Coinslot: Can we rewind to September 2024. When you joined Game Nation, what did you find, what were the immediate issues that needed addressing, and what was your mindset – were you optimistic or trepidatious?
Mark Jepp: I knew from the start that this wasn’t a role for the faint-hearted, but looking at Game Nation from the outside, I could see a business with immense potential. It was incredibly appealing to return to the Adult Gaming Centre (AGC) sector, which is where I originally started my career and to have the opportunity to head-up such a sizeable operation.
My priority was to visit all 40+venues within my first month. I wanted to speak directly with our frontline teams, so I used a simple three-question survey to ask what three things needed to change or improve.
The feedback was immediate. Teams asked for better uniforms, improved communication, new machines, a wider selection of snacks, better promotions, and more comfortable seating. While some of these were more obvious than others, the overarching takeaway was a genuine sense that our venue managers and teams were hungry to collaborate and improve the business.
It was vital to fully understand what was already in place before implementing changes, even if some necessities, such as new uniforms and sharper communication channels, were clear day-one fixes.
Coinslot: How long was that initial ‘to-do list’?
Mark Jepp: The initial to-do list was substantial, to say the least. Ironically, two years down the line, the list is actually bigger now than it was back then. However, it is comprised of entirely different priorities.
We are now looking over the horizon at what comes next, and I find myself busier than I have ever been. I should add I also have a ‘Not to do list’
Coinslot: What was the action plan, what timescales did you set, and are you ahead of schedule?
Mark Jepp: Initially, I focused on a 90-day plan. I presented it to the senior team under the title ‘The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly’ which clearly identified the assets we had to work with alongside the areas that needed to change. I didn’t want us to stall by over-analysing or over-prioritising.
My mantra to the executive team was simple: let’s just get things done. Looking back, both our internal teams and external partners are amazed by the sheer scale of progress we achieved in such a tight timeframe. We are comfortably ahead of schedule.
Coinslot: How did you go about changing the culture and establishing your personality on the business – and you provide some examples?
Mark Jepp: Culture is a weighty concept, but two years into this journey, I am absolutely delighted and incredibly proud of what we have built. Our culture is genuine, and we actively live by our core values: being one team, having fun, being authentic, remaining curious, staying enthusiastic, taking pride, being passionate, and showing respect.
We see these values in action every day. They are evident in how we have embraced our partnership with the CHIPS charity, the vibrant engaging promotions we host in our venues and the transparent feedback loops we have built through our Cherry News publication and regular Town Hall style meetings.
We also hear it in the feedback from our customers, suppliers, partners, and even our competitors, who frequently tell me how friendly, welcoming, and accommodating the Game Nation venue teams are.
I hear it personally from our central support teams regarding how much the business has evolved. A massive part of this transformation was our dedicated focus on world-class hospitality, driven by Andrew Kemsley at the 10 Hospitality consultancy.
From my own perspective, I simply want to work with good people who love what they do and want to deliver an entertaining leisure and gaming proposition.
Coinslot: You have mentioned bringing some of the fun associated with bingo into high-street gaming. Have you been successful in that respect, and how have you addressed that particular challenge?
Mark Jepp: Yes, my core message to the operations teams from day one was to think more like a bingo operator. That environment is something I understand intimately from my previous decade spent with Majestic and Mecca Bingo.
I wanted to ensure we leaned heavily into the local community, operating friendly, customer-first venues with exceptional presentation standards and world-class hospitality. We do not always get it right, but that is the standard we actively strive for, and my senior team is completely aligned with that vision.
In addition, we are proudly quirky.
Our marketing and promotional calendar includes initiatives like the ‘Love It or Loathe It’ promotion to celebrate National Marmite Day and World Beard Day. Both of which were highly participative, engaging and fun.
Coinslot: You moved quickly to add to your leadership team. Can you summarise who you have brought into the business and what they add to Game Nation?
Mark Jepp: Before mentioning the new additions, I want to recognise the excellent talent that was already in situ when I arrived. They simply needed a renewed sense of belief and a clear plan to help get Game Nation moving after hitting a bit of a standstill.
That said, I knew I needed to bring in a powerful supporting cast.
Life would have been a lot harder without Operations Director, Eric Howell. Eric is my version of a human Swiss Army knife; he can seamlessly turn his hand to compliance, marketing, promotions, and operations, executing it all with style and with an unmatched work ethic. I also brought in a first-class slots expert, Andy Sessions, whose expertise is incredibly rare. Andy is exceptionally talented at optimising floor plans, product mixes, game menus, and machine-specific promotions.
Furthermore, it was clear from day one that I required a highly commercial CFO. It was a no-brainer to call upon Gary Bennett, whom I worked with at Majestic. Gary is the most experienced, commercially minded numbers expert I have ever encountered. His reporting and business intelligence tools have given our operations teams the exact framework they need to take the business to another level, and he is now elevating that further through the integration of AI.
Finally, Julie Redfern, our HR Director who was already in place, has been an incredible pillar of support over the last two-years. It has been hard work, but as the saying goes, the juice has definitely been worth the squeeze.
Coinslot: The forty-plus Game Nation venues are currently based in London and the South East. What are the plans to take the brand further afield?
Mark Jepp: My original brief was to maximise the assets we already had and build from there. While things are never entirely perfect, we have gone a long way toward achieving that initial goal by significantly improving both our commercial numbers and our customer proposition.
We have now turned our attention to the next chapter of growth. There is a clear opportunity to expand the brand into other parts of the country. Before we take that next step, there are still a number of key refurbishments and aesthetic upgrades I want to finish delivering across our existing estate.
Coinslot: You have worked your way up through the industry. Does your career path equip you to understand the challenges faced by venue staff, as well as the motivations of players?
Mark Jepp: Absolutely. Even though a lot has changed since I started such as the introduction of Ticket-In, Ticket-Out technology, evolving stakes and prizes, and the shift from physical reels to digital screens, the core product and the customers are fundamentally the same.
People play for a variety of reasons, whether to win, to pass the time, meet with their friends or simply for fun. Ultimately, they want to interact with venue teams who treat them with respect and deliver great service.
We remain fully dedicated to giving our teams the support, training, and the equipment they need to deliver the best possible socially responsible gambling entertainment experience with confidence
Coinslot: How important is staff training, and in what ways has Game Nation invested in its people?
Mark Jepp: Providing our venue teams with the right training is one of the most critical responsibilities we have. Whether that focuses on hospitality, which is now firmly baked into the Game Nation DNA, product knowledge, compliance, or conflict resolution, we have invested heavily across the board. We will continue to do so by leveraging app technology and enhanced eLearning platforms to make development smoother and more accessible.
Additionally, we have adopted the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) for the Executive Team, and we are currently in the process of cascading this structure through the rest of the business.
Coinslot: The Game Nation Adult Gaming Centre in London’s Chinatown is, by any standard, a flagship venue. What feedback have you received from customers and staff, and have you hosted representatives from the Gambling Commission, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), or your local MP, Rachel Burke?
Mark Jepp: The internal reaction from both our frontline venue staff and central support teams has been nothing short of phenomenal. It has proven to them that we are heavily investing in our premises and, by extension, investing directly in our people.
Beyond our own walls, the reaction from across the sector, including our competitors, manufacturers, and suppliers, has been overwhelmingly positive. It really is a showstopper of a venue, especially with the impact of the street-facing digital screens.
While I have already hosted several high-profile figures from across the industry and local authorities, we haven’t yet had visits from the Gambling Commission, DCMS, or our local MP. However, those are excellent options that we would absolutely welcome.
Coinslot: You have been vocal in your criticism of politicians across the spectrum. How do you explain the current anti-gambling agenda, and what steps do you believe should be taken to address it?
Mark Jepp: The anti-gambling agenda, particularly the negative spotlight shone on AGCs, is baffling. To have a sitting Prime Minister name-check our sector and lump us together with vape shops and unregulated businesses is an absolute disgrace.
Decision-makers desperately need to understand the unintended consequences of attacking a highly regulated, entirely legitimate leisure business. We pay millions in taxes, and provide many thousands of jobs: pushing operators to the brink only risks driving players toward the unregulated black market. The number of times policymakers have misjudged this dynamic is incredibly frustrating.
AGCs and licensed betting offices did not hollow out the British high street; years of poor governance and economic decision-making has done that. It is absurd to blame high-street arcades for the departure of major retail brands. What do critics actually want to see, more boarded-up shopfronts and fewer employment opportunities for a generation that is already struggling to find work?
As an industry, we need to stop being apologetic. We must be loud and proud about what we offer. We need to shout from the rooftops about how exceptionally well-run and strictly regulated we are, how community-focused our venues remain, and the significant tax revenue we contribute to the Treasury.
We employ people from all walks of life and deploy industry-leading player protections and interactions via highly trained teams. The legacy and legitimacy of AGCs deserve respect. By now, we should have seen the implementation of the white paper, the triennial review, and updated technical standards. Instead, the sector is made to feel like pariahs who should simply be grateful for what they have, which is fundamentally wrong on so many levels.
Of course, as in any walk of life, there will always be a few poor operators, but the overwhelming majority are credible, highly professional businesses. We understand that our long-term survival depends entirely on maintaining safe, sustainable, and long-term relationships with our customer base.
I would encourage Andy Burnham to cut through his prejudice meet with venue teams, have a chat with customers and experience an AGC for himself. He is of course welcome to visit Game Nation in Chinatown whenever his diary permits – but I won’t be holding my breath!
Coinslot: Reflecting on the first two-years as Game Nation CEO what fills you with the most pride, and what do you envisage the business looking like in the next two years?
Mark Jepp: I am immensely proud of the people who stayed with us and embraced our new direction, as well as the talented individuals who have joined the business, taking a leap of faith to support my vision for what the Game Nation brand could become.
I am incredibly proud that we have established ourselves as a genuinely credible, major player in the AGC sector. On a community front we have gone from having no formal charity partner to achieving fantastic fundraising results for CHIPS, the industry charity that provides wheelchairs to youngsters who the NHS cannot or will not help. It has been hugely rewarding to present wheelchairs to three youngsters and their families at our venues, with a further two pending.
I am also proud that we are demonstrating every day that AGCs s are not so called ‘slot farms’ (a horrible phrase that I detest) but are genuinely vital community hubs for our regular players, serving the exact same social purpose as a traditional local bingo hall. Receiving that acknowledgement from respected operators in the sector means a great deal to me.
Ultimately, I am proud of the industry, proud of the team that has supported my vision, and extremely proud of everything that Game Nation now stands for.
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