“This is a very exciting time for gaming throughout Latin America and the Caribbean”

What is your opinion about SAGSE 2012? How did you see the show?
SAGSE was a great show for GLI. We started the week with our annual Latin American and Caribbean Regulators Roundtable, where we greeted more than 70 regulators from 19 jurisdictions. The one-day event was a great way to start SAGSE, as we were able to discuss many technological advances that will be coming to regulators’ jurisdictions, and the regulators were better prepared when they arrived on the show floor. The show was terrific, as always, filled with many exciting products and technologies. We had a very busy show, as regulators who attended our Roundtable were able to touch base with us again on the show floor about products and technologies they were seeing. Our Latin American supplier clients and from regions all around the world that were in attendance were also an important part of the show, and in the meetings we were able to hold. Of course, there is always the opportunity to meet new suppliers that are interested to enter the certification process.

How do you evaluate the quality of the visitors?
The visitor quality was very good, and the show drew attendees from across the region and from different sectors, including regulators, suppliers and operators.

What feedback did you receive from regulators that you were able to see during the show? What is their opinion about the Latin American industry in general, and the Argentinean market particularly?
This is a very exciting time for gaming throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, from the emerging regulations in Mexico to new technologies emerging across Argentina. As it is in the hundreds of jurisdictions GLI serves around the world, the convergence of technology is of particular interest, with land-based, mobile and iGaming technologies coming closer together. This also includes lotteries. The feedback from regulators, then, was positive about the future for gaming, and they also expressed some very thoughtful insights as to how their individual jurisdictions will be affected and the steps they may have to take in their regulations.

How was the experience of the Latin American and Caribbean Regulators Roundtable 2012? What were the main highlights of this year?
This was our most successful Latin American and Caribbean Roundtable to date. We are very grateful to the speakers who presented timely and incredibly relevant information and to the 70 regulators who attended. The Roundtable is an important part of our industry’s need to continually move forward, and we are proud to present it. This year’s topics included:

•“Money Laundering Controls In The Gaming And Lottery Industry”
•“A Roadmap For Starting iGaming (Internet Games, Mobile Technology, Among Others). An International Legislative Overview”
•“Lotteries Of Today: How Lotteries Are Preparing To Face A Growing And More Competitive Market Through The Utilization Of New Technology And The Professionalization Of Their Operations”
•“How Regulators Address Responsible Gambling”
•“Sports Betting Is One Of The Available Products In The Gaming And Lottery Industry Available Via Interactive Gaming Systems (iGaming, Mobile Technology, Among Others). Risks, Differences With A Live Environment”
•“Regulators Panel: Relation Of Achievements And Major Difficulties In Its Way To Regulate And To Control The Gaming Industry”

Recently, GLI has been accepted as an associate member of the international lottery association CIBELAE. What does this represent for GLI?
This was very exciting news for GLI, and was the next step forward in our involvement in the global lottery industry, as GLI is already a member of the World Lottery Association, the European Lottery, and the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL). As an associate member of CIBELAE, we will be able to be even closer to our current lottery clients and to contribute to the growth of the CIBELAE Corporation. We will look to participate actively in the Corporation and put our expertise to its benefit.

You also have been recognized by the Servicio de Administración Tributaria (SAT) in Mexico. How is GLI positioned in this market?
GLI was been working very hard with regulators in Mexico for many years now, and we also have a long-standing relationship with NYCE. Our goal is to help Mexican regulators and operators establish meaningful and fair regulations that are equally beneficial to the operator, to the state, and to the end-consumer. We have shown our dedication to the Mexican gaming industry, and we will continue to move forward as the industry continues to move forward.

What are your main plans for next year?   
We will continue to concentrate our efforts on providing our advise and expertise to the jurisdictions that are in process of been regulated and to our current clients. We believe that the support needs to be available in all the stages or the regulatory development, and that is how GLI has been working around the world.

We are excited to be an active part of the advances that are happening in all jurisdictions in Latin America and the Caribbean.  We are proud to have been recognized in Mexico by the SAT, and next year will be an important year to materialize our work on that segment of the market. We continue to work hand-in-hand with Bolivia as the first lab already processing submissions and approving products for the country, and with jurisdictions like Peru and Panama where we are proud to be the leaders. We continue to see regulatory advances in the Provinces in Argentina, and we hope that next year more jurisdictions will be part of the list of jurisdictions that we are recognized to test for. We expect to see more developments in Central America and Colombia next year, and we are committed to be there to support the regulators that are working to create a more regulated and stronger gaming market.

We have a great team to make sure we support the Latin American and Caribbean regulators and suppliers. Our partners in Mexico NYCE, our lab in Argentina GLI South America, the office in Puerto Rico and Peru are proof of the importance that the region represents to GLI.