A devastating situation
Newspaper headlines across the globe are currently dominated by the ongoing situation in Israel and Palestine, in which a new war between Hamas and Israel has begun. Hamas fighters launched what has since been deemed the worst terror attack in Israeli history on October 7, murdering 1,400 people and taking up to 150 hostage.
Hamas killed men, women, children, and babies
Since that date, the horrifying details of the atrocities committed during that invasion have surfaced. The majority of those killed were civilians, including 260 people attending the Supernova music festival in southern Israel. According to reporters on the ground, Hamas killed men, women, children, and babies in the assault.
In response to those attacks, Israel has now launched its own offensive on the Palestinian territory of Gaza – a stronghold for Hamas fighters. The Gaza Health Ministry has claimed missile bombardments have killed 2,450 Palestinians in Gaza, at least a quarter of them children. Israel is now preparing for a ground attack.
Of course, it’s a highly divisive issue but many major companies around the globe have chosen to weigh in. Within the gambling industry, some execs have taken to social media to comment on the ongoing situation, including representatives for 888 Holdings, IGT, and Leap Gaming.
Standing with Israel
Stephen Crystal, SCCG Management CEO, veteran of the US gambling industry, and contributor to VegasSlotsOnline News, was one of the first to speak out in response to the Hamas attacks. As a Jewish American, he said the “unimaginable and incomprehensible” tragedy had left him “somber and depressed:”
Meanwhile, Gil Rotem, IGT President of iGaming, was quick to condemn Hamas and anyone who supported the group, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the US. He described its actions as “savaging, pure evil and beyond comprehension as a human being,” and urged others to speak out in opposition to the atrocities. Rotem likened the attacks to the 07/07 tube attacks in London and 2017 suicide bombing in Manchester. “Don’t turn your head, don’t close your eyes,” he urged his followers.
In a similar vein, Leap Gaming CEO Yariv Lissauer also took to LinkedIn to express his disgust in Hamas. He expressed his view that the attacks stamped out any possibility of a deal with the group, and urged Israel and the world to do “EVERYTHING, which is required” to bring back kidnapped loved ones and abolish Hamas.
Armed conflict solution unlikely
888 Holdings Interim CFO and Chief Strategy Officer Vaughan Lewis was one of only a few operator execs to comment on the issue, praising the “strength and resolve” of colleagues in Israel. 888 has an office in Herzliya, which is a city on the central coast of Israel near Tel Aviv.
there is a nuance and millennia of confusion”
Despite condemning the violence of the Hamas attacks, Lewis said it is “unclear” if any armed conflict would lead to a lasting solution in the region. “Ultimately there is a nuance and millennia of confusion, claim and counter claim,” he said regarding the news and social media coverage of the events.
Regardless of this, he said Hamas’ actions must be condemned. He stated: “The war crimes must be called out. The indiscriminate killing, the capture, torture and use of innocent people as human shields must be denounced.”
Criticism of G2E
Last week, one of the largest gambling industry tradeshows took place in Las Vegas. Thousands of attendees flocked to The Venetian Expo and Convention Center for the Global Gaming Expo (G2E), but some were not happy with the lack of recognition regarding the Hamas attacks.
Avi Howards, Unique Consultancy CEO and Co-Founder, took aim at G2E organizers, the American Gaming Association and Reed Exhibitions Limited, for failing to issue a statement in relation to the attacks:
Howard said that he expected a strong message in support of Israel from an industry in which the nation plays such a prominent part. “In hindsight, an impromptu vigil should have been arranged and a place should have been allocated for people to meet and discuss what happened,” he argued.
Also on LinkedIn, Josh Green, Co-Founder of BetUp Media and Dream Spin Studios, highlighted the lack of posts relating to the attacks, while many were posting G2E updates. “The silence is deafening,” he wrote. “I am not pro Israel at all. I have family and friends there. I am anti terrorism. Far too many people and companies have either ignored it or have chosen to stay quiet.”