Conferences

Riga Gaming Congress: speaker interview with Steve Donoughue

Published

7 years ago

August 30, 2017

Steve Donoughue: A well-regulated and taxable industry is the best development option

Running a gambling business abroad not knowing the subtleties of its legislative regulation in a specific country is a huge risk for an entrepreneur. To avoid negative consequences, you should always consult industry experts.

One of them is Steve Donoughue, a consultant on business strategies and policies in the gambling industry. We talked to him about the specifics of his work, unusual situations with customers, and discussed which countries have the most loyal policy towards gambling business.

Steve! Could you please tell us about your responsibilities as a business strategies and policy consultant for the gambling industry?

I do four types of work.
I am a management consultant who specializes in gambling. I do strategic work for operators, such as casino feasibility studies, white papers and market entry strategies. I also provide licensing and compliance advice, so I help people get online gambling licenses in the UK and then advise them on how to stay compliant with UK regulations.

I am also in my final year as a PhD student and I am writing about the Gambling Act 2005, which is the law that governs Britain’s gambling industry, why it happened and the impact it has had. I’ve been researching it for four years and I’m writing the final chapter.

I am the Secretariat of the Parliamentary All Party Betting & Gaming Group. This means I look after 40 members of the British Parliament who are interested in gambling. I arrange a series of seminars that are held in Parliament where we get members of the industry and associated stakeholders to discuss topics of interest to do with gambling in front of an invited audience of Parliamentarians and members of the UK gambling industry.

Over the 20 years of experience, what were the most controversial events that you’ve encountered during your work?

The really controversial stuff is kept secret. A management consultant is like a doctor and keeps his clients’ secrets secret!
The most interesting work I do is when I am advising governments as then you are dealing with the very heart of the big issues about gambling: How much? What kind? Who can provide? Who will regulate it and how? You usually only have one go at it because governments have bigger priorities than just gambling and then there is always the fun of dealing with the anti-gamblers.

Are there any organizations that you’d particularly like to work with in the future?

I would love to work with governments in Eastern Europe because I find the countries fascinating and the people so much fun.
I also like working with governments in the Caribbean!

In your opinion, what European country has the most gambling-friendly policy?

I think the UK is probably one of the best of the big countries but it is getting less gambling-friendly. The wonderful thing about gambling politics is that things never stay the same. It’s like a pendulum, some years countries love gambling, some years they hate it. It depends on the relationships the gambling industry has with the government and also how much gambling has become a political issue.

Small countries, like Malta, which have a large proportion of their economy based on gambling, will always be gambling-friendly.

And if we’re talking about the whole world?

Fortunately, for our business the majority of the world is still developing when it comes to gambling. This doesn’t particularly mean they’re gambling-friendly, just that there are opportunities out there. Hopefully, countries realize that having well-regulated and taxed gambling industries is the best way forward.

What interesting issues will you be addressing as part of your presentation at Riga Gaming Congress?

I hope all I have to say will be of interest! I will be comparing Latvian regulation with the UK and, hopefully, showing how both countries can learn from each other.

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.

Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2025 (25-26 March)

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Conferences

The 8th edition of the Romanian Conference on Gambling

Published

7 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

7 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

7 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