What were the odds on this happening?

[John Wright]

It is segregated and ring fenced by legislation. Until the legislation is changed ( and that has been done once before - to build the hospital )

[Ham_N_Eggs]

Microgaming is closing down its poker operations says Manx Radio.

No news if this comes with any job losses (hopefully not).

[The Dog's Dangly Bits]

Well I suppose like most things you need to have some context.

Microgaming employs a substantial number of people.  Far more than it did two or three years ago.

The poker section has 30 staff at risk.  I was quite surprised how many are involved in poker given the very small segment of the market they are powering.  On the face of it, it looks like a simple economics decision and nothing to do with the Isle of Man being no longer desirable.

As for Stars - post redundancies they will still employ more people here that they did two years ago.

I don't understand how DfE come in for criticism here.

[gettafa]

3 hours ago, John Wright said:

It is segregated and ring fenced by legislation. Until the legislation is changed ( and that has been done once before - to build the hospital )

There were murmurings that the Government were to be made to reverse that legislation@

[GD4ELI]

5 hours ago, Ham_N_Eggs said:

Microgaming is closing down its poker operations says Manx Radio.

No news if this comes with any job losses (hopefully not).

This was announced two days ago. Maybe it just doesn't pay, so close this part of the operation. Plenty of time for those involved to find other work or maybe even branch out on their own, something that's quite easy in IT.

IT-related industries change rapidly, you can't sit still.

[Max Power]

2 hours ago, GD4ELI said:

This was announced two days ago. Maybe it just doesn't pay, so close this part of the operation. Plenty of time for those involved to find other work or maybe even branch out on their own, something that's quite easy in IT.

IT-related industries change rapidly, you can't sit still.

I believe the dearth of IT skills on the island puts it in the crosshairs when it comes to redundancy decisions, there are top people available in the likes of Bulgaria for a lot less money. Pokerstars acquisition of Skybet increased its headcount meaning that they needed to reduce it.

[Rushen Spy]

Companies who outsource their IT departments invariably have poor customer service and major problems with transitioning from old to new systems which further impact on customer service and turnaround times. Yes, it might save some money, but in the long-term I think it undermines customer service, and what else is there to differentiate most of these companies these days other than the excellence of customer service? It's the key to standing out in a market with otherwise little variation in terms of product offering.

[craggy_steve]

43 minutes ago, Rushen Spy said:

Companies who outsource their IT departments invariably have poor customer service and major problems with transitioning from old to new systems which further impact on customer service and turnaround times. Yes, it might save some money, but in the long-term I think it undermines customer service, and what else is there to differentiate most of these companies these days other than the excellence of customer service? It's the key to standing out in a market with otherwise little variation in terms of product offering.

Yep, but this is not outsourcing "IT Departments", this is moving IT-based product development for online poker services from IoM to Bulgaria - customers should not perceive any change. Whether Stars Group actually see the development cost efficiencies they're hoping for is another matter, many companies which offshore tech development to lower wage economies find that the anticipated cost savings prove elusive (for a variety of reasons which would take me too long to explain here).

[The Dog's Dangly Bits]

1 hour ago, Rushen Spy said:

Companies who outsource their IT departments invariably have poor customer service and major problems with transitioning from old to new systems which further impact on customer service and turnaround times. Yes, it might save some money, but in the long-term I think it undermines customer service, and what else is there to differentiate most of these companies these days other than the excellence of customer service? It's the key to standing out in a market with otherwise little variation in terms of product offering.

But Stars don't need to stand out in the market. They ARE the market.  They have about 90% of it?

I see your point is perhaps banks moving back office and call centre stuff to somewhere like India but it isn't the case here.

The customers won't really see any difference.

[Rushen Spy]

11 minutes ago, The Dog's Dangly Bits said:

But Stars don't need to stand out in the market. They ARE the market.  They have about 90% of it?

I see your point is perhaps banks moving back office and call centre stuff to somewhere like India but it isn't the case here.

The customers won't really see any difference.

Yeah, I agree; my comment wasn't really about PokerStars, it was just a general comment on financial services.

[yootalkin2me]

Apparently Microgaming are closing the Poker arm of their business...I read it on IomToday but I can't be arsed searching for it and poring a link.

[trmpton]

And now 50 jobs gone in Malta, which sort of buggers up some of the stuff that was being spouted about it being the IOMs fault

[The Dog's Dangly Bits]

London and Dublin losing jobs too.  

And Stars will still employ more people here, post redundancies, than they did to years ago.

[rodders]

10 minutes ago, trmpton said:

And now 50 jobs gone in Malta, which sort of buggers up some of the stuff that was being spouted about it being the IOMs fault

Maybe Skelly made them change their minds regarding the Manx redundancies. 

[JessTickle]

How many people on the IOM are employed by Poker Stars?  I heard today that it was 80 redundancies on the IOM but man down pub source.