FEATURE MOBILE
TICKLED PINK
It perhaps goes without saying that
those based at Ladbrokes' London
HQ in Rayners Lane could do with
cheering up at the moment, not least
because it’s Rayners Lane.
Step forward head of consumer PR
David Williams who donned his best
Hawaiian shirt and fluorescent pink
shorts and leggings – plucked from
his weekend wardrobe, we’re sure – to
participate in a ‘Pink Party’ organised
by the UK bookmaker in order to raise
money for cancer research.
A valiant effort for an extremely
worthwhile cause which, if this photo
(below) is anything to go by, hasn’t
gone unnoticed by the fairer sex. Get
your coat, David. You’ve pulled.
BETTER
THAN SEX?
W
hich do you prefer, money or sex?
One is an activity many of us are
more inclined to do after several
strong drinks while the other is...
well, you get the idea.
But it seems if you plump for the first option,
you are more than likely to be a big gambler.
That might not be such a surprising revelation,
however new research into gambling habits
shows that some peoples’ brains are simply
wired to prioritise money over more basic
desires like sex.
To test this idea neuroscientist Guillaume
74
Sescousse recruited a team of male gamblers
and scanned their brain activity while being
shown images of money and sexy pictures of
women. The faster participants responded to
the images by pressing a button, the more
motivated they were seen to be.
Scientific that might be, but surely what this
comes down to is one simple question. Would
you rather a night at the local bingo club or
at a strip bar? Having been to several online
gaming conferences across Europe this year,
TSG knows which option most of the egaming
industry would choose…
A COLOSSAL
EMBARRASSMENT
When it launched its £1m football
jackpot offer, Coral no doubt had
visions of the winner – if there was
one at all – being one of those classic
underdog types. An elderly fisherman
perhaps, or a lollipop lady, would’ve been
a nice, warm and fuzzy PR story.
But – hilariously for everyone else –
that picturesque ending wasn’t to be. In
fact the eventual winner was arguably
at the opposite end of the scale – a
syndicate led by another big jackpot
bookie. Ouch.
Colossus Bets CEO Bernard Marantelli
placed a permed accumulator using
34,922 lines at £1 a line, and his big bet
came in when Brighton’s draw at home
to Watford made it 15 correct predictions.
His bet also included Manchester United
to win at home to Stoke, a game in which
the away team led with 10 minutes to go.
Ever the optimist, Coral said this
outcome was a good one for the
offer’s profile. That’s right, handing a
cool million to your competitors is a
good thing. “What better endorsement
for our bet than for it to attract the
custom of another pool bet operator?”
a spokesperson said through salty tears
and gritted teeth.
www.egrmagazine.com