The organizers are proud to announce that Adv. Tal Itzhak Ron will be among the speakers of the “Hot Topics of the Online Gambling Industry in Europe” panel at the CEEGC 2016 which will take place in Budapest on the 20th of September 2016.
A seminar type conference which is designed to encourage a Pan-European dialogue and create an in-depth report of the Central, Eastern and Northern European markets, with an additional Balkans gambling market overview allowing operators and suppliers to monetize the value of their reputations.
Tal will be the key speaker about “Forex and Binary Options in the EU” topic which is embeded in the “Hot Topics of the Online Gambling Industry in Europe” and will be moderated by Dr. Paul Davis(Managing Director @ Counting House (IOM) Ltd.)
Adv. and Notary Tal Itzhak Ron is a General Member of International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL), practicing in Hi Tech, Mobile Applications law, Digital Media, i-Gaming and Financial Entertainment law. Tal graduated from Haifa University School of Law (LL.B.) and Faculty of Computer Science (B.Sc.), and while working as a software developer at a publicly traded software company, NESS Technologies group, has further obtained a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from Bar Ilan University (M.Sc). Tal established Tal Ron, Drihem & Co., Law Firm in 2003, focusing on Online Trading, Ad Tech, Hi Tech, M&A, Fin Tech and iGaming, quickly becoming one of the first international law firms practicing solely on these areas, advising top-tier international clients in these fields. Over the years, Tal gained extensive knowledge in Financial and Gaming regulation, International Taxation and Payment services. Today his team of highly seasoned attorneys and partnering professionals headquartered in Tel Aviv and operating from 8 offices around the world, offers an international one-stop shop for all legal, incorporation, banking, M&A and licensing needs.
In a recent interview in our EEGReport Magazine, Tal explained that the EU gambling market is a market that just keeps evolving and re-inventing itself. Target markets are continuously increasing. Technologies are developing all the time. Globalization is at its peak. Below you will find a short preview of the interview, which you can read in full by accessing the online version of the magazine here.
EEGaming(Zoltan Tundik): With the expansion of online gambling in Europe and mostly Eastern and Central Europe, many countries have been facing new societal, regulatory and technical challenges. Laws on gambling are the responsibility of individual countries, but as you may know yourself, online gambling doesn’t respect borders. Can these cross-border online gambling challenges be tackled without an efficient cooperation between countries? Do you think Europe needs such an arrangement?
Tal Itzhak Ron: Well, unfortunately the reality and the ideal situation are very far apart in this case. We do believe that such a global industry as the online gambling industry deserves less jurisdiction-related restrictions. This could be achieved, for example, through regional committees specialized in online gambling. Europe has taken a step towards this kind of cooperation in last November when EEA member states signed a cooperation agreement regarding online gambling regulation. This breeze started blowing back in 2012, when the commission published a communication that set forth a thorough comprehensive framework for online gambling the in EU. This communication aimed to enhance legal clarity and establish unified policies. The highlighted objectives of the communication were to enhance compliance of national regulatory framework with EU law, to enhance administrative cooperation and efficient enforcement, to protect consumers and to prevent fraudulent behaviors and money laundering. I think this is a much-needed step and I am glad that the communication has become a binding agreement. From our experience, we have many clients operation in Europe, both in EU members’ states and in other states such as Turkey, Russia, Montenegro, Serbia and others and what they seek most of the time are good legal advice on how to operate throughout Europe and how to tackle these country-dependent obstacles.
EEGaming(Zoltan Tundik): I do believe the European Commissions has taken some steps recently. How do you comment them?
Tal Itzhak Ron: Again, signing the cooperation agreement is a big step for the EU. But it still doesn’t live up to the vision that we see when we think of real cooperation. The agreement deals greatly with data sharing and enforcement cooperation, but it doesn’t layout a unified policy or regulation. In other words, the agreement makes it easier for the participating states to enforce their online gambling laws, but it doesn’t really make the operators’ lives easier. This is why we think that our client will still need our advice on how to operate in Europe and step on as little regulator’s toes as possible.
EEGaming(Zoltan Tundik): Online gambling is a fast growing industry in the EU, with annual growth rates of almost 15%. Annual revenues in 2015 were in the region of €13 billion, compared to €9.3 billion in 2011. This represents a total growth rate of almost 40%. Do you think that this number will grow even higher with new markets that are going to open next year? We must mention the fact that the Czech Republic it’s going to start handing out licenses for remote operators starting from 2017.
Tal Itzhak Ron: Yes, no doubt, there will be changes and we believe numbers will continue to grow. This is a market that just keeps evolving and re-inventing itself. Target markets are continuously increasing. Technologies are developing all the time. Globalization is at its peak. There is no reason why this market shouldn’t go on being the meteor it has been so far. Regarding new market in Europe, we think that Malta, Curacao and Isle of Man will continue to lead due to their attractive licensing procedures and costs. In Sweden we expect a shift from Maltese licensing to Sweden licensing, thus the Sweden market will become more like others in its region such as the Danish one. Czech Republic will also be very attractive, we believe. Operators are constantly looking for gaming licenses which allow not very strict requirement and a reasonable budget.
Be sure to save the date and secure your ticket to the CEEGC 2016 Budapest, which will be held on the 20th of September 2016 at the Hilton Westend City Budapest Hotel in order to hear the fresh and recent information Tal Itzhak Ron is going to discuss. The “Hot Topics of the Online Gambling Industry in Europe” panel is going to start 14:45(Hungary local time) and brings together top names of the industry, such as Alexandre Tomic, Mark McGuinnes and Paul Davis. Two more internationally known and recognized speaker will soon be announced to join the panel.
The conference provides an efficient way of meeting new and prospect clients in the special networking session and sit down lunch.
Special reports and exclusive updates will be given by the top 20 speakers of the industry and the event is limited to 150 delegates to maximize the engagement among the peers.
The tickets can be purchased at an Early Bird rate of €200 by the end of July.
Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us on +40 735 559 234 or by mail on [email protected].
WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN BUDAPEST!
For more details please visit the official website: www.ceegc.eu or book your tickets online www.ceegc.eu/2016/tickets/
