German Market Update with Dr. Joerg Hofmann and Austrian Market Update with Helmut Kafka announced for CEEGC2017

With one of the most successful boutique C-level gaming conference coming up this September, it comes as no surprise that its organizers (EEGEvents) have included discussions about the gambling industry in Germany and Austria.

The focus on the two countries have been in the eyes of most operators who are somehow active in these German speaking countries and would like to have a legal presence.

As the German online gambling market has the potential of turning into a highly profitable one, if regulated properly, the country has been in a legislative limbo in regard to its online gambling and betting regulations for almost five years and following the latest regulatory developments. The key question is that, is this state of oblivion and uncertainty likely to continue in the upcoming years? Especially when the elections are just around the corner in Germany and it is high likely that we might see some changes if a new Chancellor is seated in the Parliament.

It was this year, the heads of Germany’s 16 states approved a new Interstate Treaty on Gambling, one that was introduced as a refined version of a 2012 gambling law. Each individual state will now have to pass the legislative piece in order for it to come into effect on January 1, 2018.

Although German lawmakers have clearly worked on amending the Treaty, the amendments introduced were not very welcomed by the European Commission, the EU regulatory body that, among many other things, monitors the process of gambling market regulation in member states.

Such is the case in Austria, where major updates are finally expected to materialize in 2018.

The organizers have decided to invite top names of the industry and both of the keynote speakers are set to join the Central European panel at the second edition of the Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference.

The “Where is the Central European gambling industry heading?” panel is scheduled to be held between 14:00 – 15:00 (Budapest Local Time) on the 19th of September (Day 1) during the second edition of the Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference Budapest. (you can view the full agenda here).

More about the speakers:

Dr. Joerg Hofmann (Head of the Betting and Gaming Group of Melchers Law Firm)

Dr. Joerg Hofmann is the Immediate Past President of the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL), the pre-eminent global gambling law networking and educational organisation. He has been consistently ranked as a “Leading Individual” in Gaming & Gambling by Chambers Global since 2011 and is the only German Lawyer listed among “Germany’s Best Lawyers” in the category “Gaming Law” by Handelsblatt and BestLawyers since 2014. Joerg is based in Heidelberg/Germany. He frequently publishes articles in international expert’s magazines and periodicals and speaks regularly on international gaming law conferences around the world.

Helmut Kafka (President at Automatenverband)

More than 35 years internationally busy in the amusement and gambling trade.

Since 1988 expert for the Austrian Chamber of Commerce for gambling and amusement with prices machines (AWP), re-elected March 2015.
Since 1999 member of the British Society of Study of Gambling.

Since 2006 president of Automatenverband.at.

2007 until 2015 first vice president EUROMAT, Brussels and chairman of the legal affairs committee. Presenter and attendant of various international conferences, seminars, congresses Member of the scientific advisory board of the Institut f. Glücksspiel u. Wetten at the University Bonn-Sieg, Germany. 2013: Certificate ‘Excellence in Responsible Gaming’ of the Sigmund Freud University, Vienna.

How to secure your seat?
Early Bird Rate is set for 299 EUR and can be booked with the 50% discount until September the 3rd, 2017. Limited seating! (Online payment, Bitcoin or Bank Wire Available)

Register here: https://ceegc.eu/registration/

For more details visit the official website, www.ceegc.eu or contact the organizers directly by email ([email protected]) or by phone (0040 735 559 234).

Watch this space for more interesting updates about #CEEGC2017Budapest