The Gaming Executive Summit LatAm 2011 conference during February 22-24 at the Marriott Panama City Hotel in Panama, organized by Terrapinn, was a resounding success, with over 130 online and offline operators, lotteries, government regulators, jurisdictions, technology & service providers and other key decision makers in attendance.

Building off the success of its global Gaming Executive Summit event portfolio that includes conferences in Europe, Australia and Asia, Gaming Executive Summit LatAm ushered in a high standard for the Latin American gaming industry, covering a very hot topic and presenting the opportunity for online and offline operators alike to do business. It established itself as a quality and trustworthy component of what is a rapidly growing and increasingly relevant regional community. We will continue to provide this top-notch professionalism in 2012 in Panama.

Gaming Executive Summit LatAm focused on innovation and strategy in the entirety of Latin America, spanning both the online and offline sectors of sports betting, bingo, poker, new technology, and mobile betting, as well as putting particular emphasis on regional regulatory and payments infrastructure problems.

The conference spanned three days, dividing the topical matter strategically across the days, including a pre-conference workshop specifically dedicated to navigating Latin Americas difficult regulatory framework. These days provided attendees with holistic and deep coverage of niche topics, allowing participants to focus while leaving the remaining days to explore other areas.

The morning conference opened with dynamic and interactive remarks by Day 1 Chairman James Kilsby, Americas Editor, Gambling Compliance, that led into the very comprehensive Keynote Address given by Fernando Ors, Codere Chief Development Officer, who detailed the present state of the Latin American gaming market, making correlations between that and one of Europe’s most promising markets, such as Spain. He emphasized the macroeconomic factors which make Latin America a promising market for operators and what the unique market limitations are.

Following Ors, was the first Keynote Address; we heard from Andy Wasserman, CEO, bwin Argentina, who focused on the potential and challenges of the Latin American online gaming market. This was followed by a lively debate on the competition between land-based and online operators on competing for market share. The need for consistent regulation region-wide was also a key discussion point. These comprehensive sessions lead perfectly into branching out to other, more detailed, facets of land-based casinos and marketing to Latin American consumers.

The afternoon conference focused primarily on the specifics of lotteries in Latin America. Tiberiu Grigorescu, President of Intralot Latin America spoke on the possibility of forming lottery partnerships in Latin America and what those ultimately look like. The next sessions looked into specific opportunities and developments in the mobile betting and technology sectors, including a very exciting presentation from Mario Palafox, General Manager, Veneto Casino.

Following the day’s sessions, Kermit Schayltz, President, California Gaming Association, commented: “I thought it was an exceptional event providing a vast amount of information to and from the industry as a whole. The networking opportunities were of tremendous value and I believe all of the participants and attendees came away better informed and with contacts that will provide tools and possible opportunities in the future.”

Day 2 of the conference delved into specific markets and sectors which are key parts of the Latin American market. Opening addresses were given by regulators from some of the most exciting and promising Latin American markets – Chile, Peru and Panama. Francisco Leiva Vega, Superintendente, Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego and Manuel San Roman, Director, Dirección General de Juegos de Casinos y Máquinas Tragamonedas de Perú. They discussed the most promising opportunities for operators interested in their markets and what measures need to be taken to streamline licensing and compliance procedures.

Following lunch on Day 2, the conference turned to individual industry opportunities and challenges regionally including sports betting, bingo and poker expansion regionally. Kermit Schayltz, President of the California Gaming Association roused a lively discussion of the state of the online betting market in California and how this translates to Latin America. Conference delegates actively engaged in the debate on proper development of the market and how the lessons learned from legalizing different types of betting in California can teach local regulators. The discussion with the audience was dynamic and roused quite a debate.

The day ended with an invigorating discussion on the various payment issues related to the online and offline gaming business in Latin America. Andrea Wilson, Director, Enterprise Consulting Solutions kicked off the discussion with cash management, instant bank transfer services for online operators and the best way to mitigate fraud by finding local payment infrastructure in each country business is conducted in. Neil Erlick, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Optimal Payments and Eldred Garcia, Senior Vice President, Latin America, Accertify continued the discussion on fraud minimization issues and proper payment system implementation.

Top rated speakers
During the Gaming Executive Summit LatAm 2011, the Speakers were rated on presentation performance according to our attendee marks on the conference evaluation form. Speakers that attracted particular attention and positive feedback included: Fernando Ors, Chief Development Officer, Codere; Andy Wasserman, Chief Executive Officer, bwin Argentina; Mario Palafox, General Manager, Veneto Casino; Kermit Schayltz, President, California Gaming Association; Francisco Leiva Vega, Superintendente, Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego; Manuel San Roman, Director, Dirección General de Juegos de Casinos y Maquinas Tragamonedas de Perú; Giselle Brea, Directora Nacional, Junta de Control De Juego Panamá; and Eldred Garcia, Senior Vice President, Latin America, Accertify.

Commenting on the event, Bob Lytle, Former Director, Division of Gambling Control, California Attorney General, Principal, Lytle Consulting, added: "The Latin American Gaming Executive Summit was a great mix of participants who were not only very knowledgeable about gaming in their respective jurisdictions, but eager to share that knowledge." Finally, Mario Palafox, General Manager, Veneto Casino, Panama, said: “GES LatAm has the potential to become the most important conference for Gaming executives in Latin America”. (E-03.25.11)

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