Max Bauer, José Casapía Bardales and Manuel Del Sol from NOVOMATIC participated in the 7th Ibero-American Gaming Summit in Panama City where they explained the benefits of consolidating alliances between international manufacturers, operators and regulators.
The Ibero-American Gaming Summit has established itself as an annual meeting event that promotes dialogue and collaboration between the different players in the industry. NOVOMATIC was invited to participate in recognition of its trajectory, experience and leadership in the international sphere.
Max Bauer, VP of Latin America and Caribbean of NOVOMATIC was invited to be part of the panel dedicated to "The Pandemic as a huge test for the productive fabric of the Economy, also in the gaming industry. Challenges to face in the context of recovery for the transformation of the industry" where he referred to the importance of establishing strong alliances that promote the collective construction between manufacturers, operators and regulators to face the changes and challenges of the industry. He emphasized the capitalization of experiences in other markets to streamline processes and implement improvements in the regional industry.
CAPITALIZING ON EXPERIENCE TO OVERCOME CHALLENGES
One of the examples he used to illustrate his statements was the approach given during the pandemic to the reopening of the wards through the implementation of Sanitary Protocols. As is well known, these protocols were mandatory and required by the Health Authorities for the reactivation of all activities. By that time NOVOMATIC, with its headquarters in Austria and more than 2000 gaming operations in the old continent, had already implemented different protocols addressing the requirements of the European jurisdictions. Within this framework, the Latin American subsidiaries of the Austrian company drafted a document combining the main aspects and already proven practices. This Unified Sanitary Protocol was delivered to the highest authorities of the governmental bodies in order to collaborate and speed up the drafting of the final Protocols that later led to the reopening of gaming operations in Latin America.
In another context, it is worth mentioning that NOVOMATIC adopted a similar position when several countries in the region sought to design and develop a new regulatory and tax framework for the activity through the implementation of online control systems in gaming rooms. NOVOMATIC made available its IT professionals with vast experience in management systems to carry out the task in an organic and efficient way. Thus, it organized several workshops and meetings where the authorities raised their doubts about the available tools and their functionalities.
A FUTURE OF OPPORTUNITIES
During the event, one of the main topics was the analysis of the international market and its projection in Latin America, as well as the challenges and opportunities this poses in terms of regulation. In addition, the upcoming challenges in terms of innovation and competitiveness were addressed, paying special attention to technological trends and the need to adapt to a constantly changing environment.
Finally, the social impact of the sector was discussed. Within this framework, participants reflected on the importance of promoting corporate social responsibility and adopting effective measures to promote responsible gaming practices and ensure the protection of players, especially in the most vulnerable sectors.
"In Gaming, technology is usually ahead of regulations. In LATAM, we should exploit this "window to the future" much more," said Max Bauer. The executive pointed out the existence of multiple solutions already proven in the European market that could be replicated in LATAM. This year, NOVOMATIC will take advantage of all the meetings with its Latin American clients to present unprecedented solutions in the region that will broaden the range of possibilities and the knowledge of industry players and bring about new paradigms that will enable greater development in all possible aspects," he concluded.
THE SUMMIT
The 7th Ibero-American Gaming Summit, under the theme "A Future of Opportunities", took place on May 16 and 17, 2023 at the prestigious Hotel Riu Plaza Panama, in Panama City. This event brought together the main representatives of the sector in Latin America, including regulators from 12 countries, with the purpose of strengthening the exchange of information and promoting the debate on key issues of our activity.
"Initiatives such as the 7th Ibero-American Gaming Summit allow us to collaborate in the collective construction of a promising and responsible future" said José Casapía Bardales, NOVOMATIC's Inter-Institutional Relations Manager, when asked about the event. "Reviewing and reformulating paradigms is fundamental to go in line with the evolution of our activity and above all to be a permanent part of the socio-economic development of today's world." He added
NOVOMATIC's outstanding participation in the 7th Ibero-American Gaming Summit reaffirms its commitment to continue driving innovation, social responsibility and the creation of safe and exciting gaming experiences for players in the region.
