge Bill’s work and contribution and wish him and his family every success and happiness in his retirement. Job Well Done Bill. |
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