Public Gaming International Magazine March/April 2021

33 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • MARCH/APRIL 2021 EL CONTINUES SERVICE-ORIENTATED MISSION TO MEMBERS B ack in September 2020 EL Secretary General Arjan van ‘t Veer highlighted the important mission EL continues to fulfil to serve its Members dur- ing a global health crisis. As the lottery sector and whole world slowly recover, The European Lotteries (EL) continue to position itself as a service-oriented As- sociation for its Members. From educational webinars and e-learning platforms to a new corporate identity, a lot has changed in a year since the start of the pandemic. Sitting behind our screens in the comfort of our own homes and logging into online meetings and events has become the norm. EL has adapted to this new reality in a professional way, providing con- tinuous support to its Members as a valuable part of the service the Association provides. E-LEARNING PLATFORM OFFERS MODULES FOR LOTTERY PROFESSIONALS Launched in early 2020, the EL e-learning platform is freely accessible to all employees at EL Member Lotteries, giving everyone the opportunity to follow both general and lottery related modules. A second CSR mod- ule is set for the Spring, delv- ing deeper into how lotteries can implement a CSR strategy into their organisation. Busi- ness modules and lottery specific topics will follow throughout the year. A module on innovation strategies is being developed. By providing an online environ- ment such as this, the important exchange of best practices and learning opportunities continue for EL Members. EL VIRTUAL CORPORATE UNIVERSITY (ELVCU) Like many other EL activities and services, the EL Corporate Uni- versity (ELCU) went virtual with its Executive module in late Novem- ber 2020 and the 2021 Induction module in early February. For four mornings participants joined together to learn about everything lottery related, where participants had the opportunity to forge new professional relationships with colleagues from the EL family. The next virtual Induction module is set for 7-11 June. RESPONSIBLE GAMING CERTIFICATION SET FOR ALL EL MEMBERS EL has one of the strongest frame- works on Responsible Gaming in the sector. In recent months EL has set up a ‘’buddy’’ scheme with RG/ CSR experts from certified lotteries available to support non-certified lotteries in their certification pro- cess. Following the success of the RG/CSR Worldwide Webinar Week last year, the next edition is planned for September. BUSY MONTHS AHEAD AS EL OUTLINES ITS WEBINAR PROGRAMME In 2020, over 1,000 participants made up the attendance across two physical seminars at the start of the year and the following EL webinars throughout the year. Already over 250 participants have taken part in our three 2021 virtual events this year - Data & Research, ELVCU and Instant Games. We are set for some busy months ahead! The series of Data and Research webinars supported by the dedi- cated EL Working Group take place throughout 2021 covering various lottery topics. The next edition on 23 March will focus on Artificial In- telligence. Another one is planned on the rejuvenation of DBGs (late May). EL’s annual Sports Betting event with WLA will for the first time take place in a digital format on 25-26 March, taking stock of the challenges and opportunities from the pandemic. The all impor- tant EL/WLA Marketing Webinar is planned for 4-6 May. Finally, regarding its advocacy work, EL is planning relevant meetings to network and exchange ideas, such as on EU developments around the Digital Services Act (DSA), gambling advertisement, e-privacy, AML, and illegal gambling. The EL website (www.european- lotteries.org) gives full details of all upcoming events and has a useful ‘keep me informed’ function. EL 2021 CONGRESS AND TRADE SHOW POSTPONED With the uncertainty of the cur- rent situation, the EL Executive Committee took the difficult but wise decision to postpone the EL Congress and Trade Show to 2023. This year’s EL General Assembly (for EL Members only) will take place in a simpler format than usual, with a short intro- ductory programme including interesting keynotes planned for the original Congress. The original theme ‘Looking Forward’ seems more relevant than ever as we look towards a slow but none the less, a road to recovery. Over the coming months we will seek to take stock of the most valuable lessons learned from the pandemic. For now, EL will continue to serve its Members in the best possible way (online) and provide all the necessary tools for the exchange of best practices and learning opportunities available. n Further information: EL website: www.european-lotteries.org Upcoming events: https://www.european-lotteries.org/events