Juegos Miami speaker, Santiago Asensi, managing partner of highly respected law firm Asensi Abogados, has warned that online gaming legislation will only work if the correct decisions are taken by governments in the three key areas of tax, permitted games and the location of servers.
Speaking ahead of his appearance at Juegos Miami (31 May – 3 June, The Biltmore, Coral Gables, Miami) Asensi said: “Ignoring one of these three basic pillars will directly drive the regulator to a big failure. Obviously, there is not a standard regulation that is valid for every single jurisdiction, but being in the 21st century, the industry knows what works and what does not.
“I believe in a liberalised framework that gathers the interests of both international and domestic operators in the same jurisdiction. Experience shows that bans on gambling or strong restrictions only help the growth of the illegal market. Therefore, I am a strong supporter of markets where gambling is understood as part of the entertainment industry.”
Asensi, whose company has advised the Colombian government and was instrumental in the development of the Spanish Gambling Act at the start of the decade, believes that regulators should look at ways of consolidating their needs with those of operators and other interested parties. He explained: “Regulators usually have two goals: protecting consumers and collecting taxes. Both matters, if duly regulated, are absolutely compatible with the operators’ interests.
“My best advice for any regulator is that, before they start drafting, they should study what other regulators have done in their respective jurisdictions. Meeting with all the different agents of the industry in order to gather as much information as possible should be a must. This is a global industry where the exchange of information between regulators is crucial in matters like technical standards, illegal gambling, AML and data protection.”
Santiago Asensi is one of 30 eminent thought leaders who will be part of the Conference programme at Juegos Miami. The community of A-List speakers includes: Peter Naessens, Head of Regulatory Advice Unit, Research and Development, Belgian Gaming Commission; Juan Espinosa Garcia, Deputy General Director, Gambling Regulation, Ministry of Finance – Spain; Andre Wilsenach, Executive Director, International Center for Gaming Regulation, UNLV; Marcus Nylen, Chief Operating Officer, LeoVegas Gaming Group and Donal Barron, Paddy Power Betfair’s B2B Commercial Development Manager.
The Juegos Miami vision has been embraced by many of the industry’s leading innovators, including: Alfastreet, Aristocrat, Ainsworth, BMM, GLI, JCM, Merkur, Novomatic, Quixant, BetConstruct, Betradar, Apollo Games, Aruze, Bet stone, Casino Technology, Everi Games, Win Systems, DRGT, DLV, BIT8, Skilrock Technologies, Vivo Gaming, GB Group, E-Magnus, Nexuslink, Playtech, PDS Gaming, Alternative Gaming Solution, DRET Systems, Nexustech, Sportstrade AG, NRT Technologies.
Attendance at Juegos Miami is limited to senior decision makers (owner, director, C-Level exec) from operating companies (private and public including state lotteries), government and regulators from the Latin America and Caribbean region.
Stand Space – North America, LatAm & Asia:
Contact Ed Gallo – [email protected]
+1 678 783 5716
Stand Space – Europe, LatAm and Middle East:
Contact Maria Craciun – [email protected]
+44 20 7384 8196
Media Enquiries
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+44 20 7384 8121
About the Juegos Miami brand
Juegos Miami is organised by Clarion Events and Urban Expositions, the leading producers of gaming events globally. These include ICE Totally Gaming, NIGA, GiGse and EiG along with the Totally Gaming Academy – a series of training events for the industry. With a successful track record bringing buyers and sellers together in cost-effective and convenient settings, both Clarion and Urban have the experience and industry relationships with this type of specialised trade show audience. For more information: www.juegosmiami.com.
