In Panama, responsible gaming is also part of the game, says Manuel Sanchez, Secretary of Panama's Gaming Control Board.

What was your journey before becoming a regulator?

That's a very good question. For 14 years I worked as a lawyer in the gaming industry. Therefore, I already knew from the inside the problems of the operators. Then, with my know-how on gaming, on the sector, from an administrative position, I became a member of the Secretariat of the Panama Gaming Control Board, and obtained the position, which I hold as Executive Secretary.   

It should be clarified that I am a pro-gaming regulator, because I consider the operators to be my partners. The Panamanian state is a partner of the administrators-operators, as we call them in Panama.

What are the main expectations and objectives of your administration?

First, from the administration's point of view, our priority is to regulate what has not been regulated before. We are going to fight clandestine gambling. I believe that in Panama we have been working very well on the issue of gambling regulation, and we are the ones that have made the most progress in terms of regulation and legality, in a short period of time, compared to other countries in the region. 

We have physical casinos, as well as licenses for online gaming. During this administration we are competing with countries like Argentina or Colombia in terms of online regulation. We started with 1.5 million dollars of bets and after 8 months, we already exceeded 28 billion dollars in online bets. 

We aim to block illegal pages. We are talking about more than 2500 illegal pages that do not pay anything to the Panamanian treasury. It so happens that this money is destined to social works, to the construction of schools, roads, etc. 

Another of the objectives that we have within the administration of the President of the Nation, Laurentino Cortizo, is to create an office of responsible gambling. For the first time we pay attention to the compulsive gambler and we follow up with qualified professionals. Our slogan is "Playing responsibly is also part of the game". 

We also want to regulate televised bingo, which will be launched in Panama in three months' time. 

And finally, I can mention the regulation we are carrying out on scratch cards, which started in March.

What was your role in this GAT Expo edition?

We came to share a moment to share and listen to opinions and news. We have met with various regulators from the region, and it was very productive. 

At the same time, I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that the 7th Ibero-American Gaming Summit to be held on May 16 and 17, 2023, will be in Panama City at the Riu Plaza Panama Hotel. The Summit will bring together, under the slogan «A Future of Opportunities«, the main regulators and players in the Latam sector with the aim of improving regulatory mechanisms and information exchange between companies and regulators. 

Our goal is that we all contribute with ideas, and in this way further improve the regulation of gaming in the region and for the gaming industry.