2022 Agenda

Welcome to the KPMG eSummit

Welcome to Malta

In this keynote, Paul Leyland will present how pandemic responses have transformed the global online gambling industry and will cover the following key points:
 • driving digital adoption
 • extended “easy growth period”
 • temporary reg measures point to longer term change
 • channel shift accelerant has structural implications for entire  industry
 • what comes next: tax and inflation

Reflections, Challenges and Opportunities

The convergence of gambling with the sports, media and video gaming industries is happening in real time. This session will explore the impacts to each sector, and how gambling companies can capitalize on convergence while understand the perspective of their new partners. We will also discuss how convergence is affecting M&A and other transactions and areas to manage from a risk perspective.

A deep look into the current state of the industry and what it takes to satisfy players in the modern era.

Austria: the spectre of unenforceability and the challenges of local and EU consumer laws

The remote gaming sector in Malta has continued to experience sustained growth offering renewed career growth prospects both for rising stars and industry veterans all the way up to the top of the C-suite league. However with notable increased awareness about the cardinal importance of gender diversity across the leading remote gaming operators the spotlight is still switched-on for the industry need to achieve a more robust representation of women leaders on boards. Our panel of industry experts will debate the impact of the pandemic on the workforce dynamics, lessons learnt and a special focus on the multifaceted leadership role of women: a step earlier, inside and beyond the board room.

Thought leaders stemming from Bettor Capital, Growthbox, Aspire Global and KPMG US, come together to identify and hone in on the strategic criteria that currently make a company attractive for investment purposes.

Italy: advertising and other opportunities or more of the same?

Around the world, industry regulators are working to impose tighter controls to ensure safe and legal frameworks for businesses. The gaming industry is rising to the challenge. Regulators are seeing common failings, hence administrative penalties are being imposed, on an area were lack of or no information and documentation is being obtained on the customers’ occupation, source of wealth, source of funds and their expected level of play. This is not only from an affordability stand point but even from an AML/CFT perspective, and the importance of this is so that gaming operators understand their customers and risk profiles and therefore will be in a better position to carry out the appropriate ongoing monitoring. During this interactive session, we will address the requirements around this area, the challenges of and some practical considerations in applying these requirements.

Having witnessed the pitfalls of heavy player acquisition spending in Europe, we draw correlations to the cultivation of bonus abuse and player disloyalty in the US today.

Spain and LATAM: a strategic look at the Hispanic markets

At the moment it seems like all eyes (and resources) are focusing on either the gambling gold rush across the US, the gambling review in the UK or the technology challenges brought by the launch of new regulatory regimes in the Netherlands and Germany.

These markets, as attractive as they may seem, are far from a level playing field and ultimately not in the reach of everyone as they come with significant hurdles. Be it the size of the investment required, the regulatory restrictions imposed, the drip feeding of licences or the technological integrations needed to pay for the eye watering tax regimes, and the Responsible Gambling considerations. There is a growing urgency to look further afield at what jurisdictions are going to deliver the next growth phase for the majority of the operators in the sector.

With that comes the focus on the operators and their partners. From KYC to Data storage, Payments to country specific marketing. What does it look like and how to achieve best practice in markets where traditional methods are simply not an option?

In this session, Rachel Decelis from KPMG Malta and Adam Rivers from KPMG UK will be joined by Liesbeth Oost from Aspire Global to discuss what ESG is, the relevance of ESG to the gaming industry and how industry participants can think through implementing an ESG strategy in practical terms. The speakers will also look ahead on how ESG will continue to evolve.

USA & Canada: the emerging supermarkets, opportunities and barriers to entry and the emerging shape of the supermarket

From 2020 to 2021 there was a 10% increase in the average cost of a data breach, the largest single year cost increase in the last seven years. Startlingly, data breach costs rose from $3.86 million to $4.24 million in 2021*. With notable attacks during the year targeting health services, internet service providers and oil pipelines, the size, quantity, and sophistication of cyber-attacks is increasing year-on-year.

Join managed hosting, connectivity, and security specialists Continent 8 Technologies at the KPMG Malta Gaming eSummit, alongside special guests, for a thought-provoking breakout panel session discussing the continued rise of cyber-attacks, as well as thoughts on preparedness and techniques for mitigating your company’s risks before, during and post cyber-attacks.

Tier 1 operators have been using data to drive profitability for many years. But only recently have they committed to using such data to create a sustainable business model moving forward. Increasingly under attack from regulators, Governments and anti-gambling interest groups, a few leading companies have increased resources in the CSR and ESG functions to drive this sustainability agenda. Kindred is one of them, and this session will provide both the background to such a monumental decision for a business, along with views on the wider principles at play in the ‘socially responsible’ agenda increasingly used by investors.

Germany: what will it look like when the dust settles?

The EU approach and implications for the Maltese gaming industry

We are noticing a clear shift of mindset of investors and the global asset management community to taking into account more than just facts and figures when choosing their investments by looking at ESG in hope of maximising long-term value for all involved, including society at large. The term "ESG" however, quickly becomes overused and can be reduced to merely being a buzzword and, for companies, a "green washing" exercise to attract investment, if an interest in the environment, good governance and a sustainable business approach aren't actually part of a company's culture or simply cannot be properly and authentically achieved due to lack of resource, costs associated with a sustainable approach or lack of structure.

Scandinavia update: enforcement and risk in the Nordic markets

Experiences with gaming groups to date and the upcoming local rules

What are the current opportunities within Latin America and how best should one gear their operation up to navigate each jurisdiction effectively? Latin America presents a wealth of potential for suppliers and operators across the remote gaming ecosystem, however recognising the cultural differences across each corner of the continent will likely distinguish the winners from the losers.

Over the past 24 months and the repeal of PASPA, we have seen increased M&A activity with European based companies becoming targets of US based acquirers. This heightened M&A activity caught most European Regulators off-guard, thus forcing regulators to work within a legal framework that can sometimes hinder such forms of M&As. Furthermore, operators’ legal counsels, whom are licensed in multiple European jurisdictions, are also facing increased pressures to see these transactions through, whilst juggling an array of complex and varied requirements set by each territory within which they are licensed. Here we will discuss what needs to be done in order to have regulatory frameworks better facilitate and cater for cross-border M&A transactions, coupled with what the M&A teams need to gear themselves up for to streamline such transactions as market consolidation continues to play a dominant role in the industry.

The online gambling sphere has seen significant M&A activity over the past twelve months. 2022 is expected to see this trend continue as various operators, affiliates, PEs and SPACs seek new growth, divesture and/or investment opportunities.

This panel discussion shall be looking into ways to avoid pitfalls and getting deals over the finish line.

Learn the secrets to successful market entry from U.S. regulatory experts with a particular focus on how to navigate state-based regulatory schemes; insight on the status of California’s gaming market and what the future holds; and why the U.S. remains the land of gaming opportunity.

Netherlands: is there light at the end of the tunnel at last?

The panel of speakers lined-up for this break out session will leverage on their experience in advising several gaming clients to navigate through the complexities arising from the following transactions and considerations:
 • Mergers and acquisitions, differentiating between the  acquisition of a business or a standalone asset
 • Capitalisation of internally generated intangible assets, and  amortisation of such intangibles; and
 • Revenue recognition, and the deductions that need to be set  off against GGR.

As larger European markets mature and tighten their regulatory regimes, the online gambling industry has had to broaden its horizons in search of growth opportunities. This session will offer an overview of the new frontiers for gambling and their diverse journeys towards gambling regulation.

Topics will include:
 • Ontario and further opportunities in Canada
 • India’s skill gaming revolution
 • Brazil and the roadmap for LatAm
 • Japan’s grey market future

UK: is the burden of compliance and enforcement actually worth it? Lessons and pointers to keep out of trouble and ‘best practice’ for other markets

A Data First approach supports the growth of digital platforms to enable new innovative use cases, by promoting real-time process flows based on business events occurring in the organization ecosystem. This session will showcase how modern data approaches combined with low-code solutions can transform the way your business operates in terms of improved data access for better insights and a simplified approach to data exchange across your organisation.