Check out the Day 1 of iGSS 2012 here.

For anyone that isn’t able to grab the time off work, CalvinAyre.com will be providing remote coverage of the conference. It means you can fill yourself in on some of the insight and what’s being discussed. Honestly though…it’s not going to measure up to being there yourself.

If you can somehow get a few days off work and jump over the continent you will have fun by the shed load. First off there’s the conference itself where you will be able to get all the insight on one of the newest markets in the European Union. The day will include keynotes looking at different issues such as the past, present and future of the Dutch market; more information on taxation; and of course how effective mobile and other mediums will be in the territory.

This gives way to an evening of informal drinks when you can network with various regulators and policymakers to bend their collective ears on the best way to go about your business in the Dutch market.

Now for those extra days off you need to make sure you get. Amsterdam is one of the most picturesque cities in the whole of Europe and when the weather’s good, like it is at the moment, it makes for a great three-day break. Not to mention you get the chance to sample some of the local delicacies before the rules change later this year.

If all that wasn’t enough, CalvinAyre.com readers can get a 10 percent discount on the entry fee by entering the following code: CALVIN12. If you’re still reading this then what are you waiting for?! Get on over to the site and book your place! It will be a day that you cannot afford to miss if you have an eye on the market.

The event takes place from September 11-12 at the island’s Hilton Resort and there’s no one in doubt that this is the premier event for anyone looking to tap in to this impressive market. This is a jurisdiction that already has 60 companies trying to obtain licences and to gain an advantage on this competition will be extremely valuable.

Conference goers can expect one of the more professional gatherings on the iGaming industry circuit with expert speakers that have worked in the jurisdiction giving sound advice. CEOs from a number of different firms will give you the insight and tips and tricks in addition to the pitfalls to avoid to succeed in the area.

That’s not to say it’s all work and no play. As we know the iGaming industry works hard but it also plays hard and as such there are a number of “networking sessions” to help lubricate deals and fine tune those all important contacts. In addition to the endless opportunities for networking there is the ever-popular MiGS12 poker tournament. It gives you a chance to pit your ‘A’ game against industry peers and find who is the biggest hustler of them all.

The conference culminates in what is dubbed the “iGaming industry’s finest Pool Party” which also signals the end of a whirlwind two days in this beautiful Mediterranean setting. If the presence of a who’s who of Malta’s iGaming industry in attendance then in the sunny climbs of Malta should be just about enough to make this the next iGaming conference you attend.

Check out last year’s video…

“We are on the 18th month of a gradual decline rate. May will likely see a notable slowdown in the growth rate, but a record overall number,” Govertsen said.

The fact it will still break a record flies in the face of those that think the drop in growth is at all worrying. If it gets any worse and, for example, dips as low as 8 or 9 percent growth then Billy Ng, director at Merrill Lynch Asia Pacific, thinks it will be a “very shocking number to see”.

Among those that own properties in the enclave this doom mongering simply isn’t present. Laurence Ho, chief executive of Melco Crown Entertainment, explained “With the potential for a significant increase in penetration, a supportive infrastructure development pipeline, as well as the economic growth and increasing prosperity of our major feeder market, we believe the future of Macau is well supported.”

Attention was also focused on whether Japan will decide to either say yes, no or choose to decide later – that choice to be made next week. The conference heard that regulation is likely to be slow and steady with pachinko operators being allowed in – despite now unfounded fears over them being shut out if gaming is permitted. Much of this has to with the pachinko operators, including Kazuo Okada, being needed, as they’ve been the strongest lobbying group in the push for Japanese casinos. Whatever the decision is next week it looks like the pachinko operators will be at the forefront.

Russia could be Macau’s unlikeliest of new challengers in the Far East gaming industry. Las Vegas Review Journal report that Nash Dom Primorye, a government owned corporation in Russia’s Primorsky region, will announce its intention to find developers to help them construct a new casino complex near Vladivostok – a city on the country’s South East Coast.

Marina Lomakina, general director of Nash Dom Primorye, said in a statement: “Over the next five years, the Russian Federation will continue to have a strong strategic interest in the economic development of the Far East region. Our view is that the tourism sector is a strategic economic opportunity that has yet to be fully developed. We believe that the private sector will be interested in the tourism and casino gaming potential of the (entertainment zone).

“We believe the (entertainment zone) will create a compelling experience for Asian tourists seeking a destination that is near, but culturally different.”

The “entertainment zone” she speaks of is one of four zones the Russian government earmarked for casinos when they banned them from all other areas just last decade. That could have been a masterstroke as far as they’re concerned thanks to the short two-hour plane ride to both Seoul and Tokyo from Vladivostok.

Confirmation will come at the G2E Asia conference on Wednesday with a website also likely to be unveiled on the same day.

The day itself starts off with a golf clinic sponsored by Betfair which gives way to a putting competition before the players retire to the club house to gee themselves up for the afternoon.

Organizers have been lucky enough to secure exclusive access to the entire course for the afternoon meaning players can all tee off at different holes simultaneously – more commonly known as a shotgun start. Like last year there will a number of special competitions taking place for players to take part in around the course. Co-sponsors Entropay and Betfair will be staging both a nearest to the pin and longest drive competition on certain holes. They’re also proud to support the drinks and prize presentation that take place in the clubhouse once the day has concluded.

There will again be a focus on charity and the organizers will be looking to raise more than the impressive €1,400 for last year’s charity, Children First. The day itself gets underway at 11 a.m. with transport available from the Bewleys – Ballsbridge hotel in Dublin fair city. Check out the photo gallery from last year’s event and there’s also a video below to show you what you can expect.

So whether you consider yourself a budding Happy Gilmour or more of the Woods variety then get yourself down to iGaming’s premiere golf event.

These two shows only come around once a year and both are a fabulous way to make new contacts while at the same time learning more about the industry. The iGaming Super Show represents the largest gathering of iGaming operators and affiliates. It’s designed to take advantage of this and make sure you talk to as many people as possible with enough booze thrown in to sink a fairly large ship.

G2E Asia covers the gaming industry as a whole and prides itself on being Asia’s largest show covering the entire gaming industry. The conference floor itself combines with a number of keynote speakers to ensure your time spent in the gaming industry’s largest destination is as fruitful as possible.

The tablog’s stellar team of writers, reports, producers and camera operators will be on the ground at both conferences letting you know what the iGaming world is getting up to on the conference floor. Following the action has been made easier as both the iGaming Super Show and G2E Asia have released hash tags. For iGSS (from 22nd to 25th) the official hash-tag is #iGSS2012 whereas those tweeting in advance of G2E Asia (from 22nd to 24th) have been using #g2easia.

Who’s going to be there though? First things first make sure you follow @CalvinAyreNews for all the best retweets and news items. I will be on ground at the Venetian Macau (@mistabill) along with on camera reporter Angelia Ong (@angelia_ong) and camera supah-man Jerome Guidotti (@caseyboo15).

Over in Dublin the familiar face of Becky Liggero (@RebeccaLiggero) will be reporting throughout on all the latest drunken shenanigans with our new producer Rob Peacock (@rob_a_peacock) also taking in the best place to drink Guinness on planet earth. Last but by no means least make sure you follow the king of gambling, drinkin’ and carryin’ on, @CalvinAyre. It’s the account to follow for all the best CalvinAyre.com articles and you might even be treated to some insight from the man himself.

This in mind, the country’s capital city, Madrid, recently held the Gaming in Spain conference in order to inform the masses as to what they can expect if they enter the market. Around 200 attendees turned up at the Palacio de Congresos from May 9 to 10 and were lucky enough to enjoy the gaming legislator’s first public appearance.

Over the course of the two days there were a number of panels looking at all different sides of the gaming industry. Regulation was the main subject but there was also some excellent discussion on areas such as marketing, social media and how the industry uses these areas to its considerable advantage.

In terms of the Spanish market itself, we saw some considerable debate on the make-up of the market when it has been fully regulated. A number think it will be a lot smaller than first expected with firms having to work harder than ever to make sure their marketing efforts are up to scratch.

When it first comes out the law is obviously not going to be watertight. This was something the legislator recognized and stated that they’ll be working on everything from international liquidity to taxation and new games. He added that they’re hoping to have sorted it by the end of 2012.

TV is one of the things being held up as a huge opportunity for firms to gain market share and make sure their brand is ahead of the rest. Any advertising on TV will be done so under the gaze of the new government-approved regulatory authority – Autocontrol. Some operators are already worried at how excessive the limitations placed on them will be as it’s still not clear how it will work.

This being an iGaming conference meant there was no shortage of networking opportunities and like its peers around the world this conference stayed alive long into the evening. Attendees were treated to a cocktail night overlooking Real Madrid’s pitch at the Real Café Bernabéu, giving attendees the opportunity to network in a great setting.

Anyone that made their way over to Madrid will have come away with a wealth of valuable knowledge that will be key ahead of the market opening – which happens on June 1.

After first setting up base in Prague two years ago it has now found its place in the home of Guinness, girls with sexy accents and leprechauns – Dublin, Ireland. This year’s incarnation of the show takes place 22^nd to 25^th May and as usual it’s 100 percent free. In addition to the usual conference floor and seminars there are a number of new features and we thought it best to ask our readership what they were most looking forward to.

Unfortunately for the organizers it seems that conference goers are way more bothered about getting sozzled with a leprechaun as 40 percent of those polled answered, where’s Sheamus?! I want a Guinness.

Of the remaining new features that the conference has to offer 27 percent decided that a free lunch was the second best behind getting drunk. Need to soak up that alcohol after all. Remember though – eating’s cheating!

One new track that has been implemented at this year’s Super Show is one focusing on betting trends and strategies. Of those asked, 20 percent said this was the new thing they were most looking forward to.

Following a little further behind still were the free learning clinics with 10 percent. They are in place between 12pm and 4pm in order to give attendees one-on-one consultations with specialists across a number of areas including SEO, PPC, WordPress and Payments.

Networking is always a huge part of these conferences and our sample recognized this with 3 percent voting speed networking as the thing they’re most looking forward to.

Those who are thinking about visiting the conference didn’t seem too enthralled at the prospect of either the Professional iGaming Management Education (PRiME) or Financial Exhibition Zone as both received 0 percent of the vote.

This week’s poll seeks to find out the answer to one question that will make or break the sports betting industry’s summer – how will England get on at Euro 2012.

The format of the first ever forum was a good one with the beginning in the bar area – always a masterstroke where the gaming industry is concerned. Ed Ware, CEO of 32Red, Mark Davies, founder and MD of Camberton UK, Clive Hawkswood, CEO of the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) and Peter Nolan, MD of Genting Alderney all joined eGR editor James Bennet on stage for a lively debate on the future of the UK market.

Much of the discussion centered on whether the industry should be pushing for greater concessions from the government. betfair founder Davies admitted the industry is “rolling over” regarding regulation when it’s “all to play for”. Hawkswood also recognised the point and added that it’s still about getting the best deal possible from politicians and that there’s definitely one to be done.

All sides agreed on the fact the changes aren’t Treasury driven as the money being talked about is a mere drop in the ocean for central government. Hawkswood added that for it’s an easy “political hit” to take for Westminster due to the fact it throws the land-based industry an olive branch and has cross-party support.

Amongst the audience members was David Zeffman from Olswang who said the best the industry can hope for is the new regime to be deferred for a couple of years – something that will save companies millions.

ROCK IN A HARD PLACE – GIBRALTAR

Apart from the players, the other obvious loser in the whole process is Britain’s rock in a hard place – Gibraltar. Davies admitted they have had legal teams working on it for some time to try and get their own concession. Debate surrounding the bill soon became heated as Nolan’s view that it was all about “social responsibility” and “jobs” was largely rejected by the others on the panel.

Before everyone retired for an early morning beer the four were asked what the best and worst scenarios would be. Davies stated that the gaming industry will have “failed” if significant “concessions” aren’t obtained from government. It was agreed that anything below 15 percent or the government killing the plan would likely be the best-case scenario.

eGR’s forum then splintered off to four different tracks and we focused on the sportsbook with some interesting insights looking at the Asian market. Jesper Jensen, director of trading at Samvo, and Johan Moazed, CEO of Bettingpromotion, joined moderator Joe Saumarez Smith, CEO of Sports Gaming, under the banner “the evolution of trading”. They explained the inherent differences between operating in Europe and Asia, and how bettors differ completely between the two markets.

Comments on fixing were of particular interest as Jensen admitted Asian-facing companies could blame fixing when they “fall asleep behind the wheel” of their business. FIFA and companies also have to distinguish between when it’s fixing and when it isn’t – something that’s a quandary in itself.

PERSONALIZATION IS THE KEY

User experience is something you always have to consider as a sportsbook and three esteemed dignitaries from the industry got together to debate this. All panelists agreed with Easyodds CEO James Garmston’s point that personalization is the key to a good site and betfair’s Liam Barbour added that new offerings are another important driver of traffic.

Social media was a huge subject of discussion with Vincent Leonard, from Rank Interactive, agreeing with the other two panelists about the huge potential in this area. Interaction with users is the biggest part of this with Barbour adding that Twitter, mobile and gambling all “linked seamlessly” is the “next big thing”.

POKER and RECREATIONAL IS HAPPY MARRIAGE

Panels looking at the poker industry also took place in the morning with most of those on the panels coming round to the idea that the recreational model is the way to go. Poker industry expert and Infinite Edge Gaming founder Kim Lund commented that the industry “needs” a recreational future and that liquidity only matters to individuals in the sense that they want to play more players on their level. He added that “innovation has stalled” because networks are too focused on increasing this liquidity – everyone on the panel agreed.

Another panel looked “operators achieving growth in poker” with Jez San, founder of PKR, worried whether it is “unfair” on others if PokerStars gets a leg up in the U.S. market if they buy Full Tilt Poker.

After a spot of lunch it was onto the afternoon and panels looking at regulation in European jurisdictions. Peter Naessens from the Belgian Gaming Commission, Ian Ince from Sportingbet and Clive Hawkswood from the RGA joined moderator Chrstian Tirabassi, MD of Ficom Leisure to chat about the EU. Ince made the point that firms “want to be regulated” and that companies feel “untrusted” thanks to regimes like Belgium and France putting in place restrictions. Naessens stuck to his guns on the fact that their plan all along was to have a few companies due to it being a small jurisdiction.

FOUR INGREDIENTS FOR SUCCESS IN EUROPE

Sportingbet’s Ince explained that “ISP blocking”, “following the money”, “banning advertising and marketing” and “targeting suppliers” are all integral to preventing illegal firms operating. It’s Ince’s belief that if a jurisdiction doesn’t do all these together they won’t succeed.

Lastly it was the jurisdiction that is on everyone’s lips turn to be dissected – the U.S.A. Hell, eGR and iGB have even brought out new magazines to herald North America’s return to iGaming so it must be big!

THE AMERICAN DREAM

Not if you listen to gaming veteran Joe Saumarez Smith, CEO of Sports Gaming, who stated he is “pessimistic” that it will move quickly anytime soon with all sides pulling in slightly differing directions meaning it’s a difficult political situation. The panel, which featured lawyer Jeff Ifrah and GTECH G2’s William Scott, pointed out the need for a local partner and that land-based casino business will have to be attracted to it in some way.

Discussion on those partnerships was a big part of the panel with Smith speculating that they’re simply “window dressing to improve share prices” and that working together will be a “learning curve”.

Overall the day offered much insight and we just hope it will still be a free-for-all for us non-subscribers next year!

Check out the daily video summary and pictures here.

From the eyes of a seven year online gambling industry vet, it was surprising to see how very green the major players in the US market are when it comes to the online gambling industry. It appears that partnerships are necessary for companies to thrive in the US online gambling market, namely US land based companies who will hold the license and brand name and their need to partner with European online gambling companies who have perfected the software and the technical expertise.

It works both ways though, as CEO Jim Ryan of Bwin.Party pointed out in his panel: “If you’re an online gambling company looking to enter the US market, look for a partner and be B2B enabled. There will be no pure online gambling operators entering the US marketplace…the land based companies will hold the licenses and you need to partner with them, maybe even more than one of them. We will be ‘invited guests’ into this market and we are happy to participate in any way”.

The well attended GIGSE conference sessions were split up into three themes over three days, the first day with a focus on the basics of online gambling for the newbies, the second day with a focus on regulation and tribal gaming and the third on strategy and social gaming.

While there were a number of delegates who attended GIGSE for all or some of the sessions, a good chuck simply attended for the networking opportunities and the closed door meetings. GIGSE served and will continue to serve as an ideal opportunity for online gambling operators and suppliers from outside the US to build relationships and secure partnerships with US land based companies who will be granted licenses once they are available.

Looking back over the past week in San Francisco, one of the largest regulatory challenges on a federal and state by state level is dealing with the tribes across the United States, also responsible for 52% of US gambling revenue when combined, according to Jason “Wolf” Rosenberg of American iGaming Solutions.

At present, unless a tribe has a large land based presence and a shed load of money behind them such as the Seminoles of Hard Rock or the Mashantucket Pequots of Foxwoods, the smaller tribes risk getting left behind when online gambling regulation is passed. We can only hope that all tribes across the US work together through national organizations such as the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) and state associations such as the California Tribal Business Alliance (CTBA) to prevent Native Americans from getting left out of the regulation puzzle.

Another issue that constantly came up at GIGSE (and everywhere else, for that matter) was the difference in opinions in assessing how and when regulation will actually happen within the US. Most think its safe to say that federal regulation of any sort is a long way off, but state regulation is looking pretty complicated as well, especially within California.

California may have the largest poker market in the nation and according to Senator Lou Correra, “California is watching Nevada closely and will be following right behind them”, but the state is also massively fragmented due to the large number of tribes and differing opinions on how online poker should be regulated. These differences of opinion became clear to GIGSE delegates during the “Making a breakthrough in California” panel in particular, leaving the crowd doubtful that a solution will be uncovered within the state of California anytime soon.

However, the one thing that the tribes in California do seem to agree on is that recently proposed SB1463 bill should not be passed and according to Michael Lombardi of the Augustine Band of Cuhilla Indians, “no way, no how” will this bill actually come into fruition. No one seems to have the answer on how to do it right, though.

While GIGSE was a very successful event, it is interesting that so many senior professionals decided to fly to San Francisco from around the United States and beyond to attend a conference that is covering sector that is still very uncertain. However, experts say that when the US regulates it will happen fast, so it is worth it to be as prepared as possible to flip the switch when the time comes.

My advice after attending GIGSE 2012? Try not to spend too much time and money preparing just yet because we have no idea how things will actually pan out.

Check out the Day 1 of GiGse 2012 video and pictures here.

After Scott Dodgson and Paula Juson from SKOPOS had spoken, the floor was left to Dr Windsor Holden, senior analyst at Juniper Research. Most people will know Juniper as the firm to turn to for figures on anything mobile and Dr Holden didn’t disappoint. He looked at some of the key trends that we can expect in a sector that will see smartphone shipments reach 600 million in 2012 and tablets tip the 100 million bar by the year-end. Sports betting was identified as the area in which smartphones will continue to have most influence with it “likely to account for 40 percent of all wagers by late-2014”. The industry as a whole will see mobile being key to social gambling and wagers as a whole will reach $100billion per year later this decade with $30 billion of this one tablets.

The day then split into two distinct tracks with both giving different overviews on the industry. Track 2 focused on “Strategy Matters” with three mini seminars looking at different aspects of apps. Henrik Mandal, CEO & founder of Kyoogi, looked at the various app stores available and how best to exploit these. Mandal explained “independent app stores are exciting”. They obviously don’t have the same attraction as Apple’s but they are not to be shirked at. Jo Wightman from Fiksu gave an insight into app marketing and explained that starting off with free channels is very important. This was along with a number of “Super Practice’s” designed to help those looking to launch an app. The first session was rounded off by Neil Fairweather from Mobile Latitude looking at the advantages of mobile web and how geo-positioning will become very important.

Following a quick break for some networking, Aideen Shortt chaired a session on “Design, Implementation and User Focus”. The packed house heard the differences between native and web-based apps with Simon Wilson, MD and founder of mFortune, championing the app side of things and the “richer experience” they give the consumer. Páll Þór Pálsson from BetWare stated Flash “isn’t going forward” and we heard from all sides that roulette and blackjack tend to perform badly on newer smartphone devices. Palsson added that HTML5 means the fragmentation of app markets disappears and although issues remain they are a lot smaller. In terms of Android he added that it’s “incredibly expensive” to develop on each separate versions.

Our first trip onto track 1 saw a session that will have interested newcomers and veterans of the marketplace alike: “Bringing in the Punters”. We heard from Fintan Costello at Google about the potential of the industry. He gave figures from a few days back showing bingo searches on mobile up 600 percent, horseracing 144 percent, poker 75 percent, casino 79 percent and football 99 percent. He added that Boxing Day 2011 is the biggest online gambling query day and showed just how big device uptake is for the industry.

James Hilton from advertising firm M&C Saatchi Mobile commented that, for them, “mobile gambling a tougher gig than Amazon” and that the gaming industry could learn a lot from other industries. This is especially the case in customer service and that customers should be treated as “gold dust”.

Courtesy of iGaming Business

By this time food was all that was on the minds of delegates with a veritable banquet laid on by iGaming2go.

After lunch we stayed with track 1 where “Show me the money” featured a panel of speakers from the mobile payments sector. Unfortunately Cuba Gooding Jr wasn’t on hand. They looked at certain problems that can arise when getting customers to make payments ,with Ukash’s David Hunter giving the fact that UK consumers are twice as likely as US counterparts to pay using a mobile device.

In terms of the future for payment firms Oisin Lunny from OpenMarket stated it’s “wide open” and that near field communication (NFC) will depend on cooperation between networks. On the other hand Hunter is worried that if there isn’t better standardization and interoperability there could be problems.

Last slot of the day on track two looked at the next steps for the entire mobile gaming industry. This was very much focused on future innovations such as LTE/4G with Ben Letherbridge from mobile network Everything Everywhere stating it will make a big difference before the end of the year.

Shortly after the end of the conference the very first mGaming awards took place with Paddy Power walking away with the three awards for best mobile gambling app, sports betting app and casino. The roll of honor was as follows:

Mobile poker operator – mFortune

Overall gambling app – Paddy Power

Innovation in mobile – Betfred

Sports betting app – Paddy Power

Billing app – Optimal Payments

Bingo app – mFortune

Casino app – Paddy Power

Check out the Day 2 of GiGse 2012 video and pictures here.

Attendance was strong as usual and delegates seemed pleased with most of the content. The fact that there were a lot less booths than in previous years did not seem to bother anyone, in fact exhibitor Lotto Network was delighted with the business and attention they received throughout the event.

Some operators expressed their desire to see more affiliates in attendance and when asked why this was the case, Daniel Flesch of Dragonfish cheekily replied, “the affiliates are not here because they cannot come for free”. Though funny, the more likely scenario is that the affiliate industry becoming less profitable due to UIGEA and other regulatory changes around the world, increased competition, poor economies, and decreased operator marketing budgets. However, life does go on and bingo affiliates have had to make some changes in order to survive in this market.

The affiliate marketing panelists touched upon some interesting topics, including Leigh Nissim’s question of how regulated markets have affected the affiliate industry. All panelists were in agreement that regulation is more of a threat to affiliates than an opportunity as revenues will be taxed which reduces the bottom line. Ben Starr of 15 Marketing brought up Spain specifically, a country that will require affiliates to apply for and pay for a license. He said, “We will wait on Spain- we want to see how things go for the operators first”.

Both affiliates on the panel, Starr and Roo Wright of Bingoport, have wandered into the operator side of the bingo business as well, using their experience on the other side of the fence to improve their affiliate marketing strategies. However, Starr pointed out to CalvinAyre.com in an exclusive interview that bingo affiliates do not have to offer white labels or start up their own real money bingo sites, its just one way- and a successful way- of doing things.

Another issue that is addressed each year is how the UK market is saturated with bingo brands and how UK operators can succeed in this environment. Mecca Bingo’s Angus Nisbet gave an engaging presentation on how his brand touches costumers keeps their loyalty. His main points included:

*Get your brand in front of the customer in as many ways as possible- mobile, social, online, TV.
*social gaming has the opposite model as real money gaming- rather than trying to get customers to deposit straight away, let them engage before monetizing.
*Coordinate offers- send out one piece of communication for an offer redeemable by online, mobile and land.
*Forus on the product and technology- brand recognition is important, but customers will stray if the product does not meet their expectations.

Its always interesting to see the player perspective on operators’ branding and marketing efforts and one everyone loves the player panel, this year arranged by OhMyBingo! and skillfully moderated by Leigh Nissim. The most interesting bits of information revealed during this panel were:

*These players play bingo for the social aspect, not to win money.
*Chat rooms are key and become the social life of bingo players, especially those who live in remote or isolated areas of the UK.
*None of the players cared about the jackpot size of slots.
*These players do not like playing bingo on mobile devices.
*Favorite brands include Paddy Power, Mecca Bingo, Jackpot Joy and Bet365.

Throughout the networking breaks and cocktail reception delegates commented on the fact that much of the conference sessions were dedicated to mobile and social gaming while the players on the panel didn’t seem to care about either. In fact, these players actually dislike playing bingo on mobile devices.

The disconnect between the player feedback and the session content leaves one to wonder if the industry is right in their predictions of where the online bingo industry is going in the future. I guess time will tell and the industry will have to regroup and evaluate at Online Bingo Summit 2013.

Check out pictures from the Online Bingo Summit 2012 at the CalvinAyre.com photo gallery!