"Tests and investigations should be part of our activity"

In his explanation, Gushin said that Spectrum has operated in Macao, Singapore, some Caribbean countries and in 12 American states. "We are very pleased that Brazil has sought to understand the importance of making controls on gaming to ensure a good performance of the sector. What do regulators do? Conduct investigations on operators, betting audits, including the performance of own personnel. Technology is constantly changing and regulators need to keep up with this move so that the regulatory part and controls are up to date. Regulators can even hunt for licenses, which has happened twice in the United States. The process of regulating can not be considered as an enemy, but as an agent collaborating the activity," he said.

"We see effective examples of concern about regulation, as is the case with the Gaming Commissions in Nevada, Australia, UK, and (even with a police structure, with the power to arrest offenders). It is our understanding that the structure also has the same power so that the sector to be regulated starts already with the characteristic of following clear rules and clear licensing policies, in order to maintain organized crime outside the sector, because the public must rely on the activity," he analyzed.

According to Gushin, it is also a responsibility of the government to adopt policies to protect compulsive gamblers, and that goes through a regulatory agency with the competence and knowledge to manage that issue. "The concessions should not undermine aspects of gaming integrity and should meet industry needs. The key point is to learn from other jurisdictions, doing what is best for Brazil."

Marzia Turrini, of BMM Test Labs, commented that the independent test laboratory she runs is accredited by several control bodies and that all necessary controls for the gaming industry can be federally supervised in the case of Brazil in function of the continental dimensions of the country, "but I believe that state units could provide the necessary support to the central agency."

With this initiative "it is possible to guarantee integrity to the sector and security in the investment as well as for operators and players," she said. According to Turrini, it is important that the regulator knows the activity to regulate in a clear, transparent and competent way to give to the sector as a whole the quality that the industry demands, in casinos as well as in bingos, sports bets and other gaming activities. "The profitability of the activity is closely linked to good regulation, so as to ensure that operators do not escape the rules defined by a new market such as the Brazilian. The country has a great experience in illegal games and now is the time that they achieve legality, adopting appropriate compliance practices. This does not mean copying anything, but rather seeking successful experiences and adjusting to the very definition of what Brazil will approve, since there is a lot of complexity of the innumerable games to be implemented in the country," she added.

According to Turrini, everything should be analyzed, such as the size of the market, the games to be approved, where the gaming complexes will be installed, etc. "In Italy, for example, the industry was regulated in a very professional way, with control by the government, with no chance of being tested by independent laboratories, which caused market stagnation, and was not leveraged as it could because of the lack of resources available to deliver certifications for new games, due to the delay in testing. Government response to approval of new platforms did not happen. Today they have shifted focus and are opening the possibility of independent testing, which will boost the sector again," she commented.

For her, it is important to always review the standards set for the local reality, especially the creation of clear rules and document all of them so that "it gets very well set in the mind of the industry so that it follows the path of regulation as defined by the state."

At the end of their presentation, Paulo Lopes commented that Portugal's legislation has existed for over 30 years and now, with the arrival of online gaming, "we have to adapt to the new reality, since our industry is dynamic and always needs to be updated ".

Source: GMB Exclusive