Gaming Industry Summit on June 18

More than 400 persons are expected to attend the 2^nd Annual Gaming Industry Summit, scheduled for Thursday, June 18, at the Jamaica Conference Centre, in Kingston.

The summit, organized by the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC), will bring together local and international industry experts as well as key stakeholders from the gaming machine, betting, casino, sports betting, horse racing and lottery sectors.

Manager of Communications and Research at the BGLC, Jana Bent, says with the extensive line-up of local and international speakers along with the agenda of interesting topics, this year’s summit is expected to have a great impact.

“Last year we had about 250 persons …and this year we are really excited about the different issues that are going to be covered and looking forward to hearing the different perspectives, ideas and solutions that people will bring to the table and hopefully make serious strides in implementing, in the same way we did last year,” Ms. Bent said.

Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Finance & Planning, Hon. Horace Dalley, is expected to deliver the main address at the opening session of the summit.

Participants at the summit will also be engaged in discussions around the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA); money laundering in the gaming industry; methods for implementing responsible gaming; emerging trends in the industry, and the future of mobile betting.

Ms. Bent, who was speaking at a recent JIS ‘Think Tank’, said the discussion on ‘Horseracing – can the sport of kings be revived?’ will foster a very robust engagement among the stakeholders.

The main presentation in this session will be delivered by the President of the Association of Racing Commissioners, Edward Martin, from Kentucky in the United States (US) and moderated by President of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders’ Association, Howard Hamilton.   Richard Longmore, Vin Edwards and Laurence Heffes will be the panelists.

“It’s going to be quite a controversial topic, because there are different ideas about what went wrong and what we need to do to revive horseracing in Jamaica, to make it sustainable and infuse growth,” Ms. Bent said.

The summit, which is free, will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is open to all stakeholders in the industry and the general public; however, persons are required to register in order to attend.

Registration can be done by sending an email to info@bglc.gov.jm or by calling 630-1353.