The event was held at the Caleta Hotel on Thursday 19th April and was attended by more than 140 delegates. The Hon Gilbert Licudi, Minister for Gaming, opened the Summit, stating, “It gives me great pleasure to open the second KPMG eGaming Summit in Gibraltar. The Gibraltar Government is committed to continuing to work with the industry, supporting it in Europe and further afield and providing a strong and respected regulatory environment which is balanced with a globally competitive commercial platform. We remain committed to licensing only the world’s best operators, sustaining a critical mass of like-minded companies which are like-minded with the government and like-minded with each-other. We expect and require licensees to be as precious about their reputation as we are about ours: Gibraltar has set a high-bar for entry into this market and we will continue to take that approach”.
The morning session then focused on issues specific to the local jurisdiction, with highlights including an update on licensing and regulation by Phill Brear of the GRA and an update on the UK’s plans to tax on a consumption basis and how it might affect Gibraltar licensees by Maria Brennan of HM Treasury and Andy Grimsley of HMRC. The afternoon session then looked at the sector more broadly, with presentations on social gaming, mobile marketing, the political outlook for the US & Asia, customer acquisition and payment acceptance solutions.
Delegates were particularly keen to take part in the panel session in the afternoon, which saw four industry experts taking questions from attendees on a range of different topics. The highlights of this session and all of the presentations will be put into a written report by KPMG, supported by Continent 8 Technologies, which will be available in May. After the event, delegates were able to mix with speakers and panellists at an informal cocktail evening hosted by Callcredit Information Group.
Russell Kelly, the Director responsible for eGaming at KPMG, commented on the day: “It is encouraging, as always, to see such an enthusiastic turn out. Not only has the event brought together local operators, service providers and government decision makers, but we have also had significant overseas input. Many have flown in especially for the Summit, giving us access to world experts on a variety of topics. I believe that this shows both the health of the local sector and the regard in which it is held internationally. At KPMG we feel proud and privileged to play our part in making that happen.”