HATBORO, Pennsylvania – (PRESS RELEASE) -- The International Gaming
Conference & Expo (IGCE Europe), slated to take place November 5-7 in
Dublin at the historic Fitzpatrick Castle, will focus on the future of
Internet gambling in light of recent legislation passed in the U.S. That
law has targeted the involvement of U.S. citizens, banks and all credit
card companies that have been directly, or indirectly, involved with the
promulgation of interactive/offshore/online wagering to date. It is not
surprising that the expert speakers gathering together next week have
created a surge in attendance with many analysts involved with the gaming
industry indicating that this conference could not have come at a better
time.
"With little more than a week to go before our first sessions get
underway on Sunday, November 5th, stated Wayne Nixon, Director of the IGCE
Conference. "Inquiries and registrations for the conference have increased
coupled with a host of phone calls from likely attendees that will be
showing up as what is best described as 'walk-in traffic' on both Saturday
and Sunday morning. The major questions that will be addressed in Dublin
are where will the U.S. position leave most Internet gaming sites? Some
have closed, others have merged, and still others are continuing with a
'business as usual' attitude in direct contravention and response to the
U.S, efforts to curtail Internet gambling completely. We expect that the
experts we have assembled from around the globe...the legal, financial,
technical, governmental and others...will offer advice, opinions, direction
and answers to these and many other questions.
"The latest U.S. legislation has the online/offshore gaming industry in
a turmoil," Mr. Nixon continued," and the survival of an industry, for that
is what it is, that has an annual revenue of some $12-15 billion is clearly
at stake. These are introspective and somewhat perilous times for the
industry with corporate and executive futures being determined on an almost
daily basis, fear of dealing with U.S. players/punters permeating
everywhere and uncertainty evident with whomever one speaks to about the
future as critical legal opinions are being sought from Asia to North
America. While any attempt to prohibit gambling seems certain to both
succeed as a 'scare tactic' towards some and a challenge of sorts regarding
others, it appears that the final result will be the continuance of
gambling on the Internet. It is just a matter of the methodologies to
endure and perpetuate, to move forward. Legal advisories and debates,
postures of various venues from Antigua to Malta, are a mainstay of a
number of planned sessions that are on the agenda for Dublin."