A lot of attention is paid to how a business portrays itself on social media, and rightfully so. But while talented marketing teams figure out how to provide the most professional or fun voice for their brand online, other leaders still need to figure out how to make the most of social media for their teams, and avoid the pitfalls.

Thankfully, for those keeping an eye on the human side of human resources, we’ve already got over a decade of lessons to learn from, and some great takeaways to help your team avoid the mistakes of others, and recreate the magic of a select few.

Be a role model

Assuming you, the reader, are the leader of your own team, than naturally you need to lead everyone by being an example of a great social media presence. Even if Facebook, Twitter or Instagram aren’t necessarily your thing (I’m quickly discovering the world of people who are addicted to LinkedIn), those who care about social media will look for you there and follow your example. Make the most of it by setting a good example.

SiGMA Americas Virtual Summit kicked off on September 22 with a fast look at several of the major South American markets. Starting the day was a focus on Colombia, perhaps the country that’s figured it out the most already. David Plumi, MD Spain of the Betsson Group interviewed Juan Perez Hidalgo, President of Coljuegos, regulator of the market.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZRp5sgugEc?feature=oembed]

Of course, the Colombian gambling industry took a hit with Covid-19, but the country has survived with the same reliable verticals everyone else has turned to. “We already have localized games which are casinos and bingos,” Hidalgo said. “The sector has been hit hard by the pandemic because it has been practically closed for six months. Now you are getting a resolution to regulate the remote bingos, that is without the physical presence of the gambler. Let’s say that this sector was the most complicated. 57% of gaming revenue was from casinos and bingos, and this year they are going to be very affected and the online games that started in Colombia in 2017.”

But football, or soccer if you prefer, is huge in Colombia. “We also have that 78 percent which are sports betting. Since there are no sports, those sources have decreased since the beginning of the pandemic,” Hildago admitted. “There are already some sporting events taking place in the world, and we here in Colombia are bringing out the live casino trying to expand this portfolio of services of the games operated by the internet, and the new games where we have Baloto and Super Astro, which are games for mutuals and counterparts. they have been operating practically all the time. They were only suspended for a month, and today we have a collection superior to the collection of the immediately previous year.”

Anyone who follows Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) knows Bruce Buffer. He has been a regular announcer for events for the past 24 years, earning him the moniker the “Voice of Mixed Martial Arts.” He is also a regular poker player and the creator of a slot machine, “It’s Time!,” which has become a hit in the iGaming community and is also his signature tag line. Now, Buffer has another gig to keep him busy, as well, as he has been recruited by online casino operator Twin Casino to be its newest ambassador. 

Over the course of his career, Buffer has been involved in UFC and a laundry list of other sporting events, providing his unique style of commentary and knowledge to keep fans entertained. He was there for UFC 142 in Brazil when 23 million viewers tuned in, and has continued to draw a lot of attention through his energy and presence. As Twin continues to break deeper into the iGaming segment, bringing in a voice and global figure like Buffer is going to prove to give it a huge boost. 

Rui Barroso, Twin’s chief marketing officer, says of the new agreement between the company and Buffer, “At Twin, we could not be more delighted to have Bruce on board as our brand ambassador, knowing he will uphold and reflect the qualities of our brand, as we continue to grow at a thrilling rate. We could not think of anyone better to represent us across all of our markets. Now more than ever is an exciting time to play with Twin, with plenty of unique Bruce Buffer promotions coming up and, of course, some amazing exclusive giveaways.”

Twin stepped onto the scene in 2017, looking to offer a different type of iGaming platform, billed as “clear-cut” and reliable entertainment. It is licensed in Malta and now works with 27 different game providers. It launched its first online slot game, Banana Odyssey, in July of last year, and has continued to add additional titles to its slots portfolio ever since. It also offers a live casino option with roulette, blackjack, poker and more, and its signature “Twin Races,” tournaments between site users that include weekly leaderboards with prize pools of up to €2000 ($467).

Atlantic City had spent the past couple of years trying to find the solid ground its casinos once enjoyed. New Jersey had to step in and throw it a lifeline, creating the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA), and things seemed like they were starting to come together – slowly – before COVID-19 rolled into town. The coronavirus pandemic dealt the city a huge blow right to the gut, and Atlantic City’s casinos have been reeling ever since. This past June, a couple of bills were introduced to the state designed to facilitate financial relief for the casinos, and one of them has now received tentative approval. It doesn’t mean that New Jersey is ready to start writing checks right away, but it’s at least a step in the right direction.

A Press Of Atlantic City report indicates that the New Jersey Assembly Budget Committee signed off on a measure yesterday that would allow for temporary tax breaks for casinos in Atlantic City. A4032/S2400 had already made its way through the Senate this past June without too much resistance, and the full State Assembly is expected to vote on the bill tomorrow. It reads, in part, “The COVID-19 pandemic and consequent business closures [have] clearly not just reversed the consistent track of economic improvement that the Atlantic City casino industry had worked very hard to achieve over the last several years, but also has set back the economy of an entire region that is greatly dependent on the jobs, tourism spending and purchases that the Atlantic City casinos generate.”

Atlantic City casinos were forced to remain closed for 107 days, resulting in one local lawmaker asserting that Armageddon was coming and one casino executive calling the situation worse than what was seen in 2017. $112 million in revenue was lost by Atlantic City casinos before they were allowed to begin to reopen on July 2, and almost 50% of the local workforce was removed. Even after the lockdown order was removed by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, casinos had their hands tied, only able to operate at 25% their normal capacity and prohibited from offering liquor service. 

If the Assembly approves the bill, casinos will see a one-year reduction in the amount they’re expected to pay on their gross gaming revenue (GGR), as well as a monthly cut to the GGR. The latter would be calculated against the use of certain promotional gaming credits the casinos offer, and the bill had to be rewritten to exclude specific tax breaks that had previously been included to cover items such as parking and hotel fees, as well as language that would have made the CRDA pay for Atlantic City’s marketing efforts. 

Boyd Gaming is facing heat in Las Vegas after security officers at its Las Vegas Fremont casino are said to have illegally detained a gambler there for 90 minutes in November of last year. The Las Vegas Review-Journal (LVRJ) reports that the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) has delivered a four-count complaint to the Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) against the casino operator in relation to the incident, and that the NGC could consider issuing fines or disciplinary action against those involved. Boyd could learn its fate after the NGC meets tomorrow.

According to the details of the incident, which Boyd reported to the NGCB, two gamblers were enjoying a little slot time late on November 23 last year when one decided to cash out. The machine issued a ticket to collect her winnings, but reportedly still had credit on the machine. As she walked away, the second gambler was said to have taken over the machine and played with those credits, leading the first to seek help from casino security. 

Here is where things get a little dicey. Security officers apparently approached the alleged thief, grabbing her from behind and slapping the handcuffs on her before calling local police. They then took her to a holding room for interrogation, where she remained for 90 minutes – even after Boyd determined that no wrongdoing had occurred. Surveillance footage exonerated her, and the drama should have ended there.

However, according to the NGCB complaint, Boyd’s security personnel were out of line and “the manner in which the security officers handled the arrest of (the patron) was unreasonable given the circumstances.” It adds, “Under the circumstances, there was no need to detain the patron or subject her to the treatment given to her and the threats to try and force a confession out of her. The matter could have been resolved without even speaking to her, let alone detaining her for 90 minutes.”

Online gaming, or iGaming, has become popular with gaming enthusiasts, especially with younger gamblers, where it has been legalized. Being able to sit at a virtual table wearing nothing but a bathrobe appeals to a growing segment that doesn’t want to make the trek to a brick-and-mortar casino. iGaming has also become an invaluable tool during the COVID-19 debacle, allowing governments to continue to receive some type of revenue from gaming while other sectors are forced to close up shop. Macau, which has primarily lived off gambling, has seen its gaming revenue tank this year because of the global pandemic, erasing almost every bit of gains seen last year. If iGaming had been allowed, the impact would not have been as severe, and at least one legislator in the city is now working to drum up support for legalizing online gaming across Macau. 

José Maria Pereira Coutinho has submitted a suggestion to Macau’s government that it should consider iGaming as a viable and legitimate alternative in the wake of COVID-19 economic losses. The city has kept the idea of online gaming at arm’s length, only allowing very limited sports wagers to be placed online due to strict legislation. However, Coutinho, Macau’s Deputy of the Legislative Assembly and the president of the New Hope political party, believes it’s time for a serious discussion on expanding the laws.

In his letter, Coutinho explains, “It is suggested that Macau should introduce interactive gaming. The Macau SAR government [should] establish official standards and regulations on interactive gaming, and develop interactive gaming software together, in order to increase revenue from gaming tax and to further develop gaming industries in Macau.” The lawmaker warns that Macau’s recovery could be years away, but adds that rewriting the rules on legal gaming offerings would help relieve the sting. 

It certainly isn’t an outrageous idea and would not be hard to implement. Coutinho points out the success iGaming has had elsewhere and how countries have been able to create effective regulatory frameworks for the activity. He suggests turning to these policies to create Macau’s rules, and adds that the legalization of online gaming could also provide indirect benefits by allowing iGaming operators to become publicly listed companies. 

If space is the final frontier, than we’re already learning that blockchain will be the security option of choice for those who go where no man has gone before. The United States Space Force (USSF) has named a blockchain firm to develop their space age security systems; something you could get started on if you attend CoinGeek Live.

Both the USSF and U.S. Air Force have named Xage Security to develop their blockchain solutions. The firm will implement their Xage Security Fabric solution for end-to-end data protection. The decentralized network removes any single point of failure, while allowing the USSF to monitor all activity on the network.

Xage Security CEO Duncan Greatwood said blockchain meets many of the complex needs of the USSF:

“The USSF requires decentralized enforcement of security to establish space domain resilience and objective situational awareness––across every asset and data element. We built the Xage solution to serve the needs of complex critical infrastructure systems, and are excited to bring the Xage solution to the Space Force in the form of a blockchain-protected space system security.”