We had a fantastic time in Colombia in April, where FECOLJUEGOS, one of the country’s leading operators’ association, celebrated 15 years. Indeed, the organization is featuring a series of industry events throughout the year, and began with an all-day conference session on April 10 with a luncheon for delegates at the Bogota Sheraton Hotel. The next two days at FADJA 2015 were the busiest we’ve been for a long time, with leading global companies exhibiting and debuting products and systems. Colombia is going through an important regulatory development process that will see major trade installations as well as opening in the online and sports betting segments. As May approaches, we’ll make our way to Centro-America for the SAGSE Panama 2015 event on May 13-15, where global leader NOVOMATIC is Platinum sponsor in a lounge stand format debuting the fantastic DOMINATOR Curve that made such an impressive display at the recent ICE Totally Gaming show in London, as well as an array of proven casino winners. Then, we’ll be back on home territory when we visit Lima for PGS 2015, which is being labelled the Latin American Show. No guesses on the exhibitors who will showcase in this mature market, as all the best will be there, and you can read a short resume below. No guesses either on the good time we’ll all have enjoying great hospitality, delicious cuisine, plus some Cusquen~as and Pisco sours. See you all there! Cheers, Ricki CHILE – Senate approves Casino Law amendment On Wednesday 22 April Chile’s Senate approved the White Paper amending Casino Law No. 19.995, extending the concessions granted to municipal casinos in seven cities in the South American country. The draft legislation, which now must now be approved by the House of Representatives, will allow the cities of Arica, Iquique, Coquimbo, Vin~a del Mar, Pucon, Puerto Natales and Puerto Varas to continue hosting casinos for three periods of 15 years each. The legislation also states that from 2018 these municipal casinos will be regulated by Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego (SCJ), the country’s regulatory body. From that year onwards, SCJ will supervise and control all municipal casinos and bring them under the rules and regulations established by law 19.995, including filing all casino operations data. The draft law also will control the procedure of allocation of casino permits based on current law. The Casino Law, under which there has been investment of around one billion dollars in the past ten years with the development of integrated casino resorts in new destinations, had a provision whereby Municipal Casinos finished operations at the end of 2015. Approval of the draft Bill passed by Chilean Senators would invalidate such a revocation. ARGENTINA – Bingo workers open Buenos Aires bingos 24 hours after the occupation of five Buenos Aires bingos by their workers, under the leadership of the Union of Gaming Workers (ALEARA), the occupation ended when local regulators, the Instituto del Juego y Apuestas, agreed to the Union proposal to extend the licence of the Bingos, which are undergoing a tender process. On Monday April 20, the workers of five Bingos: Caballito, Flores, Lavalle, Congress and Belgrano, took possession of the premises to demand that the authorities “comply with the process whereby Loteria Nacional is able to continue with the gaming halls tender process”. The agreement was signed by Buenos Aires City functionaries and Ariel Fassione, ALEARA Secretary General, and points out that the agreement is based on the will of the City Government not to endanger or cause job losses until the organizations involved in the tender process reach a definitive solution on the bingo operations. The contracts to operate the bingos ended at the end of last year and the bingo administrators obtained an extension that expired on Sunday, 19 April. Prior to this date Loteria Nacional had started the tender process to sell the bingos but this process was called into question by the Buenos Aires Instituto del Juego y Apuestas, claiming that LN had been left out of the process, and stopped the tender process through a Court order, with the ensuing consequences. NOBLE Gaming welcomes Jorge Bazan The UK Server Based Gaming developer and supplier Noble Gaming has appointed Jorge Bazan as Sales Manager for Latin America to lead their strategic operations in the region. Jorge joined the Business Development team in the new established Noble Gaming’s office in Buenos Aires, Argentina with the aim to develop the LATAM market with his over 10 years of experience in the gaming sector, successful track record in the fulfilment of Sales plans, Marketing and Organization working groups and with extensive knowledge in the markets of Argentina, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Bolivia and Uruguay. Jorge has significant experience in the entertainment industry and led the Latin American Gaming Association during the period June 2004 to November 2011. During this period, Jorge proved himself as a Senior Executive with a marked success and excellent management tools, with extensive knowledge in the management of outcome and compliance with corporate policies, financial goals and sales results. Nevena Aleksieva, Sales and Business Development Director at Noble Gaming comments: “It is a pleasure and honour for us to welcome to our team such an expert in the gaming industry as Jorge. I am sure that his knowledge and experience will contribute to a quick and successful penetration of our products in the market. We will work together to achieve the goals we have set: to deliver innovative products that meet our customer’s needs and to maintain the unity of original approach, high quality and expected performance.” PGS 2015 – It’s all go for Latin American gaming show Joe Lopez and Rube´n Solo´rzano, organizers of the PGS, have travelled half the world to promote the Latin American Gaming trade fair, which will be held on 10 and 11 June 2015 in the Jockey Club Exhibition Centre in Lima, Peru. From Las Vegas last September, in the hot Nevada desert, followed by Buenos Aires in November in splendid springtime and then to London’s cold conditions for ICE 2015 in February and always with a stand of their own at these shows. And finally in Bogota for FADJA last month, where we talked a little more about the leading event in the region. Charming as ever, Joe Lopez said that in each city they were visited by many of the most important companies in the industry. Commenting at Las Vegas, he said: “We are doing very well with our sales and expect to receive next year all companies that have visited us at G2E”. The sales materialized and the leading global gaming companies will be in Lima next June, including NOVOMATIC, ARISTOCRAT, AINSWORTH, MERKUR, IGT-GTECH, KONAMI, DLV, CASINO TECHNOLOGY and ICC among others. Rube´n Solo´rzano, said. “Peru Gaming Show proves once more that it is the show with better projection in Latin America and is a truly consolidated event throughout the region.”
