What evaluation can you make in the 10th anniversary?
Indeed, it has been 10 years of work in the Caribbean and we are one hundred percent sure that our contribution has been positive. In the last 2 days of rehearsal with more than 60 speakers, we have had fun and enthusiastic moments, remembering the beginnings of the Caribbean Gaming Show and its anecdotes. We have almost always had the same group of friends from industry and the press, from Associations and Governments. Few things have changed in this last decade. The great challenge has been to develop and consolidate a brand with such dissimilar conditions. It is not the same to grow in a single country, with clear and established rules, with legal and formalized play, than to stay afloat in countries with different languages, regulations, levels of formalization and communication between authority and operators, with import barriers, with infighting to level and take off, etc.

The spirit of CGS has always been to open channels of communication and meeting so that the industry can develop and expand. The Caribbean is a multi-cultural, multi-lingual geographic region and therefore entering a new country was a journey of exploration, of connection and, why not say it, of impulse for each market. For our part, each event has been planned and carried out with great dedication, a lot of enthusiasm on the part of the host country.

The great barrier to break down, the distance between authority and the market, even more so if it is not formal at all. It is not the same to meet the needs of the Operator of a resort, that of a gambling hall, or that of the street, when competing with an illegal person who does not follow approvals, does not pay taxes and operates in stores or near supply markets . It has had to understand and make flexible issues of taxes, import blockades, extreme impositions - it is more difficult to import a slot machine than weapons- etc. We remain a complicated industry and one that is managed according to particular interests in many countries. Those who are stagnant because there are no changes in the Regulator, no new winds are coming, the forms are not legalized or streamlined, they create uncertainty and disorder, and if we add Covid to it, many are seeing themselves in serious trouble.

What activities will be held?
CGS Cloud2020 will be a virtual version of a mega Conference, with 15 Panels and more than 60 participants who are in different parts of the world. It is not the same to do a face-to-face conference and have control of everything, to do a virtual one with this degree of complexity and variables. The schedules, the language, the internet connection, the appropriate spaces to develop the presentation, etc. It has a good percentage of difficulty but we have achieved with the excellent disposition of all the participants and a support team of more than 15 people, to identify the possible inconveniences and be prepared to deliver quality work and exceptional content to Latin America. It is the first Latino event, for Latinos (including the Caribbean and Brazil of course).

Which are the novelties offered by CGS Cloud?
We made some modifications to be more assertive in what the market really needs today and the necessary changes were, for example, leaving free access understanding the economic condition that many companies are going through, or for example postponing the Expo since at the moment, with 80% of markets closed, the focus is not on what purchases they are going to make or investments to undo, but on how to reactivate and reach a breakeven point. We must be empathetic with what happens and think about the common good to lift this industry again.

We are accompanied by more than 25 brands, we have representation from almost all the Gaming Associations, we have Regulators from Nevada, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Brazil, Chile and Argentina, former regulators from Uruguay and Malta. Those who are absent are immersed in changes of government or internal policies, but the disposition was present, it is the important thing. The support of the most important Gaming Associations such as Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, the 2 of Colombia, Peru, Chile, Brazil. We will have recognized CEOs, leading Manufacturers, Suppliers that make a difference in the land-based transition to online, the 2 most important laboratories in the world, Analysts, Developers, etc .; More than 60 highly valued and renowned professionals, sharing knowledge and experience for the Caribbean, Latin American and Brazilian market.

Which are your expectations?
We are confident that the more than 500 registered will be connected for much of the journey of this virtual Summit. We thank this great industry and we predict success in the reopening and recovery. From our side they will always have the support and contribution of CGS and myself. We will continue working for and with the industry, with the sole objective of continuing to grow and providing society with safe and adequate spaces for entertainment.