Gaming experts discussed the challenges and opportunities at EEGS show

“While some attendees were curiously observing the gaming industry in South Eastern Europe, we truly believe that there was also something on offer for those interested in the latest developments in the rest of Europe, US and even Russia. Last year two initiatives were run parallel to the EEGS event: a Regulators round table and an open debate between local casino operators and the Bulgarian state regulator. This year both events were held once again under the aegis of the Bulgarian State Commission on Gambling,” said the organizers.

“It should be admitted that every year the region is bringing something quite unexpected, sometimes even radical, with a hint of obscurity. But we also should clear that the representatives from the region every year are attending the Summit to give attendees the latest updates and solutions on the gaming market developments along with valuable suggestions on how to proceed further,” organizers added.

Leading experts and representatives of prestigious international gaming institutions took part in the discussions, such as: International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL), European Sports Security Association (ESSA), Remote Gaming Association (RGA), plus other gaming regulators and associations from the region. 
The conference was opened by Morten Ronde, Chief Executive, Danish Online Gaming Association, who reviewed the gaming regulations in Europe and outlined the prospects and their developments. He remarked that 2012 was disappointing in this respect, despite some of the positive signals. 

Angel Iribozov, the Chairman of the Board of the Bulgarian Gaming Association, stated that in 2012 the gaming industry in Bulgaria contributed over u$ 80 million to the state budget. Meanwhile the sector shrank by nearly 45% as a result of the increased taxes and requirements. This led to the closing or reduction of operations of many gaming halls.

Iribozov also noted that the higher taxes did not lead to the desired increase of revenues, as expected.  This year’s theme for Eastern Europe featured an extended look at online gaming, with speakers upbeat about Bulgaria’s chances of becoming a leader in online gaming in the region since it has longstanding gaming traditions.

“A competitive environment is key to success”, said Joseph Borg, Senior Advisor, WH Partners, adding that blacklists and blocking of illegal websites actually do not work. Meanwhile Sue Rossiter, Director Projects and Policy, Remote Gaming Association, underlined that tax rates and license fees are the main problems undermining the gaming market.  Key highlights at the show: • When Sportingbet stopped its collaboration with the Serbian State lottery, more efficient actions against black-market operations ensued. 

• Following on from the recent developments in the gaming market in Greece, attendees were curious to hear about future prospects.
• Amid the strict measures taken by the Bulgarian State Commission on Gambling against online operators in the enforcement of the new Gambling Act, this was an opportunity to debate the issue and explore its various aspects and perspectives.
• Croatia awaits a draft of its new gaming law and attendees shade their thoughts on the expected future of the gaming industry in the country. 
• The new Romanian Office for Gambling shared its  plans on gaming law and regulations.

The format of the panels was as follows - 
Experts’ panel - Major issues faced by the gaming industry today. What initiatives can we expect from the new action plan? What’s next on the EU agenda? Challenges in regulation and co-operation: sharing advantages and experiences in regard to online gambling. Can European jurisdictions offer valuable experience to North American ? What are the priorities of the enhanced co-operation? Can online operators be regulated on the same model as land based operators?
Regulators’ panel - Latest insights into the legislative developments in Eastern Europe. Is there green light for the online operators to enter the Eastern European markets or not yet?

The second day of the Summit was dedicated to casino operators, with the first part of the day focused on social responsibility highlighting examples from the Netherlands and Casinos Austria. The second half of the day featured a workshop on Casino Management Systems.
The 7th edition of EEGS will be held on 20-21 October, 2014.

For more information please contact Conference Manager Agne Braziunaite at [email protected]