Autor: Pedro Honório da Silva
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G&M News México
G&M News Mexico: Successful event becomes a fixed date in the regional trade fair calendar
Last week, this meeting of Latin American operators and providers took place with great success at Big Bola Casinos Atizapán. The multiplatform of original gaming content thanks the entire team of Big Bola Casinos, as well as sponsors, partners, speakers and attendees.
Throughout 2022, the media will redouble its efforts with new meetings in LatAm and Europe to continue fostering an open and fruitful dialogue between colleagues and friends of the industry.
Event summary
Satisfaction and gratitude are the feelings that G&M News has for the gaming sector in LatAm because of the very positive feedback to the event that the company organised on 10 and 11 March 2022 in the hall that the prestigious operator Big Bola Casinos has in Atizapán. State of Mexico. It was several months of hard work and detailed planning, with the invaluable work of Emilio Quiros (Operations Director of Big Bola Casinos) and his team, including Rafael Blanco, Alejandro Perez, Aurora Ayala, Enrique Antonio Barcenas and many collaborators of the company.
This favourable reaction to the proposal was shown by the support of END2END, Vibra Gaming, Amigo Gaming, DataFactory, AGS and Amusnet Interactive, and others, as well as the presence of more than 100 C-Level executives who, over these two days, enjoyed the scheduled activities.
DIVERSE AGENDA AND A LARGE ATTENDANCE
Following all the protocols and health care provided by COVID-19, representatives of gaming operators and providers settled into the Big Bola Casinos Atizapán room to attend to the speakers. On Thursday, after the welcome speeches by Sebastián Luna (co-founder of G&M News) and the mentioned Quirós (Big Bola Casinos), Dr. Miguel Ángel Ochoa (president of AIEJA) gave a detailed analysis about the ”Current situation of the gaming industry in Mexico and its future perspectives”. This was followed by an interesting panel that considered bonuses, rewards and games to attract gamblers, that included Emiliano Avalos (Head of Gaming for Retail Operations of Betmotion), Marga Fernandez (Business Development Manager at Amigo Gaming) and Leticia Palacios (Head of Business Development for LatAm and the Caribbean at Microgaming). After an entertaining multiplayer digital bingo draw, in charge of Alejandro Revich (CEO and partner of END2END), there was a talk about the opportunities that Esports can generate for the gambling segment, with the presence of an executive from Infinity Esports Mexico.
On Friday, the day started early with a conference about the new approach of casinos to respond to consumers’ demands, by Francisco Javier Guzzo, advisor and consultant for land-based gaming operators. Then it was the turn of the successful presentation of the women’s association AFEM. The entity is composed of more than 50 Latin American female managers of important gaming companies. Equality, equity, more visibility and opportunities were some of the topics considered, in times of empowerment and respect for diversity. The participants were Jimena Sainz (Senior Marketing Manager of Strendus, the online division of Logrand Entertainment Group), Raquel Álvarez (Legal Manager of AGS), Gabriela Mayén Vera (Head of Corporate Marketing of Big Bola Casinos) and Berenice Esquivel (Marketing Manager of AGS).
Prior to lunch, there was the END2END multiplayer bingo draw, which later rewarded the winners. After lunch, there was a very informative panel on omnichannel. Moderated by expert Francisco Vidal Caamaño, there were Pamela Loman (Online Director of Foliatti Casino), Lenin Castillo (Online Operations Director of Logrand Entertainment Group) and Etna Rueda (Digital Marketing Manager of Big Bola Online). Afterwards, the interest of the attendees was maintained with the dialogue between Ernesto Cambursano (CEO of DataFactory) and Javier Troncoso (CRO and Director of Futbol Sites), effectively coordinated by Enrique Romero Álvarez (Sports Betting and Casino for LatAm at Big Bola Casinos). They talked about ‘Betting, fans, sports and the World Cup’.
After the coffee break, different providers showed the advantages of their products, such as Federico Saini (Business Development Director of Vibra Gaming). To say goodbye and thank you to the attendees, Luna, from G&M News, and Quirós, from Big Bola Casinos, took the floor again. Both of them happily announced a new edition of this event in March 2023. Alvaro Paz-López de Ayala (Pin-up.bet‘s Regional Manager for Latin America) summarised the feelings of the people who attended the event: “There is an increasing integration between the players of the gaming community in Latin America. Land-based casinos look at the virtual world with more attention and they know that they have to be part of that universe. This was evident here at the G&M News event. It was varied in themes and characteristics. There is no doubt about the potential of LatAm and the interest that the continent wakes up among European companies. To summarise this concept in one sentence, I would say: ‘Big stones cannot stand without small stones’”. Also, the executive added: “Player loyalty is a key issue. Operators want to make their businesses stronger. In the talks, all the experts talked about this: the need to build very close working groups that are focused on the objectives of their companies.”
The delicious closing cocktail was the culmination of a meeting that showed the importance of face-to-face meetings in post-pandemic times, and the value that the content multiplatform gives to its role as a connector between operators and providers in LatAm, Europe and the world. This same philosophy will be expressed at the next G&M News European Summit, which will be held on 5 and 6 April 2022 at the Casino Admiral San Roque, in Cadiz (Spain).
TESTIMONIALS
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G&M News European Summit
High impact of G&M News European Summit, an exclusive event for gaming operators and providers.
For two days (5 and 6 April 2022), the rooms of La Hacienda Alcaidesa Links Golf Resort and Casino Admiral San Roque in Cadiz, Spain, were the ideal setting for this meeting of operators and providers from Europe and Latin America, with conferences given by experts, business opportunities and networking moments. The multiplatform of original gaming content thanks the entire team of the Casino Admiral and the Golf Resort, as well as sponsors, partners, speakers and attendees.
The same place will host the second edition of the G&M News European Summit, which will take place on 19-20 April 2023.
Event summary
The recognition of the participants is the best award for the organisational effort of this unprecedented meeting in the gaming sector in the south of Spain. Of course, the contribution of many people was essential for the G&M News European Summit to meet its planning and objectives. On the one hand, Marco Rother, Regional Commercial Director of Casino Admiral, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_PffkJBx1E and his team, who orchestrated an impeccable presentation of the room and the spaces used for the meeting. The same happened with the staff of La Hacienda Alcaidesa Links Golf Resort. Although the golf tournament could not take place because of bad weather conditions (a rare occurrence for these spring dates on the Costa del Sol), the installations were used for a cocktail reception and dinner, as well as for the entertaining Lucky Envelopes tournament by Skywind Group.
As the main sponsor, Skywind Group´s executives played a fundamental role, from Hilary Stewart-Jones (CEO of Skywind Holdings) to Shmuel Basan (CFO), Niv Gold (VP of Marketing and Media) and Lucas Lebleu (Senior Sales Director), and others. Also, prestigious companies such as Jada Gaming and Symplify joined the event as sponsors. To all of them, the G&M News team expresses its gratitude. We would also like to thank several media that echoed and spread this initiative, like Sector del Juego, headed by José Ignacio Ferrer García, and Diario Área Campo de Gibraltar, and others.
THE VALUE OF PERSONAL DIALOGUE
After two and a half years of pandemic and virtuality, the gaming industry showed that it needed these face-to-face meetings. This possibility of face-to-face contact took place throughout these two days. Representatives of operators and providers from Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Latam, as well as important delegates from Ceuta (Enrique Reyes Rodríguez, Managing Director of the Autonomous Body of Tax Services) and Melilla (María Ángeles Quevedo Fernández, Director General of Public Revenue) were there to exchange ideas, projects and experiences.
Of course, besides the conversations and the enjoyment of the delicious food and drinks prepared by the chefs and bartenders, there was an intense and attractive cycle of conferences. In the first instance, round tables were coordinated with start-ups such as Betbluff, MetaWorld Sport and TipSync, as well as executives from Ceuta, Melilla and LatAm. Then, it was the turn of the first panel:
Portugal: Situation of face-to-face and online gaming. The evolution of a stable and attractive market, integrated by Ivo Doroteia (CEO of Sportingtech), Carla Vicente (Legal Advisor of the Portuguese Ombudsman) and José Eduardo Deus (Lic. in Law, Master in Management and Tourism, editor, writer and specialist in Portuguese gaming). The second panel was composed of Eduardo Morales Hermo (senior advisor and consultant at iGamingCo and Ficom Leisure, with extensive experience in the sector) and Gregorio Hernández (Director of the Casino Division of Orenes Grupo), moderated by Alberto Ruiz Ocaña (Business Development Manager for EMEA at GLI). They debated about Spain: How to survive in an increasingly restrictive market? After a lunch break, it was time for the afternoon conferences. First, they discussed the Benefits and Challenges of Omnichannel, with the participation of Alejandro Torralba (Online and Marketing Director of Orenes Grupo) and Jorge Justicia (Grupo Veramatic), with Lucas Lebleu (Skywind Group) as moderator. Later, renowned executives from Latin America, like Fernando Garita (Business Development Director of Betcris, Costa Rica) and Ramiro Atucha (CEO of Vibra Gaming) focused on the thematic axis Conquering LatAm, the new El Dorado, on the investment possibilities in the region. Finally, before closing with networking, drinks and tapas, the subject to discuss was Cryptocurrencies and NFTs in iGaming: Get on the train or stay on the road!, in which Michael Greenberg (CRO of Digital Asset Management Gibraltar) moderated the interaction between experts Steve Bott and Craig Ruddock.
In conclusion, after the good feedback received, the organisers believe that the goal of having provided the participants with interesting tools to expand their business, in a pleasant setting and to strengthen personal and commercial ties, was achieved.
This meeting adds to a list of events that G&M News has been organising, and that will continue this year with meetings in Peru (15 June 2022 in Lima; the registration link is already available free of charge for operators https://g-mnews.com/es/es-registro-gmnewsperu/) and in Mercosur.
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G&M News Perú
A great event that congregated all Peruvian gaming operators
G&M News wants to thank the more than 90 representatives of Peruvian online and land-based gaming operators and providers, as well as sponsors, who gathered last week at the Baco y Vaca restaurant in Lima. In an atmosphere of great cordiality, they enjoyed an exquisite menu, participated in games and raffles, and strengthened networking among peers.
The meeting had several spices: academic, gastronomic and social interaction.
Event summary
Peru’s gaming market was the global centre of the industry last week with a series of events that brought together thousands of business people from LatAm and other continents. First up, on Tuesday 14 June, at the elegant Baco y Vaca grill (in Miraflores, Lima), around a hundred executives from the face-to-face gaming and iGaming sectors attended a dinner hosted by G&M News. Previously, there was a valuable presentation by Gabriel Szlaifsztein, General Manager and Business Consultant for Latin America of Continent 8 Technologies, who trained a series of important technicians from different companies on the characteristics of the company’s solutions, specialised in providing technological services, cloud, datacenter, connectivity and cybersecurity.
Then the operators arrived, representatives of Grupo Sam, Inkabet, Doradobet, Chaskibet, Timberazo, Betmotion, Betsson, Meridianbet Peru, Betsport, Luckia, Gladcon Group, Apuesta Total, Solbet, RETAbet, Pentagol, Betgol, 22bet and Perubet, among many others. As for the providers, there were executives from the Gold Sponsors: Aristocrat Gaming https://www.aristocrat.com/ (through its local distributor, Panamerican International Gaming, a firm led by Toni Maawad), Pariplay https://pariplayltd.com/ and Mancala Gaming. https://mancalagaming.com/ Precisely, in the voice of its CCO, Emiliano Sánchez, Mancala offered fun interactive games from its product line, with the participation of the attendees and rewards for the winners.
There were also prominent executives from Silver Sponsors: Pay4Fun https://p4f.com/ (with a talk and live demo about online payment methods by the CEO, Leonardo Baptista), WorldMatch, https://www.worldmatch.eu/, Continent 8 Technologies, https://www.continent8.com/?lang=es Altenar https://altenar.com/es/, SIS https://www.sis.tv/es/competitive-gaming/, and Betcris. https://www.betcris.com/. They were joined by G&M News partners, DataFactory https://www.datafactory.la/, Ark One Studios https://arkonestudios.com/?lang=es, Vibra Gaming, https://vibragaming.com/es/, SOFTSWISS https://www.softswiss.com/es/ and ImpulsQ. https://impulsq.de/en/
It was an unforgettable evening, in which the attendees enjoyed delicious dishes with the best meats and wines from Baco y Vaca, in a relaxed and cordial atmosphere. Of course, G&M News is absolutely grateful for the presence of so many renowned Peruvian and international gaming companies.
After the success of the proposal in Peru, G&M News is preparing for its next event, which will be on August 31st and September 1st at City Center Iguazú, http://casinoiguazu.com/home/ en Misiones (Argentina). The G&M News Mercosur Summit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jraIf8UM-n4 will be an excellent opportunity to continue fostering an open and fruitful dialogue between colleagues and friends of the industry, with operators https://g-mnews.com/es/gm-news-mercosur-summit-es/ and providers from Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil and all of Latin America. There will be panels, conferences, networking and an amazing tourist visit to the Cataratas del Iguazú.
GOLD SPONSORS
SILVER SPONSORS
BRONZE SPONSORS
G&M News Mercosur Summit
The quality of the participants made G&M News Mercosur Summit a true success
For two days (31 August and 1 September), City Center Iguazú and Iguazú Grand Hotel (Misiones, Argentina) welcomed more than 70 representatives of operators, providers, regulators and associations from Latin America, in an exclusive boutique meeting unique in the region. The attendees could take advantage of very interesting panels, held personalised business meetings in which they closed deals, enjoyed the comfort of the establishment and fostered networking through a dinner in Foz do Iguazú (Brazil) and a spectacular show at Madero Tango Iguazú.
The organisers are already preparing the second edition of the G&M News Mercosur Summit, which will take place in August 2023.
Event summary
After registration, from the early morning of 31 August until 6 p.m., panels were developed with the participation of industry leaders in the region: operators, providers, regulators and heads of associations. The topics they discussed were: gaming legislation in Brazil, cryptocurrencies, security in land-based casinos, iGaming regulation in LatAm, poker as an attractive vertical for online platforms, pre- and post-World Cup sports betting, the role of gaming associations in the industry, and much more. Unlike most industry events, at the G&M News Mercosur Summit, attendees had a strong role, asking questions to the panelists and sharing their experiences, views and concerns.
In terms of networking, the organiser provided ample space for dialogue (business or social), either in the different environments of the huge and comfortable Grand Iguazu resort, or in entertaining activities. The first evening closed with a dinner at the famous Churrascaria Rafain in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil. Besides tasting all kinds of exquisite dishes (meat, pasta, fish, Brazilian and Paraguayan specialities), savoury and sweet, the participants of the meeting applauded the Latin American music and dance show. Also, the second night was rounded off by the incomparable show Madero Tango Iguazú, with artists of the highest level, including musicians, singers and dancers. Afterwards, the attendees tried their luck at City Center Iguazú.
This is how this regional gaming summit ended, in which the organisers could fulfil the objective of providing the attendees with interesting tools to expand their businesses, in a pleasant framework of strengthening personal and professional ties. This meeting joined a list of events that G&M News has been coordinating, which will continue in 2023 with meetings in Mexico (23 and 24 March), Spain (26 and 27 April) and Peru (12 June), among others, as well as the second edition of G&M Events Mercosur Summit in August 2023.
Of course, the quality and warmth of the participants was the best reward for the coordination effort of this unprecedented meeting for the gaming sector in Mercosur. In this sense, G&M News would like to give special thanks to its Sponsors in different categories:
GOLD SPONSORS
SILVER SPONSORS
BRONZE SPONSORS
AFFILIATES
Among the attendees, there were executives from operators such as 7 Saltos (Paraguay), Aposta. la (Paraguay), bplay (Boldt Group, Argentina), Casino Club (Argentina), Casino Magic Neuquén (Argentina), Casino Paraná (Argentina), Casino Santa Fe (Argentina), Casino Trilenium (Argentina), City Center Iguazú (Argentina), City Center Rosario (Argentina), Entretenimientos del Sur (Paraguay), Entretenimientos Saltos de Moconá (Argentina), EstrelaBet (Brazil), Interfix (Fixplaybet, Argentina), New Star SRL- Romero Néstor Alberto UTE (Argentina), Ondiss (Argentina), PROINSO (Paraguay), Random Access Casinos (Argentina) and Solbet (LatAm).