Gibraltar's Gaming League
As football leagues across most of Europe were reaching their culmination, high drama was on the agenda in Gibraltar's Gaming League, where the 2006-2007 championship race remained open up to the last match of the season. 888.com had dominated the league table for much of the year, but with three matches to play, defeat at the hands of close rival Bwin put the latter in a commanding position at the summit of the league table. With only two points separating these top two teams, all table-toppers Bwin needed was a victory against Carmen Media in its final match to be crowned Gaming League champion.
Juan Luis Duarte, employee of 888.com and widely regarded as one of the league's star players, said, "We thought it was all over; half of our team did not even show up for the last game of the season." However, when news filtered through that Bwin had drawn its match, 888.com was able to pull through despite playing much of its game with less than the seven players it was allowed. It topped the league by virtue of its superior goal difference, and at a modest ceremony held after the final whistle, it was crowned league champion for the second time in three seasons.
The Gaming League was set up in 2004 by various representatives of Gibraltar-based gaming firms. The gaming industry has always been committed to the sponsorship of sporting events and teams, and there were many reasons for these firms to encourage employee participation in competitive sport. Having followed the league closely since its inception, I have been quite fascinated by the emotionally charged nature of some of the Gaming League matches. Many matches turn into quite serious affairs, often extending beyond mere footballing rivalry to company pride and loyalty. These are traits that these companies are keen to promote amongst their staffs, particularly given the frequent movement of employees within Gibraltar-based gaming companies.
However, for many Gibraltarians, including Juan Luis, the Gaming League plays second fiddle to their club team in Gibraltar's national league. The demanding training and match schedule during the domestic season in Gibraltar limit how much time many Gibraltarians can dedicate to the Gaming League. This and the aforementioned high employee turnover and changeable shift patterns within Gibraltar-based gaming firms have meant that many teams field largely different teams every season, and in some cases, every week.
These are just some of the problems that the league's organisers have encountered. The league is, naturally, made up of gaming companies with operations in Gibraltar, but the lack of football pitches on the Rock meant there were problems over where they should host their games. Many would have liked the league to be played on Gibraltar soil, but the league's organisers were forced to look across the Spanish border to the Municipal Stadium in La Linea to accommodate their weekly matches. Luckily, this is only a short walk from Gibraltar, and in any case, a large proportion of gaming-company employees reside in La Linea to begin with.
Another major snag was the issue of teams signing non-employee "star" players, gaining those teams an unfair advantage over those made up of purely gaming-company staff. This problem was solved in recent seasons by allowing all teams to field a total of two non-employee players, resulting in fewer abuses of the league rules. The 2006-2007 season also saw Gibunco (a ship agency and engineering firm) become the first non-gaming company to be allowed to participate in the league. This is something that many hope will be emulated in coming seasons, with other commercial organisations being invited to take part and raising the league's status as a result.
Finally, we have the issue of Victor Chandler International, whose absence from this year's Gaming League raised a few eyebrows. With a staff of more than 300 employees, all based in Gibraltar, it had the potential to be one of the league's stronger teams. However, this season, it was essentially excluded from the league for not having submitted its application paperwork on time. Some within VC believe that this was a deliberate effort on the part of some of the other teams to exclude them from the league in order to quash their potential title challenge. Whether or not this is true, VC employees have had to settle for their own internal league this year, but are itching to get involved next season.
Regardless of all of this, the Gaming League, which now enlists the help of professional referees and recently splashed out on a new larger-than-life winners trophy, appears to be going from strength to strength. The league's organisers have done an excellent job in ensuring that the league remains progressive, and they have adapted to the many problems they have encountered. Above all, the league has important social aspects attached to it. With people from all over the world and from such diverse cultures converging on Gibraltar to work within the gaming industry, what better way to come together than through the universal language of football?
Ladbrokes to Move Its Sportsbook Back to Gibraltar?
Rumour has it that Ladbrokes may be planning to relocate some of its sportsbook operation back to Gibraltar. Ladbrokes had previously dealt with a portion of its sportsbook undertakings in Gibraltar, but this was shifted back to the UK in its entirety in 2001 after betting tax was abolished in that year's UK Budget Statement. Their return to the Rock would be a significant boost for Gibraltar's economy, given the extra jobs and tax revenues that would be created.
Tristan Cano lives and writes about the gaming industry in Gibraltar.
