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Internet Gambling Conference Starts with a Bang
Industry - October 28 1998
New Orleans-Tuesday, October 28 They came in ones and twos to the registration area. They were
the movers and shakers of the Internet Gambling world - the pioneers of cyber betting.
Such was the start of the first day of the Internet Gambling Conference In The El Meridien
hotel in New Orleans. While the conference was small, it is supposed to be. The purpose of
it was for those who are actually " in the business" to gather, exchange notes and learn. It is
definitely not a consumer show.
While only 100 are in attendance, these 100 are the center of the entire onling gambling
industry. Representatives of every major turnkey operation such as Starnet, Microgaming,
(Proudly displaying a blow up of the $82,000 check to a Internet slot winner they were
paying) to Cryptologic to Atlantis Gaming.
Also present are representatives of some of the countries that have legalized Internet
gambling. Curacao franchise license holder Robby Dos Santos, along with his lawyer
Marious Roemer (who is a also the brother of the prime Minister of Curacao) roamed the
halls, looking for more startups to license.
This is a working conference and you can tell by the seriousness of the attendees.They are
here to learn, make contacts, and make money. The greetings are kind of funny, someone
looks at you name tag and pauses. Then his face lights up and as he recognizes the name.
So many have been in e mail correspondence for years and have never met in person. This
is because the industry stretches from America to Australia to Canada to Taiwan. It is truly
an international group.
The were so many topics to cover that actually the first day had two "pre conference"
workshops: Setting up the virtual casino site and Financing online gaming sites.
The first one was lead by none other than Mark Dohlen, of Starnet and the second was lead
by Ehren Richardson of Economic Development Services Inc.
The highlight of the day was the actual startup of the conference, which was convened by
gambling law guru Anthony Cabot, the conference chairman.
Speaking on the present legal situation and the demise (for the present time) of the Kyl bill,
Cabot gave the attendees a rundown of the present state of Internet gambling from where it
started to where it is headed.
Cabot spoke of the next series of changes to the Internet and how they will effect the Internet
gambling industry. "Were going to have high bandwidth to your television," Cabot said,"
"This will open up the real opportunities of net gambling."
On a more somber note, the noted attorney predicted that the Kyl bill, while presently dead,
will be brought up again and there is a possibility that a weakened form of it may pass.
Another subject taken up on this first day was that of the concept of self regulation. Sue
Schneider, of RGT and chairman of the Interactive Gaming council urged the participants to
consider self regulation. She suggested that if governments were not going to regulate the
industry effectively due to there being so many jurisdictions, that the industry consider hiring
a respectable government to supply regulation.
As unusual as that may sound, most of the participants agreed that the need for some sort of
order is so high that it may be possible to have voluntary regulation.
One of major topics of conversation at the reception held after the first day's session was the
raid on New York by Attorney Dennis Vacco of two ISP's. Most referred to it as an election
ploy by the New York politician that may backfire.
The attention that Vacco received in his raid caused opponents to discover that while raiding
ISP's in the one hand, he has been receiving thousand of dollars form other Internet
gambling interests that he is not raiding. The disclosure has been a scandal in new York and
may well cost him the election.
Finally, the rumor of the day is that the U.S. government will be announcing an indictment
during the event of one of the those on the original 14 indicted in New York. Watch Where To
Bet for the latest news of the conference.
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