A two-day conference dedicated to the Italian legal gaming market
Off to Rome the first edition of the Italian Gaming Expo & Conference (IGE) “The sustainable future of gaming”, dedicated to the Italian legal gaming market, to delve deeper into the reality of a sector whose importance is recognized at an international level together with institutions, experts, academics, opinion leaders and influencers.
The numbers
Over 130 speakers, coming from several countries in Europe and the world. Over 35 sessions of content. Over 50 companies involved, between partners and exhibitors. AND more than 10 institutions represented, including: Customs and Monopolies Agency, CONI, Agcom, Ministry of the Interior, MASAF (Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry), State Police, Guardia di Finanza, Europol, Interpol, as well as the Government and Parliament , with a large presence of representatives of the House and Senate. To which are added foreign regulators (such as the UK Gambling Commission and the Mga, Malta Gaming Authority) and various international entities (such as Easg, G4, Imgl - International master of gaming law, Iagr - International association of gaming regulators, Ulis - United Lotteries for integrity in sports). These are the numbers that characterized the first edition of IGE – Italian Gaming Expo & Conference.
At the center of the event, the main themes that will guide the world of legal gaming in the coming months and years and the definition of the approach guidelines for companies that want to look to the future, to innovation, to sustainability. The reform of public gaming, the sustainable future of gaming, the effectiveness of promotions between reorganization and consumer protection, the Italian model as a reference for guaranteeing the integrity of sport, in addition to the reform of horse racing. These are some of the topics discussed during the first day.
One of the primary objectives of the IGE is to allow participants to meet and discuss with experts, opinion leaders, academics and some of the best C-levels at national and international level to find new ideas and solutions that look at the growth and development of own business.
For Mario Lollobrigida, Central Games Director of the Customs and Monopolies Agency: “The Customs and Monopolies Agency, as a regulator of the public gaming sector, has always been at the forefront in the defense and promotion of the principles that represent the cornerstones on which the gaming industry is based: namely that of legality , safety and protection of consumers and public order. For this reason the Agency welcomed this Italian gaming expo & Conference event, as it is focused precisely on these communication values and their communication. In particular, the highly scientific profile of the event is appreciated, thanks to the participation of illustrious personalities and leading universities, such as those of the Luiss, Bocconi and Polytechnic universities of Milan, who will participate in these two days of debate".
Alessio Crisantemi, President & co-founder Gn Media: “The gaming industry is an authentic hotbed of talent and cradle of true excellence, especially in Italy. In this sense, we are proud of the success of this event which offers a precious opportunity for dialogue and training between stakeholders, institutions and operators on crucial issues for the future of the sector such as sustainability and innovation. But innovation is not an end in itself, much less oriented solely towards profitability or product appeal, but rather applied above all in the search for solutions and systems for the protection and safeguarding of consumers. Therefore, these two days of meetings and debates are even more important, in order to give proper prominence to a sector that needs to be promoted and valorised as it can contribute significantly to the growth of the country but in a sustainable way".
Laura Aria, AGCOM Commissioner, declared that: “According to Article 57 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the provision of the gaming service cannot be completely banned. Moreover, managing highly addictive phenomena, such as gambling addiction, with a prohibitionist approach towards the medium, i.e. gambling, does not seem to be an effective solution. I believe that a better awareness campaign and inter-institutional collaboration is needed. Legislation and monitoring of gambling allow for better management of gambling addiction. Investing in prevention is therefore the central point."
Marco Osnato, President of the Finance Commission, Chamber of Deputies, underlined that: "The new law is a possibility for the State to undoubtedly find some more resources from the tax levy, resources that allow the administration to make its choices. With this decree we have managed to achieve a balance of interests that is healthy for everyone. We always start from the protection of the citizen, the user of effective, traceable and punctual legal services, also in compliance with legal systems which have become more restricted with a view to protecting and professionalising companies. A decidedly more serene approach."
Ettore Rosato, Secretary COPASIR, member of the Foreign Affairs Commission, House of Representatives"Gaming is a sector that I have been dealing with for a long time and I believe it is essential that politicians recognize its value both in economic terms, from tax revenue to the number of employees and companies present on the market, and in terms of legality and social impact. . Public gaming is a barrier to organized crime and is a controlled system, which also allows us to monitor the risks of gambling addiction that may emerge."
John Emilio Maggi, Sisal's Chief Institutional Affairs & Communication Officer, explained that: “Italian legislation must react on the issue of consumer protection and not just talk about responsible gaming. We must try to intercept those who have had problems with gambling and above all we must try to prevent, which I think the Italian legislator is establishing with an enabling law. Anticipating means having research and analysis tools and everything that technology can offer us to anticipate the problem and understand when a player is losing control."
For Gennaro Schettino, Chief of External Relations & Communication of Lottomatic: “The reorganization is moving along three lines: the protection of legality, consumer protection and tax revenue. These three objectives are achieved together and I believe consumer protection is the real driver of companies. We all need that stability that is also coming with the reorganization of online gaming and which will later also come with physical gaming. This leads to a more stable business outlook. We are faced with a mass phenomenon that is even more difficult to track and we need to intervene and train as the large companies in the entire sector do. It is the only way to give stability to the system. The reorganization is in fact a breath of fresh air and highlights how politics has become aware of the fact that it cannot look the other way."
Michael Sessa, Institutional & Regulatory Affairs Director, BU International Director Snaitech, declared: “We believe that regulation must follow the evolution of the market step by step but in the last twenty years it has been too slow. There must also be a trench to defend legal gaming. A regulation that is not suited to the market leads demand towards illegality. The consumer must feel safe and receive a rewarding experience as entertainment, while the industry has seen positively the reform that laid the foundations for the new market. We believe it is an important step because the State must also have partners to face the challenges so that the future is sustainable."
Graham Wood, Senior International Development Manager Bet365, he has declared: “I believe that to face the challenges of the future well we must take a look at the history of the gaming sector in Italy. I started working in Italy in 1992 when we played via post, fax, telephone and now I work online. It was a niche industry at the time and we had tens of thousands of customers in sixteen international markets. Now we are in a different situation because we have millions of customers who are incentivized to play. In fact, now the return to player is 90% in betting and 95% in casinos.”
Ludovico Calvi, Honorary President, ULIS United Lotteries for Integrity in Sports, explained that: “Today's event is an opportunity to discuss important issues such as safeguarding the values of sport and to highlight that the Italian national platform is a point of reference.
For Hugh Taucer, Attorney General, CONI: “Already before the Macolin convention there was an Italian tradition of confrontation between police forces, institutional bodies responsible for controlling games, private operators, federations, the sports sector, through the Luiss office which established an institutional collaboration and an exchange of news. There is a wide opportunity for exchange and comparison, an intense correspondence between the various areas".
Matteo Caroli, President of the FAIR Foundation, underlined that: “In Italy there are no independent foundations dedicated to responsible gaming. With the FAIR Foundation we want to promote a gaming culture that focuses on prevention, as well as respect and protection of people, through the development of lines of scientific research, studies and research. We then aim to promote collaborations and study activities with qualified third parties, thus adopting a multidisciplinary approach open to discussion with everyone".
Richard Bartola, Chief Marketing Officer Snaitech: “Snaitech, as an operator in a very delicate and sensitive sector, approaches the issues of Artificial Intelligence with great caution. A daily and constant study position on a subject that changes every day and becomes more and more challenging. Our commitment is to take a clear and simple position that is divided into two main aspects: maximum consumer protection and the construction of increasingly entertaining applications for consumers, but always with attention to sustainability and responsibility".
