KPMG Isle of Man has announced the speaker line up for its third annual eGaming Summit, which includes major international industry experts as well as key representatives of the local cluster.
The Summit will once again be opened by The Hon Allan Bell MHK, Chief Minister, welcoming delegates from both on and off the Island, and laying out the Government’s approach to supporting and developing the local sector. Following this and an address by Russell Kelly, the Director responsible for eGaming at KPMG Isle of Man, the morning’s keynote speaker will be Roger Withers, Chairman of Playtech, who will be presenting on the topic of ‘Capital Markets and Online Gaming’. The morning session will also feature the update on the marketing and regulation of the local sector from the Department of Economic Development (DED) and the Gambling Supervision Commission. Following a morning coffee break, Nick Nally of Continent 8 Technologies will present a comparison of the different gaming jurisdictions and their offerings.
After lunch provided by PokerStars, the afternoon will be opened by Archie Watt, one of KPMG’s most sought after eGaming specialists. David Clifton from London-based Joelson Wilson LLP will be discussing the issues of regulatory changes and threats related to remote gambling. Pierre Tournier, who is based in Brussels for the Remote Gambling Association, will then present on the European Commission’s action plan for online gambling, which has progressed in recent weeks. The Hon John Shimmin MHK, Minister for DED, will be saying a few words before closing the day’s sessions and inviting delegates to stay for drinks, canapes and entertainment, provided by Experian.
Due to popular demand, many of the day’s speakers as well as some notable additional experts will be sitting on open Q&A panels throughout the course of the day. Three panels will be held, on the topics of taxation and regulation, ‘the Cloud’ and the merits and opportunities of the Isle of Man as a home for eGaming – the last of these will pick up on the themes from the pre-summit dinner, which has been generously funded by Celton Manx. Questions will be taken from the floor and moderated by KPMG’s eGaming experts.
This year’s Summit will also feature, for the first time, break-out sessions on a variety of specialist topics, primarily aimed at start-up companies. These shorter sessions will run in parallel to the presentations in the main room and will be conducted in a more interactive style. Sessions include Rory Anderson from 12Bet speaking on his company’s first three years from start-up; Ben Wightman of Latitude Marketing analysing PPC trends during UK sports events and PPC trends and tips for sportsbook advertisers; Garth Kimber returns to discuss network licensing from an operator’s perspective; and there will be a joint presentation by Gallaghers and MAC Group on how the owners and directors of eGaming companies can best manage their individual exposure or risk, including their personal assets.
Russell Kelly, Director responsible for eGaming services at KPMG Isle of Man, commented: “As the Summit has grown in popularity over the last few years and firmly established itself as a major milestone of the Manx eGaming calendar, we have been fortunate enough to attract ever-more influential and interesting speakers. This year’s line-up is really exciting, and we are particularly pleased that we are now able to offer break-out sessions, allowing delegates a choice of topics throughout the day. We are really looking forward to what is set to be a great day of sharing knowledge, strategy and relationships.”
The Summit, which is the third annual event to be held on the Isle of Man, will be at the Mount Murray Hotel on 22nd November. Attendance is by invitation only. For more information, or if you would like to request an invitation, search for ‘eGaming Summit’ on www.kpmg.co.im or www.whereyoucan.im. For those who are unable to attend, a full report will be published on the day’s events, due once again to the support of Continent 8 Technologies.
