News INTERNATIONAL UPDATE
Gaming in the round
GLI’s latest roundtable brought together regulators from across Europe to discuss the hot topics
Gaming Laboratories International recently welcomed 75 attendees from 20 countries to its 2012 European Roundtable at the Marriott Hotel in Budapest, Hungary. The topics addressed were as colourful and varied as the European industry itself and included discussions on terrestrial gaming and iGaming.
Day one was focused keenly on iGaming and opened with the panel discussion, “Public Policy Challenges of Regulating New iGaming Markets.” GLI’s Filippo Ferri moderated panelists Jörg Hofmann, MELCHERS Law Firm; Constantinos Couccoullis, Constantinos N. Couccoullis & Associates; and Justin Franssen of VMW Taxand. Next, Frans Duynstee of VMW Taxand, Diane Mullenex of Ichay & Mullenex and James Scicluna of WH Partners spoke of the intricate legal considerations surrounding cross-border taxation. The day continued with the panel ‘Poker Network Liquidity.’ GLI’s Phillip Barow led a group that included PokerStars’ Ian Feather, OnGame’s Fredrik Kjell, Vahe Baloulian from eGaming Partners and GTech’s Dusan Mihajlovic.
As iGaming grows, so do concerns about fraud, money laundering and player protection, addressing these issues were Ferri, Gregory Kuhlmey from Dictao, and Stephen Winter of Pokerstars. The day continued with the discussion ‘Improving Technical Regulations.’ Ferri returned as moderator and panelists were GLI’s Johan den Hartog and Ed Williams from NGS Secure. Day one ended with a panel on regulatory consultancy with speakers Alan Littler from VMW Taxand and GLI’s John van Schaijk and Martin Britton.
Day two focused on land-based gaming, opening with a presentation on ‘Slot Taxation’ by Lucien Wijsman of The Slot Academy. Next, attendees turned their attention to VLT legislation. Panelists included Constantinos Couccoullis and Alexia Couccoullis from Constantinos N. Couccoullis & Associates and Gábor Helembai of Forgó Damjanovic & Partners. ‘Methodologies of Player Protection’ featured Monika Racek from Admiral Casinos and Entertainment AG, Ólafur Andri Ragnarsson of Betware, and Dr. Joseph Borg from Malta Lotteries and
July 2012 PAGE 24 “This year’s
Roundtable was a tremendous
success. We were
thrilled that, in spite of considerable financial
restrictions, so
many regulators from so many
countries were able to attend.”
MARTIN BRITTON,
Managing Director, GLI Europe.
Gaming Authority. For a perspective on how VLTs are changing the landscape, Britton led a discussion featuring Marco Herrera from Bally , Kristof Kovacs from Cybergame, and Stuart McPhee of the UK Gambling Commission. New slot technology was the focus of the next panel led by Wijsman. Contributing their thoughts were Herrera, IGT’s Paul Hogan, and GLI’s James Maida.
The Roundtable ended with van Schaijk leading a discussion of what lies ahead in the AWP market with panelists Helmut Kafka from Euromat and Stuart McPhee from the UK Gambling Commission.
Bally and IGT interactive recommendations adopted
Bally Technologies has become the first company to receive a recommendation from the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) for an interactive gaming supplier license, closely followed by IGT.
Nevada is the first state to adopt a statute allowing interactive gaming and the first state to adopt regulations for online gaming of any kind.
Bally Technologies’ Chief Executive Officer Richard Haddrill, commented: “This is a historic day for Bally Technologies, for Nevada, and for the gaming industry. We are very grateful for the Board's recommendation and are excited about being the first company recommended by a US state for licensing to offer online gaming products and services. We are proud to achieve yet another milestone in our 80-year history and look
forward to further supporting our Nevada casino customers with our technology in this exciting arena.”
An approval would enable Bally to provide business-to- business iGaming solutions for the state’s casino operators, including wager-based online poker. Bally's iGaming platform's open architecture enables operators to choose from best-of-breed content from a multitude of providers. The iGaming platform is also designed for mobile integration and is ready to accommodate online wagering beyond poker, such as casino table games, video slots, bingo, and sports betting when authorised.
The NGCB’s recommendation is scheduled to be reviewed by the Nevada Gaming Commission during its June 21, 2012 meeting, where a final decision will be made.
CASINO GRAN MADRID HAS BROKEN new ground in the Spanish casino sector by launching a sports bar in partnership with local Sports Betting specialist Sportium. The launch in May represented the first time casino guests have been able to place bets on sporting events inside a Spanish casino. Casino Gran Madrid is aiming to be a meeting place for local sports fans where they will be able to enjoy the best live, televised sport in a themed environment with huge high definition screens including a central screen four meters in width.
Designed by Spanish architect Fernando Cervigón, the central element of the Casino Sports Bar will be a tiered structure capable of seating more than 50 people. The bar will feature artificial turf to look like a football pitch, carpet to represent a running track and powerful and exclusive digital art illustrations. Sportium will offer clients its wide number of markets with more than 100 bets per game and more than 60,000 types of bet per week, including bets on horse and Greyhound racing every five minutes. Customers place bets on self-service terminals.
Laura Garrido, marketing consultant for Sportium said: “This is the first space of this nature in a casino Spanish although they are very common in Las Vegas casinos. It will offer a menu with over 30 snacks and prepared meals with prices from just E6.” She added that the casino was looking forward to hosting sporting events such as the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, the Olympics, the formula 1, La Liga and Champions League matches.
Sportium was formed in early 2007 when Cirsa and Ladbrokes created the 50 per cent joint venture Sportium, to jointly manage the on-site sports betting business. The casino is also gearing up to launch its online offering, which will also be available to play in the sports bar. Playtech will provide the casino platform and poker product, through the iPoker network.
Jorge Casanova, Director of Information Systems at Casino Gran Madrid, said: “Our agreement with Playtech strengthens Casino Gran Madrid’s leading position in the Spanish casino market. With our casino brand and games available online we are delighted to be leading gaming development in Spain through Playtech’s innovative, secure and transparent system.”
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