THE Isle of Man’s first ever eGaming summit, held on the Island this week, was such a success it looks like being the forerunner of a series of further similar meetings.
Over 180 delegates attended the summit, organised by KPMG at Mount Murray when a series of experts speaking on matters relevant to the eGaming sector, both locally and globally.
The summit was described as “a great success” by Micky Swindale, associate director at KPMG Isle of Man and event coordinator. “It was not only as an educational and networking tool for the delegates, but also as a way of raising the profile of this key industry.
“The Isle of Man has a huge part to play in the global eGaming industry and this sort of engagement between the key players is essential to the jurisdiction continuing to thrive.”
The morning session was opened by Allan Bell, Minister of the Department of Economic Development, and focused on the Isle of Man as an eGaming jurisdiction. A number of key speakers from government and the private sector discussed how the Isle of Man is ‘a good place to play’ and how to ensure it remains competitive in a globally growing industry.
The afternoon session focused on broader issues affecting the industry as a whole, such as regulation, insurance and future trends. It drew to a close with a panel of experts fielding questions from the delegates. The numbers of delegates in the afternoon session swelled to 180 as extra tables were added to accommodate members of the press and other interested parties.
While hosted and arranged by KPMG, who retain a number of eGaming industry experts both in the Isle of Man and globally, the event received support from across the sector. The summit’s lunch was provided by Celton Manx, providers of online sports betting services, while AON, Pokerstars and Neovia all supported other elements of the day.
In addition, the evening closed with entertainment provided by Microgaming and a post-event report is expected to be released, sponsored by Continent 8 Technologies. The report should be issued in January, and will capture the key themes and issues raised at the summit with the intention of presenting them as catalysts for further debate.
It is hoped by many in the sector that that the summit signals the beginning of a greater focus on eGaming as a backbone industry for the Island’s economy. It already employs hundreds of employees directly, and is a major secondary employer through their use of local IT and financial services. KPMG and Continent 8 hope to follow up the summit’s success with the eClub, a regular networking event for people associated with the industry on the Island.
Russell Kelly, Director responsible for eGaming services at KPMG Isle of Man added, “We would like to thank everyone who contributed to making the summit such a success, especially the sponsors and of course all the speakers who made the day so interesting.”
Allan Bell added, “I would like to thank KPMG for putting on such a beneficial and entertaining summit. As an Island we are at the forefront of this cutting edge industry and it is a major contributor of jobs and revenue for the Island; it is vital that we support it and we welcome KPMG’s involvement in doing so.”
