COLLABORATION THE NAME OF THE GAME AT EIG

(686) (12-October-2006)

Online gaming executives consider the threat facing the industry

There are no prizes for identifying the main topic of conversation at this year's key European conference - European Interactive Gaming (EiG) which started in Barcelona mid-week.

Reports emanating from the conference tell of intense networking and not a little collaboration in the face of the threat of the loss of US business when the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act is signed into US law by the president.

Norbert Teufelberger , one of the co-CEO's of European betting giant bwin.com who was arrested in France last month on charges related to offering betting to French citizens without a proper license echoed EiG's underlying theme of "coming together" by revealing that his company was working with others to formulate a two-year lobbying and public relations campaign. "We will bring information to the decision-makers," he stated.

Sue Schneider , head of the organising company River City Group said that her impression of what was going on at the conference was "....a lot of discussion among the delegates about what sort of changes that may need to take place among their companies and how they're going to handle that sort of thing."