´Online conferences need to support the industry´ - Zoltan Tuendik, Gaming Americas Meetups

What are your expectations for Gaming Americas MeetUps next January 28th?

We are very excited about hosting the Gaming Americas Q1 Meetups from our Quarterly Meetups series and we expect +1k participants in the engaging discussions about important regions such as North America, Latin America and the Caribbean region.

We have put together a huge lineup for this first meetup which has now turned into a full conference. At the beginning we wanted to have 4-5 panel discussions, but in the end the demand has keept increasing and the discussion topics were emerging weekly. We will have 11 panel discussions, out of which 4 will be dedicated for the Latin American and Caribbean region.

Which are the main issues to be treated at the event?

The main topic is moving forward under the world pandemic. We all know that the industry has been hit hard in terms of regulation, but also offers multiple opportunities for companies to move forward. Among the North American panel discussions, the experts will aproach topics such as the reclassification of DFS entry fees by the IRS, how to create a synergy between a land-based and online operetation, the innovations which are needed to drive the US gambling industry, the role of the gambling industry on the stock exchange, IPOs, M&As, SPACs, consolidations, a dive into the payments industry and an overview of what to expect in Canada with the new regulatons.

Participants will also have the opportunity hear more about what states are expected to start offering online gambling.

When it comes to Latin America, we are giving the opportunity for participants who don't speak Spanish to access the panel discussions in English via Live Interpreting. It is very important as we have gathered the regulators of several important regions in Latin America and the Caribbean to discuss how the industry is moving forward in 2021.

We have also designed a special panel discussion in English with translation into Spanish about how the Latin American gambling industry can learn from the mistakes the European countries made when regulating their markets.

In your view, what will be the situation of the gaming industry for 2021?

It is highly unlikely that the pandemic will just come to an end this year. Online entertainment consuming has become a key part of all our lives and the gaming industry can only benefit from it. Of course, here we must also mention the advertisement regulations which in some parts of the world are unfortunately benefiting the black industry and driving players to non-licensed gambling portals.

In 2021, it is very important for the industry to have clear communications with the regulators and the regulators must step up to politicians. Otherwise, the industry will be sent back to 2010. Innovations will grow, but the regulation will take its toll.

Online conferences need to support the industry and quality content is more vital than ever!