A Very Dark Side To Evolution Gaming

[ritae]

I was playing Crazy Time earlier, and what I thought were trolls in the chat talking about working conditions at Evolution turned out to be a pretty grim discovery when I did some digging.

Thousands of employees at their Georgia studios are on strike over working conditions and pay. Employees have said they are paid as little as $1 (USD) per hour for shuffling cards, with blackjack and roulette croupiers receiving up to $1.80 (USD) per hour.

Employees can receive up to $145 monthly bonus pay, which is forfeited if late or sick. Young women appear to be specifically targeted in this regard if they have menstrual pain or common illnesses such as cystitis.

Several videos have been 'leaked' from inside the studios, including cleaners who eat their meals in the toilets as they have no other place and presenters passed out on the floor from tiredness.

Workers are often under bright lights, with cameras pointed at them for long periods and sit in uncomfortable chairs with little or no air conditioning. Rests are minimal, with set bathroom breaks throughout the shift. Aside from the reported unhygienic bathroom conditions, recent renovation work has meant employees have worked in dust clouds and endured the smell of paint and glue for weeks.

I highly recommend reading the comments left by Evolution's workers on their official Facebook page. Also, Glassdoor provides troubling incident details such as workers dying on-site, NDAs on health and safety, etc.

Links for reference:

Concerns from the Georgian Gambling Association

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Thousands at Georgia’s Major Student Employer Go on Strike

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Evolution's Facebook page (In Georgian, but easy to translate comments)

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Glassdoor

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[SlotsGuy]

Not so long ago a male presenter on the Monopoly game was openly talking about the working conditions for staff. Then quickly they had a changeover with presenters and the next one started complaining about people smoking in the studio and you could literally see the studio fill with cigarette smoke lol.

 

[Guntis]

What Do the Strikers Demand?

- More time for breaks
- Improvement of sanitary and hygienic conditions of the working space
- Safe and comfortable working environment
- Providing healthy food and food stamps in the workplace
- Improvement of the insurance package
- An environment free from discrimination and degrading treatment
- A function for leaving tips for the host and croupier should be added to the game
- Opening a medical center
- Breaks after three tables
- Improvement of temperature conditions in studios
- Increasing the number of lockers for storing things and providing each employee with a personal locker
- Equip monitors with protective screens
- Payment by the employer of the cost of uniform and makeup
- Public catering, refrigerators for storing food, places for changing clothes and rest
- Permission to have napkins on the gaming table
- Doubling pay for working hours on religious and national holidays
- Simplification of the complaint filing system, etc.

According to the Office of the Public Defender, the labor inspectorate has already begun an investigation into the case -

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By the look of it, they've been working in shit conditions since the start.

I saw this video a few years back and by appearance the dealers to me look Georgians. Some comment the same.

 

[dunover]

Crikey, seems slavery never died out after all.

Surely if any of this breaches UK or EU modern slavery rules then gambling companies in these countries using Evolution would be sanctioned, like Apple, Nike and some other firms have been regarding Chinese labour and working conditions?

edit:
P.S. Would be interested to hear the view of casino reps here whose operations use Evolution feeds?

 

[goatwack]

Exploitative for sure, yet also part of a wider problem with Georgia's economy as a whole by the looks of it.

Then you have a company recruiting students from within a depressed market into their first job, mostly oblivious to what proper working conditions look like. Staff turnover must be enormous, and their length of employment finite, as eager new recruits lie ready in waiting.

Georgia may be striving to implement better working conditions, but change is slow and the problem widespread, prevalent in near enough every other labour sector, something that the July 12th strikes appear to have negligible impact on.

Just a scuzzy company working every available loophole to their advantage in a constant loop.

Couple that with it being a casino of all things, where the croupier/ shuffler/ general dogsbody's 'rights' are and always will be secondary to the customers'.

Still, you'll have companies like this using counter-productive methods that don't even benefit themselves.

No dealer should be dealing more than an hour, an obvious no-no, as concentration levels wane and mistakes are made in a highly pressurized environment, never mind four hours.

Basic provisions are not hard to provide, nor are sanitation amenities or simple break rooms. It's outright greed and short-sightedness on behalf of Evolution Georgia.

I've worked in a casino and these are just prerequisites to even functioning; cut corners and your business flounders. And yet despite all these provisions, I'd still witness veterans collapse from exhaustion!

It's a tough gig, and the buck stops with the Georgian government to clamp down on these practices.

Just don't hold your breath

 

[Guntis]

Saw this one a few years back too. He is in Malta and thinks the job is like heaven..., but he sounds a bit like paid shill, Lol

 

[goatwack]

Holy crap, he's really selling it. Sounds awesome!

It's clear that shilling on this scale does indeed attract attention, as one look at the YT comments section indicates, including many overseas students looking for work.

I don't think recruitment is a problem for them, despite the blatant 'omissions'

 

[Kroffe]

Crikey, seems slavery never died out after all.

Surely if any of this breaches UK or EU modern slavery rules then gambling companies in these countries using Evolution would be sanctioned, like Apple, Nike and some other firms have been regarding Chinese labour and working conditions?

edit:
P.S. Would be interested to hear the view of casino reps here whose operations use Evolution feeds?

Please note that its no longer allowed in England, it was abolished ages ago....or like, a while ago at least.

 

[snorky510238]

Like it or lump it if you work for the “mafia” of Conline gambling. Why would you expect to be treated well, if you work for a bunch of crooks?

 

[goatwack]

Like it or lump it if you work for the “mafia” of Conline gambling. Why would you expect to be treated well, if you work for a bunch of crooks?

Come on, don't deny it Snorky. You've been building up to that reveal, haven't you.

'Conline gambling'

 

[PMKFRUITPRO]

Bang goes the evolution rep!!

 

[Jono777]

Bang goes the evolution rep!!

Another perk of the job once the underpaid workers come off screen ????

 

[snorky510238]

Come on, don't deny it Snorky. You've been building up to that reveal, haven't you.

'Conline gambling'

I think it’s a title that is much more befitting and perfectly describes the experience.

There’s only a couple of diehard stalwarts left. Other than that, I think the vast majority of the forum now realise that it is a complete load of manipulated bollox.

 

[Jono777]

I think it’s a title that is much more befitting and perfectly describes the experience.

There’s only a couple of diehard stalwarts left. Other than that, I think the vast majority of the forum now realise that it is a complete load of manipulated bollox.

From a not too distant future press release

"The online gaming industry took a while but eventually realised around 2017/2018 that they could increase their profits ten fold by simply switching their previous strategies to those of Conline Gaining"

 

[megadam]

So when they eventually create Bonanza Live is it going to be a race between when the D drops or when the dealer drops? (Defo wouldn't want that job.....)

In all seriousness, industry needs to take a hard look at themselves regarding how big and integrated one gambling company is now. Who's regulating whether the math models, working practices or anything that they are doing is fair and reasonable?

 

[Guntis]

It's simple, the money is regulating everything.

 

[snorky510238]

It's simple, the money is regulating everything.

Yep! Pay the man at the top enough and anything is possible.

 

[andysbetting1187]

On the flip side of this, if evolution invest and pay people a decent wage and provide decent staff facilities, how many people would moan if they offset this cost by lowering RTP on more games?

Genuine question. They could easily afford it, but if they passed the cost onto the customer would people keep things as they are or be happy with a lower RTP

 

[snorky510238]

On the flip side of this, if evolution invest and pay people a decent wage and provide decent staff facilities, how many people would moan if they offset this cost by lowering RTP on more games?

Genuine question. They could easily afford it, but if they passed the cost onto the customer would people keep things as they are or be happy with a lower RTP

I very much doubt that they’re surviving on a shoestring.

 

[andysbetting1187]

I very much doubt that they’re surviving on a shoestring.

Neither are any of the big companies bothe inside and outside of gambling but its always the consumer that gets fleeced

 

[SlotsGuy]

Please note that its no longer allowed in England, it was abolished ages ago....or like, a while ago at least.

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely puppets..". We're someone's or some "thing's" sick entertainment, s*xslaves, wage slaves, useless consumers, brainwashed zombies, and FOOD! Until we wake up, and unite against our common enemy.

So in essence:

SLAVE
We are all slaves
We are slaves to the life we have given ourselves
We are slaves to work
We are slaves to pleasure
We are slaves to what they will say.
Life is an slavery with a touch of freedom.

Welcome to the free range tax farm people. Enjoy your stay.

 

[megadam]

On the flip side of this, if evolution invest and pay people a decent wage and provide decent staff facilities, how many people would moan if they offset this cost by lowering RTP on more games?

Genuine question. They could easily afford it, but if they passed the cost onto the customer would people keep things as they are or be happy with a lower RTP

Except they've already done this? Why do you think BTG's that have already been at 96% and higher were that way and since they've been bought out by Evo they now have a variable math model where all of the typical casinos are now stocking them at 94% and below. Same with NLC. That's the worst part about this situation, they've screwed their employees and their customer. Double jeopardy.

 

[pinktriangle]

Saw this one a few years back too. He is in Malta and thinks the job is like heaven..., but he sounds a bit like paid shill, Lol

Totally different companies mate. There's no reason that a well managed gaming operation such as this couldn't offer a workplace with staff perks etc like the one described in the video.

 

[Guntis]

Totally different companies mate. There's no reason that a well managed gaming operation such as this couldn't offer a workplace with staff perks etc like the one described in the video.

Evolution, Playtech, Pragmatic, and even others - easily. Food, gym, kitchen, etc costs nothing for them.

Everytime you blink the money pours in their bank accounts like shite anyway. But see how Evolution takes piss ouy of people based on their location. Canada, Latvia, Malta have better wage that those in Georgia.

That guy from the video was making all look too sweet anyway.

"They take you to work and bring you back home, you don't have to worry about buses", lol

He was paid for finding people. At the video end he mentioned that the link is in the description, ect.

 

[steveh35]

Interesting situation in Crazy Time today, the wheel landed on Pachinko and the host accidentally entered the wrong result, immediately realising she contacted the supervisor but the next round triggered by the time the supervisor had arrived on the intercom, Instead of going back and starting Pachinko the supervisor told the host to spin the wheel and it landed on a 1.

Needless to say players were rightly outraged but to no avail the result was confirmed as a 1 and no refunds were given, the supervisor appeared not to go and watch the video back to check and the game was not void.

I wonder what the rules are in this situation and in a computerised world why the host has to enter the result manually why is it not triggered automically.

I suspect if the host had enetered a 50x Crazy Time by accident they would soon have voided the game.