The international gambling management fraternity gets together at ICE London. U.S. commercial and Native American casino operators frequent G2E in Las Vegas. And now, for operators south of the United States and elsewhere, there’s a new option: Juegos Miami and its North American older cousin, Global iGaming Summit & Expo (GiGse), are offering a combined event, May 30 and June 1, at the Biltmore Miami.
Clarion Gaming Managing Director Kate Chambers notes that the two are very distinct brands. “GiGse, the more established and arguably the better known of the two, has been serving the interests of the American gambling, gaming and betting industry for a number of years,” Chambers says. “And Juegos Miami, which was created at the request of stakeholders in Central, South and Latin America, as well as those in the Caribbean gaming industry, is looking south.”
She notes that GiGse provides paid-for content and learning, whereas Juegos Miami has a unique “by invitation” format, which the industry wanted when the organization launched in 2016. The languages are also different: at Juegos Miami, the dominant languages are Spanish and Portuguese, while mostly American English is spoken at GiGse. “Both events are related, but they are more like cousins than brothers or sisters,” Chambers said.
Clarion Gaming has a history of putting on big events; its 2018 edition of ICE London was the biggest in its seven-year history. When Clarion was designing the format for Juegos Miami, one objective was to bring expertise, insight and professionalism from outside the Latin American region. But networking comes out at the top, or very close to the top, in all of the stakeholder surveys at Clarion’s events, Chambers added. Having decision-makers from two different events in the same hotel provides for plenty of brainstorming during off-hours.
Chambers said that “In an industry which is so dependent on regulation, GiGse’s role is to identify, develop and discuss the big issues of the day and put them under the microscope,” with the two-day event consisting of keynote speakers, panel sessions and interactive workshops. The theme for this year’s GiGse is “Putting North American gambling, gaming and betting under the microscope.”
GiGse surveys show that 61 percent of attendees are classified as C-Level; another 21 percent are either directors or VPs. Given this clear C-Level profile, the scheduled meetings at the event will reflect that level of seniority. Topics will center on the customer journey, shifting demographics, customer retention, as well as eSports, daily fantasy sports, and sports betting. Clarion officials note that organizations ranging from MGM Resorts to Mohegan Sun, Pechanga Resort and Casino to Penn National Gaming and Caesars to California Gambling Control Commission are involved.
Juegos Miami will have separate streams for the online and land-based sectors. Big issues include the importance of combating illegal operators and detailed regulatory updates, segmented by both region and country. Juegos Miami will also look at convergence, the impact of the FIFA World Cup, and blockchain technology. Chambers notes that for international attendees, Juegos Miami provides access to a diverse community and provides a chance to capitalize on Latin America’s enthusiasm for meeting potential business partners.
