Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/750768
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 13 NOVEMBER 2016 XXVIII Gaming We'll be at SiGMA! Meet JULIAN BORG-BARTHET, Senior Business Development Manager at NMi, and a member of the International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA) with a wealth of experience in both online and land-based gaming and a multi-jurisdictional approach to worldwide compliance What range of gaming services do you offer? NMi specialises in providing gam- ing compliance testing and auditing against regulatory technical standards. We are especially committed to being first to market in emerging jurisdic- tions, whilst maintaining accreditations in all existing regulated jurisdictions. We provide an extensive range of services, which include Random Number Generator (RNG) testing, sportsbook testing, live dealer evalu- ation, e-sports testing, fantasy sports testing, platform testing, game concept analysis, vault certification, as well as the forthcoming Annual Game Testing Audits (AGTA), due next year in the UK. What edge do you have over other gaming service providers? One of our core values is our custom- er service and partnership philosophy. We work with customers to provide op- timum solutions to reduce duplication in testing as well as security auditing for customers that operate in multiple regulated jurisdictions. As we offer Transfers of Approval (ToA) from one gaming jurisdiction to another with minimum fuss and hassle, our customers are able to quickly and efficiently move into new markets, de- pending on opportunity and demand. Having a global presence and being first to market in emerging jurisdictions allows us to follow the roadmaps of both existing and new customers. Peo- ple accessible in key locations is also crucial for NMi, including the recent addition to the Business Development Team of Antonino Santangelo who is based in Malta. How feasible is it to hold a Maltese license as well as being a holder of extra jurisdictional licenses? Most of our customers hold licenses in many regulated jurisdictions, includ- ing Malta, as the gaming industry becomes more global and regulated. NMi work with B2B and B2C customers to provide a Transfer of Approval (ToA) framework that provides best value when operating in multiple markets and entering emerging jurisdictions. Is there room for start-ups still? Certainly, now more than ever, Malta is a favoured licensing regime for start- ups. It is great for resourcing talent and has fantastic infrastructure, as well as a supportive regulator and a strong digital economy. To become successful as a start-up, it is key to have a long-term vision and to build your regulatory roadmap into your business plan from day one. If you plan on entering additional regulated markets in, say, 12 to 18 months, picking a compliance partner that will be able to help get you there is extremely important. It's equivalent to investing in scalable architecture as well as staff that have multi-market experience, if you plan in line with your ambitions it makes expansion easier down the line. What are some of the hot markets for Malta-licensed companies to expand into? The whole of Eastern Europe is an exciting area and the Czech Republic is the next jurisdiction to be regulated. The Czech government has commit- ted to allowing online gaming, start- ing in January 2017. Yet with all the delays in publishing the final second- ary technical regulations, operators are obviously concerned that they will not be compliant in time. NMi are well prepared and have the resources in place to ensure that our customers are compliant and meet their deadlines. As of late, much has been mentioned about Africa as an emerging market. NMi are keeping a close eye on African jurisdictions, and are awaiting further developments in what is anticipated to be a high growth market. Latin America is another market NMi is closely following, with recent ap- provals in Colombia and Peru. We are closely following events in Brazil even though the country's gaming bill was recently delayed once again, together with Chile. Will the Philippines be another base for offshore online gaming? There has been quite a bit of focus on the Philippines lately, with the Phil- ippine Amusement and Gaming Cor- poration (PAGCOR) having started to grant offshore online gaming licences. We are already seeing some busi- nesses move into the Philippines to serve local markets in Asia and Ocean- ia. As PAGCOR created a regulatory framework for offshore online gaming, we are expecting a rapid influx of de- mand for B2C and B2B testing. What do you think of SiGMA? NMi has never had a presence at SiGMA from attendance to exhibiting; we have always viewed it as an affili- ate conference and we have slowly received more and more requests to have meetings at that show from B2B as well as B2C clients. This year, we have decided to dive in head-first, securing a stand and steering all of our efforts to support SiGMA as our point of presence for Maltese licensees as a local show. For marketing information please contact Beverley Cooke at bcooke@nmi-gaming.com This year, we have decided to dive in head-first, securing a stand and steering all of our efforts to support SiGMA as our point of presence for Maltese licensees as a local show Having a global presence and being first to market in emerging jurisdictions allows us to follow the roadmaps of both existing and new customers Julian Borg-Barthet