Operator News

Peru – GLI praised for hosting Latin American Regulators Roundtable

By Phil - 29 August 2013

More than 40 gaming regulators and government lotteries from 12 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean gathered for GLI University’s 2013 Latin American Regulators Roundtable, presented by Gaming Laboratories International (GLI).

This was the sixth consecutive year for the Latin American Roundtable, which has become a must-attend event for regulators throughout the region. This year´s event took place on August 12 and 13 in Lima, Peru at the Casa Andina Private Collection – Miraflores Hotel.

More than 40 gaming and lottery representatives from 12 countries were in attendance representing Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Guyana, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Puerto Rico.

Leading global experts addressed attendees and spoke about today’s most critical topics facing regulators and government lotteries in the Latin American and Caribbean land-based and iGaming markets, including iGaming/mobile regulatory best practices, ISS and risk-protection, live sports betting and wagering and responsible gaming best practices.

Additionally, Peruvian regulators spoke about the formalization of the gaming industry in Peru and the nationwide interconnection of the gaming machines to their office’s data center for tax reporting purposes, as well as a DGJCMT Peru onsite demonstration of the regulators’ data center.

Karen Sierra-Hughes, GLI’s Latin America Development Director, said: “We are very thankful to all of the regulators and government lotteries that were able to join us this year.  We had an incredible mix of countries and cultures with a common purpose: to learn from each other’s experience and to build and strengthen the relations among all the jurisdictions. GLI strongly believes in the importance of continuing training and education and the Regulators Roundtables are proof of that.  We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the DGJCMT for hosting us in Peru, for their hospitality and for opening the doors to all of the regulators and lotteries in attendance to explain and demonstrate the path they followed to achieve a gaming industry widely regulated and admired.”

Regulators in attendance were very enthusiastic about their experience, and several commented on the event.

Giselle Brea, General Director, Junta de Control de Juegos, Panama said: “I extend my gratitude to GLI for inviting us to the Regulators Roundtable 2013. It was an enriching experience for us, and we were able to share our experiences and future plans with our counterparts. Additionally the topics covered during those two days were very appropriate, because our current regulations are being updated, and it helped us clarify many questions that we had. My congratulations to all, and I urge GLI to continue organizing these events that are of great benefit to our developing countries.”

Gino Campbell, General Director, Curacao Gaming Control Board, said: “The entire event was well-organised and very informative. The participation grade of the attendees was refreshing. I believe that, because only regulators were present, the discussions were more in-depth and focused on the regulatory best practices of the different jurisdictions. We were able to measure where we stand in comparison to other jurisdictions in the region. The Online Monitoring and Control Systems implemented by Peru and Bolivia were especially impressive. This was our primary reason for attending the event this year. Now we have the contacts to help us realize a similar system in Curacao.”

Mario Cazón, Executive Director, Autoridad de Fiscalización y Control Social del Juego, Bolivia, said: “The Regulators Roundtable was a very important and enriching experience because of the topics discussed, such as the growth of online gaming, challenges and potential, as well as the weaknesses primarily regarding taxes. Learning what other jurisdictions, such as Peru and Panamá, have been working on with respect to responsible gambling, as well as Costa Rica’s experience in the lottery industry, and the progress of the online monitoring system in Perú was also very important.  In summary, the Roundtable allowed us to collect good practices in gaming and lottery, and to achieve a self-evaluation of our status in Bolivia regarding the control of gaming and lottery.  The presentation of different topics allowed for the exchange of experiences and to build relationships with other regulators who attended the event.”

Manuel San Román Benavente, General Director, DGJCMT Peru, said: “I want to publicly recognize GLI for organizing the Regulator´s Roundtable in Lima, Perú, and gathering several countries that were interested in sharing, improving and implementing aspects related to the regulation of gaming. As I expressed before, there is no doubt that the sum of the experience of all the representatives in attendance allows us to work in improving our regulations, and we have all learned something new.  Likewise, it has also been an excellent opportunity to analyze in a very serious manner, the aspects related to iGaming, sports books and new technologies, with the aim to strengthen our regulations and only allow the operation of companies who truly have the will to comply, demonstrate security and respect the legal framework of each of our countries. I reiterate my congratulations to GLI and my warmest regards to all the regulators of our neighboring countries with whom we were able to share in a friendship and professional environment.”

Next in the region, GLI University will present the Argentinean Regulator’s Seminar, which will take place in Buenos Aires on November 11.