The second edition of Prague Gaming Summit is set to become a leading platform which will highlight the Slovakian, Czech and Polish market, while also focusing on the latest innovations which are trending at this moment and help increase the social awareness of the industry.

Regulatory updates from Slovakia, Czech Republic and Poland

As is typical, legislation has lagged behind innovation in the industry in Europe and we’re just starting to see more nations undertake the balancing act between ensuring they generate sufficient tax revenue, and providing a safe environment for their bettors. This process is made particularly difficult since levying too much tax will discourage investment in localities, as well as promote a move to less regulated, altogether dodgier iGaming venues from the punters themselves. Despite the divides between legislators, there are still good offers for specific counties across Europe. The Czech, Slovak and Polish market are not among them. This is why we are reaching out to the industry to encourage this effort of bringing together the key stakeholders of the industry to discuss potential amendments.

The special regulatory briefings will be held by top names of the industry who are well known in the region for their contributions to the online and land based gambling market and here are some of the already experts that will speak during the regulatory update panels:

Dr. Robert Skalina(WH Partners), Jakub Kolomicenko (Endorphina), Jan Rehola (PS Legal), Vojtech Chloupek (Bird&Bird), Piotr Dynowski (Bird&Bird), Tal Zamstein (Fortuna Group), Bogdan Coman (Rombet)

Social Responsibility, Anti-Money Laundering and Gambling Licensing Procedures

Social responsibility is all about protecting players from gambling-related harm and the organizers encourage the fact that crime should be kept out of gambling. The industry is facing a period in which more and more regulated markets are adopting licence conditions and codes of practice which revolve around responsible gambling. However, these programs should be implemented in a manner that it does not block the industry totally.

When speaking about the implementation of the EU AMLD we must mention the fact that there are rumors about a 5th AMLD which will focus on the following 5 main requirements: Extending the Directive Scope to include Virtual Currencies, Addressing the Issue of Anonymity in Relation to Prepaid Cards, Beneficial Ownership Registers, Enhancing cooperation and information sharing among EU financial intelligence units and Developing a Consistent EU Approach Toward High-Risk Third Countries.

The already confirmed speakers of the discussion are: Pieter Remmers(Assissa), Alex Henderson (The Ritz Hotel Casino London), Dan Iliovici (Romanian National Office for Gambling), Martin Arendts (ARENDTS ANWÄLTE)

Innovation Talks, Retention and Marketing

There is no doubt that talks around crypto is going to be among the highlights of many industry related news, thus we are once again putting together a panel where the experts of the crypto industry will share their wisdom and talk innovations.

For the first time in our portfolio, we are implementing a panel style workshop which will revolve around Conversion and Retention which will help attending delegates to gain access to information that will help increase their profit.

The already confirmed experts of the panels are: Tal Itzhak Ron (Tal Ron, Drihem and Co. Law Firm), Quirino Mancini (Tonucci & Partners), Max Krupyshev(Cubits), Robert Dowling (EveryMatrix), Joseph Borg (WH Partners)

With such an incredible lineup of expert speakers, the event is expected to surpass the inaugural edition in numbers and networking opportunities as we are already receiving a high number of registrations.

Delegate pass price breakdown:
•Early Bird Rate (60% Off): 199 EUR – Sales end on December 31, 2017
•Combo – Early Bird Rate + 2 nights accommodation (60% Off): 379 EUR – Sales end on December 31, 2017
•Advance Rate (40% Off): 299 EUR – Sales end on March 22, 2018
•Combo – Advance Rate + 2 nights accommodation (40% Off): 479 EUR – Sales end on March 22, 2018
•Regular Rate (no discount): 499 EUR – Sales end on March 29, 2018

Tickets can be registered via the special new registration gateway created by EEGEvents where you can opt for fiat and cryptocurrency payments.

Register here: http://bit.ly/Prague18

We are looking forward to welcoming you in Prague as well as your contributions to the topics!

A significant illegal gambling crackdown continues in the Czech Republic where customs officers have seized  830 illegally operating gambling machines and 2.5 million crowns (97.313 EUR) in proceeds from illegal gaming across the country, reports the Prague Daily Monitor.

The Czech Customs Administration revealed the money and gambling devices were confiscated in just the past ten months and were the results of 1,417 raids by custom officers. The machines seized were slot machines, electronically operated roulette tables, quiz machines and other gambling games.

The Czech Customs Administration has been investigating the nation’s gambling industry looking for any violations conducted by stakeholders as well as by illegal entities. Under the country’s gambling laws, unauthorized gambling operators face stiff fines and equipment seizures.

The recently regulated Czech market has received BetStars as its first international online sports betting operator.

The Stars Group (formerly known as Amaya Inc.) is one of the few operators interested in the recently regulated Czech market and has become the first international online sports betting brand to enter it through BetStars. The Finance Ministry published a list with licensed providers of iGaming services in which the brand showed up, and joins PokerStars in the country as it became the first international operator licensed earlier this year.

The new Czech Gambling Law came into effect as of January 1 2017 but didn’t draw as much interest as the government expected due to the 35 per cent tax on annual revenue from local operations. The Stars Group, however, applied for licenses for online poker and sports betting and is set to dominate the market.

There’s still no news on whether the companies that operated in the country one there was no regulation. Several major operators exited the Czech Republic just before the law came into effect and some promised to return, yet they still haven’t. Some have even already dismissed the local market, crushing the expectations for the country, which was expected to become very fruitful but turned out to be a flop.