(PRESS RELEASE) — Gaming and lottery regulators and government lotteries from 21 countries across the North, Central, South America and Caribbean regions gathered in the prospering city of Bogotá, capital of Colombia, on August 26 and 27 to attend what turned out to be Gaming Laboratories International’s largest and most successful Latin American and Caribbean Regulators Roundtable to date.

In total, 92 representatives attended the exciting event. Countries represented included Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Curacao, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Sint Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, Venezuela and U.S. Virgin Islands. GLI was also honored with the attendance of the following gaming and lottery associations: CIBELAE (Iberoamerican Association of State Lotteries), ALEA (Association of State Lotteries of Argentina) and FEDELCO (Federation of Lotteries of Colombia).

GLI Director of Latin American and Caribbean Development Karen Marcela Sierra-Hughes said, “We are extremely thankful to the government entities that joined us this year. Our main challenge was to balance the agenda to fulfill the expectations of an audience that have common objectives and also, very specific ones. We were successful in this effort as this Roundtable proved to be the only international conference that gathers both gaming and lottery government entities at one event. We are thankful to our speakers as they contributed to the unique and unsurpassed quality of the agenda, and we are also thankful to Coljuegos, our host regulator, who kindly provided their organizational support for the on-site demos that were part of the program. We are already working on the 2016 event as our goal is now to exceed the success of this year’s conference for the benefit of the regulators and government lotteries of the region.”

The two-day educational event was presented through GLI’s world-renowned GLI University and free of charge to government entities. It offered attendees the unique opportunity to attend in-depth discussions about today’s most relevant topics, which were led by gaming regulators, government lotteries and GLI experts. Topics included:

· The Basics and Processes of Creating a New Gaming Law
· Achieving Industry Supervision and Control
· Development and Challenges of Interactive Gaming and Regulatory Models
· Government Procurement Process in Sports Betting Operations
· Analyzing Lottery Profitability and Challenges for Growth
· How Lotteries Operate in Federal Jurisdictions and at Multi-Jurisdictional Levels
· Preventing and Controlling Money Laundering Activities
· Illegal Gaming vs. Skill Games
· Regulatory Experience and Challenges of the Horse Racing Industry
· Responsible Gambling in the Lottery and Gaming Industry
· Monitoring and Control Systems: The Latin America and Caribbean Experience

Attendees also enjoyed an on-site demonstration of the Colombia Regulator’s Data Center and a guided tour and demo of the Super Astro Draw Studio, both hosted by Coljuegos.

Dra. Cristina Arango Olaya, President of Coljuegos, expressed gratitude to GLI for organizing events that allow interaction with and integration of Latin American and Caribbean regulators.

“We have been honored to host such an important event that brought together over 90 representatives from different countries from the region and the opportunity to share the experience of Coljuegos on issues such as control of illegal gaming, technology in the sector and its regulation. We need to maintain this atmosphere of fraternity to keep strong ties with Latin American and Caribbean regulators,” Olaya said.

The Bahamas Gaming Board said, “This being our first time attending the event, we were pleased to be a part of a forum to share our concerns faced as regulators as well as the advances made in gaming within our jurisdiction. We look forward to participating on an annual basis.”

Lic. Luis Felipe Cangas Hernández, General Directorate of Games of Chance, SEGOB, Mexico, said, “I am pleased to express my recognition to GLI for the excellent organization that allowed for the success of the Latin America and Caribbean Gaming and State Lotteries Regulators Roundtable. The event promoted a rich exchange of ideas with a dynamic program that prompted the interest of the audience. The invited countries shared problems in areas such as illegal gambling and money laundering; there is also a momentum that seeks to encourage the regulatory authorities to adopt uniform policies and actions to control such practices and to promote responsible gaming. Moreover, it was noticeable that there is a consensus to achieve an effective supervision and control of the gaming industry – in particular, with the regard to the online gaming and its regulatory models, the horse racing industry, as well as monitoring and controlling systems – this with the joint participation of the various stakeholders that converge in the regulation and certification of this sector. Lastly, we are grateful for the attention and complete willingness shown by all and each one of the members of the GLI Latin American and Caribbean team.”

Ing. Manuel San Roman Benavente, Director of General Direction of Casinos Games and Slot Machines, Peru, said, “Sharing experiences with other regulators, thanks to GLI, is a bonus when doing our work as it allows us to expand our knowledge and improve and strengthen our regulations in many aspects that are of daily concern. We also recognize the excellent program that GLI so carefully prepared for this event.”

Lic. Luis D. Muñíz Martínez, Executive Sub Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, said, “The participation of the PRTC team in the Roundtable, organized by GLI, was an excellent opportunity for the exchange of ideas among regulators of our region. Being able to see how each jurisdiction addresses gaming and lottery issues is an enriching experience with a lot of potential growth for the economies of our countries.”

A cocktail event on the Roundtable’s last evening provided gaming and lottery regulators and state government lotteries the chance to network with each other and discuss regulatory developments in their own regions.

GLI’s Latin American and Caribbean team is gearing up for the company’s next large event – Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas – at the end of this month.

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