Conferences

Riga Gaming Congress: speaker interview with Eman Pulis

Published

7 years ago

August 16, 2017

Eman Pulis is an expert with fifteen years of experience in organizing exhibitions, summits and conferences. His projects include the largest international gambling forum SiGMA in Malta. The first SiGMA gathered several thousands of participants; with every year, their number increases. At Riga Gaming Congress, Eman Pulis will tell how the work on such a large-scale event is conducted, present the SiGMA-2017 announce and take part in the discussion session concerning gambling legal aspects. We asked the expert to answer some questions about his personality and activity.

– You often refer to yourself as a “startup-romantic”. What does it mean for you and how does it describe your business approach?

EP: I have been a start-up all my life, trying new things, often failing because I didn’t know better and also because I could have used a little more support and mentoring. I still consider my projects to be at the start-up level, but with a very solid proof of concept. The business, be it events (SiGMA, Affiliate Grand Slam), software development (SMSwarriors) or affiliation (BonusVikings), is growing healthily.
As a result, thanks to the SiGMA platform, I’m using this show as a launchpad for other start-ups to network, get the necessary mentoring and support, not only from us (our knowledge is limited), but especially from dedicated mentors and investors, who are attending the show for this purpose. We launched the SiGMA startup pitch last year and feedback this year is phenomenal with over 80 startups having applied already and some of the best gaming venture capitalists worldwide attending. We are giving startups around 20,000 Eur worth of goodies, from a booth at SiGMA to free office space in our Gaming Hub in Malta and much more. All of this is free!

– Tell us briefly about the results of the last SiGMA summit. How many participants, speakers, and presentations have been involved? What about the feedback? What was implemented for the first time?

EP: SiGMA is literally doubling in size every year for the past four years. What started as a humble show with 1,300 delegates is this year anticipating 250 sponsors and exhibitors, 150 speakers and 6-7,000 delegates – including affiliates, operators, vendors, startups, investors and regulators. The floor plan is sold out six months before the show – which is unprecedented in this industry.

– You are known as a founder and organizer of SiGMA, but you also have other gambling projects. Could you say a few words about them?

EP: I actually made it clear to myself that I would never do business in gambling outside SiGMA. I have been unofficially blessed with the privilege of putting the spotlight on Malta thanks to this event called SiGMA and I want to carry this project with no conflicting interests.

Imagine me, as the CEO of SiGMA, trying to sell a sponsorship to a games developer if I have vested interests in another games development company? Or trying to sell an operator a booth whilst at the same time competing for traffic with that casino with my own casino brand. Would these companies trust their brands with me and with SiGMA? No.

As a result of this line of thinking I have respectfully declined offers for shares in a number of companies, even when I saw that the profits were lucrative. I take the time to explain that my neutrality in the show is what made them approach me in the first place and, in all cases, they have their mind at rest that I would never have vested interests in any other gaming company.

This, I must say, is an intangible asset that I hold very dear.

– What could be considered as the most challenging in preparation to the event of such scale?

EP: Oh my! So many challenges! Thankfully I’m a bit of an OCD (ha!) so I strive for perfection in every little step we make as a team – be it content writing, manning of stands, customer service – the biggest challenge is managing a team of around 200 employees on the two days of the show – from securities, ticketing staff, cleaning, speakers, booth builders – it needs to run as smooth as an orchestra.
Thankfully, I’ve been in the business of organising events for fifteen long years – be it parties, concerts, conferences or expos.
The bigger the show gets the more I realize on the need to delegate and resist micro-managing everything. To this extent, surrounding yourself with the best talent is paramount.

– Who is involved in the team of SiGMA organizers? How many people are necessary to get the massive event ready in one year?

EP: WE are only around five people in total, working full time all year round. Closer to the show we beef up those numbers obviously.

– What is planned for SiGMA-2017 participants? Something special for the fourth congress?

EP: After three years, we felt the time was right to shift to a bigger venue that meets the needs of a growing show. This year SiGMA will be situated a stone-throw away from the old charming city of Mdina. The focus by day will be at the Malta Fairs and Convention Centre (MFCC), then once the sun sets down, the focus will shift back to the official hotel, Corinthia San Gorg, and the surrounding restaurants in the city that seldom sleeps, St. Julian’s.

This year there’s something new, quite literally, for everyone:

IMGL are officially endorsing this show for the very first time with two regulatory panel discussions;
The GPI European Poker Conference shifted to Malta within SiGMA;
Gaming Malta partnered with SiGMA to launch the very first DFS conference;
A new, dedicated conference on Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies;
A new, dedicated conference on Bingo;
A new top-tier SEO masterclass for the very advanced;
KPMG strengthened their partnership with their e-Summits;
New world-class investors have joined last year’s lot, including Mark Blandfort, Simon Collins, Walker Parker, Julie Meyer and many more;
The line-up of start-ups shot up from a humble eight last year to over fifty this year;
The number of delegates shot up from 3,800 to a staggering 7,000 delegates;
The number of affiliates shot up from 1,200 to a staggering 2,600 (check graphs so I tally);
The foot print of our expo as well as the number of exhibitors tripled;
World class brands are gracing our floor plan for the first time – Bet365, William Hill, Ladbrokes, PokerStars, Processing.com, Kindred, iGaming Platform, NetRefer, MyAffiliates, Twin, Casino Cruise, White Hat Gaming, Ikibu, Viarsys, Authentic Gaming, Blexr, Booming Games, Gambling Affiliation, Af2Af and many more first time exhibitors;
The Malta Gaming Awards have been upgraded to recognise emerging trends in the industry;
Our careers convention will welcome over 1,000 recruits, all hoping to land the career of a lifetime;
We kept in close contact with all stakeholders throughout the year with a series of lavish dinners called iGatherings;
We launched Affiliate Grand Slam; Tallinn in April, then Bucharest in September, flying a whopping 200 affiliates to each destination on an all-inclusive treat, saving no shillings along the way;
Our publications grew bigger, slicker and reached more corners around the world;
We persuaded the industry to ditch the vodka red bull; and started a new whiskey & cigar culture!
1,000 top level delegates benefited from our VIP Program.

– Are you aiming to expand the event geography and organize it in Europe, Asia, America? Or perhaps Malta and SiGMA are together forever?

EP: Only time will tell whether we expand the show further – for the time being SiGMA belongs in Malta and there is little scope for us to relocate elsewhere. Malta has been very kind to us and we feel right at home with the show in this charming Mediterranean state.

George Miller

George Miller (Gyorgy Molnar) started his career in content marketing and has started working as an Editor/Content Manager for our company in 2016. George has acquired many experiences when it comes to interviews and newsworthy content becoming Head of Content in 2017. He is responsible for the news being shared on multiple websites that are part of the European Gaming Media Network.

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Conferences

The 8th edition of the Romanian Conference on Gambling

Published

6 years ago

February 21, 2018

George Miller

On the 6th of March 2018, the Parliament Palace in Bucharest hosts the 8th edition of the Romanian Gambling Conference – CRG8, the biggest annual event of the gambling industry in Central and Eastern Europe.

The eighth edition of the CRG, a regional conference of gambling, will be held under the slogan “Ready for the Gambling of Tomorrow.”

As in the previous editions, this years event aims to approach all elements of the gambling industry based on the novelties of the legislation and the enforcement rules, both in Romania and other European countries, as well as the vulnerabilities of the current system, passing through the slot rooms and AWPs, but also casino life or online gambling. Special sections will be provided for human resources, marketing, image, social responsibility and responsible gambling.

Among those who will speak, we find representative names in the gaming world both in Romania and abroad. Representatives of the Romanian authorities, as well as from other European Union countries, are on the guest list.

Those present at the event will be able to ask questions to clarify all the unclear aspects in the special questions and answers (Q&A) sections.

The organizer, as in all previous editions, is the most popular magazine of the Romanian gambling industry, Casino Life & Business Magazine, the double winner of the “Best iGaming Magazine of the Region” Award at the CEEG Awards Budapest, Hungary in 2016 and 2017.

As in the previous editions, during the conference, the organizers wish to host a mini-exhibition in the lobby, so that participants can see on the spot the novelties, as well as other projects of interest.

The event, of both local and international importance, will be hosted by the famous marble halls of the Parliament Palace in Bucharest, the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon, on March 6th, 2018.

The Draft of the Program has four plenary sessions as follows:

– Partners Presentation
– CSR & Responsible Gambling
– Europe up-to-date
– Romanian Actuality

The Program has also coffee breaks and a working lunch.

Permanent partners of the events organised by Casino Life & Business Magazine are DGL PRO, GRISOGONO jewelry and ROMBET.
Gold Partner of the conference is NOVOMATIC Romania.

Media partner of the event are the portal www.forrichonly.ro, BURSA news-paper and the very well-known iGaming Business Magazine, part of Clarion group.

Those interested can download the Registration Form from here: Registration Form conf march 2018

For details, registration and other information send your inquiries to [email protected]

Conferences

The gambling industry in France, un problème historique

Published

6 years ago

December 19, 2017

Zoltan "Hawkie" Tundik

The link between France and gambling always has been strong and could even be described as historic.

The country largely contributed to the development of gambling through time with the creation of inescapable games such as roulette (by the mathematician Blaise Pascal) and the 52 card game which gave birth to Baccarat or Shimmy (also known as Chernay).

As a consequence, it feels natural for gambling to be legal in France. But to settle on this territory, you must have a license from by several organisations:
• for betting activities: Pari Mutuel Hippodrome (PMH) and Pari Mutuel Urbain(PMU);
• for bingo lotteries and sports betting, only the Française des Jeux (FDJ) keeps the monopoly on land base activities.

Some conditions must however be respected if you want to offer gambling activities in France. For example, physical casinos can only be established in seaside and tourist towns (except Paris) and on some cruise ships with the French flag.

Since 2010, online gambling is regulated by the Autorité de Régulation des Jeux en Ligne (ARJEL), which can authorise licenses for club games (until now, only the poker is allowed), sports betting and horse races. Online casino games are forbidden in France.

Fifteen licenses have been issued by the ARJEL so far. This particularly low number of licenses can be explained by high tax rates which can frighten some operators.

However, the market is doing well as the third quarter of 2017 results show: an increase by 23% of the revenues linked to sports betting despite a year without international competition, a 10% growth of horse racing revenues and +5% for poker.

France is a market which needs to be followed especially as online casinos should be authorised very soon. The 2018 Football World Cup, with a French team considered as favorite for this new edition, should also contribute to the sector’s success thanks to high sports betting revenues.

On October 16, 2018, the inaugural European Gaming Congress in Ljubljana is set to host a panel where the state of France will be discussed directly with the regulator. To find out more details about the event make sure you follow our news.

Conferences

We are sponsoring the prizes at ASEAN Gaming Summit Poker Freeroll

Published

6 years ago

December 19, 2017

Zoltan "Hawkie" Tundik

We are excited to announce our first event sponsorship and we would like to thank our friends at All-In Translations for the opportunity and initiative. As a strategic partner of Asia Gaming Brief (organizers of ASEAN Gaming Summit), the honor is even higher. (see EEGMedia/EEGEvents engages in strategic partnership with Asia Gaming Brief)

It was great to see that All-in Translations will once again host the official poker tournament of the ASEAN Gaming Summit in March and we want to make it even more interesting for the players by giving some prizes on behalf of our company.

The tournament is a freeroll for delegates attending the conference and we will be sponsoring the prize pool with no less than three packages of great value.

Prize 1 (worth $1600): 1 Seasonal ticket for a company representative which includes access to 5 EEGEvents in 2018.

Prague Gaming Summit – 29.03.2018
Mare Balticum Gaming Summit – 08.05.2018
Vienna International Gaming Expo – 30.05 – 01.06.2018
Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference and Awards– 25-26.09.2018
European Gaming Congress – 16.10.2018

The ticket includes access to the conference/seminar, complimentary lunch and access to all networking sessions.

More details about the events can be found on the official landing page of the events division: www.eegevents.org

Prize 2 (worth $550): Tickets for 2 EEGEvents in 2018 for a company representative.

The winner can choose from the above list of events.

Prize 3 (worth $900): Featured radio spot for 3 months and interview on iGaming Radio

The player who wins this gets the opportunity to present the company with a radio spot which will be streamed during peak hours on iGamingRadio.com. The radio spot can be created by the representative’s team or by the team at the first online radio dedicated exclusively for the b2b sector of the online gambling industry. A selected representative will also get the chance to take part in the Innovation Talks monthly show and discuss the latest innovation in the industry.

As you may already iGaming Radio is the first online radio streaming gaming related news exclusively through daily shows, interviews and press releases. The aim of the station is to keep its audience connected 24/7 with the online gaming industry by playing awesome music and serving the news first hand.

You can tune in on www.igamingradio.com

About ASEAN Gaming Summit

TECH TRENDS, CONVERGENCE, STRATEGY, RETURN ON INVESTMENT
20-22 MARCH, 2018, CONRAD MANILA, PHILIPPINES

The ASEAN Gaming Summit draws together the region’s leading operators, regulators and suppliers, who are successfully developing the next generation of gaming offerings, both terrestrial and online.

From new-style integrated resorts, addressing the premium mass market, to sports betting innovations and online gaming, this event is for anyone with an interest in this dynamic region.

Mark your calendars for 20 -22 March, 2018.

For any questions about the 2018 conference, send an email to [email protected] or visit the official website www.aseangaming.com

About All-In Translations

All In Translations is the only Language Service provider offering such a large variety of languages (70+) combined with a true enthusiasm for iGaming, hence their slogan “We speak your iGaming language”.

They are now a market-leading provider of language services to the iGaming industry. Their high-quality standards and service level are ISO certified and trusted by several of the biggest platform providers, developers, operators and affiliate marketers. The team helps companies like Playtech, William Hill, Betfair, Microgaming, Interblock, Betsson and many more to boost their online presence and grow their brands internationally.

The subject of iGaming has been their bailiwick since the company started up in Malta in 2008, meaning that all their linguists and project managers have both a strong knowledge of and a genuine passion for casino games, poker, sports betting, lotto, bingo, trotting, backgammon, roulette and more.

Visit their official website for more details: www.allintranslations.com