GAT Expo Puerto Rico: Productive Business and Strategic Alliances

The gaming industry consolidates its sustainable future in San Juan

GAT Puerto Rico brought together regulatory authorities led by the Puerto Rico Gaming Commission and delegates from the five legal gaming segments on the island, including authorized route machine operators, representatives and experts in the land-based casino and lottery sectors, as well as a robust presence of executives from the bureaus of: games of chance, horse racing, and sports betting.

The compact format of the event allowed concentrating on a single stage and date, last September 9, the offer of products and services of the local ecosystem and the exchange of knowledge among the protagonists of an industry that is advancing in regulations and adaptation of traditional and novel games to the demands of current technology and tourism demand, which is increasingly booming.

Manufacturers, operators, and business

The stand exhibition featured machines and cabinets for the land-based segment with striking designs for the local market. Thus, Novomatic debuted an exclusive line that was widely accepted and achieved immediate sales during the day. Royal Gaming Logistics linked its represented brands IGT, EGT, and Win Systems, immediately capturing the interest of casino and route machine operators on the island.

Exhibitors highlighted the permanent dialogue and productive commercial activity at their stands, because, in addition to doing business, they obtained top-level commercial contacts to forge alliances and define partnerships and agreements in the short and medium term.

GAT Talks, the great opportunity for an open and collaborative dialogue

The central role of the Puerto Rico Gaming Commission and Mr. Juan Carlos Santaella, Executive Director of the institution, became evident in the conduction of a first conference that highlighted the regulator's leadership and his knowledge about the evolution, adjustments, and current situation of each vertical under the parameters of legality and responsible gaming, flags of the PRGC in its administration, development, and control management of this leisure activity in the 78 municipalities of the island.

José Carlos Figueroa from GLI outlined in his presentation the panorama of the different fronts he guides in the Caribbean region, referring to highly relevant items such as currency, regulation, market, bridges, KYC providers, the scope of AI, and the challenges in the fight for responsible gaming, assisting in the monitoring of players and the behavior patterns of the bettor to report them to regulatory entities.

The panel of the Puerto Rico Gaming Commission, moderated by Ms. Lorraine Irizarry, Director of the Games of Chance Bureau in PR, addressed integration, entertainment, innovation, and collaboration between sectors, highlighting opportunities to build new experiences. To begin, she gave the floor to panelists Julio Rivera, Director of the Sports Betting Bureau, and Javier Soto, General Manager of Cage PR, a sports betting operator, who interacted with Liza María García Vélez, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce, spokesperson for the entity that represents various economic sectors on the island, to which she has added the strengthening of the gaming ecosystem as a topic of maximum interest, including new variables such as esports. Her participation brought a business perspective to the dialogue on the development and regulation of the regional industry.

“Multiple laws, one industry: the legal framework of gaming in PR.”

Mr. Jaime Rivera, a prestigious lawyer with vast experience as former director of the Puerto Rico Gaming Commission and currently a partner at Saiber LLC, masterfully presented the legislative path of the regulatory structure of gaming and betting in Puerto Rico, from the 20th century to the second decade of the 21st century. From the history of land-based casino regulation, always linked to the hotel and tourism industry, to the disruption of already approved route machines, and the adaptation process of both modalities. Mr. Rivera made constant references to horse racing as a very special bastion due to its unique characteristics, universe, and physical and digital structure in the United States and Puerto Rico.

The Master Class on the slot product, given by specialist Daniel Arias from the firm Amusnet, took on special importance as he detailed the operation of slot machines and the multiple variables that influence their profitability and player behavior, providing key tools to retain customers, both at a technological level and in marketing strategies.

One of the most representative moments of GAT Talks was the panel “The DNA of gaming in Puerto Rico: retrospective and a sustainable future”, led and moderated by José Aníbal Aguirre, CEO of GAT Events, who brought together voices from the five major segments of the legal Puerto Rican industry on the same stage.

The dialogue allowed learning about the particularities of each vertical, its evolution, and the challenges it faces, but also identifying a common element: they are all part of an entertainment industry that has opportunities to collaborate, complement each other, and grow sustainably.

From horse racing, María Cristina Mari García, Vice President of Hipódromo Camarero, highlighted the trajectory of an activity deeply linked to Puerto Rican history and culture, as well as its ability to evolve and continue offering entertainment to new generations.

For the lottery sector, Lorna Huertas, advisor to the Puerto Rico Gaming Commission and former Assistant Secretary of the Lottery Bureau, a line independently regulated by the Treasury Department, provided the perspective of this vertical with a broad tradition and social reach, highlighting its evolution within a transforming market and the importance of continuing to adapt to new player habits.

Jaime Alex Irizarry, outstanding Director of Operations at Royal Gaming Logistics, addressed the reality of route gaming machines, a segment that has acquired its own space within the regulated market of Puerto Rico and that represents an entertainment alternative with presence in numerous establishments. His intervention allowed putting on the table the development of this vertical and its coexistence with the other gaming modalities.

From sports betting, Joe Fernández, President and Co-founder of Ballers Sportsbook, shared the vision of one of the most recent and dynamic segments of the Puerto Rican market, marked by technology, digitalization, and new forms of interaction with the consumer. His perspective showed how the incorporation of new modalities expands the entertainment offer and attracts new audiences.

For his part, Eric Rodríguez, Director of Foxwoods Casino, presented the vision of land-based casinos, a consolidated vertical that continues to be a fundamental part of the tourism and entertainment offer of Puerto Rico. His participation allowed analyzing the need to evolve the casino experience and its relationship with the new alternatives that the player has today.

Based on these five perspectives, José Aníbal Aguirre steered the conversation towards a central theme: the collaboration between segments that have traditionally developed their businesses independently. Rather than presenting them as competitors, the panel opened the possibility of recognizing common ground between casinos, horse racing, lotteries, sports betting, and route machines.

The conversation put forward an industry vision in which entertainment, innovation, and collaboration can become articulating elements, respecting the regulatory and commercial particularities of each vertical. The coexistence of different modalities expands the options for the consumer and opens opportunities to share experiences, knowledge, and good practices.

For Aguirre, bringing these five voices together in the same conversation reflects the role that GAT seeks to play in Puerto Rico as an industry integrator, fostering encounters between authorities, operators, manufacturers, and the different bureaus.

“Puerto Rico showed us a diverse industry, with five bureaus that can find common ground for a healthy coexistence. The feedback we received was very positive and confirmed the sector's interest in continuing to generate spaces for dialogue and collaboration. Next year, during the academic session, we will address the topics of responsible gaming and the LAFT Congress, as part of our commitment to strengthening the industry,” stated José Aníbal Aguirre.

Puerto Rico, a strategic bet

GAT Events ratified its interest in Puerto Rico as a connection point between the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America, through technology, business, and networking. The organization thanked the Government of Puerto Rico's Gaming Commission, and the sponsoring and exhibiting brands: Aristocrat, Novomatic, Hipódromo Camararo Gamanza, GLI, Mobadoo, Royal Gaming Logistics, Fortune Group Games, EAS Systems, EEZE, Counting Equipment & Supplies, Bad Dog Games, TVC Gaming, Bloomcrest, Caribbean Gaming Technologies, Amusnet Interactive, Prometeo, Oklahoma, Caribe Gaming, Gem Solutions, and Caribbean Gaming Distributors.

GAT Expo Puerto Rico will return to San Juan in 2027, with the objective of growing, adding players, and strengthening the connection between entertainment, technology, and business.

Website: www.gatevents.net