On March 1, Tbilisi hosted the third international Georgia Gaming Congress.
Reputable experts discussed the latest development trends of gambling industry, and exhibitors displayed advanced products, with around 200 people attending the event.
Informational and educational part of the congress traditionally covered almost all gambling business directions. Fifteen speakers delivered presentations.
This year, Rafayel Badalyan and Oksana Yanyshyn, representatives of Betconstruct, the general sponsor of the event, opened the conference.
They spoke about revolution in gambling that will be caused by virtual reality, and commercial benefits of live dealer games. Experts believe that live casino can increase the number of website users by 100 percent, and revenues – by 70 percent.
Further, Teona Shiukashvili, member of Georgia Revenue Service, took the floor. She highlighted the topic of gambling business taxation in the country in general as well as in separate regions.
Director of eCommerce at Alderney eGambling Limited, Susan O’Leary presented a report about regulated online gambling market and explained why operators need to have a license for providing remote gambling services and what advantages are offered by Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC).
Zakaria Khitarishvili, CEO at Betsense, continued the topic of Internet gambling. From his presentation, visitors learned how to increase the time players spend at an online casino.
Whereas, Lasha Machavariani, independent gambling consultant, founder of sports TV channels Setanta Sports, Setanta Sports+, representative of Sports Betting Community (SBC), gave practical advice on doing gambling business in the country, and illustrated the differences between the Russian and Georgian markets. There were no vacant seats in the hall during his speech, which sparked a great interest of the audience, many questions were asked.
Francesco Baranca, the general secretary of Federbet, dedicated his report to the subject of combating against match fixing in fantasy and e-sports. According to him, the urgency of this problem is growing due to the increasing popularity of betting on gaming competitions.
Vadim Potapenko, development manager at Slotegrator, once again drew the attention of visitors to online gambling segment. He spoke about the place of chatbots and messengers in the industry. In particular, he recommended Telegram as a safe, quick and user-friendly resource with a large audience.
Alex Sudadze, founder at Bitcoin Embassy Georgia, highlighted the benefits of cryptocurrencies for gambling companies. Technology that underlies Bitcoin increases the speed of monetary operations and player trust. Ending his speech, Alex drew one crypto million.
An interesting report was presented by Stefan Enchev, representative of Casino Technology. He explained how to use omnichannel solutions in practice.
Marina Palmigiani, head of public relations and junket department at Ambassadori casino, shared secrets of efficient marketing. She focused the attention on the methods of attracting gambling tourists to facilities.
The last to present was a well-known Georgian politician, founder of Free Georgia Party and member of Tbilisi city council, Kakha Kukava. He specified the main difficulties of labor relationship between gambling operators and personnel, and told how to resolve them.
Demo zone participants
The exhibition floor at Georgia Gaming Congress featured new products from manufacturers of slot machines and other casino equipment. Software developers also presented efficient online business solutions. Visitors took an active interest in exhibitors’ products and negotiated about possible partnerships.
The following companies were presented to guests: Betconstruct, GM Gaming, Ftoros, Slotegrator, UB|Gaming, GoldenRace, Betgames.tv and Federbet, an organization that fights against fraud in gambling.
Pleasant final
A party from Ftoros company, organized at “In The Shadow of Metekhi” restaurant, closed the Gaming Congress. Guests could experience real Georgian hospitality and admire the inimitable taste of national dishes, cooked by the best chefs in the country.
The party helped to strengthen business relations. Participants found new partners in informal surroundings and some of them might have started a new stage of business development.
Asia Gaming Brief is a news and intelligence service providing up to date market information for worldwide executives on relevant gaming issues in Asia.
ASIA GAMING BRIEF
PO Box 1139, Macau SAR
Tel: +853 2871 7267
Fax: +853 2871 7264