Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/709569
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 31 JULY 2016 XIV Gaming Insight: Betfair merger with Paddy Power We speak to Antoine Bonello, Managing Director of Paddy Power Betfair What can you tell us about Paddy Power Betfair? Paddy Power Betfair plc is a FTSE100 company and one of the leading sports betting and gam- ing groups in the world, with combined revenues of £1bn. We're headquar- tered in Dublin with a principal listing on the London Stock Exchange. PPB operates four main brands: Paddy Power, Betfair, Sportsbet (Australia) and TVG (USA) alongside several other B2B and B2C business across Europe. Why have Paddy Power and Betfair decided to merge? Both Paddy Power and Betfair were performing very well as separate entities, the merger now creates an operator of significant scale, with comple- mentary brands and geographi- cal coverage. What can you tell us about Paddy Power Betfair in Malta? Paddy Power Betfair is cur- rently growing its presence in Malta from 150 employees to 300 by the end of this year and potentially even further over the next 2 years. This will position Malta as a key Opera- tions site for the Group, with the main focus of ensuring that we provide an industry leading customer experience to Paddy Power Betfair customers. We're currently recruiting for a broad number of roles, namely in customer services, fraud and security, training and development together with a number of marketing, commer- cial and HR positions. Besides getting the right peo- ple in for the right jobs, we are also working very hard in en- suring that we provide the right environment to leverage all this talent. We will be moving into additional new office space shortly, designed specifically to nurture more collaboration and agility. This engaging office space will compliment the current employee proposi- tion and the already dynamic and multi-cultural atmosphere. This level of engagement and focus on high performance is rewarded with a set of unique employee benefits including Share Schemes, top of the range Health Insurance and great career development op- portunities. Best to find out directly by checking out http://www.betfair. jobs Dragonara Casino re-opens after €10 million investment THE Dragonara Casino has inaugu- rated its newly refurbished premises after an extensive upgrade – a €10 million investment project that saw a total overhaul of all the gaming areas and casino infrastructure. Located inside one of Malta's most extraordinary and imposing properties, the Dragonara Casino in fact, is the only casino in Malta set within a histori- cal palace, built in 1870 as a summer residence for the Scicluna family. The Dragonara Casino has been enter- taining guests for over 50 years. It opened its doors on July 15th 1964 and was considered one of the first major projects to establish Malta as a tourist destination. Today it hosts over 300,000 patrons annually. Addressing the media at the Drag- onara Palace, Johann Schembri, Managing Director and Partner of Dragonara Gaming Ltd, the operator of the Dragonara Casino explained how the project, initiated some months ago, involved a complete re-design of the casino's layout. "Through this investment, we are con- firming the Dragonara Casino sound positioning on the international scene as well as bringing another important enhancement to our tourism product. We have worked with the world's lead- ing casino resort designers to complete this ambitious project in record time. The entire casino layout has been re- designed in such a way that markedly improves the overall experience of the ca¬sino player. Special attention has been devoted to the layout and design of the Live Tables set-up with the aim to create an unrivalled player experi- ence." "We have also invested in first-to-mar- ket SLOT products from the world's top industry suppliers. Our range of Slots products defines our com¬mitment towards the slots casino players provid- ing such patrons with the latest and most avant-garde machines available on the market," added Mr Schembri. Outlining some of the major enhance- ments brought by this upgrade project, Mr Schembri mentioned the creation of a specific space for poker, a VIP Lounge for private gaming and a new sports betting lounge. "We now have a specially-dedicated area inside the casino where poker players can enjoy their favourite game against the unique backdrop offered by views of St. George's Bay, making this new poker room an inimitable and exclusive feature in Malta." "Another novelty to which we are re- ally looking forward is the new dedi- cated sports betting lounge providing the widest range of sports-bet¬ting markets and offering the best land- based odds in the market. In fact, Sports betting at the Dragonara Casino is being offered by Malta's fastest growing sports betting brand, IZIBET," added Mr Schembri. Dragonara Casino currently employs around 200 people. Around 40% of this headcount is the direct result of this newly launched investment project. The refurbishment project also includes the launch of VIOLETTA'S, a brand new dining experience open to non-casino patrons. The easy access to parking within the Dragonara Palace grounds, the choice of a mouth- watering Mediterranean menu and the breath-taking views of the St. Julian's bay make dining at VIOLETTA's an experience to remember. Antoine Bonello