Agenda
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 8.30 - 9.00 | Coffee and registration |
| 9:00 - 9:10 | Welcome from the conference organisers Speaker: Kimberley Allan, Founder/Director, Awedacity |
| 9:10 - 9:30 | Chairman's opening remarks Speaker: Eduardo Antoja, President, Spanish Association of Gaming Machines Manufacturers (FACOMARE) |
| 9:30 - 11:00 | Keynote panel: Moves towards regulation of online gambling in Spain Moderator: Xavier Muñoz Bellvehí, Managing Partner, Legal Link Panellists: María Ángeles González, Technical Secretary General from the Ministry of Interior, Comisión Nacional del Juego; Fernando Prats, Director General of Taxation and Gaming, Autonomous Government of Madrid; Luis Miguel González Gago, Secretary General of Interior and Justice, Autonomous Government of Castilla y León. Following the congressional motion passed in December 2007 that obliges Spanish authorities to introduce national regulations for internet gambling activities, this session will provide an overview of the current status of the regulatory project from a government perspective and explain official priorities in terms of public policy objectives and fiscal concerns. |
| 11:00 - 12:00 | Legal session: Compliance challenges Moderator: Xavier Munoz Bellvehi, Legal Link Panellists: Artemi Rallo Lombarte, Director General, Spanish Data Protection Commission (Data protection); Heliodoro Giner , General Secretary, Spanish Casino Association, and Board Memeber, European Casino Association (Responsible gambling, Money laundering); Ignacio Herreros Margarit, Head Madrid Office, Legal Link (Advertising restrictions). This session will outline some of the key legal challenges likely to be faced by online gambling providers seeking to obtain a licence in Spain. Spanish politicians have already emphasised that future online gambling regulations will fall into line with national and local laws in other critical areas, including advertising, data protection and self-exclusion of recognised problem gamblers. |
| 12:00 - 12:30 | Networking break |
| 12:30 - 13:15 | Panel session: Is Spain ready for a regulated online gambling market? Moderator: Xavier Muñoz Bellvehí, Managing Partner, Legal Link Panel: Fernando Ors, Chief Development Officer, Codere; Sacha Michaud , Director, Betfair Iberia; Javier Peñin Cueva, Sales Director, Southern Europe, Mirada.tv. A panel of experts on the Spanish gambling sector consider whether market conditions are appropriate for formal regulation of online gaming in Spain - drawing on recent market statistics and consumer trends in the broader gambling sector, available marketing and payments processing opportunities for online gaming providers, and the performance of nascent sports betting operations in several Spanish regions. |
| 13:15 - 14:00 | Póquer a la española: Internet poker in Spain Moderator: Xavier Muñoz Bellvehí, Managing Partner, Legal Link Panellists: Juan Barrachina, Chairman, Spanish Poker Association; Albert Agustinoy, Attorney, Cuatrecasas; Carlo Gualandri, President and Founder, Gioco Digitale, Italy. A discussion examining current market demand for online poker in Spain and evaluating how poker is likely to be treated under the forthcoming regulatory regime, including a possible timeline for the introduction of officially regulated online poker rooms and a discussion of whether operators should be allowed to integrate Spanish poker players into their wider, pan-European poker operations. |
| 14:00 - 15:30 | Networking lunch |
| 15:30 - 16:30 | Creating an appropriate tax regime for remote gambling Moderators: Xavier Muñoz Bellvehí, Managing Partner, Legal Link Panellists: Resurrección Sáez,, Director General of Taxes, Autonomous Government of La Rioja; Juan José Zornoza Pérez, Professor of financial and fiscal law studies, Carlos III University of Madrid; Francois Peglau, Tax Analyst, GamblingCompliance Ltd Members of Congress have already ensured that remote gaming taxes will be split between national and provincial governments. This session will look ahead at how such a tax regime will work in practice and consider what would be a realistic rate for the Spanish Treasury to set in order to make Spain competitive as an online licensing jurisdiction, bearing in mind existing gaming tax provisions for land-based gambling operators. |
| 16:30 - 17:30 | Closing panel session: Spain's online gambling liberalization from a pan-European perspective Moderator: Andrew Gellatly, Editorial Director, GamblingCompliance Ltd. Panellists: Wes Himes, European Advisor, Remote Gambling Association; Andre Wilsenach, Chief Executive Officer, Alderney Gambling Control Commission and Chairman of the International Association of Gaming Regulators; Dr. Joseph F. Borg , Director Legal & Enforcement, Lotteries & Gaming Authority, Malta; Thomas Talos, Legal Advisor, Bwin; Nick Nocton, Partner, Jeffrey Green and Russell This closing panel session will seek to understand what Spanish market entrants and regulators can learn from other attempts to regulate internet gambling in Europe, in particular the UK, Italy and France. In particular it will focus on:
|
| 17:30 - 17:45 | Chairman's closing remarks |
| 17:45 - 17:50 | Close |
