Present and future of gaming, an issue of interest at GAT Virtual Expo

Members of the panel were: Daniel Magariños, Sales Manager South America, BMM Testlabs, Cristhian Vargas, Business Development Manager at LatamWin, and Eddie Morales, LatAm Sales Director for BetGames.TV. Fernando Saffores, Focus Gaming News, was the moderator.

At the beginning of the talk, the moderator asked speakers how have they seen the evolution of online gaming and how can they live together with traditional casinos, putting Colombia as an example of regional pioneer in regulating the sector.

Vargas commented: “The importance of live games is fundamental to complement the offer to any online casino and sportbook. It is a great joy that these games have been incorporated into the regulation in Colombia, we all know that it is an example to follow ”.

For his part, Morales said: “In the past I worked with live game operators and now I am on the other side, on the provider side. The business vision that being on both sides has given me has made me see the importance of this type of game ”.

“In these first months we will have to see what niche they occupy in the market but I think it will be very important. For laboratories it is one more certification option, it is one more support for the industry, one always learns from these new activities. And without a doubt that the laboratories have made good contributions to the regulation to give our point of view from the side of the evaluation of all the platforms. The pandemic has made us rethink things to another level, "added Magariños.

As for new games, live bingo was mentioned. The panelists agreed that they would come to complement the live gaming offering as a new vertical. “It is a low ticket game, we are talking about a new player for the online market. It needs a new technology because it requires the dynamism of the room, the action of the players in a finite environment. I think it is a product that is going to come to stay and satisfy a niche that already exists in the physical market, ”said Vargas.

Morales added: “What a social game was in our grandparents' time can become a new variant of social game in networks, more in the circumstances that we are living. It can even last. I see it as a necessary and adequate advance ”.

Magariños also made his contribution on this issue: “We have also received many inquiries regarding the lottery and this shows that operators have realized that the business is going in other ways due to the need to open up to new markets. Both bingo and lottery are popular, familiar, and long-standing games. The pandemic has separated us from those traditional social customs and leads us to technology. The game only changes the way of accessing it. Both operators, suppliers and laboratories have had to recycle and include technology to facilitate and expand the possibilities and the markets that can be accessed, there is another world that is opening ”.

To round off the talk, the moderator asked what advice should be offered from the industry for countries that still do not have a regulation on the matter. To which Magariños assured that from the laboratory they are in continuous contact with all the regulators of all the states and know their needs and urgencies. “The common denominator is that everyone considers it important to have a regulated market and when the countries of the region begin to regulate it will be very good for everyone, it is a domino effect. What we see is that a priority point that all regulators should have is a very open and continuous communication, and advice among themselves because the objective is the same for everyone. Beyond some variant that each country may have, the backbone is exactly the same and ends in a definition by the state. I want to be optimistic that the exchange of information and experiences can be achieved between all the states that want to be regulated because it is a benefit for all ”.