“When it comes to regulation it's good to talk”

Speaking ahead of his appearance at Juegos Miami (from May 31 to June 3 at The Biltmore, Coral Gables, Miami) Asensi said: “Ignoring one of these three basic pillars will directly drive the regulator to a big failure. Obviously, there is not a standard regulation that is valid for every single jurisdiction, but being in the 21st century, the industry knows what works and what does not. I believe in a liberalized framework that gathers the interests of both international and domestic operators in the same jurisdiction. Experience shows that bans on gambling or strong restrictions only help the growth of the illegal market. Therefore, I am a strong supporter of markets where gambling is understood as part of the entertainment industry.”

Asensi, whose company has advised the Colombian government and was instrumental in the development of the Spanish Gambling Act at the start of the decade, believes that regulators should look at ways of consolidating their needs with those of operators and other interested parties. He explained: “Regulators usually have two goals: protecting consumers and collecting taxes. Both matters, if duly regulated, are absolutely compatible with the operators’ interests.”

“My best advice for any regulator is that, before they start drafting, they should study what other regulators have done in their respective jurisdictions. Meeting with all the different agents of the industry in order to gather as much information as possible should be a must. This is a global industry where the exchange of information between regulators is crucial in matters like technical standards, illegal gambling, AML and data protection,” he remarked

Santiago Asensi is one of 30 eminent thought leaders who will be part of the Conference program at Juegos Miami.

The community of A-List speakers includes: Peter Naessens, Head of Regulatory Advice Unit, Research and Development, Belgian Gaming Commission; Juan Espinosa Garcia, Deputy General Director, Gambling Regulation, Ministry of Finance – Spain; Andre Wilsenach, Executive Director, International Center for Gaming Regulation, UNLV; Marcus Nylen, Chief Operating Officer, LeoVegas Gaming Group and Donal Barron, Paddy Power Betfair’s B2B Commercial Development Manager.

For more information, visit Juegos Miami website.