CEO special: Uniting the industry

Throughout his life, Michael Duggar has been primarily involved in politics. A former Member of Parliament for the Labour Party, politics ultimately provide the essence of Duggar's story. In his current role as Chief Executive of the Betting & Gaming Council (BGC), many of the skills he picked up during his political career serve him well to this day. But despite his near-lifelong association with government, Duggar has brought other passions to the fore in recent years. One is his love of music (in his previous role he was CEO of British Music) and the other is his keen interest in sports, and sports betting. Growing up in Doncaster, the home of horse racing, no doubt helped to foster these interests. It was also in Doncaster that he set the course for what is today his main mission: uniting the UK gambling industry.

Political upbringing

"I'm a former politician, which I think a lot of people can relate to," Duggar told Gambling Insider as we began the interview. "I was an MP for seven years, elected twice for Barnsley East. I spent most of my time in Parliament in Cabinet. I was the last Shadow Minister for DCMS. I chose to leave politics in 2017, having spent a total of 20 years in politics. I spent most of the decade in Government before becoming an MP, serving as a special adviser in various departments. In my last job in Government I was Chief Press Secretary to the Prime Minister from 2008 to 2010."

By any standards, an impressive political career, and perhaps the perfect preparation for Dugger's current role as CEO of BGC. The role, which he took up in December 2019, sees him leading a board that brings together global giants across the industry, as well as different sectors of the UK games industry. This political experience, and no doubt the connections Dugger has made throughout his career, must have helped BGC assess what sort of person could lead it through its formative years.

Dugger grew up in Edrington, a working-class village a few miles from Doncaster in South Yorkshire, as Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was ruthlessly pushing for the closure of coal mines across the UK, and was supported by people who sympathised with the miners. Dugger's father was a railway worker, but regardless, Dugger knew many friends and family who worked in the mines. "It was a pretty political and traumatic time to grow up in that village, in that situation," Dugger explains. "Of course, it was a Labour-heavy area at the time. Of course, it was a Labour-heavy area at the time. They would probably call me a Labour right-winger, or more recently a centre-moderate. I joined the Labour Party when I was 15. I was very political from my teens, studied politics at university and was involved in student politics. I was the national chairman of the Labour Party Students when I was 22. So I guess it was an ambition of mine from my teens."

Organized noise

But as we've said, Duggar saw politics as a career. It was never an "obsession," and Duggar felt a great pull towards music and sport. He also played in a number of bands. "A journalist once said to me that I'm a bit of an introvert, that I'm interested in things other than politics - music and sport. I replied: 'Normal people are into other things!'" Gambling Insider couldn't resist asking what bands Dugar was in, and if they had particularly fun band names. "They were pretty scary!" laughs the BGC CEO. "The names were as awesome as the bands. The last song was good, the first one wasn't so good. When I was in UK Music, I was an amateur musician - I might say very amateur - and still played the odd thing. My claim to fame: I played at the Cavern Club and was featured by the BBC at the time. I'm still very much an amateur musician, and tend to only bother families who have the unfortunate pleasure of living in the same house!"

In 2017, Dagger was appointed as the UK Music CEO, which is a leading industry group in the commercial music industry, and succeeded in changing his interest into a ful l-time job. Dugger spent less than three years, during which time he left the Labor Party in 2018, regarding racism within the party and ant i-Semitism. Until he left the party in December 2019, Duger was of course excited about its role, but the newly established BGC hired him as the first responsibility. His mission was to guide the council through a review that the British government will conduct soon (at the time of the writing of this article) and summarize the industry into one. "At the same time, it is also a matter of putting together the industry," Duger wants to add.

Voice to people

In addition, Dugger has served as a policy manager of private companies and major unions. While comparing these various positions with the current gambling work, Yorkshire cannot help finding "strong commonality." The best thing is the "common theme" of Dugger, which summarizes different groups and gives people the right to speak. He tells Gambling Insider: "I will be about half of the UK population, that is, 30 million, who is always enjoying a bet.

"Don Caster is a thriving town of horse racing, and I've been a big fan of horse racing. Don Caster is a thriving town of horse racing, and I was a big fan of horse racing. I was involved in the betting industry in the Diet. But in my constituency, we have a lot of bgcs in the industry. We want to secure the voices of about 120, 000 people relying on the industry. "

This is what Duger has always been trying to achieve in Congress and unions. His work in the current gambling is very similar to Duger's last role in UK music. Dugger's role was to summarize various groups, including record companies, publishers, artists, and live performances. "And of course, my job is to talk to the government people.

Signs of progress

Reflecting on his work since 2019, and that of the board, Dugger is encouraged by the progress BGC has made. "We've only been in existence for two years," he says. "Bringing together so many independents, as well as very large global players, is not an easy feat. Casinos are rooted in the hospitality, entertainment and tourism industries. Gambling venues are still very important to the industry, as tax revenue, jobs, racing funds and big retail presence. And of course we represent the major UK technology companies and have an increasingly strong online presence. So, bringing these people together is an achievement in itself and I think we've made great strides in terms of standards."

In Dugger's words, in recent years BGC has acknowledged the concerns of UK citizens and embraced a safer gambling agenda. Dugger is equally quick to mention the "huge success" of Safer Gaming Week in November, before pointing out that this isn't something BGC does just for a week, but every week of the year. Perhaps most importantly for Dagger, there are statistical signs of progress, with the Gambling Commission’s latest figures showing gambling addiction rates dropping to around 0. 3%. This data from the UK regulator is a “significant clue” to BGC’s core mission. So is the UK government, which is preparing a white paper recommending reforms to the 2005 Gambling Act.

Anti-gambling lobby

Throughout this year’s special CEO interviews, an inescapable theme has been the excitement spreading across the American market as sports betting becomes legal in more states. This theme has been prevalent since May 2018, when PASPA was overturned, paving the way for sports betting legalization in the US outside of Nevada. Looking at this excitement across the Atlantic between gambling companies, sports teams, investors, and even state politicians looking to raise tax revenue, it can be hard to realize the very different landscape the UK now finds itself in. Gaming in the UK, a more mature market, has been divisive for some time. And there has been an undeserved anti-gambling lobby there for some time.

For BGC, this means a combination of praise and criticism of the activities that BGC has been doing. "I think BGC has recently been praised," says Dagger. "Whether it's a safer gambling or a charity support like a Royal Ascott. BGC is praised is a great achievement of our activities and all the members who support it. Criticism of the industry. There are always people who are really interested in those who are purely positive. They are not always ant i-gambling, but ant i-gambling is always involved, and a few parliamentarians and social media are involved.

This ant i-gambl lobby is "just a fact," according to the executives. Half of the country has chosen gambling, and Duje recommends millions of gamblers to safely spend money in the regulated gambling category. For the CEO, the pleasure of sports such as horse racing and soccer, and late at night at a casino is also a "completely legitimate personal choice." Duger himself is "enjoying gambling," so he never persuades those who don't have millions of gambling in the UK and change their taste. He explains: "These people are not always opposed to betting, but for religious and other reasons, a few voices opposed to gambling. The gambling always exists as drugs and cigarettes, but the bishops are opposed to the gambling. < Span> BGC has always been praised and criticized. Dagger says. "Whether it's a safer gambling or a charity support like a Royal Ascott. BGC is praised is a great achievement of our activities and all the members who support it. Criticism of the industry. There are always people who are really interested in those who are purely positive. They are not always ant i-gambling, but ant i-gambling is always involved, and a few parliamentarians and social media are involved.

This ant i-gambl lobby is "just a fact," according to the executives. Half of the country has chosen gambling, and Duje recommends millions of gamblers to safely spend money in the regulated gambling category. For the CEO, the pleasure of sports such as horse racing and soccer, and late at night at a casino is also a "completely legitimate personal choice." Duger himself is "enjoying gambling," so he never persuades those who don't have millions of gambling in the UK and change their taste. He explains: "These people are not always opposed to betting, but for religious and other reasons, a few voices opposed to gambling. The gambling always exists as drugs and cigarettes, but the bishops are opposed to the gambling. I have no choice but to accept BGC's praise and criticism for BGC. 。 "Whether it's a safer gambling or a charity support like a Royal Ascott. BGC is praised is a great achievement of our activities and all the members who support it. Criticism of the industry. There are always people who are really interested in those who are purely positive. They are not always ant i-gambling, but ant i-gambling is always involved, and a few parliamentarians and social media are involved.

This ant i-gambl lobby is "just a fact," according to the executives. Half of the country has chosen gambling, and Duje recommends millions of gamblers to safely spend money in the regulated gambling category. For the CEO, the pleasure of sports such as horse racing and soccer, and late at night at a casino is also a "completely legitimate personal choice." Duger himself is "enjoying gambling," so he never persuades those who don't have millions of gambling in the UK and change their taste. He explains: "These people are not always opposed to betting, but for religious and other reasons, a few voices opposed to gambling. The gambling always exists as drugs and cigarettes, but the bishops are opposed to the gambling. You have to accept that it always exists.

However, in Dagger's opinion, this is not the opinion shared by the majority of parliament, nor is an "overwhelming number of people." The gambling division paid £ 4. 5 billion ($ 6. 11 billion) annually, contributing to the British economy of billions of dollars. In particular, the economic contribution to sports, such as horse racing, soccer (even more prominent in the lower league), darts, and sneakers, cannot be ignored. According to Dugger, without the regulated betting industry, they were all "dangerous". "It's true that there are ant i-wrapping people, but I don't think they are representing the majority, and they don't think their views are representative, so the prohibited artists take public policies. I don't think it should be dominated. "

Life is too short

While the national newspaper bashes the gambling industry, gambling advertisements are posted on the national newspaper. As Dugher points out, reading Daily Mail on Saturday reveals that the Mail campaign, "Let's stop gambling looting", does not apply to Daily Mail itself. "In the political world, you get used to it," he says.

However, with the advent of social media, more discussions on gambling advantages are exchanged at everyday levels. Of course, this has advantages and drawbacks, but it certainly affects the role of Dugger. Duger, an aggressive user of a platform like Twitter, has a regular conversation with users. Here, the opposition social media lobby even crossovered with the tabloid paper, and Dugger decorated the headline with a campaign with Matt Z a-Kazun and other campaigns. So, did social media really change the role of CEO? < SPAN> However, in Dagger's opinion, this is not a view shared by the majority of parliament, nor is an "overwhelming number of people." The gambling division paid £ 4. 5 billion ($ 6. 11 billion) annually, contributing to the British economy of billions of dollars. In particular, the economic contribution to sports, such as horse racing, soccer (even more prominent in the lower league), darts, and sneakers, cannot be ignored. According to Dugger, without the regulated betting industry, they were all "dangerous". "It's true that there are ant i-wrapping people, but I don't think they are representing the majority, and they don't think their views are representative, so the prohibited artists take public policies. I don't think it should be dominated. "

Life is too short

While the national newspaper bashes the gambling industry, gambling advertisements are posted on the national newspaper. As Dugher points out, reading Daily Mail on Saturday reveals that the Mail campaign, "Let's stop gambling looting", does not apply to Daily Mail itself. "In the political world, you get used to it," he says.

However, with the advent of social media, more discussions on gambling advantages are exchanged at everyday levels. Of course, this has advantages and drawbacks, but it certainly affects the role of Dugger. Duger, an aggressive user of a platform like Twitter, has a regular conversation with users. Here, the opposition social media lobby even crossovered with the tabloid paper, and Dugger decorated the headline with a campaign with Matt Z a-Kazun and other campaigns. So, did social media really change the role of CEO? However, in Dagger's opinion, this is not the opinion shared by the majority of parliament, nor is an "overwhelming number of people." The gambling division paid £ 4. 5 billion ($ 6. 11 billion) annually, contributing to the British economy of billions of dollars. In particular, the economic contribution to sports, such as horse racing, soccer (even more prominent in the lower league), darts, and sneakers, cannot be ignored. According to Dugger, without the regulated betting industry, they were all "dangerous". "It's true that there are ant i-wrapping people, but I don't think they are representing the majority, and they don't think their views are representative, so the prohibited artists take public policies. I don't think it should be dominated. "

Life is too short

While the national newspaper bashes the gambling industry, gambling advertisements are posted on the national newspaper. As Dugher points out, reading Daily Mail on Saturday reveals that the Mail campaign, "Let's stop gambling looting", does not apply to Daily Mail itself. "In the political world, you get used to it," he says.

However, with the advent of social media, more discussions on gambling advantages are exchanged at everyday levels. Of course, this has advantages and drawbacks, but it certainly affects the role of Dugger. Duger, an aggressive user of a platform like Twitter, has a regular conversation with users. Here, the opposition social media lobby even crossovered with the tabloid paper, and Dugger decorated the headline with a campaign with Matt Z a-Kazun and other campaigns. So, did social media really change the role of CEO?

"Every CEO and every person does it differently. There is no right or wrong way," Dugar replies. "I think social media is a fact of life, even if sometimes we wish it wasn't. Platforms like Twitter attract the most vocal and angry people - the keyboard warriors. We have a job to tell our story and communicate the work we're doing for safer gambling. Kevin Schofield (Communications Director) and others have done a great job.