GLI to offer "extensive" portfolio of services at ICE

2017-01-26

Reading time 3:42 min

This year GLI will be moderating the LatAm Briefing panel during ICE, Karen Sierra-Hughes tells us as she talks about the company's expectations for the London show, also analyzing the industry's trends for 2017. “We anticipate steady growth of interactive gaming in Europe with more cautious growth in the Americas at a less rapid pace,” the GLI executive affirms.

Why is it important to exhibit at ICE 2017?

ICE is a very important show for our company because it gives us the opportunity to showcase our upcoming services and solutions with the industry. Gaming Laboratories International (GLI®) is known as the world leader in gaming testing and consultancy because we work with more than 475 global gaming jurisdictions and have vast experience in many areas. With offices and professionals strategically located on six continents, GLI is able to bring a truly global perspective to each client and project. ICE allows us to personally meet with our clients from across the globe and discuss challenges they are facing as well as unique solutions that will best meet their various needs.

How do you analyze the industry’s fortunes last year?

We will leave the broader scale of this question to industry analysts.

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We can say that from the lab’s perspective, we have been very pleased with regulatory and legislative progress in new, emerging, and evolving jurisdictions from the Czech Republic to Brazil to Japan

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We have been fortunate to work with regulators in more than 475 global jurisdictions, and from the lab’s independent perspective, we see industry regulations generally as strong.

What changes and news are you expecting given the continuing growth of online gaming?

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We anticipate steady growth of interactive gaming in Europe with more cautious growth in the Americas at a less rapid pace

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We anticipate increased iGaming activity in the Caribbean and Latin America, and we recently completed the first iGaming certification for Colombia in January 2017. In parallel, we foresee concerted efforts on the part of emerging jurisdictions to implement legislation and technical requirements for fair, secure and auditable iGaming activities.

As alluded to above, the pace of growth is expected to vary depending on whether you are in the western hemisphere or the eastern hemisphere of the globe.

In the Western hemisphere of the globe, we envisage States, Provinces, and Tribes will continue to closely watch both financial and non-financial returns iGaming is having in jurisdictions where iGaming is currently permitted and regulated. As well as the emergence of potential iGaming jurisdictions such as Pennsylvania and Massachusetts in the US with others in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In the Eastern hemisphere of the globe, we envisage continued emergence of iGaming jurisdictions on the heels of Portugal, Romania and the Czech Republic, and these may include the Netherlands, Greece, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland.

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We foresee a wide range of approaches being debated and/or adopted with regard to Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS), eSports, Skill Based and Hybrid Games online

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We are confident there will be heightened diligence and increased requirements from both regulators and operators with regard to robust information systems security and enhanced quality assurance of products. This will naturally lead to an up-tick in the necessity for professional and security auditing services.

GLI has been the global leader in iGaming testing and certification, standards consultancy and thought leadership since 1996, and we are very proud of the role we have had in helping jurisdictions nurture such growth in this area. This year, we will continue our unwavering commitment to support and help stakeholders to flourish in the industry.

What new solutions are you presenting this year?

From Stand N3-210, we will be shining a spotlight on professional services and our ability to consult on new and upcoming technology. Testing and certification is only the tip of the iceberg for our company.

We are your one-stop shop for the following services:

Skill-based games
eSports
Sports betting
Interactive
DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports)
Social gaming
Geo-location
Internet gaming
eLottery
Security Auditing
Mobile
Play-for-fun

GLI offers its clients an extensive portfolio of services, including lottery testing, gaming device and systems testing, online gaming systems and security testing, rule writing, consultation and professional services.

Are you planning to attend or take part in any of ICE’s show-floor seminars?

GLI will be moderating the LatAm Briefing panel during ICE where representatives of the Brazil government will be talking about the current state of gaming and lottery in the jurisdiction. Government representatives from Colombia and Paraguay will also join the panel.

What business opportunities do you see in Brazil where the Congress there is moving closer to legalizing gambling activities?

There is no doubt that if Brazil legalizes gaming, it will become one of the biggest jurisdictions in Latin America, and there is great interest from suppliers and operators regarding future opportunities. Legislators continue to work on a legal framework that will address the different type of gaming operations that will be allowed in the jurisdiction, and this is a topic that is yet to be resolved.

GLI participated in the public hearing in the Chamber of Deputies for the discussion of Project of Law 442 which is one of the two projects pending discussion for 2017. We must also take into account the time it takes for development of regulations Following our tradition of serving jurisdictions in their regulatory development process, we are always at the disposal of local authorities for the support needed, and we are honored to be part of this very important process.