GLI Europe welcomes 75 attendees from 20 countries to 2012 European Roundtable

HILLEGOM, The Netherlands -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Gaming Laboratories International, LLC (GLI), the world’s leading gaming testing laboratory and technical consultancy, and its European entity, GLI Europe BV, recently welcomed 75 attendees from 20 countries to its 2012 European Roundtable.

The event took place 9-10 May at the Marriott Hotel in Budapest, Hungary. The topics addressed were as colorful and varied as the European gaming industry itself and included discussions on terrestrial gaming and iGaming.

GLI Europe’s Managing Director Martin Britton produced the event and said, “This year’s Roundtable was a tremendous success. We were thrilled that, in spite of considerable financial restrictions, so many regulators from so many countries were able to attend. The information presented was extremely valuable, and we are grateful to our panelists who came from all around the world to help further regulatory practices across Europe.”

Day one was focused keenly on iGaming and opened with the panel discussion, “Public Policy Challenges of Regulating New iGaming Markets.” GLI’s Filippo Ferri moderated panelists Jörg Hofmann, MELCHERS Law Firm; Constantinos Couccoullis, Constantinos N. Couccoullis & Associates; and Justin Franssen of VMW Taxand.

Next, Frans Duynstee of VMW Taxand, Diane Mullenex of Ichay & Mullenex and James Scicluna of WH Partners spoke of the intricate legal considerations surrounding cross-border taxation.

The day continued with the panel “Poker Network Liquidity.” GLI’s Phillip Barow led a group that included PokerStars’ Ian Feather, OnGame’s Fredrik Kjell, Vahe Baloulian from eGaming Partners Inc. and GTech’s Dusan Mihajlovic.

As iGaming grows, so do surrounding concerns about fraud, money laundering and player protection, and speaking to those issues were Ferri, Gregory Kuhlmey from Dictao, and Stephen Winter of Pokerstars.

The day continued with the discussion “Improving Technical Regulations.” Ferri returned as moderator, and panelists were GLI’s Johan den Hartog and Ed Williams from NGS Secure.

Day one ended with a panel on regulatory consultancy with speakers Alan Littler from VMW Taxand and GLI’s John van Schaijk and Martin Britton.

Day two focused on land-based gaming, opening with a presentation on “Slot Taxation” by Lucien Wijsman of The Slot Academy.

Next, attendees turned their attention to gaming legislation concerning VLTs. Panelists included Constantinos Couccoullis and Alexia Couccoullis from Constantinos N. Couccoullis & Associates and Gábor Helembai of Forgó Damjanovic & Partners.

“Methodologies of Player Protection” featured panelists Monika Racek from Admiral Casinos and Entertainment AG, Ólafur Andri Ragnarsson of Betware, and Dr. Joseph Borg from Malta Lotteries and Gaming Authority.

For a perspective on how VLTs are changing the European landscape, Britton led a discussion featuring

Marco Herrera from Bally Technologies, Kristof Kovacs from Cybergame Kft, and Stuart McPhee of the U.K. Gambling Commission.

New slot technology was the focus of the next panel led by Wijsman. Contributing their thoughts were Herrera, IGT’s Paul Hogan, and GLI’s James Maida.

GLI’s Alex Iliopoulos then helped regulators further understand how the process of slot verification can be migrated into VLTs and iGaming applications.

The Roundtable ended with van Schaijk leading a discussion of what lies ahead in the AWP market with panelists Helmut Kafka from Euromat and Stuart McPhee from the UK Gambling Commission.

GLI’s Roundtable is part of the company’s GLI University(TM), an exclusive program that offers continuing education and vital training to regulators around the world. GLI produces Roundtable events around the globe each year.